DIY tools for assortment optimization have become a staple in many modern insights teams, offering speed, flexibility, and direct access to data. These solutions promise to streamline retail assortment analysis, but without deep expertise in shelf logic, shopper behavior, and data interpretation, they can fall short of expectations. While the tools provide diagnostics, they often lack the strategic “so what?” that translates insights into confident decisions.

The Most Common Challenges with DIY Assortment Tools

Even with best-in-class platforms, teams often encounter the following roadblocks:

• Overwhelming data complexity: Circana data is rich, but filtering it correctly to answer specific business questions isn’t always intuitive.
• Missing context: Tools may reveal sales drops or underperforming SKUs, but don’t always explain why. Shopper motivations and shelf dynamics need expert interpretation.
• False positives in SKU cuts: Brands may retire “low velocity” SKUs without realizing they serve important niche roles or drive incremental trips.
• Lack of activation insights: DIY tools often stop at data delivery, not action plans. They rarely offer strategic guidance for implementation or go-to-market execution.

When Small Mistakes Lead to Big Misses

A well-meaning SKU rationalization based solely on performance metrics might remove low-turn products that actually round out a portfolio or serve loyal, high-value customers. Without someone who understands shelf planning and shopper behavior at a deeper level, these short-term fixes can create long-term brand equity damage.

Additionally, teams that are stretched thin or experimenting with new tools may not have time to validate assumptions, explore “what-if” scenarios, or benchmark against comparable categories. This makes it harder to spot patterns that truly inform smarter decisions.

Why Expert Help Matters

This is where On Demand Talent proves invaluable. These are experienced consumer insights experts who’ve been in the trenches, know the questions to ask, and can ensure your DIY tools are serving your broader business goals.

Instead of hiring full-time or relying entirely on external agencies, companies can tap flexible, high-caliber professionals who quickly ramp up, guide SKUs evaluation, and teach internal teams how to think more strategically about data. Beyond just “running the report,” they help translate market research tools into decisions that actually grow your category.

From interpreting shelf gaps to understanding trade-offs in SKU cuts, experts fill critical gaps in skills, time, and confidence – helping you avoid missteps and make the most of your data investments.

Circana data is one of the most respected sources for understanding shopper behavior and retail performance. With powerful integrations across scanner, panel, and shopper data, it enables brands and retailers to analyze trends, benchmark performance, and guide product assortment planning. However, access to data is just the beginning – the real challenge lies in knowing how to apply it effectively.

What Circana Data Does Well

Circana’s robust toolkit is designed to support a wide range of merchandising decisions:

• Track item-level sales and volume trends across geographies, retailers, and time periods
• Visualize product assortment performance at the shelf, helping identify gaps or redundancies
• Segment shoppers to understand who is buying what – and why – to inform better targeting
• Simulate shelf scenarios to test shelf configurations before implementation

Used well, this data can supercharge category management and SKU rationalization efforts, helping teams narrow down which SKUs to cut or expand. But without the right expertise, it’s easy to misinterpret these signals or miss strategic opportunities hiding within complex dashboards.

Where Human Interpretation Becomes Essential

Raw data won’t answer high-stakes questions like:

"Are we cutting a redundant SKU – or removing a key trip driver?"

"Is this SKU underperforming because of shopper preference – or poor shelf placement?"

"Should we replace this fast-turning item with one that drives basket size?"

Knowing how to interpret what the data means for your specific objectives requires someone who understands both the data science and the business context. Experts in assortment optimization often have visibility into wider category dynamics and industry benchmarks that make the data actionable – not just descriptive.

What Experts Add On Top of the Tools

When paired with professionals from SIVO’s On Demand Talent network, Circana data becomes far more impactful. These experts bring:

• Deep category knowledge and experience working with Circana dashboards
• Insights into shelf logic and product roles that tools alone don’t surface
• Hypothesis-driven thinking to explore “what-if” scenarios with your assortment
• Strategic storytelling support to help get internal alignment on changes

This kind of support is especially valuable when you’re piloting new items, entering a new channel, or undergoing SKU rationalization. It brings clarity and strategy to the process, so your data works harder for growth – not just reporting.

In short, Circana data is a powerful engine for assortment planning, but it’s human interpretation – grounded in real-world merchandising and shopper expertise – that drives it forward. Whether you’re streamlining complex assortments or trying to avoid costly mistakes, expert input helps you get the full value from your tools and make smarter, faster decisions.

Why good data doesn’t always mean good decisions

Having access to robust retail data through platforms like Circana is a powerful advantage. But even with the best market research tools, teams often run into trouble when interpreting the numbers in a vacuum. This is especially true for assortment optimization and SKU rationalization, where context and real-world shopper behavior are critical for making sound decisions.

Top issues when teams go it alone

Errors in product assortment evaluations are usually not from the lack of effort – they stem from common missteps in analysis and applied logic. Here are a few frequently encountered problems:

• Focusing on volume alone: A high-selling SKU might look valuable but could be cannibalizing sales from a more profitable or strategic item.
• Misreading shopper behavior: Without a clear view of why shoppers choose certain products, teams can mistakenly cut SKUs that drive trips or loyalty.
• Over-simplifying shelf planning: Shelf space reallocation based solely on sales data can ignore traffic flow, visual appeal, or category norms – leading to shortsighted decisions.
• Ignoring complementary items: Products that don’t sell well individually may drive basket size or support broader category goals.
• Misusing tools: DIY assortment tools are powerful, but only when used with a clear objective, business context, and human validation of data output.

How these mistakes show up in real life

Imagine a fictional beverage brand seeing strong Circana data for their top three SKUs. Their market research tool suggests delisting a slower-moving seasonal flavor. What they miss is that this flavor brings in a niche but loyal customer base that drives higher multi-pack purchases. Cutting it saves SKU count but reduces overall category performance. Without human interpretation layered on top of the data, this nuance is lost.

To avoid these pitfalls, it’s critical to combine the precision of retail data with the strategic thinking of category expertise. That’s where additional support – like On Demand Talent – steps in to simplify complexity, helping teams translate granular data into smarter assortment decisions.

Turning complex data into confident choices

SKU rationalization and assortment optimization depend on more than just data access – they require the ability to synthesize sales patterns, understand shopper needs, and plan for shelf impact. This complexity is where On Demand Talent can make a measurable difference, especially when teams are working with platforms like Circana and DIY assortment planning tools.

What On Demand Talent brings to the table

Our network of consumer insights experts bridges the gap between market research tools and strategic execution. These seasoned professionals aren’t just reviewing dashboards – they’re interpreting the data, uncovering patterns, and applying category logic that aligns with business goals.

Areas where On Demand Talent typically adds value include:

• Decoding SKU value: Helping teams identify which products are truly incremental, which are redundant, and which support brand or shopper strategies.
• Applying shelf logic: Designing shelf sets that reflect how shoppers shop – not just what sells best numerically – ensuring better navigation and conversion at the shelf.
• Smart scenario planning: Testing different versions of the assortment automatically in tools, then layering strategic insights on top of the outcomes.
• Training and capability building: Teaching internal teams how to interpret Circana data beyond surface-level patterns.

Beyond analysis: A collaborative partner

Unlike hiring freelancers or relying solely on agencies, SIVO’s On Demand Talent operates as a true extension of your insights team – flexible, but experienced enough to hit the ground running. Whether you need short-term SKU rationalization help, ongoing assortment support, or interim insights leadership, these professionals combine analytics fluency with real-world retail knowledge to ensure data isn’t just collected – it’s used wisely.

This partnership ensures that DIY market research tools remain productive and aligned with your strategy, bringing the human side of shopper insights back into focus and helping you avoid costly missteps in assortment planning.

Growth doesn’t come from shrinking assortments – it comes from the right ones

Assortment optimization is often seen as a cost-cutting exercise, but when done with the right strategy and support, it’s a powerful lever for growth. The key is knowing which SKUs to keep, which to cut, and which to amplify – and ensuring these decisions are rooted in category dynamics, shopper behavior, and intelligent shelf planning. This is where flexible, data-savvy support from On Demand Talent becomes a strategic advantage.

Why flexibility matters more than ever

Consumer insights and shopper marketing teams are being asked to do more with less. Whether supporting internal prioritization, implementing new AI-enabled research tools, or adjusting to retailer-specific assortment requirements, agility is essential. But internal teams can’t always stretch far enough, and traditional hiring or large-scale agencies aren’t always viable. That’s where smart, flexible talent solutions like On Demand Talent shine.

With SIVO’s On Demand Talent, you tap into a ready-made network of skilled professionals across all areas of insights and analytics. You can ramp up support quickly – for weeks or months – without the delay and cost of hiring full-time employees. It’s a smarter way to scale bandwidth, raise quality, and keep focused on high-impact projects.

What this looks like in practice

Let’s say a brand is launching a new line of snacks and needs to optimize retail assortment across multiple regions. Their DIY tool flags low-performing SKUs, but isn't capturing regional nuances in preferences. An On Demand expert steps in, adds shopper trends, evaluates loyalty data, and provides clear coaching on shelf placement to drive traction. The result? A more effective launch and fewer adjustments after rollout – with long-term gains in category sales and team capability.

Ultimately, assortment optimization isn’t just about trimming SKUs – it’s about unlocking consumer demand, improving brand relevance, and strengthening your business with every product decision. With the right expert support, even small shifts lead to smarter results.