New Ulta Demo Videos

The Accelerated Analytics team releases 9, new Ulta report demo videos, showcasing many of the features that the reports offer our customers. As Ulta remains the largest beauty retailer, with over 1,200 stores, we continue to see growing interest in the reports. The new series of videos available here, are aimed at highlighting how Accelerated Analytics reporting tools give our customers stable insights in an increasingly difficult supply chain and retail environment. To learn more about how our reporting can help you make better use of your retail sales data and what makes us different than the retailer reporting tools you may be using, be sure to set up a quick walkthrough of our platform and review of your operations here.

Free Safety Stock Infographic

2021 is gearing up to present brand dominance opportunities (for those that can break out and ahead of the pack). Doing so will increasingly rely on ever-granular reporting to assure optimal retail numbers – especially in the resource-drained supply chain of 2021. For those teams that haven’t brushed up lately on the impact that Safety Stock can have, we’ve created a quick and easy infographic here. To learn more about how our reporting can help you make better use of your retail sales data and what makes us different than the retailer reporting tools you now have, be sure to set up a quick walkthrough of our platform and review of your operations here.

12 Key Supply Chain Metrics Materials Now Available Via LIG

As retail passes through the unpredictable and turbulent waters of 2020, heading into the “less unpredictable,” yet equally turbulent markets in 2021, it’ll be imperative to gain and maintain control of retail stock and the numbers that drive it. To better assist the retail brands that Accelerated Analytics currently serves as well as the retail community as a whole, Accelerated Analytics has made available several retail resources specifically centered around Supply Chain metrics. These include infographics, videos and other industry training and re-education materials to assist our peers going deeper into 2021. Materials can be found via links/posts in the Accelerated Analytics “Retail Analytics, Reporting, Supply Chain, Sales & Marketing” LinkedIn Group here.

COVID-19 KILLED YEAR OVER YEAR COMPS

Part 1: Every retail report presents data in a nearly identical way: TY LY % CHG +/- VOL. This traditional method of measuring business performance is useless in the face of COVID-19, and the hangover is going to continue through all of 2021. See the nearby chart which shows the Accelerated Index in two categories with TY and LY sales. If you are a VP sales in the DIY space you might be loving your commission checks this year but I’d stick at least half in your savings account because next year when quotas are set using the traditional X% increase from LY your going to have the hangover of a lifetime.

The crazy part for the DIY / home center space is that your sales would most likely be even higher if you could produce and ship all the product your retail partners want. Raise your hand if your filling full PO’s these days? The department store channel has the opposite problem. Sales TY are down 18% to 30% YTD vs LY and the recovery trajectory remains soft. So fast forward to next year when you are trying to set your sales goals using the tried and true X% increase from LY. That’s going to be rough.

So now what? Do we modify every retail report to discount TY/LY/%CHG? Do we come up with an alternative method to measure performance? I will publish Part 2 with recommendations in the coming days so keep an eye on our blog. In the meantime, add your comments below please.

Chad Symens | Founder and CEO

With nearly 20 years of leadership, technology and retail and supply chain analytics experience, Chad understands the challenges that both brands and retailers face in today’s ever-changing, omni-channel retail marketplace. In 2003, Chad started Accelerated Analytics, focusing on capturing and analyzing the wealth of information and unique story contained within POS data. Through his leadership, the company has become a leading provider of retail point of sale reporting and analysis services. Learn more about Chad Symens and the Accelerated Analytics team here.

The EDI 870 Order Status Report transaction set is commonly used by vendors to report on the current status of a customer’s order. Each status report transaction refers to a customer’s single order but it can involve multiple previously-sent purchase orders. The 870 is replacing what is known as a Paper Status Report, which provides details on where an order is in production. EDI 870 can include but is not limited to:

• Vendor Details
• Order Status Details
• Explanation Of Status
• Reference Identifying The Specific Order
• Details Of Order: Price, Quantity, Item, Etc.

The EDI 870 transaction can be implemented to report complete orders, focusing on line items within an order or selected products/services in that purchase order. It may also be used to update the supplier’s shipment schedule or delivery dates. The 870 could be sent as a result of an Order Status Inquiry (EDI 869 transaction) that’s received from a trading partner. In addition to that, 870 transactions could potentially be used to prearranged schedules but only when inventory is allocated to such an order.

EDI 870 Specifications

This X12 Transaction Set contains the format and establishes the data contents of the Order Status Report Transaction Set (870) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to report on the current status of;

• Purchase Orders
• Purchase Orders For Specific Customers (All or Select)
• Line Items Of The Purchase Order
• Select Products/Services On Purchase Order
• Requirement Forecast

The EDI 870 transaction set can also be used to report on the current status of single or multiple requisitions. The report format allows for the inclusion of “reasons” relative to the status. This transaction set can also be used to provide updates on a supplier’s scheduled shipment or specific delivery dates. This transaction set can result from either an inquiry or a prearranged schedule agreed to by the trading partners.

The EDI 830 Planning Schedule transaction set is really used as an electronic sales forecast. In fact, it can be used in 3 different ways:

• Just as a sales forecast
• As a forecast and an authorization for the recipient to commit to resources
• As a forecast that also includes order release levels

The senders of 830 Planning Schedules are typically manufacturers communicating with their suppliers. The 2 trading partners would represent the buyer (the manufacturer) and the seller (the supplier). The Planning Schedule allows the seller to plan resources, such as labor and material, and to fulfill orders via automation based on a customer’s inventory levels. 830 transactions that do include a Material Release are likely to include specific authorizations, which could be period-to-date cumulative quantities, and shipping or delivery patterns (weekly, monthly or quarterly) requirements. By doing so, it can eliminate the need for a customer to generate separate purchase orders.

This info in a single 830 transaction can relate to all production items sourced from a given supplier site. While the 830 transaction may include shipping information, the main focus is on forecasts. You can use the 862 Shipping Schedule transaction to provide detailed shipping instructions as needed.

EDI 830 Format

ISA*01*0000000000*01*0000000000*ZZ*ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO*ZZ*123456789012345*101127*1719*U*00400*000003438*0*P*>
GS*PS*1234567890 *999999999 *20120126*1211*1*T*004010
ST*830*0001
BFR*00**001*DL*A*19990607*19991029*19990611
N1*SU*STURGIS MOLDED PRODUCTS*92*C84A
N2*STURGIS MOLDED PRODUCTS *70343 CLARK STREET
N3*PO OX 246 *STURGIS, MI 49091
LIN**PC*AA017830-1441*PD*TERMINAL (AN PC )*PO*C01000*RN*001
UIT*EA
PO4*1*96*X4
REF*DK*A22
PER*EX*JOHN DOE*TE*4239827000*****12345
FST*1728*C*D*19990614
FST*1440*C*D*19990615
FST*1440*C*D*19990616
FST*1440*C*D*19990617
FST*1440*C*D*19990618
FST*7392*D*W*19990621
FST*7392*D*W*19990628
LIN**PC*AA017380-2030*PO*C50000*RN*001
UIT*PC
PO4*1*108*X4
REF*DK*A22
PER*EX*JOHN DOE*TE*4239827000*****12345
FST*108*C*D*19990614
FST*108*C*D*19990615
FST*108*C*D*19990616
FST*216*C*D*19990617
FST*108*C*D*19990618
FST*756*D*W*19990621
FST*756*D*W*19990628
CTT*2
SE*31*0001
GE*1*1
IEA*1*000000018

EDI Specifications

• Just as a sales forecast
• As a forecast and an authorization for the recipient to commit to resources
• As a forecast that also includes order release levels

• Certification Data
• Inspection Data
• Process Control Measurement Stats

What Is EDI 863 Report Of Test Results?

The EDI 862 Shipping Schedule transaction set is responsible for accounting shipping requirements. These shipping instructions would replace those forecasted in a previous Planning Schedule 830 transaction, though the 862 does not actually replace the 830.

862 transactions are important for supporting Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing because they provide detailed shipping requirements more frequently versus EDI 830 Planning Schedule. In the Just-in-Time environment, an 862 can be triggered based on product usage. For example, when a quantity of an item in inventory is below a set restock level, EDI 862 can be used to send a notification to the supplier to replenish that item right away.

Now, the 830 Planning Schedule document works in conjunction with the 862 transaction to support Just-in-Time manufacturing. The forecast data from a 830 can help the supplier manage resources and materials. By doing so, it ensures the on-hand inventory is rightly available when the supplier receives an 862 from its customer with instructions to ship that item. Instructions to ship an item can always change, especially in a real-time. When it does, the 862 transaction can be used, it can provide the changes needed to the previous 862 instructions.

Those changes could include but are not limited to;

• An Increase For Order Quantity
• A Decrease For Order Quantity
• Changing The Shipping Date

Due to this, manufacturers may end up sending numerous 862 requirements, it could be for the same item, it could be on the same day.

EDI 862 Specification

This X12 Transaction Set contains the format and establishes the data contents of the Shipping Schedule Transaction Set (862) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment.

The transaction set can be used by a customer to relay the exact shipping schedule requirements to a supplier.  The shipping schedule transaction set will contain specific shipping and delivery information transmitted from a previous planning schedule transaction, but it wouldn’t replace the 830 transaction set.

The shipping schedule transaction set would not be used to authorize labor, resources, materials, etc. Also, this transaction set follows best practice of the Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing model by giving the customer the ability to issue specific shipping schedule requirements on a more frequent basis, like daily shipping schedules versus weekly planning schedules.

It’s important to note that the shipping schedule transaction can also give the customer location the opportunity to issue shipping requirements independent of other customer locations when planning schedule transactions are issued by a consolidated scheduling organization.