Ultimate Guide to Forecasting Holiday Sales and Stock in 2020

Learn tips to forecast when customer behavior changes to keep cash flow positive.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

The Benefits of Using eCommerce Inventory Planning Software

Managing inventory can be an overwhelming process, and if you don’t have the right tools at your disposal, it can lead to countless problems within your operations.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Ultimate Guide to Inventory Forecasting

How do you strike a balance between optimizing stock levels and managing cash flow? Inventory forecasting can be a powerful tool to help you do just that.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

What Type of Demand Forecast Should You Use [Videos]

Available sales history, seasonality and importance of recent trends are important considerations when choosing a forecasting method. Learn when to use various forecasting methods.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

What is Top-Down Forecasting?

Top-down forecasting is good for products that are seasonal but that do not have a long of sales history.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

What is Inventory Forecasting?

Forecasting enables warehouses to keep track of sales and anticipated demand, so they can ensure that the available stock is adequate to meet customer needs.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Use Prime Day to Test Holiday Promotions [Video]

Use Prime Day – or “Christmas in July” promotions – to test out sales strategies for fourth quarter holiday sales.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Feature Feature: Merging and Linking Data Across Platforms

Inventory Planner has a feature that allows you to link the same variants. You can see total sales and other performance metrics, revenue, how the variants are selling.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Predicting Your eCommerce Selling Forecast

Without an idea of how much stock you’ll need of any particular item, you run the risk of sitting on a lot of product that you don’t need or having to turn business away.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How One Amazon Seller Uses Forecasting and FBA to Drive Revenue and Optimize Cash Flow

How One Amazon Seller Uses Forecasting and FBA to Drive Revenue and Optimize Cash Flow

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How to Forecast a New Product [Video]

While at first glance it may appear you have no data for your new product, there are metrics you can use to guide your purchasing decisions.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Forecasting Customer Demand During Uncertain Times

We provide some tips to companies that manage inventory while navigating unpredictable customer demand during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Forecast Customer Demand to Optimize Inventory [Video]

Learn how to use customer sales history to forecast what and how much inventory will be purchased in the future.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How Web Push Notifications Can Affect Customer Demand

The real-time delivery of promotions and instant viewership of your web push notifications is sure to help you generate more customer demand around products. 

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Exceptions to the Rule: When to Change a Forecast

Sales and seasonality have the largest roles to play, and when added to the overall sales forecast, you will have the best information possible to predict sales and replenishment.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Amazon Fulfillment: Which Method Is Right For You? [Infographic]

Making the most of Amazon’s advantages while minimizing costs, requires careful consideration of the options for seller types and figuring out what works best in your situation.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

3 Key Factors To Consider When Building Out A Cash Flow Forecast 

If you aren’t doing cash flow forecasting in accordance with best practices, there is still work that needs to be done.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Choosing Lead Time and Days of Stock

Accurately figuring your lead time and days of stock are critical to forecasting customer demand. Learn about factors to consider and improve your forecast.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

New Square + Inventory Planner Integration

Sync sales history and product information to Square to forecast customer demand with Inventory Planner.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

LOCATE Inventory + Inventory Planner Now Available!

Inventory Planner now integrates with LOCATE Inventory. Learn more about how your store can benefit from this partnership.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

New Integration – Unleashed Software

Learn how Unleashed and Inventory Planner work together and which stores should use both systems

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Mike’s Dive Store Uses Inventory Planner to Delegate, Reclaim Time, and Save Money

Moving Mike’s Dive Store to Inventory Planner the company not only countless hours of reordering without a plan, but also saved their business money.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Stupid Cancer Store’s Success Story

How Stupid Cancer Uses Inventory Planner After Outsourcing Fulfillment

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Merchant Success: MVMT Watches

MVMT Watches: From Crowdfunding Record Setter to Shopify Success Story

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Orderhive + Inventory Planner Integration

Orderhive users can sync sales history and product information to Inventory Planner to produce a forecast of customer demand to see what additional inventory is needed.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

SitStay improves stockturn by 8x

Improved stockturn meant that money spent on inventory turned into profits significantly faster than before using Inventory Planner.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How Shopify stores can see costs, manage vendors and forecast inventory needs

With sales forecasting, replenishment recommendations and in-depth reports provided by Inventory Planner, you have tools to optimize your inventory and build your business.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Sales Forecasting Excel Template for Shopify or any eCommerce Store

Download our free forecast template using information from your Shopify (or any eCommerce) store

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

QuickBooks Online integration with Inventory Planner

Integrate Inventory Planner and QuickBooks Online to automate operations and sync purchase order detail.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Inventory Planner + Skubana Integration Announcement

Inventory Planner is excited to announce it is launching a new integration with Skubana.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Inventory Planner launches Xero Integration

Inventory Planner users can now sync purchase orders to Xero to keep purchasing information up to date for accounting purposes.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Inventory Planner now integrates with ShipHero

ShipHero users can now sync sales history and product information including stock levels to Inventory Planner to forecast replenishment needs.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Ultimate Guide to Forecasting Holiday Sales and Stock in 2020

Learn tips to forecast when customer behavior changes to keep cash flow positive.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

The Benefits of Using eCommerce Inventory Planning Software

Managing inventory can be an overwhelming process, and if you don’t have the right tools at your disposal, it can lead to countless problems within your operations.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Ultimate Guide to Inventory Forecasting

How do you strike a balance between optimizing stock levels and managing cash flow? Inventory forecasting can be a powerful tool to help you do just that.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

What Type of Demand Forecast Should You Use [Videos]

Available sales history, seasonality and importance of recent trends are important considerations when choosing a forecasting method. Learn when to use various forecasting methods.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

What is Top-Down Forecasting?

Top-down forecasting is good for products that are seasonal but that do not have a long of sales history.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

What is Inventory Forecasting?

Forecasting enables warehouses to keep track of sales and anticipated demand, so they can ensure that the available stock is adequate to meet customer needs.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Use Prime Day to Test Holiday Promotions [Video]

Use Prime Day – or “Christmas in July” promotions – to test out sales strategies for fourth quarter holiday sales.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Feature Feature: Merging and Linking Data Across Platforms

Inventory Planner has a feature that allows you to link the same variants. You can see total sales and other performance metrics, revenue, how the variants are selling.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Predicting Your eCommerce Selling Forecast

Without an idea of how much stock you’ll need of any particular item, you run the risk of sitting on a lot of product that you don’t need or having to turn business away.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How One Amazon Seller Uses Forecasting and FBA to Drive Revenue and Optimize Cash Flow

How One Amazon Seller Uses Forecasting and FBA to Drive Revenue and Optimize Cash Flow

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How to Forecast a New Product [Video]

While at first glance it may appear you have no data for your new product, there are metrics you can use to guide your purchasing decisions.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Forecasting Customer Demand During Uncertain Times

We provide some tips to companies that manage inventory while navigating unpredictable customer demand during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Forecast Customer Demand to Optimize Inventory [Video]

Learn how to use customer sales history to forecast what and how much inventory will be purchased in the future.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How Web Push Notifications Can Affect Customer Demand

The real-time delivery of promotions and instant viewership of your web push notifications is sure to help you generate more customer demand around products. 

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Exceptions to the Rule: When to Change a Forecast

Sales and seasonality have the largest roles to play, and when added to the overall sales forecast, you will have the best information possible to predict sales and replenishment.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Amazon Fulfillment: Which Method Is Right For You? [Infographic]

Making the most of Amazon’s advantages while minimizing costs, requires careful consideration of the options for seller types and figuring out what works best in your situation.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

3 Key Factors To Consider When Building Out A Cash Flow Forecast 

If you aren’t doing cash flow forecasting in accordance with best practices, there is still work that needs to be done.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Choosing Lead Time and Days of Stock

Accurately figuring your lead time and days of stock are critical to forecasting customer demand. Learn about factors to consider and improve your forecast.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Upcoming Training – December 2020

Introduction to demand planning and forecasting training sessions are available for working hours around the world Find the time that works best for you.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Upcoming Training – September 2020

September 2020 is full of training sessions to learn more about demand forecasting, inventory control, and using Inventory Planner. Sign up today!

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Upcoming Training – February 2021

Training sessions during February 2021 will cover introductory demand planning, fine-tuning your forecast, and planning for bundles and assemblies.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

September Training: Forecasting 101, Bundles & Assemblies, and More!

September 2021 training sessions cover how to use Inventory Planner, prepare for BFCM, and how to increase your ROI from your inventory.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

October Training and Events: Linn Academy, Introduction to Inventory Planning and More!

Learn from industry experts at Linn Academy and join us for Inventory Planner training!

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

XeroCon London 2019 recap

Check out our highlights of XeroCon London 2019!

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Top 10 Shopify Inventory Management Apps for Growth in 2020

With the plethora of inventory management apps available on Shopify, business owners can now maximize their cash flow from their inventory.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

To Order or Not To Order: Assessing Replenishment Priority

An ABC class analysis looks at each variant or product’s contribution to your revenue over a given time frame.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

9 Tips for Putting Together a Cash Flow Forecast in Uncertain Times

Cash flow forecasting can help you make better business decisions based on data and historical performance instead of relying on intuition.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Tips and Tricks for Amazon Sellers: Demand Forecasting + Marketing

Demand forecast often involves coordinating with marketing efforts. Here are best practices to optimize Amazon listing to drive more demand.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

The Challenges with Forecasting and Restocking Inventory on Amazon

Proper holiday forecasting and inventory planning still requires that you understand your market, position within that market and product’s sales potential.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

The Case Against Safety Stock: Why It Doesn’t Work and What To Do Instead

Learn how to dynamically build in a buffer to handle supply chain problems.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

When to Use a Seasonal Inventory Demand Forecast

Seasonal forecasting is not just for the fourth quarter. Take into consideration re-launched merchandise, intermittent-selling items, or other big promotions.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

When Should You Stop Dropshipping and Start Fulfilling In-House? [Video]

When dropshipping your products, you may reach a point where you want to bring that in-house to maximize profitability and have control over those items. When? What products? How?

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Narrowing the Region of Darkness: An Approach to KPI Setting

Business projections look into the future and paint a picture of what could be and KPI’s are the tracked metrics that align your pace and direction with that picture of the future.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How Much Stock is ‘Enough’?

Risk tolerance, ROI on inventory investments, vendor considerations, and analyzing product performance can inform what the target amount of your stock should be for your business.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

QuickBooks Connect San Jose 2019 Recap

Check out our recap of QuickBooks Connect 2019 in San Jose, California.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

[Podcast] Optimize Your Cash Flow – Inventory Planner on eCommerce Fastlane

Check out our podcast episode with eCommerce Fastlane talking about cash flow, optimizing inventory levels, managing your supply chain during Chinese New Year, and more!

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Overstock: How Much Is Too Much And How Do You Turn It Into Cash? [Updated with Video]

Cash is king. Clear out overstock before it kills your cash flow and your business. Look at what’s not working to build profitability and cut items that aren’t.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Optimize Stock By Comparing Location Demand

See how stock is balanced among locations. It can be more cost effective to shift inventory from one location to another rather than ordering more product from the vendor. 

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Key metrics to prioritize inventory replenishment [Video]

Not all of your inventory and not all of your replenishment needs are going to be the same. A couple key metrics will help to prioritize what is most important to keep in stock.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How to Avoid Lost Revenue and Stockouts During Chinese New Year

During Chinese New Year, keep in mind many factories will be closed between two and four weeks. Take steps now to avoid losing out on revenue due to inventory being out of stock.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Holiday Prep for Amazon Sellers [Video]

In this interview, we discuss how to make the most of Prime Day in October, prepare for holiday sales and more!

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

4 ways to use cost tracking in Shopify to improve profits

Learn how to use cost tracking in Shopify to assess profitability and see where to invest resources for your store

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Financial Planning for Your eCommerce Business

By looking at your business on a category level to see what inventory needs will be months in advance, you can be better prepared to meet customer demand.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Feature Feature: Link and Merge Variant Information Across Platforms

Inventory Planner brings product information together across platforms to help make buying decisions and optimize your purchasing budget and time.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Inventory Aging

Properly calculating inventory again will give you more insight into your retail business and permit you to adjust inventory accordingly.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Sales and Inventory Forecasting for Amazon Sellers

Learn how to use inventory forecasting for managing FBA, FBM and stores with combined sales channels.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Inventory Planner Now Available in the Amazon Marketplace Appstore

From data-driven forecasts to customizable, one-click purchase orders to inventory optimization, Inventory Planner offers something for most every seller in the Amazon store.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

How Is Your Inventory Affecting Your Company’s Financial Health?

By examining margins, understock, and overstock, you will be able to determine where you need to have your inventory to optimize your profit.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Key Concepts: Understanding Inventory Cost and Stock Cost Value

Inventory is much more than the cost price. As your manufacturing costs increase, you can monitor profit margins and raise prices accordingly.‍

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Inventory Control and Replenishment for Multiple Warehouses

Forecasting using a combined warehouse can help you navigate multiple lead times, more efficient ordering, and warehouse transfers.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Best Practices: How to Manage Multiple-Location Inventory with Shopify

Shopify’s multilocation system allows you to easily create new distribution points, maintain control of inventory, and optimize inventory levels

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Beginner’s Guide to Merchandise Financial Planning

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Amazon Seller Conference – Prosper Show 2019 Recap

Seller Fulfilled Prime, strategies for scaling, metrics for growth and more in our recap of Amazon seller-focused conference Prosper Show 2019.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Inventory Planner Feature: Print Labels

As part of Amazon’s shipment creation process, you can save time and money by creating and printing labels directly from Inventory Planner.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

8 Sales Forecast Tips You Need To Learn Now

When using the correct data and dynamic forecasting methods, you set yourself up for success to make the very best decisions possible for your online store.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

7 Key Metrics To Figure Out When To Order Inventory

By having accurate statistics on hand, you will be able to properly forecast what you need and where, thereby diminishing the chances of stockouts and overstock.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

6 Steps to Prepare Your Inventory and Purchasing for the New Year

Take steps now to make this busy time of year go more smoothly. Look at the big picture in your store – what’s driving your revenue and how can you focus on that?

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Brightpearl Acquires Inventory Planner, Giving Savvy Merchants Better Ways to Accurately Predict Demand 

With this acquisition, Brightpearl expands its technology offering to include advanced forecasting expertise.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

6 Of The Best Amazon Seller Tools To Take Your Business To The Next Level

This is for the sellers who are selling on Amazon and are looking to boost their rankings or those who are looking for easier ways to manage their accounts.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

New! Integrate Etsy with Inventory Planner

Having your fingers on the pulse of your eCommerce site means stockouts and overstock are a thing of the past, and personalized metrics and profits will ensure your business grows.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

eCommerce Inventory Optimization: Why Your Online Store Needs It

Inventory Planner is a unique software program that incorporates multiple forecasting methods. You can save time and make the most out of your purchasing.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

ecomdash Integration Announcement

Integrate ecomdash with Inventory Planner to forecast customer demand based on sales history and product information.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

New and Improved! Demand Planning for Assemblies and Bundles

Optimize stock of components and finished goods with improved Inventory Planner demand planning for bundles and assemblies

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Holiday Overstock: Move out seasonal items to create cash for your business

Even if you are left with excess inventory in the first quarter, there are still many ways to reduce that inventory to produce cash for use elsewhere in your business.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Clear Overstock by Selling in Bundles [Video]

There are a variety of ways to sell off overstock, but one of the quickest ways is to sell in bulk. Here are time-tested tips to help you move out overstock as quickly as possible.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

Challenges of Scaling: Data integration Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

As eCommerce companies grow and operations grow increasingly complex, merchants need to adopt a strategy and match it against the appropriate approach before sourcing solutions.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner

11 Steps for Holiday Inventory Ordering and Planning [Updated with Video]

We’ve put together a checklist to help make sure your inventory is available when you need it and in the quantities you need.

Jill Liliedahl

Business Development, Inventory Planner