Supply chain planning (SCP) systems help businesses ensure inventory at the right time, in the right place, in the right quantity to meet demand. According to PwC1, businesses with advanced forecasting capabilities experience a 10-15% reduction in overall supply chain costs.
In addition, SCP systems provide competitive advantages to retail, 3PL, ecommerce, and CPG brands in the lucrative Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) market, which will make up about half of all sales in the next year.
Available within Deposco’s configurable supply chain solutions platform, Planning gives your organization the technology needed to master the complex world of omnichannel and multichannel. So you can anticipate obstacles, slash stockouts, and seize opportunities at a lower cost. These are the essentials for growing your business and meeting rapidly rising consumer standards.
To learn more about how we can help you, request a demo of Deposco Planning today.
Deposco’s Supply Chain Planning gives you clear foresight across your entire network. Determine the optimal route and make better use of your inventory to meet demand.
Key Takeaways
- SCP creates a unified data source for demand planning, inventory planning, sourcing, purchasing, and replenishment across all channels
- SCP transforms multichannel inventory into a single pool that adjusts automatically to real-time demands
- Advanced forecasting reduces supply chain costs 10-15% by eliminating excess inventory
- Effective inventory planning can cut out-of-stock rates by up to 30%
- Integrated SCP solutions deliver 15% less inventory, 17% better order performance, and 60% higher margins
How SCP systems work
Supply chain planning (SCP) software blends real-time data, predictive analytics, and automation capabilities to help planners anticipate changes that impact product availability or delivery promises.
Supply chain challenges in 2025 have made this differentiator more important – yet more difficult – than ever. At a time when customers are quick to switch brands, SCP systems take efficiency and extended supply chain visibility to the next level, driving scalable growth in competitive markets.
How is this possible?
- Automated, real-time forecasting prevents costly stockouts and overstocks
- Predictive planning instead of reactive panic
- Adaptive technology for seasonal swings, market shifts, and unexpected disruptions
- No more silos between departments
- Single source of truth for demand planning, procurement, and fulfillment
- Enhanced collaboration and data-driven decision-making that improves carrying costs, cash flow, on-time delivery, and customer satisfaction
In addition, supply chain planning systems offer scenario planning capabilities to help businesses stay agile – with the ability to quickly evaluate alternatives and adapt to changing market conditions.
Now is the time for demand planning
From understanding the basics to leveraging game-changing AI supply chain solutions, there has never been a better time to transform your demand planning capabilities.
By combining historical data analysis, market and Executive Intelligence, and predictive analytics, demand planning systems help businesses make strategic decisions about inventory, sourcing, and allocation.
Is it better to miss a sale or have to liquidate excess inventory? With good demand planning you can avoid both.
Deposco has helped customers cut their out-of-stock rates by up to 30%. Learn more about our demand planning software.
Balancing inventory plans with the bottom line
74% of businesses have experienced delays in shipments and much longer lead times, according to a Capgemini report. Having too much inventory adds cost. Having too little inventory causes lost sales revenue. Inventory planning systems help you find the right balance of stock levels to generate optimal profitability.
Some of the biggest challenges in modern inventory planning are managing multiple locations, all supplied by the same warehouse, and managing peak season, the time of year that requires the most diligent and proactive work to stay ahead of consumers.
Learn how Deposco’s Inventory Planning system helps you navigate this.
Managing inventory in multiple channels as one entity
Your retail store, ecommerce, and wholesale channels are all fighting over the same boxes of inventory in your warehouse. Your retail team hoards stock for promotions while your ecommerce manager scrambles to fulfill online orders.
Sound familiar?
This is the daily reality for companies still managing multichannel inventory with spreadsheets and gut instinct.
A supply chain planning system transforms this chaos into measurable value by treating your inventory as a single, fluid pool that automatically adjusts to real-time demands.
When there is demand in physical stores (via BOPIS or ship-to-store offerings, for example, visibility in one system means you can make more inventory instantly available for surging online orders.
The key isn’t just sharing inventory – it’s sharing it intelligently, with sophisticated rules that optimize your inventory investment while helping you get the most from your warehouse space.
Learn how to say goodbye to excess inventory and fix your available-to-Promise (ATP) inventory.
Peak Season planning is key
Modern supply chain planning systems take the guesswork out of high-stakes seasonal prep by turning your historical data into actionable intelligence.
Armed with these insights months in advance, you can confidently answer crucial questions:
- How much seasonal staff will you need?
- Which products should you pre-position in which warehouses?
- When should you start building safety stock and how much?
- No more hoping for the best – just data-driven decisions that keep sales flowing when it matters most.
The trick is to start preparing early. Here’s a quarter-by-quarter action plan to make this easy.
58% of supply chains missed their mark in 2024 due to inadequate systems and planning. Learn how to easily bridge the gap between expected and actual peak performance.
The supply chain planning process
The supply chain planning process involves a few key steps to ensure products move smoothly from suppliers to customers:
- Demand planning
- Inventory planning
- Inventory replenishment
- Supply chain intelligence
Getting planning right is crucial. If forecasts are inaccurate, it can lead to costly overstock, backorders and overselling, late deliveries, and loss of business.
Advanced analytics and real-time data changes that, keeping your business agile in meeting your customers’ needs.
How demand planning improves forecasting performance
Demand planning goes beyond simple forecasting by integrating real-time sales data, inventory levels, and supply lead times to maintain optimal stock levels—helping businesses achieve up to 15% less inventory, 17% better order performance, and 60% higher profit margins.
By implementing an integrated WMS and demand planning system, companies can move from outdated manual forecasting to responsive, data-driven inventory management.
Learn how demand planning systems improve forecasting performance.
Strategic inventory planning keeps sales up and costs down
It’s a fine line to walk.
If you have too little inventory in the warehouse, you miss out on the opportunity to maximize sales and revenue.
Too much inventory, on the other hand, puts a drag on your company’s finances, tying up working capital in unsold goods and products.
Read more at Strategic inventory planning keeps sales up and costs down
Automated replenishment improves product availability
Finding the right time to replenish inventory isn’t as easy as it used to be. The cost of getting it wrong keeps rising. On the flip side, fixing understocking and overstocking reduces 10% of inventory costs, not to mention soft cost improvements on the customer service and sales side.
Inventory replenishment automation provides the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to ensure product availability.
Read more at How inventory replenishment automation improves product availability
Supply chain intelligence (SCI)
The complexity of modern supply networks has made traditional reporting obsolete.
Supply chain intelligence software transforms vast streams of operational data into actionable insights.
This predictive capability has evolved from a “nice-to-have” into essential infrastructure for maintaining service levels while controlling costs.
Read more: Informed decisions: how strategic SCI shapes business trajectories
Make effective decisions around supply
Your supply chain extends far beyond your warehouse or place of business. Managing the sourcing and purchasing of your inventory will set up the rest of your work process for success or failure.
Timely, data-driven decisions through supply chain planning will enable effective supply decisions and keep you ahead of market trends for continued fulfillment excellence.
End-to-end process benefits and transparency
By providing complete visibility into supplier performance, lead times, and costs, SCP systems enable smarter purchasing decisions that balance cost against reliability.
Real-time tracking of orders, automated alerts for potential disruptions, and sophisticated supplier scorecarding create a procurement process that’s both more efficient and more resilient.
Deposco’s sourcing and purchasing solutions.
How to buy a supply chain planning system
When purchasing a supply chain planning system, you have several options depending on your specific needs, existing infrastructure, and budget.
Here are the common ways SCP systems are acquired:
- Standalone system
- Custom Built
- All-in-One Cloud
The choice ultimately depends on your company’s specific needs, existing technology stack, and strategic goals.
Read more: Stop guessing; start planning strategically. Explore our Planning solutions.
Which supply chain KPIs matter to executives, operations, and planners?
The various stakeholders in your organization have different supply chain nightmares to fear specific to their departments. Therefore, each one’s ‘diamonds,’ or performance markers they care about, will look very different.
What can you do to measure and manage the insights that each stakeholder desires to put their minds at ease?
The trick is to get the supply chain KPIs right… In-scope, timely, and actionable.
Read more: Which supply chain KPIs matter to executives, operations, and planners?
Conclusion
Supply Chain Planning is the first step towards successful order fulfilment. Managing the various stages of your supply chain will keep you in-the-know on the status of your warehouse, retail locations, and suppliers. It will also position you ahead of seasonal upticks and other consumer trends.
Managing your modern supply chain requires more communication and real-time order accuracy than ever before as expectations continue to rise.
Mastering demand planning and inventory planning still leave you with a mountain of work, which is why automation has become a key part of supply chain planning.
Learn more about our platform or grab a demo today!
1 Source: PwC’s 26th Annual Global CEO Survey, Dec 2022 ↩
