About
Needed
Needed is a leading nutrition brand specializing in scientifically-backed supplements designed for long-term health and wellness. Operating primarily as a subscription-based business, Needed’s success depends on precise inventory forecasting, effective cost management, and seamless collaboration between planning, finance, and marketing teams.
Before implementing Toolio, Needed’s inventory and financial planning were largely managed through Excel, making it difficult to track margins, analyze cost trends, and quickly answer leadership questions about profitability shifts.
Since adopting Toolio, Needed has achieved a significant increase in gross margins. By leveraging Toolio’s real-time SKU-level insights and scenario planning capabilities, the team can now quickly identify cost fluctuations, optimize procurement strategies, and ensure that every inventory decision supports margin improvement.
“Toolio has been instrumental in helping us understand where our margin gains are coming from. When leadership asks why margins improved or dropped, we can instantly drill down by category and SKU to explain the shifts—something that used to take much longer when we were working in Excel.”
Use Cases
Inventory Planning and Forecasting
Financial Planning
Collaboration and Reporting
Modules
Merchandise Planning
Item Planning
Location
United States
Increase
in gross margin
80%
time savings
50%
faster forecasting
Solution
As Needed scaled, analyzing gross margin fluctuations with Excel became increasingly time-consuming and difficult, requiring extensive manual data aggregation across SKUs and suppliers. Without a centralized system, pinpointing which products, cost changes, or sales channels were impacting margins was a slow and inefficient process—limiting the team’s ability to make proactive, data-driven decisions.
Toolio provided an automated, centralized solution that streamlined margin tracking, cost analysis, and scenario planning. By offering real-time SKU-level visibility and automated reporting, Toolio enabled Needed to quickly identify margin drivers, optimize procurement strategies, and support leadership with instant, data-backed insights. These improvements directly contributed to a significant increase in gross margins, ensuring that every inventory decision aligned with profitability goals.
Erin Huff
Director of Planning
“Toolio has been instrumental in helping us understand where our margin gains are coming from. When leadership asks why margins improved or dropped, we can instantly drill down by category and SKU to explain the shifts—something that used to take much longer when we were working in Excel.”
A Closer Look at Metrics
- Significant increase in gross margins through real-time SKU-level tracking and automated margin analysis improved cost visibility, enabling smarter procurement and financial decisions
- 80% reduction in manual effort through automated cost analysis, margin tracking, and data entry allowing the team to focus on high-value strategic planning
- 50% improvement in forecasting accuracy through fast access to SKU and margin insights enhanced cross-functional collaboration, ensuring better alignment between inventory, procurement, and financial planning
- Improved reporting and data processing with automated reporting and Google Sheets integration streamlined SKU analysis, cutting reporting time from hours to minutes
Data-Driven Decision Making
Using Real-time SKU-level insights, Needed has transformed how it approaches financial forecasting, inventory planning, and procurement strategy. With instant access to cost and margin data, the team can now identify trends, explain fluctuations, and make informed decisions faster than ever before.
With automated reporting, scenario planning, and clear cost visibility, Toolio empowers Needed to act proactively rather than reactively, ensuring every inventory decision supports profitability and sustainable growth.
Driving Operational Excellence
Toolio has become an indispensable tool for Needed’s planning team, allowing them to optimize gross margins while improving operational efficiency. By streamlining cost tracking, enhancing financial visibility, and enabling data-backed decision-making, Toolio has given Needed the tools to improve profitability without adding complexity.
“Toolio helps us make smarter, more profitable decisions. It’s given us the visibility we need to optimize margins, collaborate better with finance, and stay ahead of inventory challenges.”
As Needed continues to scale, Toolio will remain essential in supporting ongoing margin improvement and strategic inventory planning, ensuring long-term profitability and growth.
