Markdown optimization built for grocery
Time the first markdown and size every cut on demand and shelf life, so inventory clears by its date without the deep end-of-life discount that gives away margin.
Grocery markdowns leave little room for guesswork
Markdowns are a constant balancing act in grocery. Discount too deeply and you give away profit. Wait too long and products expire, lose demand, or miss the calendar date they had to clear by. The National Grocers Association has put grocery shrink at roughly 3% of sales, and unsold perishable inventory is a large share of it.
How does markdown optimization work?
One deep cut at the end is the most expensive way to clear inventory. USDA estimates roughly 30% of the US food supply is lost at the retail and consumer levels. ClearDemand takes the first markdown earlier and smaller, then adjusts as the item sells.
Understand what needs to clear
ClearDemand looks at what inventory is left, how fast it is selling, and how much time remains before the product loses value.
Calculate the next markdown move
It recommends the timing and depth of the next markdown from grocery demand signals, so teams avoid one big panic cut and protect margin along the way.
Re-optimize until inventory clears
As sales and inventory update daily, ClearDemand recalculates the next best move, so a slow-selling item gets marked again before it runs out of runway.
One item, marked down the smart way
A 12-ounce bag of Halloween candy, 42% of inventory left on October 30, selling 18 units a day, with a hard clear date of November 5. At the current rate it clears November 12, a week too late. The system sees the gap and sequences the markdowns to clear it on time.
Seasonal event items
Halloween candy, Valentine's chocolate, and Easter baskets clear the day after the event or not at all. The markdown has to start early enough to hit the date.
Perishable fresh categories
Meat, deli, bakery, and prepared foods have expiration windows measured in days. Timing is the difference between margin recovery and salvage cost.
Calendar-sensitive products
Super Bowl party trays, holiday-dated packaging, and short-window seasonal items have to clear by a fixed date a generic tool never sees on the calendar.
Discontinued and reset items
Products leaving the planogram on a set date have to move to make room for the new set, without deep cuts that erode margin on the way out.
Works inside your rules, not around them
ClearDemand optimizes every markdown, and your team sets the guardrails. Define the rules, limits, and objectives that shape every recommendation, and the system works within them.
Premium grocer fuels growth
A well-known regional grocer grew total profit 2.78% on 0.9% more revenue, with the largest category gains in frozen and grocery.
total profit increase
profit lift in frozen
profit lift in grocery
$6M+ profit, leading convenience retailer
A leading convenience retailer moved KVI compliance from a 50 to 60% baseline to above 99%, and gave every analyst a full working day back each week.
gross profit uplift
added over two and a half years
back to every analyst, weekly
Four modules, one demand model
Hold price image, find the margin
Everyday price solved item by item and zone by zone, with your rules applied and the KVIs shoppers watch held sharp.
Fund the offers that earn their keep
Model deal mechanics, depth, and timing against the base price behind them, and see the basket impact before the ad drops.
The market, matched to your catalog
7M+ competitive prices a day across a 240+ retailer network, matched to your items and fed straight into the price recommendation.
Frequently asked questions
Take control of your markdowns
Bring one seasonal or perishable category. See how the markdowns would have been timed, and what it would have recovered.
