From Market Uncertainty to B2B SaaS Success:

How RELEX Built Its Assortment Management Product While Competitors Had Failed

“Assortment management is retail’s Holy Grail: every retailer wishes someone could tell them what the perfect assortment should be,” explains Tommi Ylinen, Chief Product Officer at RELEX Solutions. The retail software industry had already poured resources into assortment solutions that customers bought and then abandoned. When market pressure pushed RELEX toward the same space, the company hesitated. The upside was real, but so was the risk of building another product nobody would use.

RELEX ran a 6-month product discovery engagement using the Deductive Innovation methodology before writing a line of code. The engagement:

  • Uncovered why previous industry attempts had failed
  • Mapped the complete scope of customer needs
  • Defined an evidence-based product concept addressing both the mathematical and psychological sides of the problem
  • Gave RELEX's leadership a basis for informed decisions on product strategy and development priorities
  • Produced a comprehensive playbook for the development team
  • Validated the approach with key customers before RELEX committed major investment

With a team of just 3-4 people working over 18 months, RELEX built and launched an assortment management product:

5 Customers in Year One

Signed 5 customers within the first year with several already in production use

Strong Pipeline

Built a sales pipeline that included a multi-billion euro grocery chain

Global Expansion

Created a foundation for rapid expansion to 20 customers globally

IDC Leader

IDC MarketScape 2025 assessed their 1-year old product as a "Leader"

“The results have been surprisingly good given how little resources we have spent on it,” notes Ylinen.

This case study covers how systematic customer problem discovery helped RELEX reduce risk, find an optimal path through a market that had defeated other vendors, and build an assortment management product that customers actually use.

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Table of Contents

  • 1. The Challenge: A High-Demand, High-Risk Market

1. The Challenge: A High-Demand, High-Risk Market

For retail software companies, assortment management is both a huge market opportunity and a graveyard of failed products. Industry insiders call it the “Holy Grail,” and it’s also been the industry’s biggest source of expensive failures. Vendors had built solutions that retailers bought and then never fully adopted, despite strong market demand.

RELEX faced a crucial decision. “We had a micro space solution in our Space & Assortment product area,” explains Tommi Ylinen, Chief Product Officer, “but without a dedicated assortment management product, we were losing competitive bids.” Market pressure was building, and COVID-19 and inflation were accelerating changes in retail trends and reshaping purchasing behaviours.

"When I joined RELEX as the Product Lead for Assortment, we faced a critical and incredibly complex challenge. Existing assortment solutions had failed to gain major traction in the past. We needed to understand why. Each market, vertical, and retailer had different needs and processes."

- Jay Hawkins, Head of Product for Assortment and Insights

The stakes were real. A failed product initiative wouldn’t just waste development resources. It could damage RELEX’s market position and relationships with key customers. As Hawkins puts it, “Assortment is the very essence of every single retailer in the world. It was clear we needed to get it right this time.”

The complexity of the problem showed up across the organisation. “As a product manager, I found it challenging to fully survey the problem space and determine which problem to solve first,” explains Jussi Niemi, Product Manager at RELEX. “While we had an initial vision for the product, we needed a way to refine our approach and ensure we built something that would truly succeed in the market.”

RELEX’s leadership had doubts about the business potential and the right approach. “We didn’t want to just pour money into building another product in an area where no one had succeeded before,” explains Ylinen. Before committing significant investment, they needed to understand why previous attempts had failed and validate an approach that would work.

2. A Front-Loaded Approach: Deep Discovery Before Development

Most software companies jump into development with minimal validation, then gradually learn through customer feedback. RELEX front-loaded the work instead, investing in systematic discovery before writing any code.

RELEX partnered with Antti Latva-Koivisto of Deductive Solutions Ltd to apply his Deductive Innovation methodology. They needed more than market research or general development support. They wanted a systematic way to:

Identify the customer problems worth solving

Design a viable product concept grounded on real customer needs before starting development

Define a product strategy that would work in the market

Build a foundation for efficient execution with limited resources

The 6-month engagement had two phases: structured problem discovery and solution concept design.

Deep Problem Discovery

The discovery phase utilised Deductive Discovery methodology. The objective was to find out and document retailers’ all essential customer needs, and map all significant dependencies and concepts across their processes to ensure completeness, rather than stopping at whichever pain points customers happened to mention.

Assortment needs were investigated through:

Customer Sessions

21 sessions with 3 different retailers to map customer problems, business context, processes and planning triggers

Expert Interviews

19 internal interviews with RELEX's domain experts

Business Process Analysis

Study of how retailers review assortment performance, construct plans, and forecast financial impact

Domain Research

Research into industry sources and scientific literature

Data Analysis

Analysis of the input data needed for optimal assortment planning

"Through Antti's discovery work with our customers, internal experts, and product team, we achieved a clear mutual understanding of the assortment challenge," explains Jay Hawkins, Head of Product.

"His ability to gather information from customer interviews, create insightful visualisations, and piece together scattered knowledge helped get everyone on the same page about what the problem was, what our customers were saying, and what we needed to do."

"Some of his illustrations triggered real 'light bulb moments,' which helped us see familiar concepts in new ways."

Comprehensive Solution Design

Findings from discovery were used to design a comprehensive product concept covering:

  • The end-to-end planning process, from supplier relationships to store execution
  • Performance review and root-cause identification of assortments issues
  • Integration of mathematical optimisation with human decision-making
  • Strategic use of loyalty and transaction data
  • Synergies across unified retail planning: macro/micro space planning and replenishment

To design the concept, Antti used his unique Deductive Design methodology, where an optimal solution is deduced from discovered facts rather than guessed at. The approach avoided unnecessary complexity without leaving out critical functionality.

In parallel, the project supported RELEX Labs in their investigation of algorithms needed to implement the concept, so the team could ensure technical feasibility alongside market viability.

"The results formed the foundation for our design, user navigation and solution architecture," notes Sam Welton, VP of Product for Space & Assortment.

"We used them to start to build our go-to-market strategy and make sure we had a credible scope for entering the market."

3. Key Insights

The systematic discovery process revealed insights that changed how RELEX understood assortment management and surprised even veteran retail experts.

"It informed me about areas I hadn't considered, broke certain myths, and gave me new perspectives on what retailers truly required from an assortment solution," admits Welton.


Understanding the Complete Scope of Customer Problems

The research found that previous solutions had failed because they addressed only part of the overall problem.

"There isn't just one optimisation problem to solve," explains Jay Hawkins. "There is a complex selection of related problems that combine mathematical and scientific challenges with psychological elements like trust and change management."

Sam Welton adds: "Antti's systematic approach revealed the true breadth of the topic. It showed that working with suppliers, pricing decisions, introductions and terminations of products, all the way to store execution, and everything in between impacted assortment decisions."

Why Point Solutions Kept Failing

The research explained why point solutions had consistently failed: customers needed a comprehensive product that supported their entire planning process, not just isolated functionality.

This insight shifted RELEX’s product strategy and let the team build something valuable the market didn’t already have.

Foundation for Efficient Execution

The results gave the team clear direction despite limited resources.

"Given the early stage of the product's lifecycle, Antti's professional expertise helped us accelerate our development efforts," explains Jussi Niemi.

With that foundation, a team of 3-4 people could move forward with confidence instead of cycling through trial and error.

The documentation guided 18 months of development and became the team’s reference point on the way to market success with limited resources.

4. Business Impact: Market Success with Minimal Investment

The discovery engagement gave RELEX a clear, validated direction, which their team turned into results with just 3-4 people. A high-risk market opportunity became a product with demonstrated market success.

Rapid Market Traction

"We have successfully built a marketable product that has generated significant interest," reports Tommi Ylinen, CPO. The numbers tell the story:

  • Successfully signed 5 customers during the first year, with several in production use
  • Built a pipeline that included a multi-billion euro grocery retailer
  • Proof of ability to sell assortment management as a standalone product
  • A strong competitive position in the Space & Assortment market

Resource Efficiency

The most impressive aspect was doing this with so little investment.

“Even with very limited resources the results have been surprisingly good,” notes Ylinen.

Fast market traction combined with development efficiency validated RELEX’s decision to invest in thorough discovery before building anything.

Clear Path to Scale

The early traction has set RELEX up for growth.

“We now have five customers, and we are planning rapid expansion to roughly 20 customers globally,” reports Sam Welton.

“That’s a really successful outcome.”

Real Customer Value

Unlike earlier industry attempts that ended up as shelfware, RELEX built a solution that customers actually use.

“We have now onboarded our first customers to production use and the feedback has been highly positive,” reports Jussi Niemi.

“Users have gotten rid of their manual and spreadsheet-based workflows and can now dedicate more time to analysis and decision-making.”

Foundation for Long-Term Success

The comprehensive discovery work still pays off as the team scales. As Niemi notes, “The material and interview recordings have proved vital, and we have often returned to them to better understand customer needs.”

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5. Client Perspectives

The project’s impact is easiest to see through the experience of RELEX’s key stakeholders, who moved from real doubt to a product that works in the market.

From Skepticism to Success: Chief Product Officer

Tommi Ylinen, CPO, began with well-founded caution: “Assortment management is retail’s Holy Grail, but we had seen the industry develop solutions that customers ultimately didn’t use. We didn’t want to just pour money into building another product in an area where no one had succeeded before.”

The discovery work turned that caution into confidence. “The insights and results from Antti’s product discovery and concept design work helped us find the right approach,” Ylinen says.

“Even with very limited resources the results have been surprisingly good. We have successfully built a marketable product that has generated significant interest and that we are excited about.”

Challenging Assumptions:
VP of Product

For Sam Welton, VP of Product for Space & Assortment, the work challenged deep-seated assumptions:

“I had thought that I knew the key aspects relevant about the area. But it introduced new ideas and challenged my assumptions as to what could and should be included for a successful solution.”

The engagement gave the team a strategic foundation. “Antti’s contribution helped inform our design, user navigation and solution architecture. We used the results to start to build our go-to-market strategy and make sure we had a credible scope for entering the market.”

Solving Complex Challenges: Head of Product

Jay Hawkins faced a difficult task as Head of Product: “We faced a critical and incredibly complex challenge. The complexity wasn’t just mathematical. There was a significant human element, and each market, vertical, and retailer has different needs and processes.”

The structured discovery process made a real difference: “Without this approach, it would have taken significantly longer to reach the same mutual understanding of the challenge. The shared understanding across the team served as our foundation to build a tangible product roadmap. His results also provided us with a clear narrative that helped us tell the story when talking to customers and stakeholders.”

Accelerating Development: Product Manager

For Jussi Niemi, Product Manager, the impact was immediate and lasting: “His insights clarified that our customers needed a more comprehensive product than we initially thought. As a result, we had a clear and refined vision on how to move forward with the product. His contribution made my job as a product manager significantly easier.”

Niemi’s experience shows how far thorough discovery work reaches. It shapes the product, and it shapes how the whole business initiative runs.

As Niemi concludes, “It is absolutely crucial to gain a thorough understanding of the big picture at the very beginning. This is particularly important when facing a complex and multifaceted problem that presents multiple possible directions to pursue.”

6. Key Takeaways: 6 Lessons for B2B Product Success

RELEX’s success in assortment management offers several lessons for B2B software product development:

1

Understand the Problem Deeply Before You Build Deep

Complex B2B software requires understanding the whole problem space before building a solution. As Jay Hawkins notes, “We often have a natural tendency to jump straight to solutions, but there isn’t just one optimisation problem to solve. There is a complex selection of related problems.”

2

Systematic Discovery Reduces Risk

By front-loading discovery before investing in product development, RELEX

  1. avoided costly pitfalls and
  1. delivered a successful product
  1. with minimal investment.
3

Cover the Full Problem Space

Understanding the full scope of customer needs, from supplier relationships to store execution, made the difference. This comprehensive view let RELEX build a solution that customers actually use, unlike previous attempts that addressed only fragments of the problem space. Broad discovery uncovered interconnections between different aspects of assortment planning that competitors had missed.

4

A Solution Concept Gives Development a Foundation

A solution concept built on real customer needs gave the team a clear direction. It defined how different parts of the solution would work as a complete system, which let RELEX make confident decisions about product strategy and development priorities.

5

Shared Understanding Aligns Teams for Success

Well-documented and comprehensive discovery results gave the team a shared understanding, which made execution more efficient and scaling the team easier. That documentation kept paying off for years afterward. As Jay Hawkins puts it, “Without this structured discovery process, it would have taken significantly longer to reach the same mutual understanding of the challenge.”

6

Discovery Saves Time and Resources in the Long Run

A 6-month discovery phase using Deductive Innovation let RELEX succeed in 18 months, well ahead of what trial-and-error approaches typically achieve. Deductive Innovation helps find an optimal solution so product teams spend their effort on features that deliver real customer value.

That’s the level of problem understanding that lets a 3-4 person team compete in a market that has already defeated bigger, better-resourced vendors.


7. What This Means for Your Product Strategy

If you’re a product leader in B2B SaaS, RELEX’s experience probably sounds familiar:

1

Pressure to enter new market despite significant risk

2

Need to do more with limited resources

3

Difficulty building products customers will actually use

4

Trouble in aligning teams around a clear direction

Where Deductive Innovation Fits

Deductive Innovation gives software companies a proven way to answer these questions and turn a market opportunity into a working product.

The methodology helps B2B SaaS companies:

Discover and validate customer problems systematically

Reduce development risk through early validation

Develop a product strategy based on facts and evidence, not opinion

Align product, engineering, and go-to-market teams

Design optimal solutions based on deep customer understanding

Execute efficiently with limited resources

Succeed with a high probability

Do you want to discuss how to apply this approach to your software product?

Deductive Innovation Outperforms Traditional Approaches

Contrast Deductive Innovation with more traditional approaches to product development:

Ready to minimise product risk with systematic discovery of customer problems? Let's talk.

Interested in Applying This to Your Product Initiative?

If you are facing a similar decision, a market with real upside but high risk, I’d be glad to talk through how Deductive Innovation could apply to your situation.

Contact me to explore how Deductive Innovation can help your team build a successful B2B software product.

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Discovery is the Cornerstone of Progress

"Antti's work was a real cornerstone of our progress, as it was a direct line from the engagement with him into the customer related activity and development. We now have five customers, and we are planning rapid expansion to roughly 20 customers globally. That's a really successful outcome of Antti's work."

– Sam Welton, VP of Product

Understanding Core Problems is Essential

"Antti excels at discovering and understanding the core problems to solve, which is essential for building a successful product."

– Jay Hawkins, Head of Product

Problem Discovery Fast-Tracks Development

"Antti has exceptional expertise in the critical early-stage product development tasks – discovering customer needs, producing a holistic view of a complex problem space, and analysing it. I warmly recommend Antti for such an engagement, especially when the goal is to fast-track the development of your new product."

– Jussi Niemi, Product Manager

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About RELEX Solutions and Deductive Solutions

RELEX Solutions

RELEX Solutions provides a unified supply chain and retail planning platform that aligns and optimises demand, merchandising, supply chain, operations, and production planning across the end-to-end value chain.

Founded in Finland in 2005, RELEX has grown into a global company with over €300M in revenue and 2300 employees in 21 countries. RELEX serves top-tier global retailers and consumer goods companies with AI-driven, data-centric software solutions. Their platform helps businesses drive profitable growth across all sales and distribution channels, with higher product availability, increased sales, and better sustainability.

Deductive Solutions

Deductive Solutions helps B2B and Enterprise SaaS companies build software with a better fit to customer problems.

Founded by Antti Latva-Koivisto, a product specialist with over 25 years of experience in B2B software, the company applies his Deductive Innovation methodology to help clients systematically discover customer problems, evaluate product opportunities, and design solutions that succeed in the market. Clients build B2B products faster and with fewer resources than traditional methods typically require.

© Antti Latva-Koivisto, Deductive Solutions Oy Ltd, 2025-2026