The $90 jacket that isn't there: retail's Spring/Summer inventory problem

Walking into a store expecting to find an item, only to be told it’s ‘in stock’ but nowhere to be seen, is one of the most common and most costly failures in retail today.

As Spring/Summer demand ramps up, this issue becomes more visible. Higher volumes, faster stock turns and increased pressure on store operations expose a persistent gap between what systems say and what’s actually on the shop floor.

Inventory distortion is still holding retail back

Most retailers already have systems that track stock, but the challenge is accuracy. Manual counts, periodic scanning and disconnected processes mean inventory data quickly falls out of sync with reality. Items are misplaced, sold or unavailable, yet still show as in stock.

The result is lost sales, frustrated customers and inefficient store teams, and during peak trading periods, even small inaccuracies scale quickly.

Periodic visibility can’t keep up

For years, retailers have tried to solve this with more frequent checks and better processes, but the model is still reactive.

Stock is counted, corrected and then drifts again. In fast-moving retail environments, that window of accuracy is short and you can’t scale precision with periodic visibility.

Real-time data is changing the game

The shift now is towards continuous, item-level visibility. Instead of relying on what stock should be, retailers can see what is – in real time, at item level, across every store.

That changes how stores operate because replenishment becomes proactive, online availability becomes reliable, store teams spend less time searching and more time selling – meaning the ‘$90 jacket that isn’t there’ becomes far less common.

Execution is the difference

Retailers aren’t short on innovation. AI, forecasting and omnichannel strategies are already in place, but their success depends on accurate, real-time data. Without it, even the most advanced tools are working from a flawed foundation. Execution, not ideas, is now the differentiator.

The bottom line

The gap between systems and reality is where revenue is lost. Retailers that close the gap between systems and reality – with accurate, always-on inventory visibility – are the ones that will perform consistently at scale.

Read the full article

For deeper insight, read the full piece published in Total Retail.

Find out more about TrackMaster

Retailers, are you ready to know exactly what stock you have, where it is and how fast it’s moving? Learn more about TrackMaster.

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