For B2B setup's that have mapped their customer data into Channels, the Channels tab provides a clear view of how an item's sales and forecast are distributed across different customer channels.
Use it to identify which channels drive demand, compare forecasts, and decide which channels should be forecasted and planned separately.
📊 Overview
The Channels tab helps you compare sales and forecast between the:
[item + location]
[item + location + channels]
It gives a visual breakdown of where demand comes from and can simulate on the fly, how a forecast would look down to each channel. Giving you greater control over what is the right level of forecasting per item.
With the Channels tab, you can:
Analyse sales by channel – See which customer channels contribute most to an item's sales.
Compare forecasts – Review the overall item forecast alongside the combined channel forecasts.
Activate channel forecasting – Select channels that should have their own forecast and sales plan.
Note: Channels is available with the Planning Pro subscription and requires additional data mapping. Contact AGR for information about activation and pricing.
🔎 Open the Channels tab
Open an Item Card anywhere in the system, Items, Reports, Channels, Sales plan, Orders.
Select the Channels tab, located between Customers and Distribution Demand.
If needed, select the location you want to analyse using the location selector in the Item Card header.
Adjust the period to review historical sales and future forecasts.
The information displayed is specific to the selected item and location.
📈 Understanding the Channels tab
The tab combines a visual overview of sales and forecasts with a breakdown by channel.
Sales and forecast chart
The chart displays the item's monthly sales history and future forecast.
Solid bars represent historical sales.
Hatched bars represent forecasted demand.
The Today marker separates historical sales from future demand.
When you activate channels, the chart breaks down sales and forecasts by the selected channels and the remaining demand grouped under Others.
Channel overview
The table on the right displays total Sales and Forecast quantities for the selected period.
Section | Description |
Item Level | Total item sales and forecast, regardless of channel. |
Channel Level | Combined sales and forecast for all active channels and Others. |
Active Channels | Channels selected for individual forecasting and planning. |
Others | Remaining sales and forecast not covered by active channels. |
Others Channels | Channels with sales history that have not yet been activated for individual forecasting. |
Before any channels are activated, the overview displays item-level totals and sales by channel. Channel forecasts become available once you select and save channels.
Comparing Item Level and Channel Level forecasts
The Item Level forecast is calculated using the item's overall sales history.
The Channel Level forecast combines the individual forecasts of the active channels and the remaining demand in Others.
These totals may differ because each channel can have different demand patterns and forecasting models.
This comparison helps you understand how forecasting demand separately by channel affects the overall forecast.
⚙️ Activate forecasting for a channel
You can choose which customer channels should have their own forecast.
Open the Channels tab on the Item Card.
Under Others Channels, click the selection circle next to the channel you want to activate.
The channel moves to Active Channels, and the chart updates to show the selected channel separately from Others.
Select additional channels if needed and review the sales and forecast totals.
Click Save to confirm your selection, or Cancel to discard the changes.
Once saved, the selected channels are included in channel-level forecasting and can be managed individually in Plans > Sales Plans.
Tip: Start by activating channels that represent a significant share of demand or have distinct sales patterns. There is no need to forecast every channel separately.
Before channel activation
While "simulating" the channel forecasting
After Saving a channel selection
🔍 Find items with channel sales
To identify which items would benefit from channel-level forecasting, go to the Items grid.
Use the following columns and filters:
Channels with Sales – Identify items with historical sales in specific customer channels.
Channels – See which items already have activated channels.
You can add these columns using the column chooser or apply filters to narrow down the items you want to review.
This makes it easier to identify items with significant demand from particular customer groups and decide where separate forecasting would add value.
💡 Good to know
Choose your channels carefully
Activating more channels divides sales history into smaller groups. While this provides more detailed forecasting, smaller volumes may make individual forecasts less reliable. Focus on channels with meaningful sales volumes or distinct demand patterns.
Forecast settings remain at item level
Safety stock and forecast settings are managed at item level. Individual channels do not have separate settings.
Existing Sales Plans and Promotions
When channels are enabled for an item, existing Sales Plans and Promotions are discarded. Channel planning and legacy item-level Sales Plans cannot be used simultaneously for the same item.
Channel availability
The Channels tab is available when Channels has been configured and activated for your AGR environment.