We've run retail planning implementations from inside the major vendors. We know where projects fail, where scope creep happens, and where vendor teams cut corners. Now we work exclusively for the retailer.
Every major planning software vendor assigns a delivery team to your implementation. That team's incentives — billing targets, satisfaction scores, renewal quotas — are aligned to the vendor, not to your outcomes.
We spent years on that side. We know exactly where projects quietly fail, where scope gets managed down, and where corners get cut to hit a go-live date.
"We left the vendor world to do one thing: work exclusively for the retailer."
of enterprise software implementations run over budget, over schedule, or both — McKinsey
Typical retail planning implementation timeline across MFP, assortment, and allocation modules
Minimum cost of a full-scope implementation engagement — before internal resource costs
Number of vendor-side delivery teams whose incentives are fully aligned with the retailer's outcomes
Most of our work is the middle one — but we're built for all three stages of a retailer's planning software journey.
Before you've chosen a platform. We evaluate vendors against your actual business requirements — not their marketing claims. We've seen every major platform's real capabilities from the inside. We know where the gaps are.
Defined 6–10 week engagement. Deliverable: a scored vendor assessment and recommendation you can take to your board.
Your dedicated delivery manager — embedded throughout the full implementation. We run daily standups with the vendor's development team, manage scope, lead SteerCo presentations, deliver user training, and own post-go-live success.
We represent your interests exclusively. Monthly retainer engagement over the full implementation lifecycle.
For implementations that have already gone off track. Scope creep, missed milestones, team misalignment, or a vendor relationship that has broken down. We assess, stabilize, and re-route.
These engagements come to us by referral. If you're in this situation, reach out directly.
We've delivered projects across the leading retail planning platforms. Our advice is vendor-neutral because we have no commercial relationship with any of them.
We learn your current state — where you are in the vendor journey, what platforms you're evaluating or already live on, and what's not working.
We define the engagement — which service, timeline, and deliverables. Clear scope, fixed monthly retainer, no surprises.
You get a dedicated senior delivery manager with direct experience in your platform and planning domain — MFP, AP, or replenishment.
We run standups, manage the vendor team, protect your scope, lead SteerCo reporting, and handle user training and change management.
We stay through post-go-live stabilization and help you define the next phase of your planning roadmap.
Retail Neutral was founded by a team of senior delivery managers who collectively spent years on the vendor side — at companies like o9 Solutions, Symphony Retail, Impact Analytics, and invent.ai — running implementations for some of the world's most recognized retailers.
We've led project kick-offs, designed solutions, managed data science and development teams, presented at SteerCos, delivered user training, and owned post-go-live customer success. We've seen what works, what vendors promise vs. what they deliver, and where implementations quietly fail.
We left the vendor world to do one thing: work exclusively for the retailer.
Whether you're evaluating vendors, six months into a go-live, or watching a project quietly unravel — we're worth a conversation. No pitch, no pressure.
We take on a limited number of engagements at a time to ensure every client gets a dedicated senior practitioner. If the timing works, we'll tell you honestly.