Real-time inventory management is crucial for retailers to make a sale and gain an appreciative customer, as it enables them to manage stock across multiple physical and digital channels and locations in real-time, avoiding lost sales and frustrating customers. Without real-time inventory, retailers risk losing money on the table, inflating costs, and reducing the accuracy of their forecasts and planning. It also optimizes order fulfillment and shipping costs by having items delivered from a closer store or warehouse, and enables retailers to optimize inventory, yield management, and supply-chain management. Additionally, it provides a unified national order-fulfillment strategy, letting retailers pool geographically clustered store locations and warehouses to contribute to a single inventory.