Blue Yonder has introduced new retail capabilities that connect demand planning, inventory, fulfilment, customer service and returns on its platform.
The release is designed to help retailers act on operational signals rather than manage each function separately. New Order Management tools provide predictive fulfilment intelligence and visibility across inventory, sourcing and network operations, highlighting risks and bottlenecks before they affect service.
That matters in a market where out-of-stocks are estimated to cost retailers about $1.2 trillion in annual lost sales. The software is intended to support better availability and fulfilment decisions across stores, distribution centres and online channels.
Blue Yonder has also launched a unified workspace for service and assisted selling. It brings together customer identification, product discovery, stock information, pricing, fulfilment options, payment capture and order management, giving frontline teams a more complete view of each interaction.
Returns Management is being expanded with customer-specific policies, configurable store-credit strategies, receipt controls, testing and grading workflows, and item-level simulation of disposition outcomes. These functions are aimed at reducing leakage and fraud risk while improving resale and recovery.
US consumers were expected to return nearly $850 billion of merchandise in 2025, representing 15.8% of sales, according to the National Retail Federation. Blue Yonder says returned products reach sellable inventory around 25% faster on average through its system.
The company has further enhanced Orchestrator as a shared layer for workflows, insights, AI guidance and actions. Its revised interface combines standard navigation with prompt-driven interaction across planning, execution and network operations.
A multilingual professional experienced in Europe, Canada, and China, Herbert has developed invaluable networks in the automotive and energy industries. He has led high-profile projects involving ENBW, Mercedes-Benz Group, Siemens Group, and the Fraunhofer Institute.