Which one of the following is NOT a type of qualitative forecasting?

• A. Sales force composite
• B. Consumer survey
• C. Jury of executive opinion
• D. Naïve method

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that qualitative forecasting relies on human judgment and non-numeric information, used when data are scarce or future conditions are uncertain. Methods like gathering input from the sales force, conducting consumer surveys, or aggregating executive opinions are classic qualitative approaches because they depend on subjective insights rather than numerical data. The naïve method, however, is a simple quantitative technique that projects the next period’s demand from the most recent actual data, without relying on opinions or market signals. It’s based on past numbers rather than expert judgment, so it isn’t a qualitative forecasting method.