Forecast Exchange is a web-based environment where Rite Aid and its suppliers can
compare forecast information. In addition to providing a mutually and easily accessible
repository for forecast data, Forecast Exchange goes one step further by actively alerting
users when forecast discrepancies exceed customizable tolerances.
What are the benefits of collaboration?
Both Rite Aid and its suppliers will benefit from Forecast Exchange through:
Enhanced communication
Improved forecast visibility
Improved forecast accuracy
Reductions in excess inventory
Reduction in out of stocks
Better promotion management
What do I need to participate in Rite Aid’s Forecast Exchange?
Forecast Exchange is driven by Rite Aid’s EDI 830 forecast file.
In order to provide an accurate comparison, your forecast needs to match the
weekly periods used by Rite Aid. In addition to supporting the EDI 830 format,
Forecast Exchange accepts data in the comma separated values (csv) format (the
Forecast Exchange csv formats will be provided during the registration process).
If your company has the ability to provide forecast data in the appropriate
format, the only other requirements to get full value from Forecast Exchange are:
internet access, Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, and an e-mail address.
What time commitment does Forecast Exchange require?
Because Forecast Exchange uses data already existing in your forecasting/ERP system,
there is no data entry requirement. Your level of interaction can range from simply receiving
weekly e-mails about exception items to using Forecast Exchange to structure your discussions with Rite Aid.
What happens after I register?
After receiving your registration information you will be contacted to begin gathering and formatting data.
Once this data is loaded cleanly and exceptions processed successfully, you will be trained on Forecast
Exchange’s easy to use interface. When you are ready, live data can be sent on a weekly basis.
Who is Prescient?
Prescient is the fastest-growing provider of supply chain planning solutions to the consumer products market
space. Rite Aid has partnered with Prescient to create the Forecast Exchange environment.
Prescient’s primary target audience is consumer products companies that produce or procure finished goods,
and then sell those goods through retail channels. We offer a broad array of solution sets that address
suppliers’ concerns around retail-level forecasting, inventory replenishment, and production planning.
We target middle market companies, with an emphasis on organizations in the $100 million to $250 million-revenue
range. Prescient’s lower total cost of ownership and the ease of implementation associated with our products
meet the needs of mid-market organizations that find themselves competing with Fortune 500 companies – without
the same level of resources.
Our roster of clients includes many private label manufacturers, including: Cliffstar (North America’s largest
private label juice manufacturer); Vijon (health and beauty care products), Rhodes International (frozen bread
products); and CH Guenther (baking mixes, gravies, corn goods, and flours). We understand the issues facing these
companies, including the need to differentiate from competitors and to provide the highest value at the lowest cost.
If I cannot find an answer to a question on this website, who should I contact?
