Linking stores

Use this procedure to link new stores. You must have the Enable Product/Store Linking permission to link stores.

About this task

To link stores, you first choose from a list of new stores that have no modeling coefficients or links. In the next page of the application, you select the modeled store from which the coefficients need to be borrowed. This page includes location information and metrics on average weekly volume, scan dates, and counts of active categories and SKUs to help you select an appropriate store to use as the basis for forecasts for the new store.

In the next step in the process, you can compare the new and mature stores more closely and scale the volume in the new store up or down relative to the existing store that it has been linked to. This setting allows you to adjust for differences in total store traffic and demand levels across the existing and new store.

Once the link is submitted, the coefficients from the modeled store are then copied to the non-modeled store. At the end of the process, a report displays the linked store and the percentage of the active SKUs in the assortment of the new store that have corresponding coefficients in the existing store. You can also edit or unlink any established store link in this report.

Procedure

  1. Choose Data > Store Linking to open the Store Linking page.
  2. Click the Unlinked New Stores tab.
  3. Choose a division of stores from the Division drop-down list to display unlinked stores.
    The list of stores includes information such as the store name, store number, first and last scanned dates, and number of active categories and SKUs.
  4. Select a new store from the list. Right-click, and select Link Store in the menu.
    The Link Store panel shows the mature (modeled) stores that you can link to. The Store Link Summary at the top shows the attributes of the new store.
  5. Select a radio button in the Select column next to the modeled store that you want to link to.
  6. Click Next to advance to the Input Volume panel, or click Cancel to cancel the current link.

    You can enter a Volume Scaling Factor to calibrate the forecasted volumes for the new store up or down relative to the existing store to adjust for expected differences in total store traffic and demand. The default value of 100% means that the forecasted volume for each Demand Group in the new store is the same as the volume for the same Demand Group in the existing store. Entering a value of 150%, for example, would result in initial volume forecast for each Demand Group in the new store 50% higher than in the existing store. A value of 50% would result in forecasts that are only 50% of those in the existing store.

  7. Click Next. You will be navigated to the Link Review panel where you can select the links to submit, or create additional links by clicking Add New Link. You can also cancel all created links.
  8. All submitted store links will appear in the Linked New Stores panel in the Store Linking page. To see the updated link status, refresh the screen by pressing F5.
    Once the links are completed, the Assortment Coverage column in the report will be updated. This metric represents the percentage of the active SKUs in the assortment of the new store that have corresponding coefficients in the existing store. A value of 100% indicates that all active SKUs in the new store will receive coefficients and forecasts in the applications after linking. A value of 50% indicates that only half of the active assortment in the new store will be available for forecasting. In this case, you could unlink the stores so that the new store could receive its own unique modeling coefficients in DemandTec by Acoustic OpenLink.