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Individual, precise forecastsUp to 40% better results in sales planning

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Calculated purchasing variety

The applications in Blue Yonder’s Predictive Analytics

Suite quickly recognise which factors correspond to

a customer’s daily business. “Digital merchandise

management customers obtain up to 40% better

Using demand forecasts for optimum stock availability

forecast results from our predictive applications,”

says Jan Karstens, CTO at Blue Yonder. With data

analysis from various source systems, Blue Yonder

calculates precise forecasts of product needs for

In traditional trade and e-commerce, retailers tend to tread a fine line between increased out-

of-stock risk and no purchases because margins are too high. And knowing the optimum stored

quantity of a product not only means that shelves are always filled with the correct amount. It also

reduces subsequent storage or logistics costs. To make such important forecasts, retailers need

reliable and accurate analyses to make over-stocking and under-stocking things of the past. With its

predictive applications, Blue Yonder makes sound business decisions possible. The company does

this by combining the intelligence of its software with the analytical strengths of EXASolution.

EXASOL is a registered trademark. All names trademarks of third parties are protected and owned by the trademark owner© 2014, EXASOL AG | All rights reserved.

EXASOL AG | Fon: +49 911.23 99 10 | info@exasol.com | www.exasol.com

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leading retailers such as the dm drugstore chain or

the online retailer OTTO. Information from enterprise

resource planning (ERP) or customer relationship

management (CRM) systems – as well as data from

merchandise management or even weather forecasts

– are included in the analyses. Consequently, retailers

can make effective and meaningful use of the data

collected. Using the forecasts, businesses can optimise

their stock availability, dynamically structure prices, or

continuously reduce surpluses in perishable foodstuffs.

Such accurate calculations, however, would not be

possible without the correct database. Scalability

was a relevant factor for Blue Yonder in selecting an

analytical database. “On an hourly basis, huge amounts

of data flows into our customers’ databases. For us

to continually provide reliable analyses, a database

with high scalability is imperative. More data allows

us to make better forecasts,” explains Karstens. For

several years there has been a successful partnership

between Blue Yonder and EXASOL. The result of

this cooperation is a future-oriented combination of

intelligent forecasting software married to the high-

performance analytical database of EXASolution. The

database enables free scalability and quick and flexible

adjustments to growing amounts of data. At the same

time, it reduces administrative costs with efficient

compression algorithms and self-tuning capabilities.

Blue Yonder customers benefit from a symbiosis of

two technologically high-performing systems to enable

optimum data handling.

More than 1 billion sales forecasts

“Without scale limits, retailers and e-commerce

companies develop into data-driven sectors that use

their data super-efficiently,” explains Karstens. “On

a daily basis, we generate more than 1 billion sales

forecasts and assess hundreds of millions of data

records a week for our customers. Demand forecasts

that are exact to the day, hour, or even minute replace

empirically based figures and hunches by the people

responsible.” Thus, cost-effective analyses and

forecasts effectively support companies in intelligent

goods procurement. Retailers can quickly ascertain

what order amounts are needed on what day. This

reduces out-of-stock risks as well as expensive residual

stock taking up unnecessary space. Online retailers can

also dynamically set prices and directly react to shop

demand – with one big advantage: more sales.

“For us to continually provide reliable analyses, a database with high scalability is imperative.”

Jan KarstensCTO, Blue Yonder

EXASOL is a registered trademark. All names trademarks of third parties are protected and owned by the trademark owner© 2014, EXASOL AG | All rights reserved.

EXASOL AG | Fon: +49 911.23 99 10 | info@exasol.com | www.exasol.com

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