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In this episode of Retail Voices, host Mark Lack sits down with Max Ma — Founder of 7thonline — to break down the real reason retail planning fails, and how AI, better data, and smarter processes are transforming how retailers buy, forecast, and operate.

Max shares the original “broken moment” that inspired him to create 7thonline, and why planning is still one of the retail industry’s most misunderstood — and most critical — disciplines.
From dirty data and omnichannel distortion to guardrails, returns, and the human vs AI balance, this conversation gets right to the heart of what makes modern retail operations succeed.

You’ll hear insights on:

• The biggest gaps still hiding inside retail planning
• Where AI truly outperforms humans — and where it still needs them
• How to fix bad data before adopting any forecasting tool
• Why returns data must flow directly into next-season buys
• Guardrails every AI model needs to stay grounded
• How to guide veteran merchants into AI-supported decision-making
• The metrics that prove a planning transformation is working

Whether you’re a planner, merchandiser, operator, tech founder, or retail leader, this episode is packed with practical, real-world strategies you can apply immediately.

🎧 Retail Voices — real conversations with the people shaping retail today.
🎙 Hosted by Mark Lack
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Learn more about 7thonline at: https://7thonline.com

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