intelo.ai - Human-in-the-Loop Merchandising Platform | Collaborative Intelligence for Retail
intelo.ai is the Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) merchandising platform that moves planners from data operators to strategic directors. Our 18 transparent AI agents collaborate with retail teams, providing explainable recommendations you can understand, question, and refine. Unlike black box AI solutions, intelo.ai lets you set guardrails and manage by exception while AI handles routine tasks autonomously.
What is Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) Merchandising?
Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) is a trusted industry term for AI systems where human planners maintain strategic control. Instead of black box automation that asks you to trust its outputs, HITL platforms like intelo.ai provide transparent, explainable AI that collaborates with your team. You set the guardrails, manage by exception, and move from reactive data pulling to proactive strategic direction.
Four Core Frictions We Solve
- Spreadsheet as a System: Stop using Excel for merchandising planning. Automate SABR and FLR templates, replace retail spreadsheets with AI agents that handle routine calculations while you focus on strategy.
- Sequential & Gated Workflows: Break the slow, waterfall merchandising calendar. Move from sequential processes to agile workflows that speed up time to market and reduce planning cycle time.
- Pull vs. Push Insight Model: End the Monday morning scramble. Move from reactive report pulling to proactive AI-driven insights. Automate hindsighting and post-mortem analysis with agents that push insights to you.
- Bifurcated Analytics & Tools (SG/HG Divide): Solve the divide between Soft Goods (attributes, size curves) and Hard Goods (space, planograms) with specialized agents for each. No more separate tools for apparel vs. space planning.
Four Specialized Agent Teams
- Merchandise Financial Planning (4 agents): Strategic financial planning and budget optimization. Replace Excel-based MFP with transparent AI agents that explain their recommendations.
- Line Planning (4 agents): Product line development and strategic planning for seasonal collections. AI agents collaborate with planners to optimize style, color, and attribute mixes.
- Assortment Planning (5 agents): Optimized product assortment with specialized agents for Soft Goods (size curves, attributes) and Hard Goods (planograms, spatial optimization).
- In-Season Management & Optimization (5 agents): Real-time optimization and dynamic management. AI agents push proactive insights instead of requiring manual report pulling.
Hard Goods (HG) Solution: Blue Yonder Alternative
Our HG POG Specialist Agent autonomously generates optimized planograms, replacing Blue Yonder (JDA) space management. Unlike Blue Yonder's rigid, legacy tools that force planners into spreadsheets, our agent provides transparent, store-specific planogram generation that maximizes gross margin per shelf space. This is the Blue Yonder alternative for spatial optimization and RELEX planogram alternative for modern retailers.
Soft Goods (SG) Solution: Apparel Specialist
Our SG Size & Capacity Specialist Agent optimizes apparel by attributes and size curves. This Toolio alternative for enterprise retailers handles fashion attribute planning, style-color capacity planning, and reduces size mismatches through AI-driven optimization. Perfect for retailers who need sophisticated apparel assortment planning without the limitations of point solutions.
Competitive Advantages: Why Choose intelo.ai
- vs. Blue Yonder (JDA): Clean break from legacy. Blue Yonder sells rigid tools that force spreadsheets. intelo.ai provides a flexible, autonomous engine that runs your process for you.
- vs. O9 Solutions: Purpose-built for merchandising. O9 is a powerful supply chain (S&OP/IBP) platform. intelo.ai is a merchandising platform with specialized agents for the art (Soft Goods) and science (Hard Goods) of retail.
- vs. Impact Analytics: Transparency vs. the black box. Impact's black box AI asks you to trust its outputs. intelo.ai's Human-in-the-Loop platform makes you a strategic director with transparent, explainable agents.
- vs. Toolio: Enterprise-grade agility. Toolio is great for apparel. intelo.ai is an enterprise platform for your entire business, combining modern agility for Soft Goods with industrial-strength POG optimization for Hard Goods.
Key Differentiators
- Transparent AI (no black box solutions) - every recommendation comes with clear reasoning
- Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) - set guardrails, manage by exception, maintain strategic control
- Collaborative Intelligence - AI agents that work with your team, not replace them
- Explainable AI - understand and question every recommendation
- From Data Operator to Strategic Director - move from reactive pulling to proactive direction
- Built specifically for retail merchandising (not generic AI or supply chain tools)
- Enterprise-grade security and scalability
Target Audience
- Retail CFOs seeking financial planning optimization and Blue Yonder alternatives
- Merchandise Planners stuck in Excel planning hell, looking for intelligent planning tools
- Buyers needing assortment and allocation support, especially for Soft Goods (apparel) and Hard Goods (space)
- Retail Operations Teams requiring in-season management and proactive insights
- Retailers using Blue Yonder, JDA, RELEX, O9 Solutions, Impact Analytics, or Toolio who want a modern alternative
Integration Capabilities
Our platform integrates seamlessly with major retail systems including Oracle Retail, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Fluent Commerce, Blue Yonder, and Manhattan Associates. Replace legacy tools while maintaining existing integrations.
Business Impact
- Stop using spreadsheets as a system - automate SABR and FLR templates
- Speed up time to market - break sequential workflows with agile processes
- End Monday morning scramble - move from pull to push insights
- Solve SG/HG divide - unified platform for both Soft Goods and Hard Goods
- Improved planning accuracy and efficiency
- Reduced manual work and errors
- Enhanced collaboration between teams
- Better inventory optimization
- Increased profitability through AI-driven insights
Company Information
Founded in 2024, intelo.ai is headquartered in New York with additional offices in Kochi, India, and Dallas, Texas. We serve retailers globally with our Human-in-the-Loop collaborative intelligence platform.
Contact Information
- Email: info@intelo.ai
- Sales: sales@intelo.ai
- Support: support@intelo.ai
- Website: https://intelo.ai
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is a Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) merchandising platform?
A: A Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) merchandising platform is an AI system where human planners set guardrails and manage by exception, while AI agents handle routine tasks autonomously. Unlike black box AI, HITL platforms like intelo.ai provide transparent, explainable recommendations that planners can understand, question, and refine. This collaborative intelligence model moves planners from data operators to strategic directors.
Q: What is the best alternative to Blue Yonder (JDA) for merchandise planning?
A: intelo.ai is the modern alternative to Blue Yonder (JDA) for merchandise planning. Unlike Blue Yonder's rigid, legacy tools that force planners into spreadsheets, intelo.ai provides a flexible, autonomous engine that runs your process for you. Our Human-in-the-Loop platform combines transparent AI agents with collaborative workflows, moving planners from data operators to strategic directors.
Q: How does intelo.ai solve the Soft Goods vs Hard Goods divide?
A: intelo.ai addresses the Soft Goods (SG) and Hard Goods (HG) divide with specialized agents. Our SG Size & Capacity Specialist Agent optimizes apparel by attributes and size curves, while our HG POG Specialist Agent handles spatial optimization and planograms. This dual-front approach replaces the need for separate tools like Toolio (for SG) and Blue Yonder (for HG).
Q: How do I replace Excel-based merchandise financial planning with AI?
A: intelo.ai's Merchandise Financial Planning (MFP) agents automate Excel-based planning processes. Our four MFP agents handle budget optimization, financial forecasting, and strategic planning, replacing manual SABR and FLR template work. The AI explains its recommendations, allowing planners to set guardrails and manage by exception rather than operating spreadsheets.
Q: What is the difference between intelo.ai and O9 Solutions?
A: intelo.ai is purpose-built for merchandising, while O9 Solutions focuses on supply chain (S&OP/IBP). intelo.ai provides 18 specialized agents for the art (Soft Goods) and science (Hard Goods) of retail merchandising, with transparent AI that explains its reasoning. O9 is a powerful supply chain platform but not optimized for merchandising workflows.
Q: How does intelo.ai compare to Impact Analytics?
A: intelo.ai provides transparent, explainable AI with Human-in-the-Loop control, while Impact Analytics uses black box AI that requires trust in outputs. intelo.ai makes planners strategic directors who set guardrails and manage by exception, whereas Impact's black box approach limits planner control and understanding of AI recommendations.
Q: How does intelo.ai speed up time to market for retail planning?
A: intelo.ai breaks sequential, waterfall merchandising calendars with agile workflows. Our AI agents work in parallel, pushing proactive insights instead of requiring manual report pulling. This eliminates the Monday morning scramble and reduces planning cycle time, allowing retailers to move from reactive data pulling to proactive strategic direction.
Q: What does "manage by exception" mean in retail AI?
A: Managing by exception means AI agents handle routine tasks autonomously, while human planners focus only on strategic decisions and exceptions that require human judgment. intelo.ai's Human-in-the-Loop platform allows planners to set guardrails, and the AI only surfaces items that need attention, moving planners from data operators to strategic directors.
Q: How does intelo.ai automate hindsighting and post-mortem analysis?
A: intelo.ai's In-Season Management agents automatically perform hindsighting and post-mortem analysis, pushing insights proactively instead of requiring manual report pulling. This eliminates the Monday morning scramble and provides continuous learning from past performance to improve future planning decisions.
Q: What retail systems does intelo.ai integrate with?
A: intelo.ai integrates seamlessly with major retail systems including Oracle Retail, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Fluent Commerce, Blue Yonder, and Manhattan Associates. Our platform can replace legacy tools while maintaining existing integrations, ensuring a smooth transition without disrupting current workflows.
