MANAGING INVENTORY - SELECT CONTENT 

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 8th week where our playbook focuses on managing inventory effectively, through markdowns, forecasting, and open-to-buy management.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

MANAGING MARKDOWNS 

• Why take markdowns (markdown introduction)

• The cost of a markdown

• Markdown rate

• Markdowns and profitability

• Markdown types - calculating firm and promotional markdowns

• Markdowns and inventory levels 

• Case: Markdown rate scenario 

• Markdown or vendor allowance

• Trend: The markdown shift

• The case for quick, hard markdowns early

• How merchandise seasonality affects markdowns

OPEN-TO-BUY MANAGEMENT 

• Purchase order tracker

• Open-to-buy (OTB)

• Overcoming changes in the supply chain 

TEST YOUR SKILLS | Change in Gross Margin Rate

FORECASTING EFFECTIVELY - SELECT CONTENT 

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 7th week where our playbook focuses on effective forecasting and driving inventory productivity, especially in fashion businesses.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

EFFECTIVE FORECASTING 

• Forecasting benefits

• Forecasting basics

• External factors affecting a forecast | Economic considerations | Environmental factors | Competitive forces

• Internal forecasting considerations 

• Avoid these forecasting pitfalls | Inc: 7 Tips for Improving Your Sales Forecasting 

• Monthly sales forecasting 

• The importance of comparing actual sales to plan

• Forecasting sales high | Forecasting sales low 

• Overcoming a forecasted sales shortfall

INVENTORY PRODUCTIVITY

• Daily flash sales

• The difference between gross sales and net sales

• Defining a sales trend  | Reading a trend line

• An introduction to sell-thru

• Sell-thru and productivity 

• Sales per square foot 

• A deeper look into sales per square foot 

• Redistributing inventory between stores

• Average inventory (AVG INV)

• Inventory turnover (TURN)

• Sell-thru and productivity

• Stock-to-sales ratio (STS)

• Weeks of supply (WOS

• Negotiating for a return to vendor (RTV)

PLANNING PURCHASES - SELECT CONTENT

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 6th week where our playbook focuses on managing receipt flow and inventory effectively and planning purchases using a merchandise plan.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

• Purchase plan 

• Cumulative mark-up (CMU) and planning

• Vendor terms and impact on receipt planning 

• Receipt flow and inventory 

• The importance of an appropriate flow of goods 

• Purchase Order

• Cumulative Mark-Up (CMU)

• Following a purchase plan

EXPECTED TIME TO COMPLETE: 30 minutes

MANAGING RECEIPTS AND INVENTORY - SELECT CONTENT

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 5th week where our playbook focuses on managing receipt flow and inventory effectively and planning purchases across channels.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

RECEIPT AND INVENTORY FLOW

• Understanding inventory introduction

• Beginning of month inventory (BOM)

• End of month inventory (EOM)

• Inventory's affect on sales

• Inventory age and sales 

• Impinging inventory scenario

• Stock-to-sales ratio (STS)

• Inventory peaks and valleys

• Purchase plan

• Cumulative mark-up (CMU) and planning

• Vendor terms and impact on receipt planning 

• Receipt flow and inventory 

• The importance of an appropriate flow of goods  

CROSS CHANNEL INVENTORY PLANNING

• Negotiating for distribution

• Brand Matrix

• Initial Sales Plans

• Store Clusters | Buying for store clusters

• Store Space Allocations

• Inventory Distribution

EXPECTED TIME TO COMPLETE | 2 hours

PLANNING CONSUMER DEMAND - SELECT CONTENT

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 4th week where our playbook focuses on quantifying item purchases and planning key item programs.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

• DOWNLOAD | Q2 merchandising plan

• Merchandising plan intro 

• Merchandising plan - key metrics

• Merchandising plan - reading rows and columns

ITEM DEMAND PLANNING

• The Demand Signal - Item Opportunities

• CASE | Identifying missed opportunities 

• CASE | Repeat item opportunity

• Introduction to Post Season Item Opportunity

• Sell-thru

• Average retail and sell-price

• The significance of average sell-price and average retail price

PRE-SEASON PLANNING

• Why create pre-season plans | Pre-season plan objectives

• Ways to achieve growth

• PLANNING METHODS| Top-Down Planning | Bottom-Up Planning

SKILLS TEST

• Item Demand Planning

FEEDBACK FORM

Tell us what you think of the course so far. How is the pace? Is the content format easy to follow? How would you rate us overall? Please provide us with your feedback in the survey one-pager. 

EXPECTED TIME TO COMPLETE | 1.5 hours

CATEGORY PLANNING - SELECT CONTENT

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 3rd week where our playbook focuses on category-level assortment analysis, strategy and planning.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

CATEGORY ANALYSIS

• The importance of item and category analysis

• CASE | Dinnerware category analysis

CATEGORY PLANNING

• Assortment Building Intro

• Assortment Planning Language

• Assortment Planning Introduction

• Category Planning Methods

• Contribution reports

• Commodity-Based Assortment Plans

• Key Item assortment strategy

• CASE: Basics Retailers - Uniqlo

• Brand matrix

• Average Retail

• Size analysis

EXPECTED TIME TO COMPLETE THIS WEEK | 1 hour

PROFIT AND PRODUCT COST - SELECT CONTENT

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 2nd week where our playbook focuses on profit and how we can effect this important aspect of creating a sustainable fashion business as merchandise planners.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

COSTING FOUNDATION

• Costing foundation introduction

• Product cost

• Discounting cost

• Landed cost

• The benefits of cost planning | Cost of sales | Inventory cost values 

PRICING

• Product pricing affect on sales

• Case: Incorrect pricing implications - Target US vs. Target CAN

• The significance of average retail and sell-price

• Pricing architecture

P & L BASICS

• Profit and loss basics

• Gross margin and gross profit

• Calculating gross margin

• Calculating gross profit

• Gross margin - an overview | Gross margin and gross profit 

• Operational expenses | Operational expenses and profit | Calculating gross profit

  Expenses and profit

MARK-UP

• Mark-up is potential profit

• Calculating mark-up

• Initial mark-up

SELF-DIRECTED SKILLS TESTS

• A tee's gross margin

• Gross margin - challenge your understanding

EXPECTED TIME TO COMPLETE | 1 hour

HINDSIGHT BUSINESS REVIEW - SELECT CONTENT

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 1st week where our playbook focuses on some foundational topics including the seasonal business review.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

INTRODUCTION

• Merchandise planning role introduction

• Merchandise planner responsibilities

• Fiscal calendar

• Retail or Cost Method of Planning

FOUNDATIONAL RETAIL MATH

DOWNLOAD Calculations

Retail Math introduction | Using contribution and business blends
 | Using rate | Average in retail | Business increases

POST-SEASON REVIEW

The post-season analysis conducted by the planning manager is key to setting plans for the upcoming season. It should be thorough, insightful, and present meaningful conclusions.

• Effective post-season review to influence | Post season tools

• Benchmarking | Case 1: Coach's Slowing Growth | Case 2: In the midst of change at the big 4 surf brands

• Business overview and summary statement 

• CASE| Post-season category analysis - Board Retailing Inc. 

• Exception methods of analysis

POST-SEASON TOOLS

Merchandising plan introduction | Key Metrics | Reading Rows and Columns | DOWNLOAD Q2 Merchandising Plan

METRIC INTRODUCTION

•  Key business metrics

• Defining a sales trend 

• Comparative store sales 

• Average Inventory introduction | Reading Average Inventory Results| Understanding a higher inventory result | Lower inventory levels

EXPECTED TIME TO COMPLETE | 2 hours

Merchandise Planning online course launch

SELECT CONTENT

Our online Merchandise Planning course is our most popular advanced course. Retail Buyers, Product Planning teams and Sales Directors love this course. Below is a sample of some of the topics we cover in the 8-week online course. You will use our Playbook For Growth to apply the course content to your own business. Then you dive deeper into the month's theme with supporting resources online, and in the community discussions.

*This course is now offered by our partners over at Productlytics.

Speed matters. Style matters. And more than anything, seeing ahead matters. Login today.

EXPECTED TIME TO COMPLETE | up to 12 minutes