Transforming a global consumer electronics business from spreadsheet-driven operations to an intelligent, AI-powered supply chain and retail network.
A fast-growing consumer electronics company operates across 25+ countries, with products sold through airport outlets and shop-in-shop counters inside major electronics retailers.
The Lab Upstairs helped transform its operations by connecting sales, inventory, procurement and distribution, and deploying AI agents to automate key operational workflows, from demand forecasting to factory procurement and retail replenishment.
The company sells a wide range of audio, wearables and lifestyle electronics through 100+ retail outlets and a 300+ member field sales organization.
Behind the retail network is a complex supply chain that sources products from factories in China, manages shipments, and distributes inventory across countries and retail locations.
Key operational information was scattered across Google Sheets, Excel files and manual emails. This made it difficult to manage procurement, replenishment and distribution efficiently.
Fragmented Sales Data
Daily sales and inventory information scattered across locations and spreadsheets.
Manual Procurement
Purchase orders to factories were triggered manually through emails.
Reactive Replenishment
Inventory planning depended on manual review of sales and stock levels.
Complex Distribution
Shipping coordination and outlet allocation required significant manual effort.
We built a unified data foundation and deployed specialized AI agents to manage the end-to-end operational workflow, from retail sales to factory procurement and outlet replenishment.
Sales & Demand Intelligence Agent
Analyzes sales velocity, SKU performance and market trends to forecast replenishment needs.
Inventory Replenishment Agent
Monitors stock by location, calculates days of cover and generates replenishment requests.
Factory Procurement Agent
Converts approved demand into factory purchase orders and tracks confirmations.
Shipment & Allocation Agent
Prepares shipping instructions, allocates inventory across countries and tracks fulfilment.
Reconciliation & Exception Agent
Matches orders, shipments, receipts, invoices and payments, flagging mismatches for review.
AI agents turn everyday sales signals into operational actions, with human approvals at key points.
Retail Sales Captured
Sales and inventory data from 100+ outlets across 25+ countries.
Demand Agent Identifies Needs
Analyzes SKU velocity, trends and stock coverage.
Procurement Agent Creates Orders
Generates factory purchase requests and draft POs.
Human Approval
Operations team reviews and authorizes quantities and commercial terms.
Shipment Agent Coordinates
Triggers shipping notices and allocates inventory to outlets.
Reconciliation Agent Verifies Closure
Matches receipts, invoices and payments, escalating exceptions.
The transformation is delivering value across key operational areas.
Lower Operational Workload
Significantly reduced manual data processing, procurement coordination and shipment management.
Improved Product Availability
Fewer stockouts and better replenishment across retail locations.
Better Working Capital
More accurate inventory planning and reduced overstock.
Greater Sales Potential
Ensure high-demand products are available where they sell.
By automating procurement, replenishment and distribution workflows, the business can scale its retail network and product range without its back-office workload growing at the same pace.