Combo Forecasting

Turn on Automation with Combo Forecast!

As close to set-and-forget forecasting as it gets. Once set up, it runs on its own. No more switching back and forth between steady and seasonal demand. Define your baseline, layer in demand shifts, and set to repeat annually.

After you study this tutorial, please refer to the Demand Plan Best Practices and Use Cases tutorial for ideas on how you can specifically utilize this powerful forecasting tool.

💡 Pro Tip: Combo Forecasting is ideal when your future demand will not follow your recent sales trend. If demand is expected to change due to seasonality, launches, or promotions, use Combo Forecasting to plan ahead instead of constantly adjusting velocity settings.

Combo Forecasting allows you to build a custom forecast timeline by combining a default (baseline) velocity with specific date-based overrides. Once set up, it can be as close to set-and-forget forecasting as possible.

It’s ideal for:

Seasonality
Product launches
Promotions or demand spikes
Products without enough historical data

You can layer demand changes across the year and optionally repeat them annually.

How Combo Forecasting Works

You define a default velocity (your baseline)
You layer in date-specific overrides where demand changes
Any dates without overrides revert to the default velocity automatically

Overrides you can use:

Manual Velocity
Adjusted Velocity
Last Year’s Sales
Demand Plans

Step 1: Set Your Default (Baseline) Velocity

This is the velocity used for most of the year, unless overridden.

Open your forecast
Open the Velocity section
Select one of the following:
- Adjusted Velocity (average daily sales over selected periods)
- Manual Velocity
- Last Year’s Sales
- Demand Plan (must be uploaded first)

This default velocity applies to any period without a Combo Forecast override.

📘 For detailed explanations of each velocity type, refer to the Setting Up Your Forecasts training guide.

Step 2: Prepare Your Override Values (Important)

Before creating Combo Forecast periods, ensure that any velocity types you plan to use as overrides already have values configured.

Adjusted Velocity: Select the time periods you want to use
Manual Velocity: Enter the units per day
Last Year’s Sales: No setup required
Demand Plan: Upload the demand plan before continuing

SoStocked remembers these values as you switch between velocity types.

Step 3: Open Combo Forecasting

Scroll down to Combo Forecasting
Click the expand arrow
Click “Click here to start creating your Combo Forecast”

Step 4: Create a Velocity Override Period

For each override period:

Select a Start Date and End Date (for example, Oct 1 – Dec 31)
Give the override a name (e.g. Q4 Sales, Launch Ramp-Up)
Choose the Velocity Type to override your default velocity
Enter or select the relevant data
(Optional) Toggle Repeat Annually if this pattern repeats each year
Click the + button to add additional override periods, or the X to remove one

⚠️ Date ranges cannot overlap. You will receive a warning if they do.

Notes on Override Types

💡 Pro Tip: Choose the simplest velocity type that accurately reflects demand for each period. Manual Velocity is often best for short, predictable events, while Demand Plans and Last Year’s Sales are better for longer seasonal patterns.

Manual Velocity

Applies a fixed daily sales rate for the duration of the forecast period
When saved to multiple ASINs, all selected ASINs will use the same manual value

Adjusted Velocity

Uses the averaging time periods you selected earlier
Must be configured before being used as an override

Last Year’s Sales (LYS)

Copies actual sales day-by-day, week-by-week, or month-by-month
Only recommended if you have at least one full year of representative sales history
Not recommended for newly launched products, products with less than one year of sales, or where last year’s sales were not indicative of future demand

Demand Plans

Must be uploaded before saving
If a demand plan is missing for an ASIN, that portion of the timeline will revert to the default velocity

Step 5: Enable Combo Forecasting

⚠️ Important: Combo Forecast overrides are not active until Combo Forecasting is toggled ON. Saving without enabling will store your setup, but not apply them to your forecast.

Once all override periods are created:

Toggle Combo Forecasting ON
Click Save & Apply
Confirm the warning message

If Combo Forecasting is not toggled on, overrides will be saved but not applied.

Save & Apply Options

⚠️ Important: When saving Combo Forecasting to multiple products, understand how each velocity type behaves across ASINs to avoid unintended overrides.

You can apply your Combo Forecast to:

This forecast only
All forecasts
Filtered results
A supplier, brand, marketplace, or tag

Each ASIN will use its own data for Adjusted Velocity, Last Year’s Sales, and Demand Plans.

⚠️ Important behaviors to note:

If Manual Velocity is applied to multiple ASINs, the same units/day value is applied to all
If Last Year’s Sales is selected but the product had no sales (or was stocked out, suspended, or newly launched), LYS may not be representative of future demand
If Manual Velocity has not been set, it defaults to 0
Any period without an override uses the default velocity

Using Combo Forecasting with Other Tools

⚠️ Important: While Combo Forecasting allows date-specific velocity overrides, some forecast tools apply globally across the timeline.

Combo Forecasting can be used alongside other forecast adjustment tools, including:

Manual Seasonality
Lightning Deals and sales events
Trend Tool
Additional Sales Growth Tool

Important:

While Combo Forecasting allows date-specific velocity overrides, the Trend Tool and Additional Sales Growth Tool apply globally. Any percentage-based trend or growth will affect the entire forecast timeline, including all Combo Forecast periods.

Common Use Cases

Seasonal Demand (e.g. Q4)

Set an Adjusted Velocity or Manual Velocity as your baseline
Add a Last Year’s Sales override for Q4
Toggle Repeat Annually to reuse this pattern every year

Product Launch

Use a conservative Adjusted or Manual Velocity as your default
Add a Manual Velocity override for the launch window
Transition to Adjusted Velocity once organic demand stabilizes

Promotions & Sales Events

Keep your normal baseline velocity
Add short-term Manual Velocity overrides for promotions or campaigns
Ideal for Prime Day, Lightning Deals, or external marketing pushes

Products Without Historical Data

Use Adjusted Velocity as your baseline
Layer in Demand Plans or Manual Velocity overrides where expectations differ

Viewing Combo Forecasting on the Timeline

When you return to the inventory timeline:

You will see your default velocity alongside the label “Combo”, indicating Combo Forecasting is active
Override periods will be visually reflected on the timeline

Summary

Combo Forecasting gives you greater control and automation over future demand by allowing you to:

Maintain a dynamic baseline velocity
Override demand for specific time periods
Repeat seasonal patterns annually
Model launches, promotions, and demand shifts with confidence
e periods will be visually reflected on the timeline

Common Mistakes to Avoid

⚠️ Forgetting to toggle Combo Forecasting ON

Saving your overrides without enabling Combo Forecasting will store the setup, but it will not affect your forecast.

⚠️ Overlapping date ranges

Each Combo Forecast override must have a unique date range. Overlapping periods will trigger a warning and prevent saving.

⚠️ Using Last Year’s Sales without sufficient history

Do not use Last Year’s Sales for newly launched products, products with less than one full year of sales, or periods where last year’s performance was not representative of future demand.

⚠️ Not setting Manual Velocity before applying it

If Manual Velocity is selected but no value is set, it will default to 0 units per day.

⚠️ Assuming Demand Plans exist for all ASINs

If a product does not have a demand plan uploaded, that portion of the timeline will revert to the default velocity.

⚠️ Expecting Trend or Growth tools to be date-specific

Trend and Additional Sales Growth apply across the entire forecast timeline, not individual Combo Forecast periods.

⚠️ Applying Manual Velocity to multiple ASINs unintentionally

When saving Manual Velocity to a group, the same units-per-day value is applied to all selected ASINs.

For full forecast setup guidance, visit help.sostocked.com and follow the Forecast Setup & Onboarding tutorials.

Happy forecasting!