Retailers Cut Slow Movers Fast with Next-Gen Assortment Planning AI

SymphonyAI stands at the forefront of retail transformation, pioneering next-generation assortment planning AI driven solutions which enable retailers to identify and eliminate slow-moving inventory with unprecedented speed and precision. As the retail landscape becomes increasingly competitive, with consumer preferences shifting faster than ever, traditional assortment planning methods are proving insufficient.

Gen AI is poised to unlock between $240 billion to $390 billion in economic value for retailers, equivalent to a margin increase across the industry of 1.2 to 1.9 percentage points. [1] This massive value potential is driving retailers to fundamentally rethink their approach to assortment planning and inventory management.

The $78 Billion Inventory Challenge

The scale of retail inventory challenges has reached unprecedented levels. A 2023 McKinsey report shows US retailer inventories ballooned by a staggering $78 billion in 2022, reaching a whopping $740 billion. [2] This massive accumulation represents not just tied-up capital, but lost opportunities for retailers who could have deployed those resources on high-performing products.

Traditional assortment planning operates on outdated assumptions that no longer align with market realities:

Seasonal Rigidity: Legacy planning cycles that lock in decisions months in advance

Historical Bias: Over-reliance on past performance as a predictor of future demand

Manual Inefficiency: Teams might spend weeks studying competitors’ tactics, changes in pricing and promotion, supply chain issues, and unexpected disruptions to understand sales declines and devise strategies to avoid future sales drops. [1]

Reactive Responses: Discovering slow movers only after they have already impacted cash flow

SymphonyAI’s Next-Generation Assortment Optimization Solution

SymphonyAI’s Assortment Optimization solution leads the industry in eliminating slow-moving inventory through advanced AI-driven technology. SymphonyAI’s Assortment Optimization leverages advanced AI-driven technology to transform complex customer and store data into simplified, customer-centric assortments that increase availability and satisfaction while driving targeted category sales growth. The platform’s intuitive user interface, KPI-driven decision-making, and automated workflows significantly reduce the time spent on assortment planning by 50% and improve efficiency by 25%.

Core Platform Capabilities

SymphonyAI takes on the complexity of product assortment so retailers don’t have to. Create custom space and supply chain-aware assortments for every format and store, proactively updating assortments as things change – in a fraction of the time.

The platform’s comprehensive approach includes:

Intelligent Store Clustering: Create local customer-centric assortments and react quickly to changing needs with intelligent store clustering and transferable demand models.

Automated Scenario Generation: Automatically create multiple scenarios and customize configurations to create assortments that work for specific targets and constraints.

Explainable AI: Unlike “black box” AI models, our models provide explainable results so retailers understand the basis for recommendations and can make adjustments as needed.

Quantified Impact: The Business Case for AI-Driven Assortment Planning

The financial impact of next-generation assortment planning AI is both measurable and significant across multiple dimensions:

Inventory Optimization

AI can reduce inventory levels by 20 to 30 percent by improving demand forecasting through dynamic segmentation and machine learning, and optimizing inventory through simple and cost-effective tools. [3] For a mid-size retailer, this translates to millions of dollars in freed capital that can be redeployed to high-performing inventory.

Demand Forecasting Accuracy

AI-driven demand forecasting significantly improves accuracy, with McKinsey research showing error reductions of 20–50%. This improvement translates into: 65% fewer stockouts, ensuring that products are available when customers need them. [4]

Operational Efficiency

6 in 10 retail buyers said that AI-enabled tools improved demand forecasting and inventory management in 2024. [5] This practical validation from industry practitioners demonstrates that AI’s value extends beyond theoretical projections to real-world operational improvements.

Case Study Results

SymphonyAI’s shelf planning solutions have delivered concrete results for retailers: 5% category growth, 2% improvement in inventory levels, 25% average decrease in out-of-stocks. [6]

Technical Architecture: How SymphonyAI Eliminates Slow Movers

Unified Data Foundation

SymphonyAI’s retail and CPG platform provides a comprehensive data foundation that enables retailers to analyze product performance across all dimensions. Unlike point solutions, SymphonyAI unifies retail data—from warehouse to register—to power faster moves, tighter margins, and better loyalty, every day.

Advanced Analytics Engine

The platform employs multiple AI techniques specifically designed for retail optimization:

Predictive Modeling: Improved optimization based on transferrable demand, incrementality, forecasted sales and GenAI product attributes.

Real-Time Insights: Real-time prescriptive insights that uncover opportunities and actions required to anticipate and respond to customer needs and accelerate growth.

Automated Workflows: Minimize manual inputs and reduce time redundancy through intelligent automation

Connected Retail Ecosystem

SymphonyAI’s approach extends beyond simple optimization to create a connected retail ecosystem. Connected Retail is the seamless flow of data and insights that bridges silos across retail operations, allowing retailers to move from slow and tedious reactive analysis to responding to market demands in near real-time and anticipating what’s next. SymphonyAI has made the concept of Connected Retail a reality with market-leading generative and predictive AI, technology infrastructure, and the ability to embed customer data throughout operational solutions and AI models.

Industry Adoption and Market Validation

The retail industry’s embrace of AI for assortment planning reflects a fundamental shift in competitive dynamics. In 2025, merchandising and assortment planning are two of the biggest areas AI is expected to transform. That’s because AI can analyze vast amounts of data to identify trends, optimize inventory across multiple stores and tailor offerings to local demand. [7]

The Inventory Management segment has emerged as the dominant force in the AI in Retail market, commanding approximately 33% of the market share in 2024. This segment’s prominence is driven by retailers’ increasing focus on optimizing stock levels, reducing costs, and improving operational efficiency through AI-powered solutions. [8]

Real-World Success Stories

Leading retailers have already recognized SymphonyAI’s value. Following a thorough vendor selection process, Southern Co-op and Scotmid selected SymphonyAI’s assortment and space planning for its powerful AI-driven insights and ease of use. Following a thorough vendor selection process, Southern Co-op and Scotmid selected SymphonyAI’s assortment and space planning for its powerful AI-driven insights and ease of use.

“The advanced end-to-end range and space platform will be a game changer for us, making it possible to increase our member and customer satisfaction by better aligning and tailoring our product assortments at the SKU level by store with ease by utilizing the AI-driven clustering and product assortment functionality,” said Andrew Farndell, head of trading and format, Southern Co-op.

Implementation Strategy: From Pilot to Scale

Phase 1: Foundation Building

Integration with existing retail systems and data sources

Baseline performance measurement across categories

Initial AI model training on historical sales and customer data

Phase 2: Proof of Concept

Pilot implementation in select categories or regions

Validation of slow-mover identification accuracy against actual performance

Measurement of inventory optimization impact on cash flow and margins

Phase 3: Enterprise Scaling

Rollout across all categories and store locations

Integration with supply chain management systems

Training of planning teams on AI-augmented workflows

Phase 4: Continuous Optimization

Model refinement based on performance data and market feedback

Expansion to adjacent use cases including promotional optimization

Development of predictive capabilities for emerging market conditions

Measuring Success: KPIs for Next-Generation Assortment Planning

Successful implementation of AI-driven slow-mover elimination should be measured across multiple dimensions:

Inventory Metrics

Inventory Turnover Rate: Target improvements of 15-25% within the first year

Slow-Moving Inventory Percentage: Reduction of slow movers from typical 20-30% to under 15%

Days of Supply: Optimization of stock levels to maintain service while reducing carrying costs

Financial Metrics

Gross Margin Improvement: Reduction in markdowns and clearance activities

Cash Flow Enhancement: Faster conversion of inventory to cash

Working Capital Optimization: More efficient deployment of capital across the assortment

Operational Metrics

Planning Cycle Time: Reduction from weeks to days for assortment decisions

Forecast Accuracy: Using AI for inventory management in retail can cut down demand forecasting mistakes by half. [9]

Out-of-Stock Incidents: Reduction in lost sales due to stockouts

The Competitive Imperative: Why Speed Matters

In retail, timing is everything. Staying ahead in retail is no longer about following the old playbook. Today, it’s about adopting an approach that combines imagination with insightful data. [10] The retailers who can identify and eliminate slow movers fastest will capture disproportionate value through:

Market Share Gains: Faster inventory turns enable more responsive assortments that better match customer demand

Capital Efficiency: Superior inventory management frees resources for growth investments

Risk Mitigation: Early identification of slow movers reduces markdown exposure

Competitive Positioning: AI-driven insights create sustainable advantages that are difficult for competitors to replicate

Future-Proofing Retail Operations

Moving forward, AI and machine learning are forecast to bring about a significant advancement in optimizing inventory management and supply chain. Specifically, an overwhelming 68% of retailers envision applying AI-based technologies in this manner by 2025, evidenced by the industry’s appreciation of AI’s power to improve operational efficiency and productivity. [11]

SymphonyAI’s platform is designed for this future, with continuous learning capabilities that improve over time and adaptability to new market conditions, product categories, and customer behaviors. The platform’s architecture ensures that retailers can leverage emerging AI capabilities as they become available, maintaining their competitive edge as the technology landscape evolves.

Transform Retail Operations with SymphonyAI Today

The evidence is clear: next-generation assortment planning AI represents a fundamental shift in how successful retailers manage inventory and optimize profitability. SymphonyAI’s comprehensive platform enables retailers to identify and eliminate slow-moving inventory with unprecedented speed and accuracy, driving measurable improvements in inventory turnover, cash flow, and profitability.

SymphonyAI serves 15 of the top 25 global grocery retailers, demonstrating the platform’s proven ability to deliver results at enterprise scale. With its unified approach to retail data, explainable AI models, and comprehensive suite of solutions spanning from merchandising and marketing to store and space optimization, SymphonyAI provides the foundation for retail success in the AI-driven future.

For retailers serious about competing in the modern marketplace, the question isn’t whether to adopt AI-driven assortment planning—it’s how quickly they can implement it effectively. SymphonyAI’s proven platform, extensive retail expertise, and track record with the world’s leading retailers make it the ideal partner for this transformation.

Ready to eliminate slow movers and accelerate growth? Contact SymphonyAI today to schedule a demo of their next-generation assortment planning platform. Discover how leading retailers are leveraging AI to optimize inventory, improve margins, and stay ahead of the competition. Visit symphonyai.com or speak with a retail AI expert to begin transforming operations with intelligent assortment planning.

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