ðə mˈɛθədz jˈuːzd ɑːɹ sˈɪmɪlɚ tə ðoʊz ɐplˈaɪd ɪnðə ɹᵻlˈeɪɾᵻd fˈiːld ʌv səplˈaɪ tʃˈeɪn ˌɑːptɪmᵻzˈeɪʃən, wˌɛɹ mˌæθɪmˈæɾɪkəl ˈælɡɚɹˌɪθəmz ɑːɹ ɐplˈaɪd tə lˈɑːɹdʒ dˈeɪɾəbˌeɪsᵻz ʌv sˈeɪlz dˈeɪɾə tə hˈɛlp pɹɪdˈɪkt fjˈuːtʃɚɹ ˈaʊtkʌmz.
The methods used are similar to those applied in the related field of supply chain optimization, where mathematical algorithms are applied to large databases of sales data to help predict future outcomes.