Food waste is a pressing global challenge today. It is estimated that one third of all produced food, equalling 1.6 billion metric tons, is thrown away each year.

Grocery stores account for a large amount of this waste. This is due in part to how customer shopping patterns change with the weather. In retail stores the total turnover fluctuates by close to 20 per cent according to weather conditions. This means that the sale of a single product often varies over 50 per cent during a season.

Research shows that when the weather is good, customers tend to buy different products than when the weather is bad. This results in some items selling out, while other items are overstocked, become spoiled and must be thrown out.

Frivind’s solution delivers sales forecasting to grocery stores based on weather conditions and the individual store’s historical sales data. This data gives grocery stores more accurate predictions, so that they can stock up on products according to the weather. Ultimately, this helps grocery stores to reduce food waste and avoid empty shelves.

The solution is based on a mathematical model that analyses the effect weather has had on sales historically and how it will affect business in the future. It combines this analysis with sales and visitor data to predict future sales.

The data can be fed directly into existing systems for analysis, planning and forecasting. For customers without such systems, the data can be obtained via the company’s online platform.

Using the solution, stores can plan their stocks more accurately, thereby reducing food waste significantly and enabling them to avoid sold-out situations.

Better customer demand predictions can also help to improve marketing, financial analysis and profitability.

According to NHH Norwegian School of Economics, the European grocery retail market is expected to be worth EUR 2.2 billion by 2022 (or roughly USD 2.4 billion).

The solution is suitable for all types of retail actors, including grocery, convenience, textile and sporting goods stores. Frivind also delivers solutions to hotels, resorts and parks.