Ashutosh Sharma, General Manager – Strategy and Product operations, Urbanic and Savana by Urbanic
Fashion has entered a phase where speed, precision, and adaptability matter as much as creativity. As trend cycles shorten and consumer behaviour becomes increasingly unpredictable, the traditional fashion operating model built on long planning cycles and intuition-led decisions is no longer sufficient. Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, has moved from an enabler to the core infrastructure that enables fashion businesses to operate at scale.
In my role leading strategy and product operations at Savana by Urbanic, technology sits at the centre of how decisions are made across forecasting, inventory planning, supply chain execution, and digital experience. Fashion today generates vast volumes of data, but the real advantage lies in converting those signals into timely operational action. AI enables a shift from reactive responses to predictive planning, allowing teams to anticipate demand rather than respond after momentum has already passed.
Forecasting is one of the most impactful areas where AI is reshaping fashion operations. Instead of relying solely on historical trends, AI-driven models analyse real-time sales velocity, consumer engagement, repeat-purchase behaviour, and regional demand patterns. These insights directly inform assortment depth, inventory positioning, and replenishment priorities. The outcome is improved sell-through, reduced excess stock, and the ability to scale high-performing products with greater confidence while maintaining control over risk and working capital.
Digital platforms, particularly mobile apps, have become a critical layer in this operational ecosystem. Apps are no longer just transactional touchpoints; they function as continuous feedback engines. Every interaction, search behaviour, product views, wishlists, conversions, and drop-offs feed into intelligence systems that sharpen demand signals. This level of granularity allows teams to respond faster and with greater accuracy than traditional channels ever allowed.
App-led personalisation further strengthens this loop. AI-powered recommendation systems not only improve discovery for consumers but also generate insight into emerging preferences at scale. From an operations perspective, this data informs pricing strategies, assortment curation, and inventory allocation decisions. The app becomes both a demand-sensing and demand-shaping tool, tightening the feedback loop between consumer behaviour and execution.
Operational visibility plays a critical role in resilience. Integrated technology platforms provide real-time oversight across inventory movement, logistics performance, and fulfilment accuracy. When disruptions occur, whether driven by demand volatility or external constraint, teams can identify bottlenecks early and intervene before inefficiencies escalate. This reduces reliance on manual firefighting and allows operations to scale predictably, even under pressure.
AI is also transforming product operations by shortening feedback loops. App-based reviews, returns data, and engagement metrics inform pricing adjustments and assortment optimisation while products are still live. Instead of waiting for post-season insights, teams can course-correct in near real time, ensuring decisions remain aligned with active consumer response rather than retrospective analysis.
What is often described as smart fashion is less about surface-level innovation and more about intelligent systems working in sync. When app intelligence, forecasting, inventory planning, and performance analytics operate as a unified loop, brands gain the agility to respond to trends in weeks rather than months without compromising service levels or consistency.
The future of fashion will belong to brands that treat technology as a core operational capability across both backend systems and consumer platforms. As demand becomes increasingly real-time, competitive advantage will be defined by how quickly and intelligently brands can sense, predict, and execute. Fashion today is not just about what you create, but how efficiently relevance is delivered at scale.
About Author
Ashutosh Sharma brings over six years of e-commerce expertise in scaling businesses and driving sustainable revenue growth. He currently leads Savana’s rapid expansion in the Middle East, prioritising operational excellence and customer acquisition. A strategy leader at Urbanic, and previously led large-scale healthcare initiatives at Tata Trusts, and Deutsche Bank, Ashutosh is passionate about pioneering market innovations and fostering high-impact strategic collaborations.
About Urbanic
Headquartered in London, Urbanic is a global fashion brand dedicated to harmonising creativity and sustainability through advanced technology. Since its inception, the company has focused on empowering consumers with high-quality fashion that integrates innovation with social responsibility. Recognised as one of the fastest-growing fashion retailers in key emerging markets, Urbanic is actively reshaping the industry landscape by championing tech-driven, sustainable, and creative retail solutions.
Disclaimer
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