Activewear brand Fabletics is transforming its in-store inventory management system with an app that allows precise tracking of every item that flows through its high-tech stores. Key results include faster replenishment, increased productivity — and better decision-making based on improved visibility across the company’s store network.
The company said in August that it was doing so through GreyOrange’s gStore retail program, which is now being used in stores across North America. The gStore solution is a comprehensive retail software as a service (SaaS) application designed to enhance inventory management systems for stores. As GrayOrange explains, it’s “just like Google Maps for your store’s inventory, with real-time updates and AI technologies.” [artificial intelligence] Capacities, ensuring you always know exactly where your stock is, reducing stock-outs and enhancing shopping experiences.
Fabletics now uses the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)-enabled solution to track items in stores coast to coast, including its flagship locations in New York and Los Angeles.
Accurate tracking
Fabletics is a digital sportswear retailer known for its VIP membership-based model, technology-advanced store experience, and flexible omnichannel fulfillment options. The company now uses the gStore app to get accurate intelligence about the location and status of every unit of stock in its retail stores.
As representatives of both Fabletics and GreyOrange explained, the system works as follows: Using integrated analytics powered by the latest mobile and mobile RFID readers, Fabletics team members can see precisely where inventory is. For example, they can tell if items have been left in the locker rooms or left in the wrong section, and they know instantly if they’re about to run out of products on the floor. The gStore app’s threshold-based alert “triggers” link via smartphone when products need to be restocked and provide guided paths to replenishment.
“The gStore app…gives us visibility into the location of every item in the store,” Ron Harries, senior vice president and head of retail at Fabletics, said in a statement describing the project. “With our previous solution, we could only see what sold. Now we can track where items are in real time – and act on that information. Our teams know instantly what inventory is missing, and where, so we always have the right inventory in the right place to maximize sales. The app improves operations and [ensures] Better customer experience.”
Powerful results
As of August, gStore has helped Fabletics achieve order fill rates from 95% to 97%, eliminate manual cycle counts, and boost sales per location by up to 20%. At the regional and national levels, Fabletics managers use gStore’s live web dashboards to get real-time insights into fill rates, task completion rates, labor utilization, and more.
“Our goal is for gStore to become the single source of truth for all in-store inventory transactions,” Harris also said in the statement.
Fabletics has launched gStore in 74 stores and is adding the solution to 20 locations per month, according to both companies. In the next phase of the rollout, GreyOrange said it will work with Fabletics to enable efficient store-to-store transfers through gStore, ensuring each item is placed in the location where it is most likely to be sold.
“Retailers waste a lot of time and money trying to figure out where their inventory is. But once they get that real-time visibility, the game changes,” Troy Siwick, general manager of gStore by GreyOrange, said in the release. “It’s not just about saving costs, it’s also about opening more sales, managing more precise operations, and delivering a better experience for every customer. This kind of intelligence is exactly what gStore is designed for.”
