Towards Optimal Inventory Control under Censored Demand: A Biased Sample-Average Approximation Approach
Read the original on arXiv Statistics ML →The paper presents a data‑driven framework for multi‑period lost‑sales inventory control when demand is censored, meaning stockouts only reveal that demand exceeded the stocking level. It introduces a new cost decomposition for base‑stock policies and a biased sample‑average approximation (SAA) method, leading to two algorithms: an upper‑biased SAA that achieves near‑optimal sample complexity under an offline coverage condition, and a lower‑biased SAA that actively generates coverage to achieve near‑optimal online regret. The biased SAA approach offers a general principle for applying pessimism and optimism in settings with censored feedback.
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