Context: Stockout rate is best understood as a signal of execution timing, breaking when demand shifts faster than decisions adjust, not because inventory is insufficient.

Challenges: Forecasting, procurement, and operations act in sequence rather than in sync, with local demand spikes and promotion effects tolerated until review cycles catch up, so by the time stockouts appear in reports replenishment decisions are already committed.

Solution: The Supply Availability Guidance Agent, an AI agent built using Microsoft Copilot Studio, monitors demand and supply signals as they drift beyond tolerance and intervenes during expedite and rebalancing decisions, flagging emerging risk while inventory is still movable.

Impact: Retailers adopting this approach see teams intervene before shortages harden into lost sales, with availability becoming a consequence of timely execution rather than excess inventory.