A mid-sized footwear retailer operating a busy physical store had built a loyal customer base over the years. Encouraged by repeat footfall and growing brand recognition, the retailer decided to expand online through an eCommerce store and later added marketplace listings to reach a wider audience.
Initially, online sales looked promising. However, within weeks, the retailer began receiving complaints related to incorrect size availability. Customers placed orders for popular sizes that were no longer available in-store. The team had to cancel orders, issue refunds, and respond to unhappy customers.
The Challenge: Size-Level Inventory Chaos
Footwear retail is extremely sensitive to size accuracy. Unlike apparel, where color or style variations may be flexible, footwear customers expect an exact size match. The retailer was managing in-store inventory through Retail Pro, while online inventory was updated manually at the end of each day.
This delay created gaps. A size sold in-store during peak hours still appeared available online for several hours. During promotions and weekends, the problem escalated quickly.
The Impact on Business
Order cancellations increased. Returns rose. Customer trust started declining, and online reviews reflected frustration. Staff spent hours resolving inventory mismatches instead of focusing on sales and customer service.
The retailer realized that expanding online without a connected system was creating more problems than growth.
The Turning Point
The retailer decided to integrate Retail Pro with their eCommerce platform and marketplaces. The goal was simple – ensure that every size sold anywhere was updated everywhere.
The Solution in Action
Once integrated, every in-store sale immediately reflected online. Each size was tracked accurately across channels. Online listings showed real availability, and orders flowed smoothly without manual intervention.
The Key Benefit: Size-Level Accuracy
The most valuable outcome was confidence. Customers could trust what they saw online. When a size appeared available, it truly was. That trust translated into smoother checkout experiences, fewer support tickets, and better reviews.
For the internal team, the mental load dropped significantly. Instead of reacting to problems, they could focus on merchandising, marketing, and customer engagement. Inventory planning also improved, as accurate data made it easier to identify fast-moving sizes and reorder intelligently.
The Result
This retailer’s experience highlights a hard truth in omnichannel footwear retail: growth without real-time inventory integration is fragile. Size accuracy is not a nice-to-have. It is foundational.
By connecting systems and enforcing size-level synchronization, the retailer turned a growing problem into a scalable operation. What once caused customer frustration became a competitive advantage. The technology did not change the product. It protected the promise behind it.