Buy Planning with AI: Lessons from Reformation & Syrup Tech
Retailers can’t afford to let overstocks drain margins or stockouts disappoint customers. Yet many planning teams still rely on spreadsheets and intuition — tools that fall short in today’s complex, multichannel environment.
This on-demand session reveals how leading brands are using AI to treat inventory like an investment portfolio — balancing risk and return, improving sell-through, and freeing planners to focus on strategy instead of spreadsheets.
Watch the Webinar
Reformation’s Successful Path Ahead
Retail buying has always walked a tightrope between too much inventory and not enough. The costs of getting it wrong are steep: overstocks lead to markdowns, tied-up capital, and waste; understocks create stockouts, lost revenue, and unhappy customers.
Reformation has built a fast, nearshored supply chain model that enables rapid replenishment and 95% full-price sell-through — but even the most agile retailers face scaling challenges when relying on intuition and spreadsheets.
That’s where AI steps in: amplifying planners, quantifying risk, and making portfolio-style buying decisions at scale.
What you’ll learn:
Why legacy workflows fall short in an environment of complexity, volatility, and multichannel growth.
The real-world foundation Reformation has built: small initial buys, 30-day production cycles, rapid replenishment, and 95% full-price sell-through.
How to treat buy planning like portfolio management — balancing diversification, risk, return, and capital allocation.
Practical steps to start your AI journey: move beyond averages in Excel, pilot AI-driven workflows, and prove success without “boiling the ocean.”
Featured Quotes
- “The number one tool used for core planning processes today is Microsoft Excel. In the age of AI, this is a completely outdated process.” James Theuerkauf, Syrup Tech
- “The most costly element of retail is the promotional markdown.” Ivan Tchakarov, Syrup Tech
- “Inventory is like an investment portfolio — the goal is balancing risk and return.” James Theuerkauf, Syrup Tech
- “AI won’t replace planners. The future of planning is human + AI, working together.” Ivan Tchakarov, Syrup Tech
Who Should Watch
This session is built for:
- Merchandising leaders driving assortment, buy, and OTB decisions.
- Planning & allocation teams responsible for forecasting, sizing, and replenishment.
- Executives at apparel & footwear brands seeking to reduce markdowns, protect margins, and cut waste.
Ivan Tchakarov
Chief Operating Officer, Reformation
James Theuerkauf
Co-Founder & CEO, Syrup Tech
