Are you surviving pre-holiday sales? 😅

A gif of Oprah telling various members of her audience, "You get a deal!"

Greetings, Vendorville 👋

Do any shopping recently? 🛍️Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Lowe’s heated up the retail competition by announcing pre-holiday deals—all taking place the same week.

Amazon ran Prime Days from October 8th to 9th. Walmart's Holiday Deals are running from October 8th to 13th. Target's Circle Week started on October 6th and will run through the 12th. And lastly, MyLowe’s Rewards week starts today and lasts until October 16th.

Whether your team anticipated this early of a start to the holiday shopping season or not, this is the perfect time to sharpen your demand planning strategy. Making adjustments now—using a mix of historical performance and predictive insights—can set you up for a successful holiday push.

But where do you start? We’re glad you asked! ⬇️

It’s Time for You to Dig Into the Data 🔍

A gif of Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants in a tuxedo saying nervously, "Yeah, well, you see, those were out of stock."

⬆️ You don’t want this to be you during the holiday season!

As you gear up for the holiday season, reflecting on how you handled these early sales can give you valuable insights. Here’s how to take those lessons and turn them into actionable strategies for the months ahead.

📈 Lean on your historical data: How did these October sales compare to last year? What products performed better than expected? Use those insights to refine your approach for Black Friday and beyond.

📊Update your predictive models: Now that you've experienced this sales cycle, adjust your forecasts. Factor in this year's performance alongside predicted trends to get a clearer picture of what's to come.

🤸 Stay flexible: Demand planning isn't just about getting it right once—it's about being able to pivot when needed. If you’ve noticed any patterns or shifts in consumer behavior, integrate those into your strategy moving forward.

What’s Next? The holiday season is right around the corner, and if these October sales have taught us anything, it’s that preparation is key. Use this moment to tighten up your demand planning, adjust stock levels, and ensure you’re ready for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and whatever else Q4 has in store.

You’ve navigated one major sales event—now let’s use what we’ve learned to crush the next one! 💪

In Other Retailer News 📰

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Rick’s Tips 💘

"A balance of historical data and predictive insights can make all the difference in keeping your shelves stocked (but not overstocked)!

For a deeper understanding of how to use different types of retail data, check out our article on descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics.

And while you’re here, don’t forget to check out our upcoming webinar, How to Successfully Dispute Walmart AP Deductions. It’s your guide to mastering AP deductions and navigating Walmart's processes like a pro!"

Let's Circle Back 🌀

A gif of the Grinch looking bemused at the viewer, then scowling as he turns forward and stalks off out of view.

If it’s not too early for holiday shopping, it’s definitely not too early for holiday movies, right? 🎄Here are the top 5 highest-grossing Christmas movies of all time to get you into the festive spirit:

The Grinch (2018) – $538,920,602
Home Alone (1990) – $476,684,675
Alvin And The Chipmunks (2007) – $365,352,546
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) – $358,994,850
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (2000) – $345,823,032

Grab some hot cocoa (or a pumpkin spice latte since it's still October 🙃), kick back, and enjoy a movie marathon—because if we’re handling holiday sales, we might as well do it with some holiday cheer! 🎥

Sincerely,

Your Friends in Vendorville ❤️