How Stokes Seeds Modernised Multi-Year Forecasting with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

When Your Forecast Starts Three Years Before the Sale

Forecasting is difficult for every business. For Stokes Seeds, it's one of the biggest operational challenges they face.

As one of Canada's largest vegetable seed distributors, the business manages around 3,000 SKUs across multiple package sizes, supplying commercial growers, market farmers and home gardeners across Canada and the United States. Unlike most inventory businesses, purchasing decisions often need to be made one, two or even three years in advance, while customer preferences can change completely from one growing season to the next.

The company already had Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, but turning operational data into useful forecasting information remained difficult. Reporting relied heavily on spreadsheets, manual analysis and years of institutional knowledge.

By implementing Business Central Insights, Stokes Seeds replaced manual reporting with live Power BI dashboards, giving purchasing and sales teams real-time visibility into inventory, supplier performance and changing customer demand. Today, teams spend less time gathering data and more time making informed decisions.

At a Glance

Customer: Stokes Seeds

Industry: Agricultural Distribution

ERP: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Reporting Solution: Business Central Insights

The Challenge

Forecasting seed demand is unlike forecasting almost any other product.

Purchasing decisions often have to be made years before the products are sold, while customer demand changes every season. New varieties emerge, consumer preferences shift and growers continually adapt to changing market conditions. Ordering too much inventory creates waste. Ordering too little risks disappointing customers.

Despite having Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, much of the analysis still depended on spreadsheets and the experience of long-serving employees.

As Scott Plugers, Chief Financial and Operations Officer, explains:

"It's a live product. We're making purchasing decisions one, two, even three years out."

The business lacked an easy way to identify changing customer trends, monitor supplier performance or understand which products were becoming slow-moving. Operational information existed inside Business Central, but turning it into useful insights took too much manual effort.

"We had no tools to really understand what makes the business tick."

Why Business Central Insights?

Stokes Seeds considered building reports internally, but quickly realised they would still require constant maintenance and manual manipulation.

The business wanted reporting that was easy for operational users to understand without relying on technical staff.

Business Central Insights delivered ready-made Power BI reporting built specifically for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, combining purchasing, inventory and sales information into one reporting platform.

After being introduced by its Microsoft implementation partner, the team immediately recognised the potential.

"You could see right away that it was a fit."

Even the IT team was impressed by how easily complex Business Central data could be transformed into practical operational reporting.

"Our IT team is amazed at how BCI surfaces and presents all this information so simply."

From Reactive Purchasing to Proactive Planning

Rather than overwhelming users with hundreds of reports, Stokes Seeds introduced Business Central Insights gradually, focusing first on a handful of dashboards that delivered the greatest operational value.

The impact was immediate.

Purchasing teams gained instant visibility into supplier delays, short inventory positions and seasonal buying trends. Sales teams could monitor customer purchasing behaviour, product performance and profitability without waiting for reports to be prepared.

The new reporting also uncovered issues that had previously gone unnoticed.

"We found overdue supplier purchase orders that had completely fallen through the cracks."

As users discovered how quickly they could answer everyday questions, adoption spread naturally across the business.

"When people saw how quickly they could get answers, adoption happened naturally."

Better Forecasting Through Better Visibility

One of the biggest improvements has been supplier forecasting.

Instead of manually combining information from multiple spreadsheets, buyers now analyse purchasing history, sales trends and inventory levels directly within Business Central Insights.

The business estimates that supplier forecasting alone now saves around a full day's work across three team members, while also improving forecasting accuracy for purchasing cycles that extend up to three years into the future.

The reports have also helped identify more than 100 slow-moving products that could either be promoted through ecommerce or removed before becoming obsolete.

As Scott explains:

"The time savings around supplier forecasting are massive."

From Data to Better Decisions

Perhaps the biggest change wasn't simply saving time—it was changing how people work.

Instead of spending hours searching through spreadsheets, teams now begin each day with live dashboards showing where attention is needed.

Whether identifying changing customer buying behaviour, reviewing supplier performance or monitoring inventory risks, Business Central Insights gives users the confidence to make decisions using current Business Central data.

"Instead of getting lost in spreadsheets, we now know exactly where to focus our attention every day."

The reporting platform has also reduced reliance on institutional knowledge, making operational information available to everyone rather than only long-serving employees.

"I want staff to have the information themselves so they can make decisions without relying on others."

Business Impact

Business Central Insights has become a core operational tool across purchasing, inventory and sales.

The business has achieved:

• Around one day saved on supplier forecasting across three team members

• 80% faster access to operational insights

• Identification of more than 100 slow-moving products

• Discovery of overdue supplier purchase orders

• Better inventory utilisation and reduced waste

• Improved visibility into customer buying trends

• More confident purchasing decisions supported by live Business Central reporting

Rather than relying on spreadsheets and historical experience, Stokes Seeds now manages forecasting using real-time information from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

What Other Business Central Users Can Learn

Every Business Central organisation collects vast amounts of operational data, but many still rely on spreadsheets and manual reporting to turn that information into decisions.

Stokes Seeds shows that the real value of reporting isn't simply producing dashboards—it's giving teams the confidence to act. By replacing manual analysis with real-time Power BI reporting, the business improved supplier forecasting, responded faster to changing customer demand and made operational decisions using live Business Central data rather than historical spreadsheets.

Whether you're managing seasonal inventory, long purchasing cycles or thousands of SKUs, the same principle applies: when your reporting is timely, trusted and easy to understand, better decisions follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Stokes Seeds improve supplier forecasting?

Business Central Insights gave buyers live access to purchasing, inventory and sales data, reducing manual analysis while supporting forecasting cycles that extend up to three years.

What business benefits did Business Central Insights deliver?

The business improved supplier forecasting, identified slow-moving inventory, surfaced overdue purchase orders, reduced manual reporting and enabled faster operational decision-making.

Why is reporting important for agricultural distributors?

Customer demand changes rapidly while purchasing decisions are often made years in advance. Real-time reporting helps businesses respond to market changes before they impact inventory or customer service.

Does Business Central Insights replace Power BI?

No. Business Central Insights is built on Microsoft Power BI and provides professionally maintained semantic models together with more than 400 ready-made reports designed specifically for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Ready to Improve Forecasting in Business Central?

Business Central Insights helps distributors replace spreadsheet-based reporting with real-time Power BI dashboards built specifically for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Gain better visibility across purchasing, inventory, sales and forecasting from one trusted reporting platform.

Learn more about Business Central Insights

https://businesscentralinsights.com

Book a personalised demonstration

https://businesscentralinsights.com/demo