PROBLEM
This supplier of seasonal, impulse-buy apparel was offered the opportunity to expand distribution from 40 stores to over 6,800 stores in a short timeframe. Additionally the vendor lacked the technology and bandwidth to order or perform the sophisticated data analysis necessary to support ordering and inventory management at store-level across 6,000+ stores. Assistance was needed to analyze inventories by item, store and region to optimize program mix and determine initial fill for a season as well as ongoing orders.
SOLUTION
Visibility & Analytics
We created reporting by store, by item to identify stores needing orders, and to manage returns so inventory costs were controlled for the retailer. Additionally, we identified top performing seasonal stores by region so those carrying only one season’s items (e.g. summer, winter, back-to-school) could benefit from a year-round program, were targeted for expansion.
RESULTS
- Retail sales $ increase of 69% year over year due to successfully expanded distribution
- Successfully proved to the retailer that the supplier had a capable methodology for managing the inventory at location effectively.
