AI-Powered Merchandising Optimization: Turning Data into Action
Merchandising is not just about stocking shelves. It’s about putting the right product in the right spot at the right time to capture attention and drive sales. The reality? Most retailers and distributors are leaving money on the table because their merchandising is not optimized.
The good news: it doesn’t take long to see measurable impact. With AI-powered merchandising optimization, a single planogram update can double sales when guided by the right insights.
Data Without Action Is Just Noise
Most retailers already have access to data — they know what’s selling, where stockouts happen, and which products move fastest. But data without direction doesn’t change results. AI merchandising software bridges that gap by transforming information into recommendations.
That’s where Stoc’s AI-powered merchandising platform comes in. It doesn’t just show you cooler data — it tells you what to do next. Every day, every week, you get clear recommendations that map out exactly how to increase sales, improve compliance, and capture hidden opportunities.
Imagine walking into your store and seeing a simple alert:
“Move your best-selling energy drink one shelf higher to eye level. Estimated impact: $500 in added weekly sales.”
That’s the kind of clarity that transforms operations.
How Much Are You Losing with Unoptimized Merchandising?
The question isn’t whether your store is running well — it’s how much potential revenue is being lost in plain sight.
Think about a downtown store packed with young professionals rushing in for single-serve coffee drinks. If the cooler layout mirrors a suburban location focused on family-size sodas, both stores underperform. One misses out on premium sales. The other misallocates shelf space.
AI-powered merchandising optimization uncovers these blind spots. Stoc’s platform identifies location-specific trends, quantifies missed opportunities, and delivers an action plan that drives measurable growth.
The Top Three Most Important Actions
Every Stoc recommendation focuses on the moves that matter most. Our data shows three consistent actions that deliver the biggest impact:
- Optimize Shelf Placement: Eye level is buy level. Moving the right product into the right spot often delivers immediate sales lifts.
- Prevent Stockouts Before They Happen: A product that’s not there can’t sell. Stoc’s intelligent merchandising alerts notify teams before outages cost you revenue.
- Target Hidden Space Opportunities: Coolers often have underperforming sections. Stoc identifies them and recommends what should go there instead.
When these three areas are optimized through AI merchandising tools, stores perform better, operate smoother, and build trust with shoppers.
Recommendations That Reshape Daily Operations
So what does this look like in practice? A distributor backed by AI-powered merchandising optimization walks into a store with a playbook instead of guesswork. Daily operations shift from reactive to proactive:
- Morning: Review Stoc alerts that flag potential stockouts. Replenish those first.
- Midday: Adjust planogram placement as guided by Stoc’s visual recommendations.
- Weekly: Assess trend analysis to refine product placement for upcoming weeks based on real shopper behavior.
This rhythm builds consistency and precision — field teams know exactly what to do, retailers see immediate wins, and shoppers get what they expect.
Real-World Examples of Data Turned into Action
Take a convenience chain with 50 locations. Before Stoc, field reps spent hours checking shelves and guessing where adjustments were needed. Stockouts still slipped through.
After implementing AI-powered merchandising optimization:
- The system flagged that a best-selling soda sold out every Friday afternoon near college campuses.
Recommendation: allocate more space and move it to eye level before the weekend.
Result: a 5% increase in weekend sales. - Another store had a slow-moving juice line taking up premium space.
Recommendation: replace with energy drinks.
Result: a 7% cooler sales lift in two weeks.
These are not hypothetical — they’re measurable, data-driven results powered by Stoc’s AI merchandising intelligence.
The Stoc Advantage
What makes Stoc’s AI-powered merchandising optimization unique is direction, not just visibility. Stoc turns cooler data into actionable insights that drive revenue and strengthen trust.
Retailers using Stoc demonstrate consistency, precision, and confidence — qualities that earn them more space, more calls, and stronger partnerships.
Merchandising is already hard enough. You don’t need more reports. You need recommendations that tell you what to do next. That’s how daily operations become profit drivers instead of problem chasers.
The truth is simple: a planogram update guided by Stoc’s AI merchandising intelligence can double your sales. The only question left is whether you want to keep guessing or start knowing.