Seasonality is regional, so plan parts by region
Planting and harvest move across your area week by week. Stocking by the calendar of your own region keeps parts on the shelf when fields need them.
A dealer with three stores can have three different springs. One store's customers are planting while another's are still waiting for the ground to dry. A stocking plan built on the whole company's average is wrong for every store in a different way.
Use the calendar you already have
Your own sales history is the best calendar you have. Group counter sales by store and by week, and the seasons show up on their own: planter parts, then sprayer parts, then hay tools, then combine parts.
Add the public calendar
The USDA publishes weekly crop progress by state during the growing season, with charts and maps that show whether this year is early or late. Lay that over your own history and the plan can shift a week when the season does.
Plan, then check
Write the plan per store and per window. At the end of the season, compare it with what sold. The second plan is always better than the first, and the third is better again.
Sources
- National Crop Progress, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service,
- Crop Progress and Condition charts and maps, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service,