First Insight, a Pittsburgh-based SaaS innovator founded in 2007 by CEO Greg Petro, has become a market leader in AI-powered predictive analytics for merchandising, assortment, and pricing. The company’s Agentic AI platform, fueled by machine learning, generative AI, and the proprietary “Voice of the Customer” (VoC) technology, enables retailers and brands worldwide, such as M&S, Gap, Kohl’s, Woolworths, Under Armour, and Family Dollar, to optimize every decision from design and assortment to pricing and markdowns. With its latest GenAI and human-computational modeling tools on display at NRF 2025, First Insight is redefining how real-time customer signals shape profitable retail strategies.
How First Insight Works
At its core, First Insight gathers Voice of the Customer data through targeted digital surveys, online engagement, and social media testing. The company’s AI models analyze this large-scale real-time consumer input—thousands of responses per product per region—and convert it into high-precision forecasts for demand, optimal pricing, market fit, and trend velocity. AI-driven Value Scores™ and margin mover algorithms surface the revenue and profit potential of every new product, letting merchants refine assortments and pricing before costly investments and markdowns.
According to CEO Greg Petro, “Our AI-powered platform transforms consumer data into profitable actions, enabling businesses to deliver on financial goals by delivering products, experiences, and promotions that truly align with what customers want”.
Retailer and Brand Benefits
For brands and retailers, First Insight’s AI delivers several measurable advantages:
- Higher Margins and Sell-Through: First Insight’s clients report 3–8% improvements in margin and 30–50% faster sell-through versus historical averages, by eliminating poor-performing SKUs and accelerating bestsellers to market.
- Pricing and Markdown Optimization: The Demand Curve and pricing simulation tools help avoid unnecessary markdowns and maximize initial price points for new launches.
- Inventory Efficiency and Reduced Waste: Insights enable tighter alignment between buy quantities and true customer demand, reducing overstocks and stockouts.
- Agility and Global Adaptation: First Insight’s multilingual surveys and AI allow customization for different markets, enabling global brands like Marks & Spencer to expand digital innovation for all clothing and home product lines
Richard Price, Managing Director of Clothing & Home at M&S, notes, “First Insight’s AI-driven intelligence has empowered us to get closer to our customers and offer a more compelling fashion-led experience as we seek to become more relevant to more people, more often”.
AI Innovation and Market Leadership
First Insight has consistently invested in research and partnership, expanding into new geographies and supporting hundreds of retailers from mass-market to luxury. Its $14 million growth equity round (Updata Partners, 2015) accelerated platform development and global sales.
By combining historical sell-through metrics with forward-looking AI and VoC, First Insight gives retailers a “pre-season edge”—revealing what customers will want, pay, and share across any channel or continent.
Future Outlook
As retail heads deeper into a hybrid, customer-driven age, First Insight’s mission is to “bridge the gap between consumer desires and actionable business strategy.” With generative AI now embedded at every stage—product development, assortment planning, pricing, and customer experience—First Insight continues to enable global brands to move from intuition to profitable, data-backed retailing with confidence and speed.
As CEO Greg Petro sums up, “Retailers face a pivotal moment where acting on customer preferences is the ultimate competitive advantage”. In a world of fast-churning trends and margin pressure, First Insight offers the AI-driven edge to win—store by store, SKU by SKU.
