Inventory Planner Keeps Atomic Defense Safe From Stockouts

“We wanted a tool that would stop us getting into trouble with a lack of stock – but that could also help us proactively avoid overstock. It was clear from the reviews and research that Inventory Planner was that tool.”

– Dylan Vasquez, Operations Manager, Atomic Defense

Growing a business doesn’t just require an investment of money – it also demands an investment of time.

The trouble is, when a merchant spends all their time firefighting day-to-day issues – including issues with inventory – there’s not much left to focus on growth.

That was the case for Atomic Defense, a California-based e-commerce company that specializes in bulletproof apparel, including vests, helmets and backpacks for both civilian and military markets.

The multichannel global brand, founded in 2015, was spending more than 12 hours a month in spreadsheets, trying to plan inventory, and yet still struggling to get its stock levels right.

Operations Manager Dylan Vasquez says: “We had a major problem with stockouts and supply delays.

“We were relying on a combination of spreadsheets and guesswork. It took hours every week and it wasn’t even accurate.

“It meant we were frequently running out of stock. We just couldn’t seem to forecast accurately.

“It was having a serious impact on customer experience and our reputation. At one point, it got so bad that customers complained heavily because their orders were so delayed while we waited for stock to come in.

“At that point, I knew we needed to find an inventory planning solution.”

SOLVING THE CHINK IN THE ARMOR

After researching the best demand forecasting tools around, Atomic Defense signed up with Inventory Planner.

It’s the market-leading inventory planning solution that reveals which inventory to order, how much to order, and the perfect moment to order it, based on an accurate calculation of how much you will sell.

It helps you navigate the choppy seas of supply problems, economic uncertainty and market fluctuations and it’s proven to help merchants maximize profit and boost cash flow by eliminating out of stock events and releasing cash from slow-moving products.

With customer acquisition costs at an all time high, Inventory Planner is key for brands that want to avoid missing sales opportunities and disappointing customers.

Dylan adds: “We wanted a tool that would stop us getting into trouble with a lack of stock – but that could also help us proactively avoid overstock. It was clear from the reviews and research we read that Inventory Planner was that tool.

“The forecasting aspect was the big draw for us – and it has been the biggest game changer.

“We’ve gone from using spreadsheets and hoping for the best to having complete confidence in the accuracy of our forecasts from Inventory Planner. Our customers are much happier!

“I love that Inventory Planner can even tell the difference between one-off sales spikes and genuine sales trends and it takes into account the difference in demand across different regions and countries when it creates forecasts and buying recommendations.”

FIRST LINE OF (INVENTORY) DEFENSE

While, as Atomic Defense has seen, Inventory Planner is an essential tool in the battle against stockouts and supply chain issues, it’s also vital for avoiding excess stock.

In recent months, we’ve seen how major (and previously successful) retailers have fallen victim to holding too much stock amidst the current retail landscape. Target saw its shares tumble after it slashed prices to clear out unsold inventory last summer.

Meanwhile, British furniture brand MADE.com went out of business just a year after going public on the London Stock Exchange in 2021 with a valuation of £775 million and established British country wear brand Joules recently entered administration. Both brands blamed their failure on getting caught with massive inventory at just the wrong time.

With detailed insight across various KPIs, including variant, vendor, warehouse and product category, Inventory Planner helps merchants make intelligent, informed and fast decisions on when to order products, how much to order and how to make stocks last between shipments.

“The biggest change we’ve experienced since joining Inventory Planner is the time it has given us back. We were spending at least 12 hours a month in spreadsheets before but Inventory Planner has eliminated virtually all of that time,” says Dylan.

“We’ve been freed up to focus on growing our business, which we simply couldn’t manage before. For instance, we’ve been able to grow our social media channels by creating videos and investing time in ideas.

“Our goal for the next few years is to add new products and keep growing on social media. Inventory Planner will be a key tool for making that happen.”

Want to see how Inventory Planner can transform your business? Start your free 14-day trial today.