Revolutionizing Retail with Advanced Weather Technology

Tomorrow.io allows retailers to protect their stores, operations and bottom lines before weather happens

Consumers make an average of 35,000 daily decisions, and the weather is a crucial factor in influencing their behavior. Retailers must consider weather conditions as they impact consumer moods and needs. Seasonal buying cycles are established in nearly all retail businesses, with inventory planning for increased demand for specific items, such as snow blowers in winter or gardening tools in spring. However, unexpected weather events such as winter storms and hurricanes can disrupt businesses that are accustomed to predictable trends.

The cost of weather-related disruptions on business operations

The weather has extensive effects on every aspect of retail operations. As stated by Ayala Rudoy, Tomorrow.io's Vice President and General Manager of Retail and Transportation, everyday weather volatility complicates vital processes such as inventory planning and supply chain management. This is especially true for large retailers with multiple store locations, fleets, distribution centers, warehouses, regional offices, and headquarters.

Inclement weather can cause delays and temporary product shortages at ports and during ocean and land transit, which can have ripple effects on a company's operations. When advertised products do not arrive on time as a result of weather-related disruptions, customers may find empty shelves, causing frustration and lowering sales and revenue. These temporary stockouts have a substantial effect on purchasing behavior.

In addition, the weather can cause problems with staffing during storms, power outages at stores, unsafe parking lots due to ice or snow, and unmet demand for basic goods as consumers stock up in advance of snowstorms and hurricanes. As climate change causes increasingly frequent and destructive weather events, retailers who fail to prepare proactively risk significant long-term profit losses, missed revenue optimization, and a lack of long-term resilience.

The limitations of traditional weather forecasting techniques

Retailers comprehend the impact of weather on their operations and recognize the importance of weather forecasting in predicting extreme weather events. Nonetheless, they lack a scalable, centralized source of advanced weather information. Instead, siloed groups within companies frequently rely on out-of-date daily reports or various forecasts from multiple apps and news broadcasts, resulting in decisions based on non-expert opinions.

Organizations face an unacceptably high risk if their decisions are based on traditional, fragmented weather prediction methods. Without a unified approach to weather, retailers leave their long-term resilience and profitability to chance. Ayala Rudoy, vice president and general manager of Retail and Transportation at Tomorrow.io, emphasizes that the industry can no longer afford to react to changing forecasts, especially given the current market volatility.

To remain competitive and weather-resilient, retailers must integrate advanced weather intelligence into their business processes. By leveraging data-driven weather insights, businesses can optimize operations, enhance supply chain management, reduce risks, and increase profits.

Using weather intelligence to manage risk and increase revenue

Advanced weather intelligence tools, such as Tomorrow.io's weather intelligence technology, can help retailers adapt at scale. In lieu of traditional weather forecasts, the technology provides retailers with hyperlocal, actionable insights from a single source of truth.

The weather and climate security platform provided by Tomorrow.io enables retailers to integrate all departments with the same real-time and hyperlocal data. Minute-by-minute street-level forecasts assist retailers in making informed decisions for each location and operational touchpoint. Retailers can also integrate their own unique and standardized protocols into the platform to generate automated and individualized weather alerts.

According to Ayala Rudoy, Tomorrow.io's Vice President and General Manager of Retail and Transportation, the applications for retailers are endless. To mitigate the impact of everyday weather on operations, the bottom line, and moving assets, all parts of the organization can act swiftly based on a highly accurate source of information.

The real-time monitoring tool provided by Tomorrow.io allows retailers with private fleets to mitigate disruptions and prevent accidents by identifying which vehicles face hazardous conditions and contacting them in real-time. Based on weather conditions, route planners and/or drivers can modify routes and schedules from distribution centers to stores. Alerts in advance of severe weather allow store managers to prioritize safety in order to minimize risk and maximize operational efficiency.

Tomorrow.io’s Real-Time Monitoring enables retailers with private fleets to see real-time weather conditions for each of their assets along their routes

The platform provides historical, real-time, and 14-day forecasted data, enabling retailers to align inventory and staffing with weather-driven supply and demand. This forewarning ensures that shelves are stocked with popular items even as competitors run out.

This year, Tomorrow.io will launch a first-of-its-kind commercial satellite constellation to enhance the already potent technology. This technology significantly improves global radar coverage, providing transportation and retail industries with game-changing weather intelligence.

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