The collection looked right in the sample room. Six weeks later the sizes have broken and the rail is full.

1. 01Buying

   Buying is done on total pieces, not on what sells

   What it looks like

   Two hundred pieces of a style are ordered because it looked good and the supplier gave a rate. Another style sold out in a week and the reorder takes a month. The sizes that arrive follow the supplier's pack, not your customers.

   What it costs you

   Vector Consulting Group's 2026 study found retailers tolerate long lead times and buy opportunistically in bulk, which raises inventory. Money sits in the wrong styles while the right ones run out.

   How Verity fixes it

   Each style is tracked from the first delivery with its sales by week, by size and by outlet. Verity shows the sell-through curve against your own past seasons, so the next order follows what sold rather than what looked good.

   See the screen
2. 02Stock

   The size curve breaks and the leftovers are the sizes nobody wants

   What it looks like

   By week three the shirt is gone in M and L. What is left is XS, XXL and a pile of 44. Staff tell the customer it is out of stock when it is in the other outlet.

   What it costs you

   Broken runs are what get marked down first, and every missing size is a customer who leaves without buying.

   How Verity fixes it

   Stock is held by style, size and colour in each outlet. Verity shows which styles have lost their core sizes, how many complete runs remain, and which outlet holds the size the customer wants.

   See the screen
3. 03Stock

   Stock is stuck in one outlet while another sells out

   What it looks like

   The Koramangala outlet has sixty kurtas of a style that sold out in Indiranagar in a week. The transfer is done when someone remembers, by courier, with a handwritten slip.

   What it costs you

   A sale lost in one place for stock that is idle in another, and transfers that go missing in between with nobody responsible.

   How Verity fixes it

   Outlets are locations on one record. Verity lists styles that are stuck in one outlet and short in another, drafts the transfer, and holds it open until the receiving outlet signs the count.

   See the screen
4. 04Markdowns

   Stock ages quietly and then needs a big discount

   What it looks like

   A style that did not sell in the first month is moved to the back rail. Three months later it is in the sale at 50 percent off, with the same margin gone that the early 20 percent would have kept.

   What it costs you

   Vector Consulting Group found about 24% of on-shelf apparel and footwear stock past its optimal selling window. Each extra week takes a deeper cut to clear.

   How Verity fixes it

   Days on floor, sell-through and cost value are shown for every style. Verity proposes a markdown ladder for ageing styles, shows the margin after each step, and routes each approval to the owner before the price changes.

   See the screen
5. 05Markdowns

   Discounts stack up without anyone adding them

   What it looks like

   A festival offer, a loyalty coupon and a manager's request for a regular customer all apply to the same shirt. The cashier layers all three because the system lets her.

   What it costs you

   Example arithmetic: if a ₹1,800 shirt that costs ₹900 ends up sold at ₹1,100 after stacking, margin falls from ₹900 to ₹200 on that piece.

   How Verity fixes it

   Discount rules are set per type, with a ceiling on the total. Anything above the ceiling waits for a one-tap approval with a reason, and Verity totals discounts by person, outlet and offer.

   See the screen
6. 06Pricing

   A piece priced at ₹2,500 and one at ₹2,501 are taxed at different rates

   What it looks like

   Since 22 September 2025 apparel generally attracts 5% GST up to ₹2,500 per piece and 18% above. A shirt marked down from ₹2,700 to ₹2,400 changes rate. Staff do not know, and the billing master is set by item, not by final sale value.

   What it costs you

   A wrong rate on a few hundred bills a month becomes a notice and a customer who sees a different tax on the invoice. Your accountant corrects it later.

   How Verity fixes it

   Verity shows price bands against the ₹2,500 mark for each style and flags any price or discount that moves a piece across it, so your team and your accountant can agree the right treatment before the bill. It does not file returns.

   See the screen
7. 07Shrinkage

   Pieces walk out between the rail and the till

   What it looks like

   A fitting room has two shirts under the bench. A tag is swapped from a cheap piece to an expensive one. A staff member sets aside a piece for a friend. Nobody saw it, and it shows only at the yearly count.

   What it costs you

   Trent reported shrinkage of 0.41% of sales in FY24 and V-Mart 0.5%. A retail association said losses rise during festive seasons and cricket tournaments, mostly through employees.

   How Verity fixes it

   Cycle counts of one rack or outlet at a time are compared with the book. Verity lists each gap with the style, the value, the shift and the staff on duty, and ranks outlets and shifts by loss.

   See the screen
8. 08Suppliers

   Deliveries do not match the challan, and rejects are argued

   What it looks like

   The challan says 120 pieces and the carton has 112. Twelve have stitching faults found a week later. The supplier says they were fine on dispatch.

   What it costs you

   You pay for missing pieces and carry faulty ones. Example arithmetic: ten faulty or missing pieces a delivery at ₹600 is ₹6,000 a delivery.

   How Verity fixes it

   Goods are received against the order with the counted quantity and any faults noted with a reason. Verity compares order, receipt and bill, and raises a debit note task for the difference before the bill is paid.

   See the screen
9. 09Suppliers

   Small suppliers are paid late and the tax treatment changes

   What it looks like

   Your tailoring units and small garment makers are paid when cash allows. Nobody tracks which of them are registered as micro or small enterprises, or how long each bill has been open.

   What it costs you

   Under Section 43B(h) of the Income-tax Act, an amount owed to a micro or small supplier that is not paid within the allowed days is generally deductible only in the year it is paid. Traders are generally excluded. Your accountant confirms who counts.

   How Verity fixes it

   Each supplier record carries its type and terms. Verity lists bills nearing their deadline and the suppliers who need prompt payment, and assigns the payment task to the accounts person.

   See the screen
10. 10Customers

    Exchanges and returns are given on goodwill

    What it looks like

    A customer returns a dress after a wedding with the tag tucked in. A staff member says yes to avoid an argument. The piece goes back on the rail with a stain.

    What it costs you

    A sale reversed and a piece that can no longer be sold at full price. For stores that also send pieces by courier to Instagram or WhatsApp customers, a vendor benchmark puts fashion COD return rates at 25 to 40%.

    How Verity fixes it

    Returns and exchanges are records tied to the original bill, with a reason, the item's condition and where it goes next. Verity totals returns by style and reason, so a fit problem is visible before the next order.

    See the screen
11. 11Customers

    Regulars and wedding shoppers are not remembered

    What it looks like

    A customer who bought for her sister's wedding last year and for Diwali before that has not been in this season. The staff who served her left in March.

    What it costs you

    Example arithmetic: 300 repeat customers spending ₹6,000 a visit, three visits a year, is ₹54 lakh. A fifth lost quietly is ₹10.8 lakh.

    How Verity fixes it

    Bills are tied to the customer by phone number. Verity shows each person's past styles, sizes and occasions, lists those past their usual gap, and assigns a call to a staff member.

    See the screen
12. 12People

    Staff incentives are worked out on paper and attrition is high

    What it looks like

    The manager keeps a notebook of who was on which day and who sold how much. At month end two salespeople disagree. A good seller who knew regulars by name leaves.

    What it costs you

    Hours of manager time each month, a salesperson who feels cheated, and the loss of customer knowledge when someone leaves.

    How Verity fixes it

    Sales, attendance and returns are recorded against each person. Verity builds the incentive sheet from the rule you set, shows the same figures to the staff member, and holds customer notes on the customer record, not in one person's head.

    See the screen
13. 13Customers

    Alterations and custom orders slip past the date

    What it looks like

    A customer is promised a hem on Thursday. The tailor has a backlog and nobody told the shop. The customer arrives and the piece is not ready.

    What it costs you

    A promise broken to a customer who may not come back, and a tailor who is blamed for a problem of tracking.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each alteration is a job with the customer, the piece, the tailor and the promised date. Verity shows jobs due in the next two days and flags the ones at risk, with a task for the shop to tell the customer.

    See the screen
14. 14Sales

    Instagram and WhatsApp enquiries are lost in chats

    What it looks like

    A customer messages a photo of a dress asking for size and price. The reply comes six hours later or never. The details of who asked for what are in three phones.

    What it costs you

    These enquiries are often the highest intent a fashion store receives. A slow reply sends the buyer to another seller.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each enquiry is a record with an owner, the style asked for, the size, a quote and a next step. Verity lists the ones without a reply and assigns them. Staff still reply to the customer, and the outcome is recorded.

    See the screen
15. 15Owner

    The owner sees outlets only after the month closes

    What it looks like

    One outlet is strong, another struggles, and the figures arrive in different formats. Rent is fixed, so the weak outlet's problem is in the stock, the staff or the location, and no one can tell which.

    What it costs you

    A month of a weak outlet before the issue is noticed, and decisions about reordering made on the strongest outlet's sales.

    How Verity fixes it

    Outlets are locations on one system. Each morning Verity shows sales, discounts, ageing stock and shortfalls by outlet side by side, with the items needing a decision listed and owned.

    See the screen

Illustrative screens with sample data. Layouts, fields, names and terms are set up around how your fashion store works.

1. Week 1

   Discovery and mapping

   What we do

   Spend a morning and a closing in your busiest outlet, and a visit to the stockroom. Follow a delivery from challan to rack, a discount from request to bill, and an exchange from counter to rail.

   What we need from you

   Two to three hours of yours and your manager's. Access to a season of billing reports, your supplier bills and the staff roster.

   What you have at the end

   A written map of your store: styles and sizes, outlets, suppliers, discount rules, incentive rules and the first leaks we will close.

2. Weeks 2 to 3

   Configuration

   What we do

   Set up styles with their size scales, outlets and stockrooms, discount ceilings, markdown steps, incentive rules, supplier terms and the six screens, in your own terms.

   What we need from you

   Review the setup with your manager and accounts person. Tell us where a rule or a size scale is wrong.

   What you have at the end

   A working Verity with your real styles, outlets, staff and rules, ready for your data.

3. Weeks 3 to 4

   Migration and training

   What we do

   Bring in the current stock by style and size, supplier balances, repeat customers and open alterations from the sheets and registers you keep. Train sales staff, managers and the accounts person at their own stations.

   What we need from you

   A stock count by outlet and your customer list in whatever form it exists. One hour with each role.

   What you have at the end

   Your styles, stock and customers inside Verity, and a team that has used it through a weekend.

4. After go-live

   Operations partnership

   What we do

   Stay on through your next sale and your next buying round. Tune the markdown steps and limits, add an outlet when you open one, and review the numbers with you.

   What we need from you

   A short monthly review of what the numbers say.

   What you have at the end

   A system that keeps matching how you buy and sell, with someone responsible for it.

• Owner

  Which outlets, styles and discounts are making money?

  Sales, margin and discount by outlet and style, ageing stock, shrinkage, supplier dues and every outlet side by side.

• Store manager

  What needs sorting in my outlet today?

  Broken runs, transfers to receive, tags to correct, alterations due, exchanges to review and staff on shift.

• Buyer

  What should we reorder, and what should we not buy again?

  Sell-through by style and size, season comparison, supplier fault rates and delivery lead times.

• Salesperson

  Who is coming, what do they want and what is pending?

  Customer history and sizes, enquiries assigned to me, my sales and my incentive sheet.

• Accountant

  What was sold, bought and owed?

  Sales by tax band and payment mode, supplier bills matched to deliveries, debit notes and deadlines for small suppliers.