RETAILRETHINK [ INSIGHT ]
by Mark Landgren Senior Vice President, Fintech mlandgren@fintech.com | 813-288-1980
Real-Time Sales Data: The Missing Link
Despite progress in supply chain digitization, automation, and AI, one gap undermines sales efficiency: real-time sales data sharing between retailers and suppliers. This disconnect creates forecasting challenges, burdens inventory systems, and slows responsiveness at a time when speed and agility are critical for competitiveness.
With improved data integration, retailers also benefit from broader inventory assortments without increasing risk. Real-time visibility enables a more responsive supply chain model, where suppliers replenish fast-moving products more frequently and adjust slower- moving SKUs based on current trends. This agility opens doors for smaller or emerging suppliers who previously couldn’t meet the volume requirements of traditional inventory models. Retailers benefit from a more diverse product offering and a nimbler supply chain. Suppliers, in turn, gain market share. EVOLVING RELATIONSHIPS As technology evolves, so too must the retailer-supplier relationship. Shared data systems, APIs, and cloud-based platforms now make it easier than ever to integrate sales data in real time. What’s needed is a mindset shift from transactional, siloed interactions to transparent, collaborative partnerships. In an era defined by supply chain volatility and rising consumer demands, data is the currency of agility. Near real- time sales data empowers suppliers to make smarter decisions, reduce waste, and deliver value faster. For retailers, it means leaner inventories, fuller shelves, and happier customers. Closing the data gap is the key to unlocking the next level of supply chain performance.
guesswork and reduces financial exposure on both sides. When suppliers have access to live sales data, they can align production and inventory decisions with actual market demand, which leads to mutual coordination to ensure that products are stocked efficiently. This data-driven approach helps optimize capital investment, reduce holding costs, and minimize overstocks and shortages. Suppliers can adjust their production cadence and shipping schedules to match consumer buying behavior in near real time, transforming reactive operations into proactive strategies. Retailers benefit from stocked shelves with products that are in demand and a responsive supply chain that can adjust inventory based on actual sales. For example, suppliers who receive daily point-of-sale data from retail partners can monitor demand fluctuations by region or SKU, fine-tune forecasts, and prioritize replenishment to high-performing locations. This ensures on-shelf availability and helps reduce costly overproduction.
As consumer expectations rise and demand patterns shift unpredictably, integrating live sales data into supplier operations has become a necessity, not a luxury. Timely, accurate visibility into what’s selling, where, and how fast, is critical to making informed decisions on production, fulfillment, and logistics. THE COST OF OUTDATED DATA Traditionally, sales data flows slowly, if at all, from retailers to suppliers, forcing suppliers to forecast demand using historical trends or infrequent reporting cycles. This data often lacks the granularity to make it truly valuable. This outdated model carries significant financial risks for the entire supply chain. Too much inventory leads to overstocks, tying up capital and increasing warehouse and depreciation costs. Too little inventory can result in stockouts, leading to missed revenue, strained relationships, and frustrated consumers. Perhaps most importantly, establishing near real-time communication between retailers and suppliers eliminates
74 Inbound Logistics • January 2026
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