A101’s Promotional Item Planning Transformation with Solvoyo’s Cloud Native Platform

Promotion Planning was a Fragmented Process with Limited Visibility

A101’s promotion planning for fast-moving, short-term items such as weekly new promotional products and seasonal holiday goods lacked a unified system and analytical intelligence.

• Dependence on Manual Inputs: Planning relied heavily on manual analysis and the experience of category managers, increasing the risk of errors and inconsistencies.
• No Standardization or Corporate Memory: Different tools and spreadsheet-based methods made it difficult to track, measure, and report KPIs consistently.
• Forecasting Blind Spots: For new or seasonal items with no sales history, planners had to make judgment calls, often leading to inaccurate PO quantities.
• Unbalanced Store-Level Allocations: The lack of a data-driven approach resulted in low availability for high-demand stores and excess stock for others.
• Logistical Inefficiencies: Purchase orders often ignored key operational constraints like full pallet quantities or different MOQs across store formats.
• Disconnected Approvals and Collaboration: Communication between Procurement, Logistics, and regional warehouses was slow, and associates had no efficient way to suggest updates or modifications once decisions were made.

Solvoyo’s Standardized and Optimization-Driven Approach Reduced Stockouts by 50%

With Solvoyo’s cloud-native digital platform, A101 now manages the full promotional lifecycle from demand forecasting and buy planning to DC-to-store distribution through a single, constraint-aware planning engine.

Intelligent Forecasting and Execution

• A Single Source of Truth: All promotional item planning is now managed through one unified platform, ensuring data consistency and visibility across the organization.
• Data-Driven PO Recommendations: For new items, the system automatically identifies similar past promotions based on price, attributes, and uplift to generate accurate initial forecasts.
• Constraint-Aware Planning: Built-in parameters ensure logistical feasibility by automatically rounding quantities to meet full palletization or full truckload volumes.

Collaborative Workflow and Control

• Seamless Cross-Functional Collaboration: Automated workflows and status tracking streamline communication and approvals across departments.
• Regional Flexibility: Regional managers can adjust or approve quantities specific to their DCs and execute DC-to-store allocations with flexible rules, all fully integrated with SAP.
• Empowered Associates: The platform allows users to review, comment on, or modify recommendations before execution, ensuring all stakeholders can contribute to decision-making.

The Results: Data-Driven Promotions with Measurable Impact

By moving to Solvoyo’s cloud-native platform, A101 unlocked measurable improvements across its entire promotion process. Within months, the retailer achieved a 50 percent reduction in stock-outs, ensuring higher on-shelf availability and fewer lost sales. Inventory levels dropped by 18 percent, freeing up working capital while maintaining product freshness and variety. Promotional items can also become a stronger growth engine, now accounting for 20 percent of total revenue.