NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ) is doubling down on AI-driven retail insights. The consumer intelligence company has expanded NIQ Activate, its customer insights and analytics platform, with new Assortment Planning & Optimization capabilities designed to help retailers refine product mix, improve planograms, and optimize distribution.

As first-party data becomes increasingly critical in navigating shifting consumer behaviors and complex supply chains, NIQ Activate positions itself as a strategic enabler, combining advanced analytics, predictive planning, and collaboration tools into a single platform.

Smarter Assortments with AI

The newly enhanced Assortment Planning & Optimization toolkit empowers retailers to:

• Model multiple “what-if” scenarios for product mix and distribution.

• Apply in-app rules to enforce strategic guardrails.

• Align assortment scenarios with the needs and behaviors of key customer segments.

• Leverage automated customer decision trees to map the full purchase journey, from initial need recognition to final product choice.

By integrating these insights with loyalty data, category dynamics, and brand affinity metrics, retailers can optimize assortments while maintaining high-value products on the shelf. Early adopters have seen up to a 7% increase in sales and gross profit by streamlining assortments by roughly 10%.

Driving Operational Efficiency and Supplier Collaboration

“Our solutions are designed to help retailers navigate shifting consumer behaviors with precision, agility, and deep consumer understanding—so they can lead, not follow,” said Troy Treangen, Chief Product Officer at NIQ.

The platform enables merchants to simulate assortment changes, identify high-loyalty items, and optimize distribution at the store level. The result: improved operational efficiency, more room for innovation, and stronger collaboration with suppliers.

NIQ’s Global Impact

NIQ Activate now serves as a strategic hub for over 23,000 clients worldwide, with active collaboration programs across more than 50 retailers and thousands of suppliers. By providing a unified view of the market and actionable AI-driven insights, NIQ helps retailers make faster, smarter, and more connected decisions—fueling growth and sharpening their competitive edge.

This expansion underscores NielsenIQ’s role as a trusted partner in the retail ecosystem, equipping brands and retailers with the tools to harness first-party data and AI to anticipate consumer needs, optimize assortments, and drive performance in an increasingly dynamic market.

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