Retail planning is changing fast. The pressure to predict demand, control inventory, and move with the market has never been higher. Business of Fashion recently highlighted how Toolio is approaching this shift and why AI is shaping the next era of merchandising. Here’s the core message and what it means for planning teams today.
Read the full feature on Business of Fashion's website.
Fashion brands produced billions of units of excess stock last year. At the same time, shoppers ran into constant stock-outs and size gaps. Both problems point to the same issue: planning systems still work in disconnected, reactive ways. They don’t keep up with how fast retail moves or how much data planners handle each day.
Toolio believes the future looks very different. Planning stops being a back-office workflow. It becomes a strategic function that connects finance, merchandising, production, and allocation in one place. And AI does the heavy lifting so planners can focus on decisions, not cleanup.
That’s the vision Eytan shared with BoF.
Traditional tools were built decades ago. Many brands still rely on old green-screen systems or spreadsheets held together by tribal knowledge. These systems can’t support modern speed-to-market, global supply complexity, or regulatory pressure.
Planning needs something more flexible and far more connected.
Toolio approaches the problem with a cloud-native platform that feels familiar to planners but adds real intelligence behind the scenes. You still work in a grid. You still see product images, notes, and workflows the way you expect.
"We focus on ease of use, flexibility, time to value, and connected planning." - Eytan Daniyalzade, Toolio CEO / Co-Founder
But the system handles forecasting, exceptions, and data correction automatically. It gives planners a clean, realistic view of demand so they’re not guessing or reacting too late.
A key theme from the BoF piece is Toolio’s use of agentic AI. These AI agents run tasks on their own. They clean historical data, fix out-of-stock distortions, flag errors, and produce recommendations. They give you answers fast.
Instead of digging through reports, you open Toolio and get a clear list of actions. Cancel this PO. Move this shipment. Increase depth here. Reduce width there.
This is how you reduce overbuys, avoid unplanned markdowns, and protect margin. And it supports a bigger shift happening across retail.
"AI should eliminate the chores of planning, not replace planner judgement." - Eytan Daniyalzade, Toolio CEO / Co-Founder
Planning is moving from instinct to intelligence. From manual cleanup to real-time adjustments. From siloed steps to full-stack workflows where one team can see and act on everything.
BoF also highlighted how regulations reinforce this change. Europe plans to ban the destruction of unsold goods. Excess inventory becomes both a financial and compliance risk. Better forecasting is no longer optional. It’s required.
Toolio’s long-term view is simple. AI won’t replace planners. It elevates them.
It gives teams more time for strategy and frees them from the repetitive tasks that slow decisions down. Planners will guide AI agents, ask questions conversationally, test scenarios instantly, and shape the business in a more proactive way.
That’s the future of retail planning. Faster. Connected. More accurate. And centered around teams who want to make better decisions without wrestling with outdated tools.
