Predictive analytics

Predictive analytics means using what happened in the past to make a sensible guess about what's likely to happen next. For a small shop, that could mean using last year's sales to guess how many of a best-seller to reorder before the Christmas rush. A day spa might use visit history to guess which clients are due to rebook and haven't yet, then send them a reminder. AI can do the sums and draft the list, but a prediction is still a guess. It works best when your records go back a fair way and your business hasn't changed much since. A new product, a new location, or a strange year can throw it out, so a person who knows the business should always check the forecast before acting on it.