The Science Guys in Retail: An Engineer’s Mission to Increase Retail Efficiency

In the heart of Manhattan’s Garment District—where fabric swatches rustle and buyers negotiate by the minute—a scrappy startup emerged on 7th Avenue at the turn of the millennium. In 1999, Max Ma, a software engineer at a fashion CAD company, started 7thonline after realizing that the industry needed more effective ways to boost inventory productivity. With only 40% of inventory contributing to a brand’s overall profit, he started 7thonline with a mission: break the cycle of low margins, limited resources and sub-optimal decision-making. 

Named after the street that inspired its ideation, the platform was designed to directly impact the needs for apparel, footwear and accessories retailers with advanced technology—AI and machine learning models. Developed by a team of data scientists and retail experts with a shared mission, the industry soon started hailing them as “the science guys”.

Max Ma

Our Mission: Inefficiencies Bleeding Time and Money

Working amongst designers, buyers, planners and suppliers, Max was surprised that companies worth billions “had processes that were completely manual”.

“It was surprising to see multi-billion dollar companies with completely manual processes. I (specifically) saw an opportunity to use artificial intelligence to improve the inventory decision-making process. Ultimately, we believe that AI will improve quality of life as there is a more efficient use of time, better results and cost efficiencies.” – Max Ma

He sought to arm them with logic and algorithms, an approach that felt like pure science: data-driven, methodical, deeply analytical. Despite major strides in retail technology, Max points out a surprising truth: 70-80% of retailers still depend on Excel for critical, million-dollar inventory decisions. “It creates silos, errors and a total lack of control,” Max explains. “Our goal was to replace Excel—without intimidating the user.”

The Science Guys of Retail, Gaining Momentum

“The science guys of retail” became a quiet badge of honor—an affectionate nod to a team focused on fusing retail and data, engineering and intuition—symbolizing the AI expertise built into the platform. The nickname showcased our team’s love for data and a knack for fashion, and the platform’s ability to crunch the numbers behind every SKU, season. and shelf—making sure assortments are stylish, smart and balanced.

The first prototype of 7thonline was a collaborative planning and buying platform hand-coded by Max. It quickly captured the attention of the retail industry, even securing an invite to the Department Store Consortium’s competition against two publicly-traded companies that facilitate buyer/seller collaboration. Against all odds, 7thonline won the competition as was chosen for the pilot. Following this defining victory, awareness picked up—signing their first big client, Liz Claiborne and other major brands such as Jones Apparel Group and Kellwood. Combined, these conglomerates accounted for over 50% of total US department store’s women’ s merchandise.

Although Max claims this was a ‘surreal experience’, he knew the value of his platform—massive savings and higher profit margins. In the next few years Max ensured that profits were reinvested in product development, solving increasingly complex scenarios that directly impacted the industry. Cultivating the product, focusing only on retail, gave the platform an unmatched depth backed by retail-specific AI models and best practices. Eventually, the company went on to sign additional brands such as Canada Goose, Patagonia, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and more.

Now a leading provider of inventory management and demand planning solutions for the retail industry, 7thonline is serving brands with end-to-end planning capabilities. To learn more about the platform, book a demo or email us at info@7thonline.com.

From Vision to Execution: Max Ma on 7thonline’s Tech-Driven Retail Strategy

In today’s fast-changing retail landscape, precision and agility are more critical than ever. Max Ma, CEO and founder of 7thonline, sat with CityBIZ for a Q & A. Max shares how his vision for data-driven, SKU-level planning is helping brands move beyond outdated forecasting models to fully integrated, AI-powered merchandising strategies. From founding insights to 7thonline’s strategy, this conversation sheds light on what it takes to thrive in modern retail.

What inspired you to establish 7thonline in 1999, and how has the company’s mission evolved since its inception?

I started working in retail as a software engineer, and quickly realized that the industry needed more effective ways to boost inventory productivity. It was surprising to see multi-billion dollar companies with completely manual processes. I (specifically) saw an opportunity to use artificial intelligence to improve the inventory decision-making process. We embraced the challenge; breaking the cycle of low margins, limited resources and sub-optimal decision-making. Ultimately, we believe that AI will improve quality of life as there is a more efficient use of time, better results and cost efficiencies.

We’ve been developing our AI solutions for 25+ years through continuous R&D and client collaboration to specifically address industry needs. Early on, we introduced AI tools for wholesale buying and planning, partnering with major wholesalers like Liz Claiborne, Jones Apparel Group and Kellwood. Over time, we added a whole suite of demand planning capabilities to address direct-to-consumer retail needs, servicing brands with both DTC and wholesale channels to align supply and consumer demand, increase margins and reduce excess stock. 

Today, 7thonline remains committed to helping the retail industry, which still relies heavily on Excel, by offering AI capabilities that enhance profitability and elevate inventory productivity. We’re always developing new functionality, expanding our algorithms and utilizing advanced AI and machine learning to help streamline retail and wholesale processes.

7thonline leverages advanced analytics, machine learning and AI to enhance retail merchandising strategy. Could you elaborate on how these technologies enhance demand planning and inventory management for your clients?

Using cutting-edge technology such as advanced analytics, machine learning and AI, we’re enabling retailers to better understand their customers and meet their expectations—from analyzing demand drivers to adaptive forecasting, the system considers all consumer affinities for the most accurate forecasts. Our system architecture is based on various AI methodology, and has laid a powerful foundation to support retailers in their planning and inventory management needs. With the latest LLM capabilities, we are taking the platform to the next level.

These technologies enhance demand planning and inventory management by analyzing data such as historical sales—down to style, size, color and store per week—to predict demand and inform decisions; by being demand-driven, retailers can make inventory decisions based on a product’s propensity to sell. With increased tariffs, making the right inventory decisions is even more critical—the “wrong” decisions become more costly. By only importing goods necessary to fulfill demand, retailers can avoid the costs associated with excess inventory and preserve their margins. AI simply makes this process much easier. 

The retail sector faces challenges like seasonal demand fluctuations and supply chain disruptions. How does 7thonline’s platform address these issues to support retailers effectively?​

We understand that the retail industry is primarily focused on short lifecycle and seasonal products, and have taken the related challenges into consideration when building our AI-native platform. Using industry-specific algorithms to address industry-specific needs, our system helps retailers dynamically adjust their inventory strategies to shifting consumer demand.

For example, forecasting demand is hard, but forecasting demand for new seasonal items without a sales history is borderline impossible. 7thonline’s AI-based platform is able to address this gap in information by analyzing data from similar styles and their performance, to predict their future sales based on trends and granular insights. Because of the sheer volume of data—down to style, color, size, store location and weekly sales—this is extremely difficult without artificial intelligence. The system leverages a wide range of data sources such as POS data, shipment data, logistic and warehouse data and marketing data to analyze the demand signal from every single channel of distribution. 

Your solutions have been adopted by notable brands such as PVH, Patagonia, and Canada Goose. Can you share a success story that highlights the tangible benefits a client experienced after implementing 7thonline’s solutions?​

7thonline has been servicing the retail industry for over 25 years; we’ve had clients stay with us for decades because of the firsthand benefits they experience using the system.

For example, a multi-billion dollar wholesale client was dealing with growing supply chain costs and sought to improve its operational efficiency and production accuracy across 11 global brands. By using our AI-powered account planning system, they were able to expedite their production buy orders one week earlier than their competitors, resulting in a $1/garment cost reduction.

For another client, a major retailer operating 8,000+ stores, allocation was their main concern—they wanted to improve allocation productivity and reduce operational costs from imprecise allocation and replenishment processes. Using the AI-powered forecasting capabilities, they were able to improve inventory accuracy from 60% to 92%, efficiently aligning stock to consumer demand and reducing the reallocation efforts. 

Want to learn more about what 7thonline could unlock for your brand? Let’s run a concept study to determine your ROI. Email us at info@7thonline.com.

As the retail industry continues to evolve, what trends do you foresee, and how is 7thonline positioning itself to meet the future needs of retailers?​

Throughout the years, we’ve been fortunate to partner with leading global brands and retailers to conceptualize and develop new functionality that enhances our solutions based on industry needs. We’re constantly collaborating with clients to develop new tools that improve retail processes and inventory decisions as the industry’s needs evolve.

Recently, we’re seeing more and more retailers place an importance on data analytics and efficiency. The biggest tech trend: artificial intelligence. While brands are always searching for innovative tech, AI is what’s on everyone’s radar right now; we think that more brands will continue to adopt AI in order to stay competitive in a saturated market. We’re particularly excited by the AI boom as artificial intelligence is embedded into the core of our system, providing us with a new frontier to collaborate with innovative brands looking to adopt AI capabilities—we’ve been doing AI for the past 25+ years. 

Read more in CityBIZ: https://www.citybiz.co/article/721831/qa-with-max-ma-ceo-and-founder-at-7thonline/

To learn more about 7thonline’s capabilities, book a demo.

Building and Growing an Inventory System with Max Ma

7thonline Founder and CEO, Max Ma joined Clint Betts on the CEO Podcast to discuss leadership, AI in retail, the latest economic outlook and—of course—tariff strategies. Read along as he discloses his secret strategy to growth, or listen in as the pair share their thoughts and insights here: 7thonline CEO Max Ma.

max ma on a call

Building and Growing an Inventory System: 7thonline’s Journey

Before 7thonline, I was working in the retail industry on the IT side of the business. I realized there were a lot of inefficiencies—the inventory problems everyone experienced (on both the supply chain and demand sides). That led to the start of 7thonline in 1999, to help retailers improve their inventory decisions. 

We have evolved quite a bit: from a 800 sq ft office to offices globally, some of the most reputable retail brands signing on, expanding our product from a small part of supply chain planning to now covering the full spectrum of multi-channel inventory planning and production decisions, and more.

Leadership, Talent and Customer Success

My secret leadership strategy? Hiring top talent and making sure every person on the team feels like a leader.

It starts from recruiting the best and the brightest from the industry—on the retail side and the tech side. Over the years, we’ve worked very hard to attract, recruit and retain our core team members. Everybody is talking about AI (talent), some of our team members have been leading AI practices for global consultancy firms for over 25 years. 

After 26 years, I’m still really enthusiastic about the business because I enjoy what I do. Every day, we use the latest and greatest technology to help the industry. We look at each customer case to figure out how to deliver value and really help them improve their supply chain decision making processes. 

AI is in our DNA

We embed all AI capabilities around the supply chain processes. For long-range planning, we have AI to help our customers forecast up to 5 years out. For allocation, we have AI size capabilities to deliver the most appropriate size profile for each retail location. 

When most people talk about AI, they typically talk about large language models. This is just one of the many AI methodologies. We have that (in our CoPlanner) but we have also deployed all kinds of AI into our product modules—different business cases may require different AI capabilities and algorithms. The current AI drive has made AI more visible and legitimate, which is great for us; we’ve been aggressively and iteratively developing AI capabilities over the past 25 years. 

For example, one of the biggest challenges in retail is Excel. Excel has a few problems, everyone has their own versions, formulas are error-prone and it doesn’t give the organization a unified view. First you have to think about how to move to a systematic approach, versus a disconnected one with data silos. But with AI, they can transition to an information highway.

Outlook for the Rest of 2025

I believe technology will be an important truth for businesses to weather the storm. We help people be smarter with their trade decisions, mitigating risk. Because of the potential tariff impact, people have to reduce their risk by lowering unproductive inventory.

To learn more about 7thonline’s capabilities, email us at info@7thonline.com or book a demo.

Value Tracked by Retail Inventory Management Systems

In the world of inventory management systems, the inventory value under management (IVUM) is a vital metric for SaaS platforms that power thousands of merchants—a backend financial metric that signals scale, trust and impact. This represents the total monetary worth of all goods currently tracked within the system, aggregating the respective retail value to answer the question: “How much product is flowing through the ecosystem?”. Keep reading for a behind-the-software peek at our 2025 numbers so far. 

reports on a tablet

Calculating Inventory Value and IVUM

For retailers selling physical products, inventory value helps monitor stock-related cash flow, minimize overstock and build accurate financial forecasts—understanding how much capital is tied up in inventory. 

Inventory Value = Quantity on Hand × Unit Cost (or Market Value)

For inventory management systems, the metric to watch is inventory value under management, demonstrating the system’s scale and impact. Advanced IMS tools also factor in real-time updates from warehouses and POS systems to get the most accurate count.

Inventory Value Under Management = ∑ (Quantity on Hand × Unit Cost) for all SKUs

Tracking inventory value is not just an accounting task, it’s a strategic lever that influences everything from cash flow to customer satisfaction.

Total Value Under 7thonline, A Leading Web Based Inventory Management System

7thonline is a leading provider of cross-channel inventory management and retail planning solutions, empowering retailers and wholesalers to make smart merchandising decisions at every step of the retail workflow. With artificial intelligence and machine learning embedded into the core of the platform, 7thonline has been empowering leading retailers and wholesalers to make data-backed, integrated merchandising decisions for 25+ years. 

Since 1999, 7thonline has been enabling some of the world’s largest brands to optimize planning and navigate a tremendous volume of inventory. In 2025, users from just 20 wholesale and retail partners entrusted the system to help them manage:

-18+ million SKUs

-$6T+ worth in inventory held

-139M+ POS transactions

…and the numbers are growing by the minute.

Inventory Management System for Small Businesses and Enterprises

In today’s fast-moving marketplace, inventory management systems (especially those powered by AI) are no longer a luxury; they’re a necessity in boosting efficiency, accuracy and profitability. Whether you’re running a local retail shop or managing a global supply chain, the right system can transform how you operate—making sure you’re ahead of your shoppers and competitors. 

An inventory system for small business streamlines and simplifies, enabling you to scale—gone are the days of spreadsheets and manual processes. With real-time data and enhanced accuracy on a centralized system, SMBs can gain better visibility into stock movement and avoid tying up too much capital in unsold goods. Improving visibility and decision-making is also important for large enterprises as it pertains to efficiency—seamlessly integrating suppliers and logistics partners ensures timely replenishment and smarter stocking decisions. 

To learn more about how 7thonline’s inventory management capabilities can help your business, email us at info@7thonline.com or book a demo with the team.

Behind the Software: Selling Retail Planning Software with Lauren Taubes

7thonline Director, Lauren Taubes sits down with Sue Firth on The Executive Edge to talk about balance as a working mom selling retail planning software. With over 20 years of experience in fashion tech, spanning trend forecasting to ERP systems and now 7thonline, Lauren is passionate about helping fashion companies optimize their processes.

“I want people’s lives to be better, faster and easier. I want to sell them something that makes their jobs day-to-day within the fashion industry more effective, more efficient.” – Lauren Taubes

lauren taubes in a business meeting

Key Takeaways: Life and Selling Retail Planning Software

  1. Technology Innovation: Small to medium fashion companies can significantly benefit from moving beyond Excel-based planning to sophisticated SaaS solutions
  2. Work-Life Integration: Success comes from finding supportive environments that understand the realities of being a working parent
  3. Relationship-First Sales: Building genuine connections and providing value leads to long-term success, even when immediate deals don’t close
  4. Industry Expertise: Deep knowledge of your sector combined with genuine passion creates authentic sales conversations
  5. Supply Chain Reality: Modern consumer expectations require sophisticated planning and forecasting to maintain satisfaction

Maximizing Capital for Retailers with Supply Chain Issues and the Amazon Effect

Sue: It’s not just the customer journey, it’s the data analytics of working out how shoppers are going to buy the product at full price. It’s understanding people and their buying processes so that the client, the company that makes the product in this case, gets the maximum capital.

Lauren: These big fashion, apparel, footwear companies globally, you want to make sure that what they produce, they don’t have too much or too little inventory. If you have too much, it’s sitting in the warehouse. Or too little inventory, and you’ve lost sales because you don’t have enough to put them on your shelves or your ecommerce site or the major department store you sell into. The current job I’m at (7thonline), really helps people plan more efficiently to make sure the customer has what they want at the end, and not overspend or underspend and make too much or too little.”

Sue: On the consumer side, shoppers are frustrated with long and delayed deliveries—even with tracking apps. Known as the Amazon effect, expectations for delivery times have changed to be almost instantaneous, and this has shifted down to even the younger generations. 

Lauren: With the issues of supply chain, what our planning solution does, we make sure that they have the right amount of products to get it in transit and there on time for shoppers.

Key to Success & Work-Life Balance

Sue: What do you feel were the ultimate ingredients for success?

Lauren: My parents (my dad was actually always in sales), customer success, building relationships and rapport, passion to connect with people, desire to make a difference by supporting the fashion industry. I always knew I would be driving my own success, being motivated to do the best I can at any organization. Being surrounded by like-minded individuals, a clear path and having experts around me.

Sue: Success and having children, it’s not by accident that you find many women struggle big time to balance this. What about yourself?

Lauren: When I had my first daughter, I was really fortunate that the owners of the organization really supported me. Also at small businesses! They really supported me with fluidity, made sure I was okay and set me up for success managing a brand-new baby before going back to work. It’s a fine line, I always like to say that I’m always running—there’s always something to do whether for work or for personal reasons. One of my top priorities when selecting a role is to make sure that there is that flexibility to support my two children.

Listen to the full podcast here: https://suefirthltd.com/finding-work-life-balance-with-lauren-taubes/

7thonline is a leading retail planning software, enabling more effective planning, demand forecasting and inventory optimization. To learn more, email us at info@7thonline.com or book a demo with our team.

Insights from Max Ma: Retail SaaS & Innovation in the Industry

Max Ma, CEO and Founder of 7thonline, shares insights into his journey from a retail software engineer to leading a successful retail SaaS company. Max founded 7thonline in 1999 with the vision of improving retail inventory management and demand planning, leveraging advanced analytics and data-driven solutions. The company has grown to serve major fashion, footwear and accessories brands like PVH, Patagonia and Canada Goose, offering multi-channel solutions that enhance inventory productivity and profitability.

Ma discusses the technological innovations behind 7thonline’s platform, including machine learning and AI, which help retailers make smarter inventory decisions by providing granular demand insights. He also highlights how 7thonline’s specialized focus on the apparel and footwear industry gives it a competitive edge, addressing challenges like seasonal demand forecasting, supply chain disruptions and shifting consumer behavior.

Looking ahead, Ma emphasizes the importance of data analytics, automation and AI in shaping the future of retail, and advises aspiring entrepreneurs to build with passion and a long-term vision. With a proven track record of innovation, 7thonline continues to evolve, preparing to lead the next phase of technological transformation in the retail industry.

cross street signs for 7th avenue, known as fashion avenue, and 7thonline

Please tell us more about yourself. 

I’m Max Ma, Founder and CEO of 7thonline, a retail technology platform that provides advanced demand planning and inventory management solutions for retail businesses.  I founded 7thonline in 1999 to help streamline retail and wholesale planning to be more efficient.  For over 25 years, we’ve been empowering retail businesses with unmatched demand visibility, advanced analytics and actionable insights. As both a data scientist and an experienced retail tech industry executive, I am passionate about merging cutting-edge technology with proven business practices. 

Before founding 7thonline, I served as the lead developer for Pantone’s Electronic Color Systems. In addition, I was a member of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer for the Yale-China Association. I hold an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Polytechnic University, where I also served on the board of the Center for Technology in Supply Chain and Merchandising. My experience extends into media as well, having worked at HBO.

7thonline has made a significant mark in the retail SaaS space over the years. Can you take us back to the beginning; what inspired the founding of 7thonline, and how did the company evolve into what it is today?  

When I started working in retail as a software engineer for a CAD software company, I quickly realized that the industry needed more effective ways to boost inventory productivity. Early on at 7thonline, we introduced tools for wholesale buying and planning, partnering with major wholesalers like Liz Claiborne, Jones Apparel Group and Kellwood. Over time, we evolved our solutions to focus on cross-channel inventory planning and execution, enabling both wholesalers and retailers to align supply with consumer demand, ultimately improving margins.

Today, 7thonline is committed to helping the retail industry, which still relies heavily on manual processes, by offering technology solutions that enhance profitability. We believe that this ultimately will improve quality of life as there is a more efficient use of time, better results and cost efficiencies. We constantly ask ourselves: Are we on the right track? Are we approaching this the best way? Our passion for supporting the industry drives us forward. Though we’re still at the beginning of this journey, there’s a great deal of excitement about the future and the possibilities ahead.

Your platform is praised for its data-driven approach. Could you explain the core technology behind 7thonline’s platform and how it empowers retailers to make smarter, faster inventory decisions?  

7thonline specializes in multi-channel demand planning for leading apparel, footwear and accessories brands like PVH, Patagonia, Michael Kors, Tommy John, Birkenstock, Alexander Wang and Canada Goose.

We stand out by offering a data-driven platform that specifically caters to the fashion and footwear industry, supporting both retail and wholesale models. We’re revolutionizing merchandise planning and allocation to drive profitability, enabling planners and allocators in the industry to access deep demand insights and leverage robust optimization tools for achieving critical margin breakthroughs and maximizing inventory productivity.

What sets us apart is our ability to provide granular consumer demand insights—right down to an SKU at a specific store for a given week. This level of detail allows retailers to make smarter, faster inventory decisions based on real-time, localized demand.

Our platform offers several key modules:

  • Merchandise Planning with Integrated OTB: Flexible planning levels for analyzing business from multiple angles.
  • Pre-Season Assortment Planning and Order Entry: Maximize selling potential by reverse-engineering clusters down to the style/color level by door and by week.
  • Easy Reporting with Built-in Analytics and BI: Comprehensive reporting tools that provide actionable insights.
  • Production Demand Planning: Streamline production processes with accurate demand forecasts.
  • Allocation and Replenishment: Ensure products reach stores and online channels where they have the highest selling potential.
  • Factory to DC Replenishment and Order Aggregation: Optimize supply chain efficiency from factory to distribution centers.

Our modular, integrated solutions allow retailers to improve speed, accuracy and profitability while driving higher customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

The retail SaaS solutions market has grown rapidly in recent years. What do you believe sets 7thonline apart from other competitors in this space, and how do you maintain your competitive edge?  

What sets 7thonline apart is our ability to provide a holistic platform managing the total demand across stores, ecommerce and wholesale distribution. While many companies offer solutions that address parts of what we do, none integrate these elements as comprehensively as we do, especially with the inclusion of a wholesale component. Our platform is specifically tailored to the apparel, footwear and accessories (AFA) market, which is notoriously challenging for technology solutions. By focusing exclusively on this sector, we’ve honed our expertise and developed solutions that meet the unique needs of retailers in this space, maintaining a competitive edge through specialization and deep industry knowledge.

How are your teams translating strategic goals and objectives into actionable initiatives that can be measured and reported? 

Our solution enables clients to take a more proactive approach, effectively shaping their merchandising strategies and driving financial performance. By aligning strategic goals with actionable and measurable initiatives, we help clients translate high-level objectives into tangible outcomes. This approach delivers key benefits, such as lowering markdowns, increasing full-price sell-through, reducing lost sales, improving inventory turns and minimizing administrative tasks. With this results-driven model, clients can track progress and continuously optimize their merchandising strategies for maximum impact.

You serve a diverse range of clients in fashion, sports, and other retail sectors. What types of challenges do these industries typically face, and how does 7thonline tailor its solutions to meet their unique needs?  

There are many reports about challenges at retail. Recently, Bain & Co. published their 2024 Consumer Products Report. It highlights that the industry is facing slower growth and rising challenges from both the global market and shifting consumer expectations. To stay competitive, companies are being encouraged to revamp their growth strategies, with a strong focus on sustainable innovation, digital transformation and operational agility. Businesses must adapt to supply chain disruptions and evolving consumer behavior, positioning themselves to capture new opportunities while keeping long-term goals in sight.

We understand that the retail industry is primarily focused on short lifecycle and seasonal products.  This makes demand forecasting extremely difficult because historical data is limited and consumer demand is constantly shifting.  7thonline leverages a wide range of data sources such as POS data, shipment data, logistic and warehouse data and marketing data to analyze the demand signal from every single channel of distribution.

In the past decade, 7thonline has experienced impressive growth. Could you share a few key success stories that highlight your company’s innovation, problem-solving capabilities, and customer impact? 

We have clients with firsthand experience of how they benefit from using our solutions.  One large conglomerate told us that by using our account planning system, they were able to place their production buy one week earlier.  This resulted in the supplier offering the client a $1 lower cost per garment. This is a huge number that is truly exceptional in the retail industry.  

Another example our clients have seen is the ability to have visibility across different continents to know the local demand of different countries and regions so that HQ can always stay on top of the demand signals of the entire company. We’re removing silos and helping companies use their data to make a meaningful difference in their business.

How do you see the role of data analytics evolving in retail, and what steps is 7thonline taking to stay at the forefront of technological innovation in this rapidly changing industry? 

At 7thonline, we leverage machine learning and advanced algorithms to stay at the forefront of data analytics in retail. Data analytics has always been the core of our business, providing clients with powerful insights. However, with rapidly changing consumer shopping habits, traditional statistical methods are no longer enough. That’s why we’ve adopted AI and machine learning to enhance our capabilities. 

For instance, we developed a fast fashion demand forecasting application that uses AI to predict in-season consumer preferences with minimal data. This enables our clients to quickly respond to shifting consumer demand and stay ahead in a dynamic market.

Retailers are dealing with significant changes in consumer behavior and supply chain disruptions. What strategies or features has 7thonline introduced to help your clients navigate these new realities? 

Over a decade ago, 7thonline partnered with a major retailer operating 8,000 stores to implement a demand-driven allocation and replenishment solution. This system allowed the retailer to make data-driven allocation decisions by indexing each product at every store location, aligning product assortment with local consumer demand. By staying closely attuned to the unique consumer behavior at each location, the retailer ensured the right products were available at the right places, reducing stockouts and maximizing sales.

We continue to build on this approach by helping clients test consumer preferences before committing inventory to all channels and stores. For example, by indexing each product, retailers can accurately assess the propensity to sell and determine the optimal allocation and replenishment levels. This tailored, data-focused strategy ensures that retailers are responding effectively to specific consumer demand, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

As a company that has been leading in SaaS retail solutions for years, how do you balance innovation with stability, ensuring your platform is cutting-edge yet reliable for large-scale clients?  

At 7thonline, we strike a balance between innovation and stability by closely collaborating with leading clients. This ensures that the features we develop are not just cutting-edge, but also practical and aligned with the real needs of the industry.

Our focus goes beyond simply implementing the latest technology. It’s about providing meaningful solutions that drive profitability and improve the quality of life for those managing large volumes of goods on tight margins. In today’s data-driven economy, technology is the key to breaking through the typical 5-10% margin barrier. By reducing turnaround time, minimizing human error and enhancing overall business operations, we help our clients achieve significant breakthroughs.

An example of how we improve internal and external collaborations through the latest technology is helping clients make better supply chain decisions. By facilitating real-time Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), we enable better collaboration between sales planning and supply chain planning teams, breaking down silos and fostering more effective collaboration across the organization.

Looking forward, what trends or developments do you anticipate will shape the future of the retail SaaS landscape, and how is 7thonline preparing to lead the way in this evolution?  

Excel has become a major pain point for retailers, creating data silos and delaying real-time decision-making. As margins shrink, relying on Excel reaches a point where it’s no longer scalable. That’s where 7thonline steps in with end-to-end solutions that automate processes and deliver better results. Our goal is to eliminate the need for manual intervention by making everything automatic.

Often referred to as “the science guys of the retail industry,” we are continually enhancing our AI and machine learning capabilities through collaboration with leading clients. For us, AI and ML are not just marketing buzzwords—they’re essential tools that help retailers improve margins by allocating inventory based on current trends and customer preferences.

AI is reshaping the role of buyers, allowing them to stay ahead of trends and introduce product assortments that align with customer demand, particularly for seasonal items. According to a study published by Forbes, 60% of apparel products bought by buyers aren’t profitable, while only 40% are. This is because many decisions are made pre-season, long before customers interact with the products. AI enables retailers to gauge consumer behavior at the start of the selling season and make smarter, secondary product assortment allocations based on real-time data.

In the apparel and retail space, AI offers the critical advantage of predicting consumer trends early, reducing reliance on pre-season inventory bets and managing the constraints of the supply chain. Retailers using AI can enjoy higher margins, which in turn allows them to invest further in technology and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape. 

Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to build a successful business in the technology and SaaS industries, based on your journey with 7thonline? 

You have to have the passion for what you do and “build to last” instead of “build to cash out.”  With 25 years and still going, I still have the passion and excitement to continue to partner with our legacy clients and obtain new partners in the fashion, footwear and accessories industry. I feel that the best is yet to come and I hope that entrepreneurs looking to build a successful business find that same excitement and feel that what they are doing will ultimately help people have a better quality of life. 

Read the whole interview on TechBullion here: https://techbullion.com/from-vision-to-leadership-the-journey-technology-and-future-of-7thonline-in-retail-saas-interview-with-ceo-max-ma/

To discover the latest in retail SaaS innovation, email us at info@7thonline.com or book a demo for a sneak peek at our cutting-edge inventory management and demand planning solution.