Every season, the same story: the collection is out, the first weeks are running and then reacting begins. Bestsellers sell out before replenishment kicks in. Overstock builds up because the response comes too late. Merchandising teams spend hours in spreadsheets making decisions that should be automated and data-driven.
This isn't an exception. It's the standard at many fashion brands and that's exactly what makes it an opportunity.
In-Season Management isn't a process. It's a decision.
Brands that treat In-Season Management as a purely operational task lose margin. Those that recognise it as a strategic lever gain competitive advantages in sell-through, availability and capital efficiency.
The difference doesn't come down to the size of the brand or the budget. It comes down to the speed and quality of decisions made during the season.
Why slow decisions are costly
In the fashion industry, time is margin. Every week a bestseller isn't replenished in time is a week of lost revenue. Every week overstock goes undetected is a week capital stays tied up.
The challenge: traditional replenishment processes are built for stability, not agility. They react to what was, not to what's happening right now. Weekly manual analyses, static target stock levels, decisions based on outdated data: that was the standard for a long time.
But the market has changed. Consumer behaviour has become more dynamic. Retailers order less upfront and expect more in-season support. The brands that can respond fast, data-driven and automated are the ones that win.
What Smart Merchandise Management can do
Smart Merchandise Management doesn't mean giving up control. It means making better decisions faster based on data, not gut feeling.
In practice, that looks like this:
- Automatic adjustment of target stock levels at SKU and POS level, in real time.
- Detection of bestsellers and slow movers before they become a problem.
- Automatic replenishment proposals that reduce manual effort by up to 80%.
- Full visibility across all channels, retail, wholesale, e-commerce, in one system.
The result: merchandising teams spend less time on data maintenance and more time on strategic decisions. Sell-through rates increase. Overstock decreases. And collaboration with retail partners gets stronger.
Betty Barclay Group & Chainbalance: How a pilot became a real partnership
"It's easy to work with Chainbalance and it's fun."
March 2024. 50 points of sale. 6 people ready to try a new way of working. That's how it started.
Today, Chainbalance is connected to over 750 POS of the Betty Barclay Group, replenishing them fully automatically. 415,000 units were reordered in 2025 alone, without a single manual intervention. 23 users work with the solution every day. What happened between those two moments is proof of what occurs when the right technology meets the right team.
Data first, decisions second
Before anything could be automated, a foundation had to be built: reliable, clean data. With Chainbalance's data cleansing module, the Betty Barclay Group's merchandising team got a complete, uninterrupted view of all POS data for the first time and could identify where data was missing before those gaps led to poor decisions.
The impact was measurable and fast:
"Within the first six weeks, we already saw a noticeable improvement in sell-through rates at the test POS."
Month by month: A roll-out that speaks for itself
Six months after launch, 550 POS were already active and 16 users were working with the system daily. The question was no longer if, but how fast.
At the same time, the solution kept evolving: Smart Initial Allocation, Lifecycle Settings and bestseller tracking were all developed in close collaboration. Modules and features, that now benefit not just the Betty Barclay Group, but the entire Chainbalance customer base.
What makes this partnership special
Numbers tell part of the story. The other part happens in Nußloch, in face-to-face meetings, in open conversations about what isn't working yet and in a shared roadmap that both sides help shape.
In 2026, Smart Initial Allocation is set to go live in the Betty Barclay Group's retail channel: the next logical step to ensure the right products are in the right place not just during the season, but from day one.
The partnership between Chainbalance and the Betty Barclay Group isn't a closed chapter. It's one that's only just getting interesting.
Competitive advantage is won In-Season
Pre-season planning matters. But the competition is decided during the season. Brands that can react faster than the market, to trends, to weather, to shifts in demand, protect their margin and strengthen their market position.
In-Season Management isn't a cost factor. It's a growth lever.
The question isn't whether you should optimise your In-Season Management. The question is how much longer you can afford not to.
Want to learn more?
On 9. September, Mauricio Warchaftig (Chainbalance) and Andreas Lachmann (Betty Barclay Group) will discuss live what In-Season Management looks like in practice and what it could mean for your brand.