Pushing the boundaries in retail: 5 insights for the future

During the Slimstock Retail Day on 6 October, retail professionals and experts came together to share knowledge and experiences. From the changing role of the planner to smarter collaboration between marketing and supply chain, we’ve rounded up the five most important insights and lessons.

1. AI is fundamentally changing the role of the planner

AI is evolving from an assistant that answers questions into a digital colleague that independently identifies inventory issues, proposes solutions and, within predefined parameters, puts them into action.

As AI agents take on more decisions autonomously, planners will need to spend less time on routine checks. Instead, they can focus fully on exceptions, strategic trade-offs and high-impact decisions.

“The planner of tomorrow won’t be someone clicking through lists of products, but someone thinking about the question behind the question: what problem do I actually need to solve?” Wouter Kramers – Solutions Architect and Retail Specialist, Slimstock

2. Inventory availability is becoming a marketing variable

At camping retailer Obelink, the implementation of the Slim4 supply chain platform has taken collaboration between supply chain and marketing to the next level. Marketing campaigns are not only aligned with purchasing behaviour in each country and the progression of the camping season, but also with current and expected inventory availability. Marketing budgets are directed towards where they can generate the greatest commercial value.

“If a popular product is at risk of selling out, we decide together to promote an alternative product that still has sufficient stock available.” Heleen Beijers – Marketer, Obelink

3. Data-driven working doesn’t have to come at the expense of entrepreneurship

Die Grenze stands out through extremely competitive prices and a product range in which 60% of its stock comes from opportunistic buying. This dynamic makes inventory planning complex, particularly across around 80 stores.

With Slim4, Die Grenze automates its inventory planning while continuing to apply its own commercial rules. In other words, entrepreneurship has become scalable.

“Previously, I had to determine the inventory allocation for every store individually. With hundreds of products each week, it was a full-time job. Now, Slim4 calculates the required inventory for every store every day.” Daan de Leeuw – Inventory Planner, Die Grenze

4. Chinese retailers are setting the bar for innovation much higher

Dutch retailers can learn from the speed at which Chinese platforms such as JD.com, Douyin and Shein innovate. Examples include using AI to identify trends and turn them into products, biometric payments through facial recognition and the use of social commerce.

Douyin, China’s counterpart to TikTok, has captured as much as 15% of the Chinese e-commerce market in just three years.

“In the Netherlands, we find same-day delivery difficult and expensive, while Joybuy is coming to Europe and offering it from day one. For them, it’s the bare minimum.” John Lin – China and Technology Expert

5. AI can do more than improve processes: it can transform your business model

Shein demonstrates how AI can play a central role in business operations. The fashion platform analyses consumer trends on social media, uses AI to translate them into new designs and has them produced in small batches. Consumer responses then feed new data back into the system.

This creates a continuous cycle of designing, producing and adapting, with AI connecting the entire chain.

“Shein is essentially a data company. They feed social media data into an AI model and, together with designers, develop thousands of new garments every day.” John Lin – China and Technology Expert

Pushing the boundaries of retail together

These developments show that the future of retail isn’t just about technology. It’s also about collaboration, sharing knowledge and learning from one another’s experiences.

At Slimstock, we believe in the power of knowledge sharing. That’s why we bring retailers, customers and experts together to exchange insights, learn from one another and discover new opportunities. Not only during Slimstock Retail Day, but beyond it too.

You can also discover how other retailers are tackling their challenges, and keep up to date with the latest developments in the supply chain sector.