Sizing may not get the same attention as assortment planning, allocation or inventory optimization, but getting it wrong can have a significant impact on retail margins. When core sizes sell out while others linger on clearance racks, retailers face lost sales, excess inventory and frustrated customers.
In this special Retail Remix Deep Dive, host Kate Robertson sits down with James Theuerkauf, VP of Product at Anaplan and Co-founder of Syrup Tech, which Anaplan acquired in 2025.
They explore whether sizing has become more challenging — and not because of the high uptake of GLP-1 weight loss drugs — as well as how advances in data and AI are helping retailers make more granular decisions and why better sizing can improve everything from full-price sell-through and customer loyalty to sustainability.
Key Takeaways
- Why apparel sizing remains an overlooked source of margin erosion despite its impact on stockouts, overstocks and customer loyalty
- How rapidly changing trends, increasingly complex assortments and shifting consumer preferences are making historical size curves less reliable
- Why retailers should be cautious about blaming GLP-1 adoption for broad shifts in sizing demand and instead focus on their own customer and product data
- How advances in AI and granular data are helping planners build smarter size curves while keeping human expertise at the center of decision making
- Why more accurate size planning can reduce overproduction, markdowns and excess inventory while creating a more sustainable apparel supply chain
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What is Retail Remix?
The rules of retail are constantly changing. Today, we're in an exciting new era where brands can differentiate through experience and use technology to connect with customers in new and exciting ways. Retail Remix is a new podcast series brought to you by Retail TouchPoints, the industry's leading source for news, insights and research for all things customer experience. Every week, we sit down with someone who is helping put a new spin on the retail experience. Hear from the top practitioners, analysts and innovators in retail, and see what new engagement opportunities await.