Inventory visibility has become the pressure point exposing how fragile many so-called digital supply chains really are, according to RepSpark’s 2026 State of Wholesale for Lifestyle Apparel Brands report. Despite confidence in operational performance, the study shows that manual workarounds still underpin forecasting, ordering, and execution at surprising scale.
A Digital Facade Hiding Manual Operations
RepSpark’s analysis of more than $5 billion in platform transaction volume highlights a clear disconnect between perceived operational strength and the systems that run the day-to-day work. While 81% of brands rate their operations as good or excellent, 80% report persistent visibility challenges across inventory, suggesting that performance often depends on extra effort rather than structural reliability.
Spreadsheets remain embedded in core planning routines, with 52% of brands still using manual files to forecast demand. That reliance fragments data, slows consolidation, and raises the risk of inconsistent decisions when conditions change. Only 19% of brands report full integration with their enterprise resource planning platforms, so order, inventory, and financial data often move through batch updates or human re-entry instead of flowing in near real time.
This operating reality strains both cost and resilience. Teams frequently compensate for system gaps by increasing safety stock or adding extra checkpoints between functions, which may stabilize service in the short term but inflates working capital and reduces agility. Industry reports across sectors point to similar patterns: organizations that depend heavily on offline tools often carry more inventory and react slower to shifts in mix or channel than peers with integrated planning and execution.
The report also shows how customer expectations are racing ahead of this manual backbone. Three-quarters of buyers would change suppliers for a superior digital ordering portal offering consumer-grade speed and shipment tracking. That preference reflects the normalization of real-time order status, delivery notifications, and self-service changes in retail and parcel logistics, where technology investments over the last decade have reset the standard for business-to-business interactions.
Capital Flows to Logistics and Partnerships, Not Expansion
The study indicates that many enterprises are channeling investment toward network stability rather than market growth. Sixty percent of large firms are prioritizing logistics spending over geographic expansion as they navigate economic uncertainty. That tilt reinforces a pattern seen in broader trade data, where companies delay new market entries but upgrade transportation capacity, warehouse capability, and contract logistics to protect service and cost performance.
Instead of wide-scale supplier rotation, 43% of brands are reinforcing existing partnerships to secure flexibility. That approach reflects a recognition that capacity, reliability, and data-sharing maturity can matter more than simple cost comparison when conditions tighten. Longer-term or broader agreements with established partners can support faster allocation shifts, collaborative forecasting, and joint mitigation when demand or sourcing patterns move unexpectedly.
The demand profile captured in the report mirrors this need for adaptability. Reorders increased 32.8% year over year, while international orders climbed 177.4%. Smaller, more frequent orders concentrate pressure on visibility and orchestration, because planners must position inventory closer to the customer and align production or procurement with tighter cycles. Digital platforms emerge as the primary engine for scaling cross-border flows under these conditions, since they can standardize data capture, order processing, and tracking across diverse markets.
Automation and AI adoption, however, lag behind strategic intent. While 90% of executives view AI as critical to future competitiveness, two-thirds of brands report that 10% or less of their workflows are automated. That gap suggests that pilots, proofs of concept, and high-level roadmaps are not yet translating into embedded tools for forecasting, exception handling, or risk sensing. Recent technology surveys across manufacturing and consumer sectors point to similar friction: fragmented data models, limited change management, and unclear ownership often stall responsible scaling.
The Next Phase: From Visibility Problem to Design Choice
The report’s figures describe more than a technology deficit; they reveal a structural design choice that favors tactical fixes over foundational integration. As inventory becomes the real-time lever for revenue protection, margin, and capital efficiency, operating models built on manual spreadsheets and partial ERP connections will struggle to keep pace with volatile demand and rising customer expectations.
