An Attention-Based Encoder-Decoder for Week-Ahead Sales Forecasts Applied to a Norwegian Zoo

Master's thesis in Information- and communication technology (IKT590) Accurate sales forecasts are vital for companies to plan efficiently and make strategic economic decisions. However, predicting future sales is a complex problem due to the high variance and strong seasonality of sales data. Dyreparken is a zoo and water park in Norway that operates over 30 stores and restaurants throughout the two parks. Accurate automated sales forecasts can enable Dyreparken to more efficiently manage staffing by providing a more reliable decision basis. Such forecasting is challenging among others because there are significant differences between departments with varying activity levels, opening hours…