Forecasting – OM in the News

TikTok Slows Down Starbucks

TikTok has inspired a variety of customized drinks at Starbucks, especially when those drinks go viral. Complicated orders have also inspired baristas to post TikTok videos about what goes into making such complex drinks.

In general, organizations appreciate customers promoting their products on social media. But occasionally, there are unforeseen consequences.

Starbucks strives to keep its drive-thru time around 40-50 seconds. However, some viral video recipes are complicated, which increases the time it takes to make them, resulting in […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2021-10-21T18:58:20+00:00October 21, 2021|Tags: customer satisfaction, modular design, product design, product development, service process, service recovery, waiting line|

Managing Demand for Hand Sanitizer and Masks

To unclog retail shelves and warehouses of excess hand sanitizer as the pandemic wanes, retailers such as Target, B&R Stores, and Staples are discounting the anti-germ products or offloading them to auction sites.

However, Gojo Industries is expecting the increased awareness of hygiene practices to last. They added three manufacturing facilities in the past year to continue producing Purell hand sanitizer.

Video Spotlight:

A Look Inside Purell’s Factory After COVID Increased Demand (May 20, 2021, NBC News)

By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2021-10-20T05:47:44+00:00October 19, 2021|Tags: demand forecasts, excess inventory, inventory, medical supply chain, sustainability|

Extreme Flavors in the Food and Beverage Industry

A wide variety of companies are adding new flavors.

Pepsi has recently introduced Pepsi Hot Chocolate, Pepsi Peeps, and Pepsi Apple Pie.

Anheuser-Busch introduced the Bud Light Seltzer Retro Summer Variety Pack with retro flavors like Blue Raspberry and Cherry Limeade. These flavors were also released as Bud Light Seltzer Frozen Popsicles.

In many cases, instead of using a totally new flavor, these new flavors combine two established flavors, like Mountain Dew and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Additionally, many product offerings are Limited Time Offerings […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2021-10-12T07:00:49+00:00October 12, 2021|Tags: forecasting, product design|

Climate Change Calls for New Ways to Predict Wildfires

Traditional forecasting models rely on historical data. That will not work when the future is nothing like the past.

Kettle is a startup using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict areas where wildfires are most likely to occur. Its primary purpose is to help assess the risk of insurers’ portfolios and design appropriate reinsurance policies. The probability of a wildfire is dependent upon many variables. AI enables the processing of large amounts of data to detect emerging patterns and identify areas where […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2021-09-08T16:04:50+00:00September 14, 2021|Tags: forecasting, product design, sustainability|