When retailers can predict weather trends before they happen, companies can better stock and sell their inventories. And Berwyn-based Planalytics helps crunch the numbers that formulate those predictions.

That’s why Planalytics Director of Research and Analytics Mohan Anand is a guest instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. The college just rolled out its new, 15-week course, “Predictive Analytics for Planning and Forecasting: Case Studies With Weatherization,” according to a report in The Wall Street Journal by Ray Smith.

“When temperatures are different from what was predicted — milder-than-usual winters, cold springs, or otherwise inconsistent weather — clothes that are all wrong for the climate stay on racks and get discounted, hurting sales,” the article explained.

Anand and Planalytics Executive Vice President of Global Services Evan M. Gold teach new retail and merchandising students from experience; they’ve helped Dunkin’ Donuts, among others, predict the timing for promotions of specific menu items.

Read more about Planalytics and the science behind predictive retailing in The Wall Street Journal here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of the local company here.