Netstock vs Algo: From Allocation to End-to-End Planning Intelligence

Many businesses begin with tools like Netstock — straightforward, rules-based systems built for basic allocation and replenishment. They help ensure stock gets where it’s needed but offer limited visibility into what drives those needs.

As complexity grows — from expanding SKUs and suppliers to changing go-to-market strategies — these systems hit their ceiling. That’s where Algo steps in: turning replenishment into end-to-end planning that connects demand, supply, and financial reality.

So which one fits your business best? Here’s the quick verdict before we dive deeper.

Quick Verdict

Netstock: Best for small teams using straightforward, rules-based allocation and replenishment. Works well where demand patterns are stable and product portfolios are simple.
Algo: Built for mid-market to enterprise businesses managing category growth, promotions, and financial complexity — where forecasting accuracy and constraint-aware planning drive performance.

Bottom line: If you only need to allocate stock, Netstock gets it done. If you need to plan the buy — across demand, supply, and cash — Algo is the natural progression.

Capability Comparison: Rules-Based vs Intelligence-Driven Planning

While Netstock’s AI-assisted forecasting functionality remains largely rules-based — focused on basic demand modelling rather than integrated, constraint-aware planning.

Algo takes this further. Its AI is designed to connect demand, supply, and financial data in one continuous model, turning forecasts into financially aligned buy plans.

Here’s how the two tools differ when it comes to forecasting depth, financial alignment, and planning intelligence.

Capability	Netstock	Algo
Allocation & replenishment	✅ Rules-based	✅ Automated + Scenario-aware
Demand forecasting	⚙️ Foundational	✅ Advanced (AI/ML + promotions, seasonality, NPIs)
Constraint modelling	⚙️ Basic	✅ Multi-layered (MOQs, lead times, cash, capacity)
Financial integration	❌ Limited	✅ Full alignment with finance + working capital
Scenario planning	❌	✅ Built-in simulations for “what-if” decisions

Who Each Is For

Many teams start with Netstock because it solves an immediate problem: getting stock in the right place. But as complexity grows — from short lifecycle or high-value items to constantly promoted categories or sporadic sales patterns — those rules-based systems begin to strain. Growth only adds more SKUs, channels, and moving parts. That’s when businesses move to Algo for planning that looks upstream and connects every decision back to demand and cash flow.

Netstock

Smaller distributors or retailers
Teams needing simple replenishment rules
Organizations with fewer SKUs or stable demand patterns

Algo

Mid-market to enterprise retailers and distributors
Businesses managing complex SKUs, promotions, and seasonality
Teams facing supply or capacity constraints
Finance teams seeking tighter alignment between inventory and working capital

The Planning Gap

Allocation tools — even those now referencing AI — solve the where of inventory. But real performance comes from mastering the why behind every order. The planning gap appears when systems optimise placement but lack upstream intelligence — the ability to see demand shifts, supplier constraints, or financial impacts before they happen.

That’s where planning platforms like Algo close the loop. By connecting demand forecasts with supply, capacity, and cash flow, Algo transforms replenishment into a proactive process — ensuring every buying decision supports service, margin, and working capital targets.

It’s not about replacing allocation tools like Netstock; it’s about elevating them with upstream intelligence.

Cost & ROI Considerations

Netstock: Lower cost, limited visibility

Netstock’s strength lies in its simplicity and price point. For smaller businesses, the low licence cost and quick setup make it an attractive way to automate replenishment. But the trade-off shows up downstream — when excess inventory ties up cash, promotions aren’t forecasted accurately, or service levels plateau. The trade-off appears when visibility ends at the warehouse — not at the balance sheet.

Without upstream visibility into demand, supplier constraints, and financial alignment, teams can end up reacting to stock imbalances rather than preventing them. Over time, that reactivity costs more than the software licence itself — through margin leakage, stockouts, and working capital locked in slow-moving inventory.

Algo: Higher capability, measurable return

Algo represents a larger investment but one that pays back quickly through measurable financial outcomes. It’s designed for organizations ready to move from allocation to full planning, where every decision — what to buy, when, and why — is data-driven and financially aligned.

Algo’s ROI comes from alignment — every plan serves both the shelf and the CFO.

By combining advanced forecasting with constraint-aware planning and scenario modelling, Algo helps businesses improve service while reducing excess and freeing up capital.

Across implementations, Algo typically delivers:

2–4 points of margin improvement through smarter buys and fewer stockouts
10–20% reduction in excess inventory by aligning buys with true demand
Faster cash recovery through better GMROI and working capital optimization

The bigger picture

It’s not a question of which tool costs more — it’s which one keeps more value in your business.
For teams scaling beyond simple replenishment, Algo pays for itself in months, not years.

Migration Path: From Netstock to Algo

Switching from allocation-only to end-to-end planning doesn’t mean starting from scratch. In fact, most teams already have the foundation in place — they just need to layer Algo’s planning intelligence on top of their existing replenishment process.

Algo’s onboarding is designed to be collaborative, transparent, and low-risk. Instead of replacing Netstock, Algo integrates with your current workflows to add the upstream visibility that allocation alone can’t provide.

Here’s how a typical 90-day migration unfolds:

0–30 Days: Data Audit & Forecast Rebuild

The first step is connecting your data and rebuilding your forecast models. Algo’s team helps validate master data, review historical demand, and identify where existing rules may be driving inefficiency — such as overstated safety stocks or reactive reorder points.

Data health check (SKUs, locations, lead times, constraints)
Forecast alignment workshop
Baseline accuracy and bias assessment

31–60 Days: Constraint Modelling & Scenario Setup

Next, the focus shifts to making the plan real. Algo’s planning engine incorporates supplier lead times, MOQs, capacity limits, and working capital targets — producing scenarios that show how different buying strategies affect service and cash.

Configure constraints and policy drivers
Run “what-if” scenarios to model impacts
Align inventory targets with finance and operations

61–90 Days: Buy Plan Integration & Allocation Hand-off

Once the buy plans are approved, Algo connects directly with your allocation tool — handing off replenishment recommendations for execution. You maintain your familiar Netstock workflows, now powered by a smarter upstream plan.

Seamless API or CSV integration with your allocation system.
Plan validation and cross-functional sign-off
Transition to ongoing performance monitoring and optimization

Key Message: Not Rip-and-Replace — Layer and Elevate

For many teams, Netstock remains the right tool for replenishment. What’s missing is the planning intelligence above it. Algo closes that gap — helping you forecast more accurately, buy more confidently, and free up cash tied in stock without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Ready to Move Beyond Allocation-Only Planning?

Netstock provides a foundation for basic allocation. But when decisions need to account for demand volatility, supplier limits, and financial goals, Algo becomes the natural progression — delivering the intelligence and alignment simple systems can’t.

Algo isn’t only for teams that have outgrown their allocation tools — it’s for those managing broader category portfolios, omnichannel operations, or fast-changing go-to-market strategies where every buy needs to align with service, margin, and cash goals.

Whether you’re scaling operations, expanding product lines, or trying to protect margin in volatile markets, end-to-end planning isn’t a luxury — it’s a competitive advantage.

The fastest-growing distributors and retailers are already doing it — layering Algo to plan smarter and grow stronger.

It’s time to close the planning gap.

Algo helps growth-focused teams move beyond allocation to build connected, end-to-end inventory plans that perform.