Getting to know consumers’ purchase behaviour and market tendencies in real time is the right way to improve brand sales and store sellout. To do this, it is necessary to manage quality and constantly updated sell-out, sell-through and stock data.
Collecting these data from wholly-owned stores is easy, but what about if sales channels are third parties with different typologies? Franchising stores, multibrand distributors, department stores, small shops, etc. …. things get more complicated.
It is not possible to impose our own computing systems or processes and so incoming data are heterogeneous: from product descriptions to file formats, from data sending frequency to sending modalities (e-mail, telephone, ftp…). The time necessary for analysis becomes longer and there is the risk of undergoing unfocused replenishment strategies, therefore losing sales opportunities.
Let us imagine a department store buyer should buy 5,000 bags for the season: as time passes, such amount might turn out to be too high or too low, there might be too many bags of a certain model and none of the “right” model at the “right” time. It is in this context that the collaboration between brand and wholesaler for sales and stock data collection and analysis can be winning for both parties.
Precise and punctual data in fact allow the brand to perform intelligent replenishment, reduce out-of-stock situations, proactively transfer products from one point to another depending on their exigencies and plan further commercial actions. All this contributes to improve relationships with wholesalers, who will feel strongly supported when working to maximize their sales opportunities and reduce costs.
It is a beautiful project, but how much time and how many resources are necessary to implement it? The solution for many important brands in the fashion world, from footwear to eyewear, has been trusting Aton with the whole activity in an outsourcing mode. The AMP software platform (Aton Mobility Platform) automatically provides “clean”, complete and consolidated data, and Aton’s multilingual service desk activates import/export flows for every contact/point of sale, performing formal and quality data controls, and managing and solving potential anomalies.
As a proof of how much punctual and timely sellout data can influence sales performance, we invite you to read the following post too: More sustainable business for Safilo and its wholesalers.
