Category: Amazon Forecast

Ethical commerce and technology are essential to a company’s survival. In the retail and CPG spaces, a company’s commitment to its stakeholders is not just expected; if done well, it offers a competitive advantage. The adoption of technology makes a critical difference in whether a company thrives or simply survives. Technology can play a larger […]

Introduction Businesses need a unified real-time planning environment to optimize planning and democratize decision-making across lines of business and business activities, from strategic to operational levels. Machine learning (ML) can help increase the planning forecast accuracy. However, ML model outputs are not yet easy to use directly in business planning organizations. In this blog for […]

Today, the majority of electric residential, commercial, and industrial (RCI) customers receive their electricity over electric distribution circuits called “feeders.” Electric distribution feeders originate at circuit breakers within a distribution substation, and serve many customers, as shown in the following graphic. To increase grid reliability, feeders are often configured to receive electricity from multiple substations, […]

Last year was unprecedented for the travel and hospitality industry and for travelers and guests, providers and suppliers, employees and stakeholders alike. As a result of the disruption, companies that relied on moving average forecasting or looked to the same period last year have found themselves at the helm of a rudderless ship. Without accurate […]

No retailer would ever question the importance of data in daily operations. The evolution of operational data in retail decision making—from batch reporting to decision support to business intelligence systems—has been quite profound. Today, adaptive analytic platforms are driving industry innovation so retailers can: Detect critical business signals. Derive the current meaning and predictive insights […]

I was on a panel last year hosted by AWS Partners Rackspace and retailers Sainsbury’s and Sofology. The final question was, “What are you going to do for the first time in 2021?” As I pondered the question, I thought about what AWS retail customers should do for the first time in 2021. My response […]

AWS re:Invent 2020, our annual conference for AWS leaders to share the latest advances in AWS technologies, has been a huge success so far. For three weeks, we’ve heard about cutting-edge innovations from keynote speakers, and in this blog, I would like to discuss some of the latest announcements that are most relevant to the […]

The very definition of convenience retailing is an experience of access and ease for shoppers. There’s no ambiguity. The experience must be convenient, period. And the convenience store, or c-store, market is huge. In 2019, 3.1% of the US GDP resulted from $647.8 billion in combined in-store and fuel sales at c-stores. With nearly 153,000 […]

Evolution and lessons from smart grid 1.0 In 2017, Gartner reported that advanced metering infrastructure was passing through the “Trough of Disillusionment” in its hype cycle for smart grid technology. The utility field area networks were beginning to climb the “Slope of Enlightenment” and perhaps have plateaued in productivity. A few important lessons were learned […]

From Utility Dive’s 2020 State of the Electric Utility Survey, it’s clear that the transition to clean energy continues to be the biggest driver of sector transformation. Of the 566 utility executives and professionals surveyed around the world, 46 percent said sustainability, integration of renewable energy, and environmental concerns were most important to their business. […]