initially, Pressler focused on cost cutting, consumer research, and more targeted marketing of the three brands. working with CFO Byron Pollitt, whom he had brought over from Disney, Pressler shut down hundreds of stores, consolidated production among fewer suppliers, and revamped inventory management. He reduced the inventory per square foot by 16%. He attempted to increase margins by selling clothes closer to full price. To end panicky clearance sales, Pressler ordered managers to rely increasingly on software that would tell them when and by how much to mark down merchandise. Micro-management was replaced by hands-off leadership. Pressler was not as interested in product details. He left specific color and design decisions to Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic division heads. Pressler devoted more attention to areas visible to the customer, including marketing and store atmosphere.
He hired what he called a "chief algorithm officer" to analyze the sales from every cash register. It turned out that Gap had been sending the same size assortments to stores with different selling pattern. He initiated customized deliveries --- for instance, sending more extra-larges to places that needed them. Each chain also instituted "guardrails" that defined what portion of a store's inventory should go toward basic colors and styles regardless of how varied the floor displays were. All this served to cut the need for discounting, and profit margins improved