SpecialKids Slashes Stockouts by 77% with Inventory Planner’s Perfect-fit Solution

“We were always one step behind – until we discovered Inventory Planner.” – Sasha Radwan, Founder and Director of SpecialKids.

Like lots of fashion start-ups, SpecialKids ran its inventory on little more than spreadsheets and guesswork in the early years.

However, as YoY growth tipped 40%, managing hundreds of SKUs across multiple channels and regions became overwhelming for the retailer, which specializes in adaptive clothing and accessories for children and adults with special needs.

The shelves were overstocked with slow sellers, popular items were frequently out of stock and large amounts of cash was tied up in the wrong items.

The process of forecasting and buying inventory was error-prone and time-consuming. The static, manual nature of Excel meant it was difficult to keep data up-to-date, especially as inventory levels and sales data constantly changed.

“We were always one step behind,” admits Sasha Radwan, Founder and Director of SpecialKids.

“I struggled to factor in lead times so I would wait until stock ran out, and then place a new order.

“It was clear we needed a smarter solution to manage our growth.”

From chaos to control

After trying and struggling to accurately forecast demand with Linnworks, SpecialKids joined Inventory Planner by Sage – and Sasha and the team haven’t looked back.

As a top-rated inventory planning tool, Inventory Planner reveals which inventory to order, how much to order, and the perfect moment to order it, based on an accurate calculation of how much a merchant will sell.

Its accurate forecasting factors in supplier timescales, seasonality and promotions alongside historical sales data. It then translates the forecasts into automatic buying recommendations.

For SpecialKids, which operates 25 clothing lines as well as a sister brand called Sensory Smart, this cutting-edge functionality was game-changing.

Sasha says: “The ability to foresee what we needed in the next quarter, the next six months, just wasn’t possible with our ERP.

“Our 7-8 and 15-16 age range is our most popular by a mile, but it was really difficult to work out which variants were performing best.

“We were constantly running out of items in the 7-8 and 15-16 age ranges.

“It was also really hard to know which colours to order and in what quantity.

“For example, in our basics range, pink is not a big seller. But when everything else sells, pink all of a sudden becomes popular because there’s no other choice.

“This would previously skew our forecasting, so we’d end up ordering more pink that we’d actually need. It was a vicious circle.

“Inventory Planner has changed all that.

“It gives us accurate data that is easy to analyze and it factors in trends and unexpected sales spikes, so you can rely on your forecasts and only order what you actually need.”

Stripping off overstock, stitching up success

Inventory Planner integrates seamlessly with all leading e-commerce platforms and ERPs – including to Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, Walmart and eBay, and Linnworks, which are all channels used by SpecialKids.

Its range of easy-to-understand inventory reports includes a powerful overstock report which highlights overstocked items and the associated cost, so merchants can quickly see which items to liquidate first to protect cash flow.

It even flags up both slow-moving and hot-selling items – making it easy for clothing retailers like SpecialKids to avoid cash flow killers like overstock and stockouts.

In fact, as a result of the reliable insights from Inventory Planner, stockouts have been slashed by 77% at SpecialKids and overstock has been cut by a third,  freeing up thousands of pounds to invest in other areas of the business.

Sasha says: “With Inventory Planner, we’ve been able to stay in stock on key items and avoid the issues we used to have with stockouts.

“It’s so good to know we have that covered, especially as the business grows.”

Data that delivers

When the business relied on Excel, only one team member had the advanced skills needed to analyze the data. This created a bottleneck, making processes slow and error-prone.

Inventory Planner has solved these issues by automating key tasks like forecasting and purchasing.

Its user-friendly interface – and unlimited seats – have enabled more team members to contribute, improving collaboration, efficiency and overall decision-making.

It means Emily, the in-house Excel wizard, now spends less time in spreadsheets, saving approximately 20 hours each month.

Emily says: “Inventory Planner saves me at least an hour a day that I’d previously spent in Excel.

“I love that I can easily pull detailed reports by vendor or brand and it’s so easy to adjust forecasts for sales velocity or peak seasons.

“One of the best features is that POs can be placed directly from buying recommendations and it even alerts me when a supplier’s minimal order value hasn’t been met.

“Another favorite feature is the built-in calendar that shows upcoming shipments and when they will arrive. I really value that.”

“Inventory Planner gives us accurate data that is easy to analyze and it factors in trends and unexpected sales spikes, so you can rely on your forecasts and only order what you actually need.” – Sasha Radwan, Founder and Director of SpecialKids

With Inventory Planner at the heart of its tech stack, SpecialKids can forecast demand accurately, optimize inventory mix to boost profits and save valuable time on manual tasks.

These benefits have not only streamlined operations, but also set the business up for ongoing growth, with Sasha and the team planning further expansion into new markets and regions.

Sasha says: “With Inventory Planner, we have the insights to make decisions in a much speedier manner.

“I’m confident it will support our needs as we continue to scale.”