Talk to an Expert

    Stay ahead of Golden Quarter planning curveballs

    = Summary: The Golden Quarter is a difficult and stressful time, but AI-driven retailing can ease the pressure. Ed Betts explains that through data and algorithmic analysis, retailers can drive strategic and tactical benefits which lead to bigger profits – those that don’t will be left behind

    The Golden Quarter is a pressure pot of planning. The 100-day countdown to Christmas encompasses the majority of the year’s key fixed seasonal events and aligns with retail’s most critical planning window. Retailers must not only take every measure to trade out the year cleanly, but they must also ratify their strategy for the year ahead. It’s monumentally difficult, and it’s increasingly easy to argue that the Golden Quarter is more challenge than opportunity.

    The past two years have brought uncertainty to late-year trading, with increased costs pressing down on suppliers, retailers, and customers alike. There has been no great reversal of financial fortunes in the past year. The new government’s ‘tough decisions’ mean trade during 2024’s Golden Quarter will certainly not be characterised by a spending free-for-all. It will be as difficult as ever, and retailers will be challenged at every turn to meet their customers’ needs and expectations while maintaining their own bottom line.

    Strategy versus tactics

    Even with a winning overall strategy, there are forces that retailers cannot control. It doesn’t matter if a retailer has rolled into the Golden Quarter feeling they are fully prepared. Volatility is a fact of life, and retailers must be able to roll with the punches and deal with it.

    Supply and inventory hiccups, for instance, demand a quick tactical response. Tweaks frequently need to be made to future planning which has, in the course of business, not quite hit the mark. If a retailer is outplayed, surprised by a competitor with a better price or a stronger promotion, that retailer cannot simply cling to its plan defiantly. It must act fast and implement effective remedies.

    Those beholden to legacy systems and siloed data are at a disadvantage. They will struggle to move quickly if they do not possess the latest information and the strongest insights. Delivering on up-to-the-minute promotions does not just happen by itself. The pace of business between a retailer and its suppliers must match the speed of the market – and today’s market moves faster than ever, particularly at this time of year.

    Relieving the pressure

    At such a stressful time, retailers must work hard to maintain their tactical acuity at all levels, but senior executives must also be free to make the high-level decisions which set the course for the year ahead. Under a legacy retailing model, however, execs cannot always offer overall strategy the attention it deserves. Too often they are forced to act reactively to unexpected changes and search for any way to maintain margins and hit profit targets.

    But why does any retailer do this at all when a better solution is available? Data, properly analysed, plots a course away from market share dips or worrying sales figures in the long term, and can offer immediate resolution to short-term troubles. Analysis reveals the reasons and helps suggest the solutions. With the right tools, results happen in a fraction of the time. With the right data, retailers can lift sales, increase profits, and create offers that resonate.

    The best of both worlds

    AI-based tools offer deep insights into both a retailer’s own data and that of the markets. AI presents clear top-down predictions about strategic business performance. And although retailers cannot remove volatility, the combination of AI models and live data reveals enough intimate, immediate knowledge surrounding retail operations that executives can make tactical decisions quickly and confidently.

    This is not an all-or-nothing transition. Algorithmic tools can be implemented piece-by-piece on the areas that matter the most to a business, gradually uniting different business functions and, in turn, leaving retailers more organised and prepared for whatever might happen.

    A vision of the future

    If this year’s Golden Quarter proves to be as difficult as some analysts expect it to be, retailers must consider their future direction very carefully. AI-driven algorithmic retailing has already helped many of the world’s largest retailers to smooth and optimise their business practices year-round.

    Those seeking to grow against such overwhelming opposition cannot stick with a business plan which inherently leaves them at a disadvantage. One’s strategy cannot simply be to stay afloat, when the opportunity to thrive is there for the taking.

    #Retail case study >> Discover how a major North American retailer with 200+ stores used the Retail Express solution to help in many areas of the business to bring real benefit and tangible results: https://www.retailexpress.com/case-study/

    More from Uncategorised

    • Release of new General Release Product 5.2 – feature highlights 

      AI (Artificial Intelligence) | Press Release

      Release of new General Release Product 5.2 – feature highlights 

      4th March 2022 | 1 min read Retail Express has released a major upgrade of its Intelligent Merchandising Solution, RE 2.0; referred to as Release 5.2 is a strategic multi-year overhaul of the Intelligent Merchandising solution with new modules, analytics, visualisation tools and dash-boarding. Major AI enhancements developed over the last two years by our Science Group include additional automation in Pricing, Promotion and Supplier Management. Our …

      Learn more
    • What is Intelligent Merchandising?

      Analytics | Blog

      What is Intelligent Merchandising?

      5th February 2015 | 1 min read Automatically taking account of past/present/future merchandising plans for each new merchandising decision be that a price, promotion or advert. Tracking the impact and cross effects of those decisions in real-time. Enabling you to make more informed decisions about your category. Visibility Accurately see the impact of all current and planned merchandising activities on all new activities such as prices, promotions, …

      Learn more
    • Retail Express listed as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner Market Guide for Retail Assortment Management Applications: Long Life Cycle Products

      Assortment | Press Release

      Retail Express listed as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner Market Guide for Retail Assortment Management Applications: Long Life Cycle Products

      7th May 2020 | 1 min read Retail Express was recognised among a shortlist of vendors in the 2020 report. May 2020 – Retail Express, a leading provider of merchandising solutions, today announced that it has been identified as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner Market Guide for Retail Assortment Management Applications: Long Life Cycle Products[1]. “Our sole focus for six years has been on working closely …

      Learn more
    • Joint business planning: stronger partnership through analytics & automation

      Assortment | Blog

      Joint business planning: stronger partnership through analytics & automation

      = Summary: Ed Betts explores the difficulty and inequality of legacy joint business planning, and reveals the ways in which retailers can revolutionise the practice Retailers and suppliers plan in very different ways, because they run very different businesses. Suppliers typically look for certainty and efficiency, given the pressures of production runs and supply chain logistics. Retailers need certainty, too, but must also be able to respond …

      Learn more

    Download Whitepaper