These days, Halloween starts in summer. AI helps get coveted candy and costumes on shelves faster.
THE SO WHAT
Seasonal retail is becoming a year-round forecasting problem, not a 60-day scramble — Mars and Walmart using AI to pull Halloween planning forward is the template. If you sell into big-box or CPG, assume your buyers will expect SKU-level demand signals and replenishment plans months earlier than your historical cycle.
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