buyers forum

Weather or not

Savvy retailers take EVERYTHING into consideration when planning their inventory. Instant indicators such as season and region help determine buying plans. So do the demands of the local population. A town on the water, for example, will be more likely to need polarized sunwear year round and a town with lots of manufacturing has a built-in demand for safety eyewear. A town�s age is a concern too. Towns with growing senior populations�and the National Retail Federation recently predicted the number of Americans age 55 and older will almost double between now and 2030�will need progressive-friendly eyewear.

But there are other situations that may not come to mind instantly when formulating your buying plans. Weather seems like a stable factor that provides a straightforward buying pattern: sunwear for summer, goggles for winter. However, throw in a phenomena such as the El Nino weather pattern this year and your old buying habits may end up hurting your bottom line.

Increasingly, retailers are doing more than looking out of the window, turning on the news for weather broadcasts, or even comparing year-to-year data to determine seasonal buying.Weather-conscious businesspeople are taking a longer view of the elements and their impact on sales by turning to companies such as Wayne, Pennsylvania-based Planalytics to receive not only weather predictions but also information on how these patterns relate to retail trends and may impact future sales.

As Chris Cawthorne, managing director of Planalytics Europe Ltd., notes, weather patterns only repeat from year to year about 25 percent of the time. As a result, what you needed lots of last year may not move from the dispensary shelves this year. While contracting the firm for a large-scale analysis may be out of your price range, a free weekly weather newsletter, FlashWeather, may help the planning process (visit www.planalytics to sign up). Without considering the impact of unexpected weather shifts on inventory, this winter�s sales may leave you feeling left out in the cold. 

Amy Spiezio

Managing Editor