Advances in Consumer Research
Issue 4 : 1461-1468
Original Article
Data-Driven Decision Making for Perishable Food Supply Chains: Insights from Demand Forecasting Models
 ,
 ,
 ,
 ,
1
School of Technology Management & Engineering, NMIMS University, Navi Mumbai, India;
2
School of Commerce, NMIMS University, Navi Mumbai, India.
3
Atlas Skilltech University, Mumbai, India.
Abstract

In recent years, food supply chain has gained considerable attention as compared to other supply chain systems. This can be attributed to the fact that fresh food products are perishable items which inherently has very short shelf life. Further, manual estimation of demand of these products often leads to demand underestimation and overestimation, which adversely affects revenues of the retailer. Therefore, effective demand forecasting can help to reduce food wastage as well as financial losses. The primary objective of this research is to investigate advanced machine learning models such as  Random Forest Regressor, XGBoost, and Polynomial Regression, for improving demand forecasting accuracy. In this work, we have specifically considered highly perishable items such as ladyfinger and tomato. Performance of the proposed models are evaluated on six years of market data from Maharashtra, India, using the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) metric. Findings indicate that the Random Forest Regressor achieves the highest accuracy, reducing forecasting errors and enabling better decision-making in inventory and resource management. The proposed approach provides valuable insights for stakeholders, including farmers, distributors, and retailers, to minimize waste, optimize inventory, and ensure sustainable supply chain practices

Keywords
Recommended Articles
Research Article
The Influence of Social Commerce Features on Impulse Purchases: Evidence from Emerging Markets
...
Published: 28/10/2025
Research Article
Impact of Violent and Crime-Based Movies on Consumer Attitudes Toward Home Security Products
...
Published: 30/09/2025
Research Article
Impact of Resort-Based Marketing Stimuli on the Engagement of Customers: An Empirical Investigation of Tourists' Response in North Karnataka
...
Published: 28/10/2025
Research Article
A Comprehensive Review of Theoretical Models and Investor Behavioural Intentions Toward Digital Platform Adoption in Bengaluru's Fintech Sector
Published: 28/10/2025
Loading Image...
Volume 2, Issue 4
Citations
277 Views
786 Downloads
Share this article
© Copyright Advances in Consumer Research