The Science Guys of 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”.

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.