The Reactive SDP Blog

Practical guides on demand planning, merchandise forecasting, and retail buying strategy.

How to Calculate Reorder Point for Retail: Formula, Examples & When to Automate

The reorder point formula, worked examples for real retail scenarios, common mistakes that cause stockouts, and when it makes sense to stop doing it by hand.

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The Complete Reactive SDP Setup Guide: From CSV to Purchase Order

Everything you need to fully set up Reactive SDP — from preparing your data and configuring every setting to reading forecasts, using size curves, running price simulations, and exporting purchase orders. The comprehensive reference for new users.

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Edge Case Detection in Demand Planning: 18 Scenarios Your Forecast Engine Should Catch

A demand forecast is only as good as the edge cases it handles. Here are 18 real-world scenarios that silently corrupt inventory plans — from stockout bias and viral spikes to cannibalization, markdown-only demand, and seasonal mismatch — and how a modern planning engine detects them automatically.

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How to Build a 26-Week Demand Forecast: Excel vs. Purpose-Built Tools

A side-by-side walkthrough of building a seasonal demand forecast in a spreadsheet versus using software designed for the job — including where each approach breaks down and when to switch.

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Getting Started with Reactive SDP: A Complete Setup Guide for Retail Buyers

Everything you need to go from a blank screen to your first forecast in under 30 minutes. Covers data preparation, uploading your CSV, reading the output, and placing your first reorder.

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Weeks of Cover: The One Metric Every Retail Buyer Should Obsess Over

Weeks of cover is the single most actionable number in merchandise planning. Here's what it actually means, how to calculate it correctly, and how to use it to stop over-buying and under-buying at the same time.

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