Stock-Out Prediction for FMCG Products Using CatBoost: An Empirical Comparison of Class-Imbalance Strategies with Native Categorical Handling and Probability Ensembling
Stock-out is a critical problem in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chains because it directly causes lost sales and reduced customer satisfaction, yet its prediction is hindered by severe class imbalance. This study presents an empirical comparison of three class-imbalance strategies for CatBoost-based stock-o...