Method 6: Least Squares Regression

The Least Squares Regression (LSR) method derives an equation describing a straight line relationship between the historical sales data and the passage of time. LSR fits a line to the selected range of data so that the sum of the squares of the differences between the actual sales data points and the regression line are minimized. The forecast is a projection of this straight line into the future.

This method requires sales data history for the period that is represented by the number of periods best fit plus the specified number of historical data periods. The minimum requirement is two historical data points. This method is useful to forecast demand when a linear trend is in the data.