From planning to execution: 4 changes retailers can't ignore

Retail inventory planning is entering a new phase as rising demand volatility, shorter product lifecycles and the complexity of unified commerce expose the limits of traditional approaches.

Drawing on Gartner’s 2026 Market Guides for Forecasting, Allocation & Replenishment, this white paper highlights four key changes shaping the future of retail inventory planning. It reflects how advances in AI are transforming forecasting, allocation and replenishment from periodic activities into a continuous, connected system of decisions.

What you’ll learn in this guide:

• The shift from static rules to AI-driven decision-making models that continuously incorporate real-time and external signals
• How forecasting, allocation and replenishment are moving from siloed processes to unified decision-making across channels
• How AI is evolving from generating insights to executing routine decisions through agent-based systems with human oversight
• What it means to move from batch planning cycles to continuous, margin-aware decision-making in a fast-changing environment

Accelerate the shift to more adaptive, coordinated and execution-focused inventory decisions with AI.