Whether it’s dramatically improved growth, boosted profits or streamlined operations – or all of the above – there are fashion brands out there that are nailing their inventory management and reaping the rewards.
Yep, even in an uncertain and volatile marketplace where demand is hard to forecast and trends can change from one minute to the next.
So, what’s their secret?
There’s one thing all fashion retailers who are nailing their inventory management have in common: cutting-edge inventory software.
We’ll be exploring exactly how fashion brands can use inventory tools to master trend forecasting and boost sales in our free upcoming webinar.
We hope you can join us, but until then here are six fashion retailers using planning software to power their profits in 2024…
1. ROKA London
ROKA London is the multi-million pound British fashion and apparel brand known across the globe for its stylish range of functional, weather-resistant backpacks and bags.
The business turned to Inventory Planner by Sage after years of planning inventory on gut instinct and clunky spreadsheets rather than real data.
Thanks to the platform’s accurate forecasting functionality, ROKA reduced inventory by 25%, freeing up vital cash and promoting sustainable growth.
The detailed insights also allowed for smarter purchasing decisions and for marketing efforts to be aligned with inventory.
“We needed to stop making decisions based on gut instinct and start using a proper, enterprise-level tool – Inventory Planner hasn’t let us down.” – Peter Gough, COO, ROKA London
Maniere de Voir – named after a French phrase meaning ‘way of seeing’ – is an £30M fashion brand creating unique product lines for men and women based on lux tailoring with on-trend street and sportswear styles.
With competitors such as international fashion giant Zara, the brand offers a distinctly fashion-forward look which makes it a hit with their target market of 20 and 30-somethings.
The team utilizes Inventory Planner for data-led forecasting and powerful purchasing recommendations. This approach provides the crucial real-time insights needed to outperform competitors in even the most volatile markets.
“Marrying accurate forecasting with current stock levels is vital. When you’ve got cash tied into that balance and it’s not turning, essentially it becomes a dangerous cash flow issue – and you’re never going to realise it in time without the right tools to do so.” – Richard Udeze, Financial Director, Maniere de Voir
3. Vikki Vi
Vikki Vi is a plus-size fashion brand out of LA that was launched more than two decades ago and has a large, loyal following of women who return time and again for the brand’s core range of slinky black basics in high-quality, flattering cuts.
After using legacy ERP Netsuite for years, the business ran into problems when it upgraded to Shopify Plus. It needed inventory planning software with a seamless Shopify integration, along with the power to forecast for a high volume of SKUs while offering clear, simple buying recommendations.
Inventory Planner has been transformative for the brand. It provides in-depth inventory insights across over 200 metrics, so the team can accurately replenish their extensive collection of plus-size garments right down to colour, style, size and other variants, and create an optimized inventory with maximum selling potential.
“It’s helped me be in stock but not overbought. I can trust Inventory Planner implicitly to predict demand. The numbers are always right.” – Danielle Malconian, CEO of Vikki Vi
📌 Hear more from Danielle when she joins the panel for our upcoming webinar, How to Master Fashion Trend Forecasting and Boost Sales. It’s free, but you need to register for a ticket. Do it now!
4. AYBL
AYBL is a Shopify-powered online clothing brand specializing in women’s gym gear – including leggings, shorts and sports bras – with a revenue that tops £30M.
With five million likes on TikTok and 700K followers on Instagram, AYBL ships over 400,000 orders to more than 160 countries each year, including the US, UK and Germany. In 2022, the brand was named the fastest growing private company in Britain with annual sales growth over three years pegged at 359%.
The fast-growing brands joined Inventory Planner to accurately forecast demand, automate and streamline purchasing and make data-driven decisions that support growth. The results have been phenomenal with 100 hours a month and three full-time hires saved.
“Inventory Planner stops me getting bogged down by managing day-to-day stuff and frees me up to focus on the bigger picture.” – Reiss Edgerton, Founder and CEO, AYBL
5. Sharp Attire
Sharp Attire is a multichannel footwear and clothing reseller with a Shopify-powered webstore and significant Amazon presence.
After spending tens of hours every week trying (and failing) to get a handle on demand forecasting and reordering, the brand joined Inventory Planner.
Now it uses the software to accurately forecast demand for 10,000s SKUs, streamline purchasing across multiple locations and make faster, data-driven decisions that boost the business’ bottom line.
Results include saving £340K in lost profit and reclaiming 19 days every month.
“The time savings are incredible! Previously, I could spend 40 hours a week, all month long, working on ordering and replenishing. Now I can do it in two or three Mondays.” – Marco Valle, COO, Sharp Attire
Freedom Rave Wear is the niche fashion brand behind a popular line of custom-designed ravewear – including chain-hemmed two-pieces and holographic leotards – that is loved by dance-lovers and festival-heads across the globe.
The business has seen huge benefits from implementing Inventory Planner’s reliable purchasing recommendations into existing workflows, which are informed by the platform’s industry-leading forecasting, which factors in historical sales information, microtrends, seasonality and market shifts.
The software has resulted in a 66% reduction in stock holding and a 100% growth in a third of the expected time.
“We use the replenishment report almost as a daily recipe for our production team. With it, we know we’ll need 24 small, high-waisted Brazilian bottoms in 30 days or we’ll lose $1,200 dollars, for example – so we make them.” – Mike Hodgen, Co-Founder of Freedom Rave Wear
🎟️ You’re invited!
Want to learn more about planning inventory for your fashion brand? Join us for our upcoming masterclass: How to Master Fashion Trend Forecasting and Boost Sales. It’s completely FREE!