> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherecast.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# New products

> Forecast items with no sales history using demand profiles and manual uploads

## What this page is for

A new product has no sales history, so the statistical forecast has nothing to learn from — it can't produce a meaningful Baseline. Spherecast gives you two ways to seed a forecast for these items, plus a status pill so you can track which new products you've reviewed.

## Two ways to seed a new-product forecast

### Apply demand profile

A **demand profile** is a saved seasonal shape — for example "summer-peaking" or "holiday-driven." You choose a profile and an **"Apply from" month**, and Spherecast reshapes the forecast from that month onward to match the profile's pattern, while **preserving each year's annual total**. You get realistic seasonality without inventing month-by-month numbers.

See **[Demand profiles](/demand-profiles)** for how profiles are built and saved.

### Manual forecast upload for new items

Upload the numbers you expect for the new item. The **"only apply to new items" option defaults on**, so an upload won't disturb established products by mistake. An auto-fill step derives each channel's **warehouse allocations** from that channel's **category history**, so you don't have to split the forecast across warehouses by hand.

## Planning status

Each product-and-channel combination carries a **Planning status** pill that tracks how far along your review is:

| Status          | Color  | Meaning               |
| --------------- | ------ | --------------------- |
| **Untouched**   | Gray   | Not yet reviewed      |
| **In progress** | Yellow | Being worked on       |
| **Done**        | Green  | Reviewed and complete |

Use the pills to work through a launch systematically and see at a glance what's left.

## Step by step: forecast a new product with a demand profile

1. Find the new product on the demand plan (its Planning status will be **Untouched**).
2. Choose **Apply demand profile**.
3. Pick the seasonal profile that best matches the item.
4. Set the **"Apply from" month** — usually the launch month.
5. Confirm. The forecast takes on the profile's shape while keeping the annual total you expect.
6. Mark the item **Done** when you're satisfied.

## Example

A beverage company launches a new sparkling water in April. There's no history, so the planner applies a "summer-peaking" demand profile from April onward. The annual total stays at the planned 60,000 cases, but the shape now loads more volume into June, July, and August. For a second launch, the planner instead uploads exact expected numbers with "only apply to new items" on, and Spherecast splits each channel's volume across warehouses using that channel's category history.

> **Tip:** Demand profiles are best when you know the seasonality but not the exact numbers; the manual upload is best when marketing has given you firm figures. See **[Import & export](/guide/demand-planning/import-export)** for the upload details.