Merchandising Planning Software
for Apparel Brands.
Merchandising planning is the connected workflow that takes a brand from financial budget through assortment decisions, buy commitments, and inventory allocation - all in one system. RetailNorthstar is built for it.
When OTB, assortment and buy plans live in separate spreadsheets, every change has to be re-keyed from file to file, so the plans drift apart between reviews. RetailNorthstar replaces those spreadsheets with one connected workflow on a shared data model - purpose-built for apparel complexity, live in weeks.
Four connected workflows. One platform.
Each workflow in RetailNorthstar feeds the next. Changes in one update the others automatically - no manual reconciliation between files.
OTB Planning
Calculates open-to-buy budget by category and channel. Sets the financial guardrails before assortment and buy decisions are made. Updates in real time as commitments change.
Assortment Planning
Determines which styles, colors, and sizes to carry within the OTB budget. Plans at style-color-size depth with seasonal collection structure built in.
Buy Planning
Converts assortment decisions into structured purchase commitments - quantities by style, vendor, channel, and size. Reconciled against OTB in real time.
Allocation Planning
Distributes confirmed inventory across channels and store doors using AI-assisted recommendations based on door-level sell-through history.
Each layer has its own page: assortment planning software for the product layer, from style, color and size depth to the OTB ceiling, and merchandise allocation software for the distribution layer, from channel splits to door-level quantities.
What merchandising planning covers
Apparel-specific from the start
A generic planning platform starts from a generic product hierarchy, so size curves, seasons and collections have to be configured before apparel teams can plan in it. RetailNorthstar ships with apparel built in - these capabilities are native, not configured.
Connected to the full planning workflow
Creative line plans and visual boards feed product decisions into the merchandising workflow.
OTB, assortment, size curves, and seasonal planning as one connected plan.
Merchandising decisions flow directly into structured buy plans, PO generation, and vendor execution.
Mid-market and growing apparel brands
DTC Brands
OTB connected to Shopify sell-through. Assortment built for direct channels.
Wholesale Brands
Account-level buy commitments, seasonal windows, channel splits.
Luxury & Premium
Limited-depth assortment logic, margin-first planning, exclusivity management.
Mid-Market & Contemporary
Growing brands that have outgrown spreadsheets but need to be live this season.
Apparel merchandising workflows, native.
Purpose-built for what apparel planning teams actually do - not a generic platform configured to approximate merchandising. Live in weeks, maintained by us, native apparel workflows out of the box. Comparing vendors across the wider category? Our guide to merchandising software for apparel brands sets out the evaluation criteria and where each type of vendor fits, this one included.
Merchandising planning questions
What is merchandising planning software?
Merchandising planning software is a category of business software that manages the financial and assortment planning workflow for retail and apparel brands. It covers open-to-buy planning (how much to spend), assortment planning (what to carry), buy planning (how many units to commit to and from whom), and allocation planning (how to distribute inventory across channels and stores). It replaces spreadsheet-based workflows, in which each of those decisions sits in its own file and every change has to be carried into the others by hand. RetailNorthstar is a purpose-built merchandising planning platform for apparel brands.
What does RetailNorthstar cover in the merchandising planning workflow?
RetailNorthstar covers the complete apparel merchandising planning workflow: OTB planning, assortment planning, buy planning, and allocation optimization. All four workflows are connected in a single platform - changes to the assortment update the buy plan, and changes to the buy plan update the OTB position. No manual reconciliation between files. Apparel-specific capabilities - size curves, seasonal OTB, collection structure, and multi-channel buys - are native to the platform.
How does OTB connect to assortment automatically?
In RetailNorthstar, OTB budgets and assortment plans share the same data model. When you set an OTB budget by department, channel, and season, the assortment plan inherits those constraints automatically. Every style you add to the assortment is checked against the OTB ceiling in real time - no manual reconciliation spreadsheet required.
Can I manage size curves from historical sell-through?
Yes. RetailNorthstar analyzes prior-season sell-through data at the size level and generates recommended size curves for each style or category. You can accept the recommendation, adjust it manually, or override it entirely. The system learns from each season to improve future size recommendations.
How does carry-over analysis work?
Carry-over analysis in RetailNorthstar compares continuing styles against new introductions using sell-through velocity, margin contribution, and inventory position. The system flags styles that are candidates for carry-over and shows the financial impact of keeping versus dropping each one - so you make the decision with full context, not gut feel.
How is RetailNorthstar different from general retail planning software?
General retail planning software is built around a generic product hierarchy, so apparel-specific needs - size curve management, seasonal OTB, collection structure, fashion seasonality - have to be configured onto it before an apparel team can plan in it. RetailNorthstar is designed specifically for apparel brands, so these capabilities are built in. Enterprise rollouts of general planning platforms are scoped as a separate programme, delivered with an implementation or systems-integration partner and contracted separately from the licence. RetailNorthstar onboarding takes weeks, and no IT resources or external implementation partner are required.
Who is RetailNorthstar built for?
RetailNorthstar is designed for mid-market and growing apparel brands that have outgrown spreadsheet-based merchandising planning. This includes DTC apparel brands, wholesale brands, luxury and premium labels, and contemporary fashion companies. The platform is used by merchandising leaders, buyers, merchandise planners, and allocation teams at brands that need a purpose-built planning system without the complexity and cost of enterprise PLM or supply chain platforms.
See connected merchandising planning in action.
Start a free trial and work through a full apparel planning workflow - OTB through allocation - in one connected system, live in weeks.
No credit card. No commitments.
Connected merchandise planning — live in weeks, not quarters.