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A Machine Learning Analysis of Seasonal and Cyclical Sales in Weekly Scanner Data

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  • Rishab Guha
  • Serena Ng
Abstract
This paper analyzes weekly scanner data collected for 108 groups at the county level between 2006 and 2014. The data display multi-dimensional weekly seasonal effects that are not exactly periodic but are cross-sectionally dependent. Existing univariate procedures are imperfect and yield adjusted series that continue to display strong seasonality upon aggregation. We suggest augmenting the univariate adjustments with a panel data step that pools information across counties. Machine learning tools are then used to remove the within-year seasonal variations. A demand analysis of the adjusted budget shares finds three factors: one that is trending, and two cyclical ones that are well aligned with the level and change in consumer confidence. The effects of the Great Recession vary across locations and product groups, with consumers substituting towards home cooking away from non-essential goods. The adjusted data also reveal changes in spending to unanticipated shocks at the local level. The data are thus informative about both local and aggregate economic conditions once the seasonal effects are removed. The two-step methodology can be adapted to remove other types of nuisance variations provided that these variations are cross-sectionally dependent.

Suggested Citation

  • Rishab Guha & Serena Ng, 2019. "A Machine Learning Analysis of Seasonal and Cyclical Sales in Weekly Scanner Data," NBER Working Papers 25899, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25899
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    Cited by:

    1. Nicolaj N. Mühlbach, 2020. "Tree-based Synthetic Control Methods: Consequences of moving the US Embassy," CREATES Research Papers 2020-04, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    2. Venera Timiryanova & Irina Lakman & Vadim Prudnikov & Dina Krasnoselskaya, 2022. "Spatial Dependence of Average Prices for Product Categories and Its Change over Time: Evidence from Daily Data," Forecasting, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-25, December.
    3. Timiryanova, Venera & Krasnoselskaya, Dina, 2022. "Влияние пандемии Сovid-19 на пространственную динамику продовольственных цен [Covid-19 impact on spatial food prices dynamics]," MPRA Paper 114638, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Christopher Dobronyi & Christian Gouri'eroux, 2020. "Consumer Theory with Non-Parametric Taste Uncertainty and Individual Heterogeneity," Papers 2010.13937, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2021.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C55 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Large Data Sets: Modeling and Analysis
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles

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