Most supply chains find out a product is hot when the orders stack up.
L’Oréal finds out when the TikTok video goes viral.
They built demand sensing that monitors social platforms for demand signals — not marketing sentiment, but actual demand surges — and feeds that into production planning before the retailer even calls.
That is not a faster forecast. That is something different.
Traditional demand planning starts with last month’s sales and projects forward.
This starts with what people are reacting to right now and works backward into supply.
When a hero SKU starts trending, the job is not “explain the miss.” It is pull-forward supply and protect availability before the sell-out hits.
One approach waits for the order. The other anticipates intent.
Most teams are still refining last quarter’s numbers with better algorithms. Meanwhile the signal already moved somewhere PO-led planning cannot see.
If your demand plan cannot hear the market until the PO arrives, you are not forecasting.
You are reacting after the margin is gone.