Redefining the sales forecast computation process in the luxury sector: The Cartier case

Demand forecasting is a very strategic and essential phase of a company’s supply chain management. A well-structured process allows to size production and stocks with the proper time frame to better manage the whole supply chain, to plan investments for capacity increase and to avoid stock-outs. The following thesis focuses on the review of the demand forecasting process at the regional market level for a company operating in the luxury sector. All the dynamics and difficulties of this sector, such as seasonal fluctuations and high variability of demand, are addressed in order to assess the possibility of adopting a more efficient and less time-consuming method for calculating sales forecasts for the months and years to come on the basis of sales history.