Notes from the inside of retail decisions.
Why we built Solya, how we think about decisions, agents and data, and what we’re seeing on the ground with retail teams.
AI inventory management software in 2026: the vendor landscape
AI inventory software comparisons collapse three very different categories into one. The real 2026 split is what predicts 18-month ROI.
What is operational AI in retail?
Operational AI doesn't advise, it acts: it makes the decision, respects the business rules, and drives execution. The distinction that matters in retail.
What is a decision layer in retail?
A decision layer is the part of the retail stack that turns data and models into executed decisions under the chain's own business rules. Here's the definition.
Size-curve decisions: why footwear retail needs its own logic
Footwear is a size-matrix problem. A style with units left but a broken size run is dead on the floor — yet most systems still count aggregate units.
The supply chain VP's playbook for AI agents in retail
If an agent re-orders across your network and gets it wrong, it gets it wrong at scale — and you're accountable. How to automate decisions with guardrails.
Retail decisioning glossary: 15 terms that matter
A clean, opinionated glossary of the 15 terms that define retail decisioning — decision layer, operational AI, sell-through, demand sensing and more.
How to choose a retail decision platform: a guide
You've decided to buy a retail decision platform. The feature checklist won't tell you which one survives production. Here are the criteria that will.
The retail allocation engine: where the season is actually decided
Initial allocation is the most leveraged decision in retail. Every later replenishment lives inside the box it set — yet most chains still allocate by formula.
A retail CDO's guide to decision platforms
You spent years building a modern data stack. A decision layer doesn't replace it — it does the one thing the stack was never built to do.
The real cost of stock-outs: three layers deep, not one
Overstock has been measured to death. Stock-outs are still treated as a temporary nuisance — and the bill is far heavier than the missed unit suggests.
Promo lift is a decision, not a marketing number
Most retailers measure promo success on absolute uplift. That number is wrong in three structural ways — and the year-end bill is rarely seen for what it is.
Why the merch director owns retail AI — not IT
What to buy, how to allocate, when to mark down: the decisions a retail AI automates are merch decisions. So is ownership. Why delegating it to IT backfires.
Integrating a retail decision engine without the rot
A decision engine reads from and writes back into your core systems. Here's the integration architecture that survives production — and how to prove it.
Markdown automation under regulated sale periods
Most markdown engines assume you can discount anything, any day. In regulated markets you can't — and a rule-blind engine can't be deployed.
How to RFP a retail decision platform
Most retail decision-platform RFPs pick the wrong vendor because they test the wrong thing. Here is a reusable structure that selects on adoption and execution.
Dynamic pricing in retail: rules dressed up, or actual decisions?
Most platforms sold as dynamic pricing are rule engines with a slicker UI. Here's a buyer's test to tell rule-based pricing apart from decisions.
Decision platform vs forecasting platform vs BI
Retail buyers conflate three distinct categories: BI describes, forecasting predicts, a decision platform decides. Here is what each is actually built for.
Sport retail runs two inventory logics at once
The core wants continuous replenishment; the seasonal drop wants sell-through and markdown. Run both on one logic and you lose on both walls.