Centric Software vs RetailNorthstar
Centric Software and RetailNorthstar are not direct competitors. They solve different problems in the apparel business — and many brands that use Centric still need RetailNorthstar.
Centric is a product lifecycle management (PLM) platform — it manages design, specs, and production. RetailNorthstar is a merchandising planning platform — it manages OTB, assortment, buy planning, and allocation. If your OTB and buy planning still live in spreadsheets, Centric didn't replace them. RetailNorthstar does.
PLM vs merchandising planning: what each term means
Managing a product from concept to shelf
PLM tools track everything that happens during product development — sketches, specs, tech packs, colorway management, material sourcing, supplier collaboration, sampling, and production handoffs.
Centric Software is the leading PLM platform in apparel. It excels at managing product data from the design team through the factory.
Deciding what to buy, how much, and for whom
Merchandising planning tools manage the financial and assortment decisions that happen before and during a season — how much open-to-buy budget is available, which styles are in the assortment, how many units to buy, what size ratios to use, and how to allocate inventory to channels.
RetailNorthstar is purpose-built for this workflow — OTB, assortment, buy planning, and allocation are native, not configured on top of a generic platform.
The most common pattern: a brand buys Centric for product development and immediately discovers their OTB and assortment planning workflow is unchanged — still running in spreadsheets. Centric was never designed to replace those spreadsheets. RetailNorthstar is.
Capability comparison
| Capability | Centric Software | RetailNorthstar |
|---|---|---|
| Product lifecycle management (PLM) | Core strength — spec management, design collaboration, tech packs | Not a PLM tool. Focus is on planning, not product development. |
| OTB planning | Not a native workflow. Requires customization or spreadsheets alongside Centric. | Native OTB planning workflow — financial targets, open-to-buy calculations, in-season tracking |
| Assortment planning | Product assortment can be tracked, but financial assortment planning is limited | Full assortment planning — style-color-size depth, financial reconciliation, buy alignment |
| Buy planning & execution | Not a core workflow — POs may be tracked but buy planning is absent | Buy planning native to workflow — vendor, unit, and cost breakdown tied to assortment |
| Allocation optimization | Not within scope of Centric's core platform | Allocation planning with channel and door-level visibility |
| Financial + merch reconciliation | Financial planning is not tightly integrated with assortment decisions | OTB, assortment, and financials reconcile in real time within one workflow |
| Design-to-commercial handoff | Design and production live in Centric. Commercial planning (OTB, assortment, buys) does not — teams reconcile manually in spreadsheets. | RetailNorthstar starts where product concepts exist and connects them to the commercial plan — line list, visual review, assortment build, and buy — without re-entry. |
Centric wins on product development. RetailNorthstar wins on every merchandising planning workflow that follows product development.
Where Centric leaves planning teams on their own
Apparel brands that implemented Centric for PLM often discover that the planning work that drives their buy decisions is still happening outside the system.
Which tool fits your situation
- ~Strong product development and spec management
- ~Good for design-to-production workflows
- ~Established in the apparel industry
- ~Your primary pain point is product data management, not buy planning
- Merchandising-first: OTB, assortment, buy, allocation all native
- Finance and merchandising in one reconciled view
- Faster time to value
- Modern UI designed for merchant workflow speed
- You are already on Centric but still planning in spreadsheets
Understanding the total cost
Centric implementations are enterprise projects with enterprise price tags. If your primary need is OTB and assortment planning — not PLM — you may be buying far more complexity than the problem requires. Directional estimates only.
Cost ranges are directional estimates. Actual Centric implementation costs vary by scope, modules selected, and partner rates. Contact RetailNorthstar for pricing →
Adding RetailNorthstar alongside Centric
RetailNorthstar complements or replaces the planning layer of Centric, focusing on financial and assortment planning where Centric is weakest.
You do not need to replace Centric to use RetailNorthstar. The common implementation adds RetailNorthstar as the planning layer — OTB, assortment, and buy planning — while Centric continues managing product development and tech packs. The two systems operate in parallel on their respective strengths.
- →Tech packs and spec management
- →Colorway and product data
- →Supplier and sampling workflow
- →Design-to-production handoff
- →OTB financial planning
- →Assortment decisions and depth
- →Buy planning by style, vendor, and channel
- →Allocation optimization
Centric vs RetailNorthstar questions
What is the difference between Centric Software and RetailNorthstar?
Centric Software is a product lifecycle management (PLM) platform. It manages the design-to-production workflow — tech packs, spec management, supplier collaboration, and product development. RetailNorthstar is an apparel merchandising planning platform. It manages the financial and assortment planning workflow — OTB, buy planning, assortment structure, size curves, and allocation. The two tools address different phases of the apparel business calendar. Many brands use a PLM tool like Centric for product development while still running merchandising planning in spreadsheets. RetailNorthstar replaces those planning spreadsheets.
Can Centric Software handle OTB and assortment planning?
Centric Software can track products through assortment lists, but OTB planning, financial assortment reconciliation, and buy planning are not native workflows in Centric. Brands using Centric for PLM typically run their OTB and buy planning in separate spreadsheets alongside Centric. RetailNorthstar is built specifically to replace those planning spreadsheets with a connected OTB, assortment, and buy planning workflow.
Do I need to replace Centric to use RetailNorthstar?
No. RetailNorthstar and Centric serve different functions and can be used at the same time. Centric handles product development from concept to production. RetailNorthstar handles financial and assortment planning — OTB, buy quantities, size curve decisions, and allocation. The most common scenario for brands with both tools is: Centric for PLM and product development, RetailNorthstar for the planning layer that currently lives in spreadsheets.
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RetailNorthstar handles what Centric doesn't.
See how RetailNorthstar replaces spreadsheet-based OTB, assortment, and buy planning — in 2–4 weeks, no IT required.