by Kevin Sterneckert, AMR Research

Planalytics, a provider of Business Weather Intelligence (BWI), recently hosted a symposium with nearly 85 consumer products (CP) manufacturers and one significant retailer, Walmart. The group assembled to understand how companies significantly improve the accuracy of their merchandise plans through the inclusion of an important demand lever - the weather.

Most attendees agreed the weather impacts consumer buying, but what’s not as clear is how, to what degree, or where these impacts occur. Business Weather Intelligence, however, can deliver product and location-specific insights, allowing companies to deliver a better merchandising plan.

In the mix were those that initially scoffed at the idea of utilizing weather insights to improve business performance. “We can’t even get a straight answer from the local weatherman for tomorrow,” one attendee joked. But five leading companies shared their experiences, making it apparent that a careful examination of the weather and its influence on merchandise, combined with sophisticated weather trending data, can yield key improvements in meeting the demands of retailers— even the world’s largest.