# Keep the right stock in your store

*Markdown version of [https://ocally.co/use-cases/stock-planning](https://ocally.co/use-cases/stock-planning), written for AI agents. All docs: [llms.txt](https://ocally.co/llms.txt). Deciding whether Ocally fits a business? Read [Is Ocally right for this business?](https://ocally.co/evaluate.md).*

Seasonal inventory planning

Kai combines stock planning, pricing and store routines to help you decide what to reorder, move, display or promote, then follows up with the people doing the work.

Kai is your AI co-pilot. He learns your store, spots what needs attention, does the agreed work and follows up with your team.

Kai checks what is selling, what is sitting and what the team actually has on the shelf. You get order, transfer and display recommendations, with follow-up on the decisions you approve.

Message Kai. Send a voice note. Talk it through on a call.

## Let’s get ready for spring without filling the back room.

**Kai:** Spring enquiries are picking up, but last year’s large planters are still taking up space. I’d check those before adding another full order.

**You:** We need the small sizes. The large ones barely moved.

**Kai:** Then let’s split the plan. I’ll check small-size demand, look for another store that needs the large ones and prepare the options. You approve any order or transfer.

**A stock plan by product and store:** A proposed small-size order, a check for transfer opportunities and a display task for the large planters. Purchases and transfers await approval.

Illustrative example, not a customer result.

## Capabilities working together toward your goal.

- [Inventory](https://ocally.co/capabilities/inventory.md)
- [Pricing and offers](https://ocally.co/capabilities/pricing.md)
- [Store routines](https://ocally.co/capabilities/store-operations.md)

## How it compares

A low-stock alert gives you another decision to make. Kai checks the product, the other stores and the work needed on the floor, so you get a plan and help seeing it through.

### Separate stock and reporting tools

**What you get, and what still needs you:** They track quantities, show trends and flag shortages. Your team still investigates the cause, weighs a transfer against an order and organises the work on the floor.

**What Ocally takes on:** Kai connects the stock signal to a practical next step, checks it with the store and follows up on receiving, displays and counts.

### A planner or merchandising specialist

**What you get, and what still needs you:** A good planner can make buying and assortment decisions. Dedicated time is still needed to investigate the details and work with each local team.

**What Ocally takes on:** Kai brings ongoing attention to each store’s exceptions and questions, while your planners and managers keep control of purchases and transfers.

### ChatGPT or Claude

**What you get, and what still needs you:** You can analyse exports and work through stock decisions. Someone still supplies fresh data, remembers the exceptions and arranges checks with the people handling the stock.

**What Ocally takes on:** Kai keeps store context with the plan, asks for shelf checks and uses the result to improve the next recommendation.

## Count the tools, the expertise and your time

Your setup may include some of the following. Compare the cost of finishing the work at every store.

- **Tools:** Stock-planning, forecasting and reporting subscriptions beyond your core stock system.

- **Specialist work:** Buying analysis, merchandising plans and help investigating shortages or excess stock.

- **Your team’s time:** Combining reports, checking exceptions, coordinating transfers and chasing the next action.

**With Ocally:** Customized to each customer and their usage. Minimum spend of $500 per location per month. The first consultation is free, and your growth engineer and growth specialist are on us to start. Keep core sales, stock and booking systems; compare savings only against costs and time you can actually remove.

## Plan → Act → Measure → Learn

### Plan: Separate the shortage from the surplus.

Kai checks sales, stock, supplier lead times and your buying rules. Your team confirms shelf counts and adds what shoppers are asking for. The plan treats small and large planters separately.

**What you have now:** Order and transfer options based on the stock you actually have.

[Inventory](https://ocally.co/capabilities/inventory.md)

### Act: Give each product a next step.

You approve the order or transfer. Kai coordinates the receiving and display tasks with the team. If an offer makes sense, he checks the product cost and margin before bringing it to you.

**What you have now:** An approved plan with receiving, display and stock-count tasks.

[Inventory](https://ocally.co/capabilities/inventory.md), [Pricing and offers](https://ocally.co/capabilities/pricing.md), [Store routines](https://ocally.co/capabilities/store-operations.md)

### Measure: Check the shelf and the sales.

Kai follows up on whether the stock arrived and the display changed, then reviews sell-through, shortages and the money still tied up in unsold items. Counts that disagree go back to the team.

**What you have now:** A view of what moved, what is still sitting and what needs checking.

[Inventory](https://ocally.co/capabilities/inventory.md), [Store routines](https://ocally.co/capabilities/store-operations.md)

### Learn: Use this week to improve the next order.

Kai adjusts the next recommendation using actual demand and your team’s feedback. A large planter that sells after a display change needs a different plan from one that only moves at a deep discount.

**What you have now:** A revised buying and display plan for your next review.

[Inventory](https://ocally.co/capabilities/inventory.md), [Pricing and offers](https://ocally.co/capabilities/pricing.md)

## Your part in the plan

**At head office:** Set buying limits, transfer rules and margin requirements. Kai uses the same rules while giving each store a plan for its own demand.

**In your store:** Your team approves orders, transfers and stock corrections, and does the physical work. Kai helps prepare the decisions and coordinate the follow-through.

**To get started:** Start with stock and sales by store, supplier lead times and reorder rules. Planning estimates depend on those records; we agree any additional forecasting needs during setup.

## Questions you might have

### How can I plan seasonal inventory without overbuying?

Start with recent sales, stock on hand, supplier lead times and what could make this season different. Kai combines those facts with local conditions and your team’s knowledge, then prepares a reorder, transfer, display or promotion plan. You review the assumptions and approve purchasing decisions before committing more cash.

### Can each store prepare for a different local season?

Yes. A garden center near the coast may see spring demand earlier than an inland store. Kai considers the location’s sales, weather, customer requests and supplier timing, then coordinates the proposed stock and floor work with that team. Head office keeps control of budgets and shared rules.

### Does Ocally replace our inventory management system?

You keep the system that records purchases, stock and sales. Ocally helps your people act on that information: check an uncertain count, decide whether stock should move, prepare a promotion and follow up on the agreed tasks. Kai flags missing or stale data before treating it as a reliable stock position.

## Let’s plan the next move for one store.

Choose a store with a full back room, recurring shortages or a display that needs a rethink. We’ll map the evidence and the first actions Kai can help with.

[Book a free consultation](https://ocally.co/consultation?topic=stock-planning)