Your Site Sells in Real Time.
Your Buy Plan Shouldn't Be a Guess.
DTC brands make buy decisions months before delivery — with no structured view of what sold, what residualized, and what to do differently. RetailNorthstar is the planning layer DTC brands have been building in spreadsheets.
OTB connected to sell-through history. Assortment planning informed by last season's performance. Buy quantities driven by size curves from your actual DTC data — not category averages.
What makes DTC planning uniquely difficult
DTC brands own their sell-through data — but most can't use it to inform the next buy. The data is in Shopify. The buy plan is in a spreadsheet. Nothing connects them.
No structured view of what sold
DTC brands sit on Shopify sell-through data, but that data doesn't automatically inform the next buy. What sold, what residualized, which sizes ran out first — this analysis happens manually in spreadsheets (or not at all) before each buy review.
Buy decisions made without performance context
Pre-season buys are locked months before delivery. Without a structured hindsight view — sell-through by style, color, and size from the prior season — teams make the next buy on intuition rather than data.
Small team, large planning burden
Most DTC brands plan with a team of 1–3 people. The same individuals managing product development, influencer calendars, and site merchandising are also doing OTB, assortment, and buy planning in spreadsheets.
OTB disconnected from site performance
The OTB spreadsheet and Shopify are two separate systems. Inventory receipts, sell-through actuals, and remaining OTB aren't reconciled automatically — someone has to do it manually before every buy review.
The planning infrastructure DTC brands need
From last season's data to next season's buy
DTC planning questions
What planning software do DTC apparel brands use?
Most DTC apparel brands plan in spreadsheets — Excel or Google Sheets — across multiple files for OTB, assortment, and buy planning. As brands grow past 200–500 SKUs, the disconnection between these files creates reconciliation delays, version control problems, and buy decisions made without structured performance context. RetailNorthstar replaces this spreadsheet stack with a connected planning platform designed for DTC brand workflows.
How does RetailNorthstar connect to Shopify sell-through data?
RetailNorthstar imports sell-through data from your DTC channels — including Shopify — to inform assortment planning and buy decisions. Historical sell-through by style, color, and size is available within the planning workflow so teams can see what sold, what residualized, and what size ratios performed before the next buy is built.
Can a small DTC team run RetailNorthstar without a dedicated planner?
Yes. RetailNorthstar is designed for lean DTC teams — typically 1–5 people managing buying, planning, and merchandising. The platform provides structured workflows for OTB, assortment, and buy planning that guide small teams through the process without requiring a dedicated planning hire or IT resources.
Built for DTC. Live in weeks.
See how RetailNorthstar connects OTB, assortment, and buy planning to your DTC sell-through data — without a dedicated planning team or IT project.