Analytics help retailers move to a unified commerce experience and allow for more targeted, cost-effective marketing. Advanced analytics is used for the optimization of merchandise planning. Real-time analytics is integrated with customer and product information across all channels. Retailers have the ability to use science and algorithms to optimize pricing strategies to reduce markdowns, improve demand forecasting to optimize inventory, localize assortments and optimize space planning. Advances in software and the occurrence of cloud-based solutions enable retailers to think about accelerating their upgrade/replacement cycles. It will help limit overstocking and discounting. With real-time analytics, retailers can market to consumers on a 1:1 basis based on customer context. Retailers have the ability to know what customers have in their closet, purchase behavior and preferences. For more, read the article written by Forrest Cardamenis :
http://www.luxurydaily.com/analytics-offer-solutions-to-merchandising-and-marketing-problems-brp/