SKU’d Perspective - How Fewer Items Impact Company Supply Chains
Start by trimming the assortment. A 20–30% cut in non-core SKUs reduces replenishment cycle times and improves forecast reliability. Data from multi-channel retailers show replenishment speed gains of 12–18% and stockouts dropping into the 8–15% range when teams focus on high-demand items and cut low-velocity duplicates. This creates room for faster turns and better service in the fast lane of retail operations. In the boardroom, align on a common set of practices and clear decisions . Merchandising, procurement, and logistics must agree on which items to keep, the service levels for core SKUs, and the supplier commitments that back the plan. The goal is to reduce complexity while
12 min readJanuary 15, 2022 
