Naomi Gross, professor, Fashion Business Management, joined a panel of industry thought leaders in October for the first PI Merchandise Planning Conference, where the talk turned to using AI to make the industry greener.
The event took place in Brooklyn on October 23 and 24, with attendees including decision-makers from PVH, Lululemon, Reformation, Levi’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, Madewell, Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Kate Spade.
Gross’ panel discussion, titled “Consumer-Centricity and Agility: How to Best Leverage Data for a More Informed Product Design and Planning Strategy,” delved into using data to make merchandise planning faster and more responsive. Gross shared the stage with representatives from Calvin Klein, Alo Yoga, M.M. LaFleur, and Stylumia.
The conference focused on driving the next generation of merchandise planning via digital transformation, and particularly the adoption of AI solutions to make better and faster decisions. These new solutions have the potential to reduce waste and overproduction in the supply chain—a topic that dovetails with Gross’ own research.
Gross is currently on a semester-long sabbatical where she is evaluating best practices and solutions that can improve the planning and allocation process, mitigate the risk of overproduction, and address waste reduction in the supply chain. This research will in turn be incorporated into her work on the Fashion Business Management curriculum providing students with information on current industry practices.