Demand rules and forecast edits

Demand rules

A demand rule says how much of normal certain dates will sell, for the whole shop, one department or one product. 150 means half again as busy; 0 means you will be shut.

1. Open Settings, then Buying, and under Rules and setup choose Demand rules.
2. Choose the first and last day, and who it applies to.
3. Enter how much of normal those dates sell, as a percentage. For a single product you can instead give the number of units you expect.
4. Check the preview, which shows the orders it would change, then save.

A rule on one product beats a rule on its department, which beats a rule on the whole shop. They never multiply together. Inside a rule's dates, your figure replaces Stockbeam's own estimate.

Planning a sale in three steps

1. Choose Demand rules in the sidebar, or press Plan a sale for this product on a product's page, which fills in the product for you.
2. Enter the first and last day of the sale, and how much of normal you expect to sell, as a percentage. 200 means twice as busy.
3. Check the preview, then save. Stockbeam uses your figure for those dates when it works out what to order, and says so on every row it changes.

Rules on bundles

A bundle is a gift box, kit or multipack that you tell Stockbeam about under Settings, Buying, Rules and setup, Bundles, where you choose how each one is stocked.

If you set a rule on one bundle and that bundle is set to Packed to order, the rule carries to the items inside it. The form says so under the rule: "You pack [bundle] to order, so the items inside it follow this rule too", and lists the items. Those items' own sales keep their own forecast.

This applies to a rule on that one bundle. A rule on a department or on the whole shop does not carry into bundles, and neither does a change to a bundle's months on its product page.

A bundle set to Made ahead does not carry the rule. The form warns that the rule changes the bundle's own forecast only, so add a rule on the items inside it as well.

A bundle set to Shopify takes the items off stock does not carry it either, because its sales already count in its items' own sales and a rule on the bundle itself would change no order. Plan those dates with a rule on its items instead.

Editing one product's forecast

On a product's page you can change the forecast for a single month: set a number of units (for a wholesale order you already know about) or multiply Stockbeam's figure (when you only know the shape). Reset puts Stockbeam's forecast back at any time.

Forecasting for one product

On a product's page, the Forecasting for this product section has a Forecast for this product choice with four options. Press Save after you choose.

• Use shop setting: the product follows the Demand forecast choice in Settings. The option shows which one that is.
• Simple: this product uses a steady average, whatever the shop setting is.
• Smart (seasonal): this product uses your shop's seasonal pattern, whatever the shop setting is.
• Off: Stockbeam does not plan or forecast this product, and it stays off the reorder list.

Off is the same switch as the Never suggest tick on the Products page, and the product shows as Not suggested. Choosing any other option lets Stockbeam suggest it again.

Smart forecasting (seasonal)

In Settings, Buying, under Forecasting, Demand forecast offers Simple (a steady average) or Smart (your shop's own seasonal pattern, the seasonal forecasting described on the home page). Smart only changes a number once Stockbeam has a year of your sales and that pattern beats a plain average. Stockbeam reads your last 60 days of sales when you install, so Smart starts about a year after you install. Until then, with Smart on, each explanation says Stockbeam used the simple estimate, and a demand rule is the way to plan for a peak.