Your Next Summer Starts With This One
As shelves begin to clear and the heat of summer fades, the best brands are already planning ahead.
Most brands wait too long to start planning, or they rely on sell-in data alone. They look at what they shipped to retailers last year instead of what actually sold, where it sold, and why it sold. This disconnect then leads to a cycle of overstock, missed opportunities, and profit-killing discounts.
The best brands, however, the ones forging ahead, view this time as an opportunity. They use real-time sell-through insights from Quivers to turn leftover inventory into a smarter, more profitable, and more predictable next summer.
They understand that the best forecasting doesn’t start in spreadsheets; it starts on the shop floor.
The Forecasting Disconnect: Why Sell-In Alone Isn’t Enough
Forecasting can be handy but it has a critical blind spot: the difference between sell-in and sell-through.
Sell-in is the product you ship to retailers. It’s what you were able to convince them to buy.
Sell-through is what actually sells off your retailers’ shelves to their customers.
Relying solely on sell-in data, pre-orders, and historic data to plan for the next year is risky. You are guessing what people will buy instead of knowing what they actually bought, and missing vital information like:
- Regional Demand: Where did your product move fastest? For example, sandals might have sold out in Arizona by June but lingered in Chicago until July.
- Actual Conversion: Which products truly resonated with customers?
- Timing: When did a specific product spike in popularity?
In other words, you’re flying blind. Without this type of real-time data from your retailers, you’re making inventory decisions based on assumptions, not a complete picture of your market. That can lead to overproduction, stockouts, and missed opportunities.
That’s where Quivers comes in. It closes the loop — and the forecasting disconnect — by showing what’s really happening at the point of sale so you can plan with confidence, not assumptions.
Real-Time Retailer Data = Real-World Demand Signals
Quivers gives you live, granular visibility into your retail channel, turning your retailers’ shelves into a source of actionable intelligence. It’s a direct line to what’s working, and where.
We help you capture:
- Live product performance from retail shelves
- Location- and channel-specific trends
- Inventory movement across all fulfillment sources
- Retailer feedback loops
The result is powerful: you can see what’s truly working by product, channel, and location, based on real-world demand, and adjust your strategy fast.
Move the Product, Not the Price: What to Do with Leftover Stock
Sell-through visibility is about more than just forecasting. It helps you deal with leftover stock without resorting to markdowns.
Quivers gives you the tools to move smarter, not cheaper. Use your data to:
- Reduce overstock risk by intelligently routing online orders to the locations best positioned to fulfill them.
- Leverage retailer inventory for fulfillment, ensuring product sells where it already sits, closer to the customer.
- Drive demand through your retail network with built-in incentives, turning existing inventory into a competitive advantage.
The product isn’t the problem, placement is. Don’t default to discounts when you can redirect instead. Shift inventory based on strategic insights to improve your sell-through cycle and preserve your profit margins.
Plan Next Summer Like a Pro: Forecast with Confidence
This summer’s data is your blueprint for next summer. Use it to optimize your current stock. Then use the insights gained to build a smarter, better, more profitable plan for next year.
- Kill or reduce SKUs that consistently underperformed and invest in your proven winners.
- Increase availability in your peak-performing locations where demand is high.
- Adjust pre-order targets and production quantities based on actual sell-through, not just historical orders.
- Build more profitable retailer relationships with better allocation and insights.
When brands plan with real sell-through data, they’re not just forecasting smarter, they’re strengthening retailer trust by sending the right products in the right quantities.
Why Summer Matters More Than You Think
Short, fast, and unforgiving, summer is a high-pressure test for your inventory strategy. With a limited window, weather-driven demand, and high turnover for summer products like sandals, activewear, hydration, and outdoor gear, there’s less margin for error.
Winning summer means analyzing performance quickly, while it’s fresh. Brands that wait until fall to review results are already behind.
Quivers helps you act now, while the data is still hot.
How Quivers Makes It All Work
Quivers gives you the tools you need to act on these insights in real-time. It’s built to connect DTC, retail, and insider channels in one platform, helping you plan smarter and move inventory where it’s needed most.
Key platform features that enable this strategic planning include:
- Sell-through dashboards: A live view of what’s selling.
- Regional inventory insights: Pinpoint where products are moving fastest.
- Dealer performance metrics: Identify your top-performing retail partners.
- Order routing and fulfillment management: Move inventory with precision.
- Retailer training and feedback tools: Empower your partners to drive more sales.
Together, these tools help brands move inventory, not just mark it down, and let you forecast next season with clarity.
This Season Is a Data Goldmine. Use It
Today’s leftover inventory isn’t a liability; it’s insight. A data goldmine that can become your strategic advantage.
The brands that win next summer are already planning now. They’re using sell-through data to refine SKUs, reallocate smarter and build stronger retailer partnerships, and avoid the dreaded sales bin.
With Quivers, you don’t need to rely on discounts to clear stock. Instead, you get better data to put the right product in the right place.
Book a demo today and see how Quivers can help you turn end-of-season insights into next season’s wins.
