Why Retail Transformation Fails
Retail transformation fails when organizations treat it as a technology upgrade rather than a coordinated shift in strategy, data, and operations. This article explores the common pitfalls and what it takes to drive lasting, enterprise-wide impact.
Retail Trends: 2026 NRF Recap
Retail leaders coming out of the NRF 2026 Retail’s Big Show are moving beyond experimentation with AI toward focused, disciplined strategies that drive real business outcomes. This recap explores the key trends shaping 2026, from intentional innovation to the growing cost of inaction in an increasingly data-driven, fast-moving retail landscape.
Supply Chain Resilience in the Face of Disruption
Supply chain disruptions are inevitable, but unprepared organizations are the ones that suffer most. This article outlines how retailers can move from reactive firefighting to proactive resilience through scenario planning, cross-functional alignment, and a clear execution roadmap.
Optimizing Data Readiness for Retail AI
AI in retail can fail because the underlying data isn’t ready. In this blog we outline why clean, connected, and well-governed data is essential to unlocking accurate forecasting, personalization, and operational efficiency, along with practical steps to get there.
One Demand Signal, Endless Growth
Retailers struggle to optimize pricing, inventory, and forecasting when data is fragmented across teams and systems. In this blog, we explore how a unified demand signal connects the business, improves forecasting precision, and enables smarter, more scalable growth.
Essential Merchandising Capabilities
This post explores three essential merchandising capabilities that retailers must have in place for 2025 and beyond, key questions you should be asking, and the immediate next steps necessary to begin.
Retail Quick Wins for a Successful Q4
As retailers head into the busiest season, addressing key operational challenges and focusing on retail quick wins will be essential to finishing the year strong and preparing for the next. Read about some recent retail quick wins Parker Avery helped our clients identify and navigate.
Successful Retail Software Selection
In this article, we discuss five key tenets foundational to Parker Avery’s strategic approach to software selection, which can help ensure the new technology supports your desired business capabilities.
Success with Retail Integrated Business Planning
Five Keys to Reaching Success with Retail Integrated Business Planning In an ever-evolving consumer landscape, successful retail integrated business planning is crucial to survival. In today's fast-paced world, integrated business planning (IBP) has become a critical capability for retailers and consumer [...]
Democratizing Retail Analytics with Generative AI
We are excited to announce the launch of our new Ask Udi feature, which democratizes predictive retail analytics across the organization for retailers and consumer brands.
Demystifying the Unified Demand Signal
Demystifying the Unified Demand Signal Discover how a unified demand signal can transform your operational efficiency and drive business results. Since the early days of S&OP, companies have sought an aligned understanding of demand. As retailers and brands expand their reach [...]
Let’s Talk About Your Capabilities Roadmap
Let's Talk About Your Capabilities Roadmap Companies often must shift project priorities because they are not collectively thinking “big picture.” Without a comprehensive plan that considers the entire landscape of a company’s business, individual project expectations and objectives are often missed. There are [...]
Process Debt
Hidden Afflictions: How Much Are Clunky Old Processes Costing You? Plenty of industry leaders and experts talk about technical debt with old systems and tools, yet very few speak of ‘process debt’ with the same level of importance. A recent article by Christopher [...]
Core Merchandising vs. PIM
Core Merchandising vs. PIM: Which Solution is Right for Your Item Data? In a retail or consumer packaged goods environment (CPG), the most critical piece of information is item or product data. With omnichannel retail models as the standard and increasing consumer appetite for more details [...]
Gratitude Delivered
Gratitude Delivered: Three Reasons to Be Grateful As we approach Thanksgiving in the United States and the winter holiday season around the world, we often hear the words "thankful," "grateful," and "gratitude." In contemplating our November message (coupled with my insatiable quest for knowledge and historical [...]
Six Focus Areas for Retail
Exclusive Merchandise Planning Event Reveals Six Focus Areas for Retail Last week, we attended PI Apparel’s first Merchandise Planning conference, held in Brooklyn from October 23-24. PI Apparel has a strong history of industry events, typically focusing on product development and product lifecycle management (PLM). We were excited [...]
Intelligent Retail Enterprise
Five Key Elements for a More Intelligent Retail Enterprise A while ago, we discussed achievable quick wins for retailers heading into the holiday season. We still believe there is time for retailers to find some areas for improvement and make quick, impactful changes to enhance their year-end [...]
Rethinking Allocation and Replenishment
Rethinking Allocation and Replenishment to Drive Better Inventory Outcomes Many of Parker Avery's clients are laser-focused on shoring up their inventory management capabilities while investigating and implementing advanced forecasting and demand-planning technologies to drive more collaborative, effective supply chains. Allocation for seasonal and fashion items and [...]
Price Optimization: Margin Rate vs. Margin Dollars
Price Optimization: Margin Rate vs. Margin Dollars With blurring lines between channels and geographies, price optimization solutions are an area of increasing interest to the retail community. Price optimization solutions can bring immense value if properly assimilated and leveraged in a company’s business environment. One [...]
The JEDI Challenge Returns
The JEDI Challenge Returns The Parker Avery Group recently concluded the second iteration of what we consider one of our most impactful initiatives since our firm's founding 16 years ago. In our typical consulting projects, we work with billion-dollar, global retailers and CPG companies on current [...]
JEDI Journey Continues
The JEDI Journey Continues: Three Days That Changed Our World How do you sum up three life-changing days in a developing country where the gross national income hovers below $5,000 USD? This question has been nagging me since our small team from The Parker Avery [...]
The JEDI Challenge
Unimaginable Gratitude: The JEDI Challenge As we approach Thanksgiving week and the 2021 holiday season, The Parker Avery Group wrapped up what may be the most important project in our firm’s almost 15 years. It wasn’t for a multibillion-dollar global retailer. It wasn’t a strategic supply [...]
Software is Not Your Solution
Software is Not Your Solution New technology is not the answer to your business challenges. Through many conversations with Parker Avery clients and technology partners, as well as in industry articles about the latest innovations and technologies, the words solution, system, and [...]
Remote Software Selection Projects
Considerations for Remote Software Selection Projects Talk Retail to Me Podcast | June 08, 2021 On this episode of the Talk Retail to Me podcast, Parker Avery Senior Partner Amanda Astrologo and Tricia Gustin interview retail expert Julie Cheney. Julie has over 25 years of experience [...]
Podcast | Mobilizing and Sustaining a Resilient Organization
Mobilizing and Sustaining a Resilient Organization Talk Retail to Me Podcast | June 4, 2020 During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted a 4-part webinar series, Reconstructing Retail, to help our clients and friends in the industry. We shared our pragmatic and [...]