SAS analytics software on Microsoft Azure helps retailers navigate shifting market conditions, new channels and elevated consumer expectations to deliver optimal shopping experiences. SAS® for Size Demand and Optimization accurately identifies size-level retail product demand by location and determines the right shipping pack-level quantities required to meet that need. Powerful analytics transform historical sales data into size-demand intelligence and predicts future sales and inventory needs by size, reducing stock-outs while boosting sales and profits.

SAS® for Size Demand and Optimization is for any retailer or wholesaler that sells sized or attribute-based merchandise or stocks assorted products that are distributed together. Many planning systems offer limited automation and struggle with massive amounts of size/location historical sales data forcing retailers to apply an average size profile to all stores. Unfortunately, this typically results in early-season stock-outs and excessive end-of-season markdowns on similar merchandise across many stores.

SAS powers the planning process with advanced analytics creating visibility to risks and opportunities in the business so merchants and planners can react and collaborate in real-time. Through artificial intelligence and statistical clustering, hundreds or even thousands of locations which share similar size demand patterns can be grouped together to form a detailed sell-through plan for efficient size-level execution. That insight is then optimized into efficient case-pack, case-ordering and allocation recommendations that achieve the right balance between inventory precision and process simplicity.

SAS uses easy to navigate business user workflows to automate processes and procedures allowing merchants, planners and allocation analysts to play a more strategic role in the organization and put time back in their day to explore new business opportunities. The ability to apply business and supply chain constraints optimally balances inventory precision and operating efficiencies prior to placing purchase orders.

Easily run analytic workloads in the cloud to meet business goals faster and enable trusted decisions. SAS is a recognized leader in Machine-Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analytics. Powered by SAS® Intelligent Planning, the solution harnesses these capabilities to streamline and automate complex planning tasks that result in assortments that deliver superior customer experiences.

SAS analytics solutions transform data into intelligence, inspiring over 1,400 Retail & Consumer Goods companies around the world to make bold new discoveries that drive progress.