Door-Level Demand Index Formula
How apparel allocators calculate door-level demand — the index that separates A-doors from tail doors for allocation priority.
What Door-Level Demand Index measures
Door-level demand index compares a door's sales to the chain average. It sorts doors into performance tiers, which then drive allocation priority, fashion depth, and size-curve decisions.
Door Index = Door Sales ÷ Average Door SalesAn index of 1.0 means the door is at chain average. 1.2 means 20% above; 0.8 means 20% below.
Worked apparel example
A door doing $48K in a week against a $35K chain average.
Door Index = $48K ÷ $35K = 1.37
Strong A-door. Allocate fashion depth, accelerate replenishment, prioritize for new launches.
Index of 1.37 — A-door. Prioritize for fashion depth and chase.
How it drives decisions
| Index | Tier | Action | |---|---|---| | 1.2+ | A-door | Deep fashion, fast replenishment, new-launch priority | | 0.85–1.2 | B-door | Plan allocation, standard replenishment | | < 0.85 | C-door | Core-only, limited depth, consider cluster downgrade |
Failure modes we see
Index calculated chain-wide, not by category. A door might be 1.4 in Tops and 0.8 in Outerwear. A chain-wide index of 1.1 misses both realities — over-allocating Outerwear and under-allocating Tops.
How RetailNorthstar handles door-level demand
Door indices compute at category and class grain, not just chain-level. Seasonality adjustments apply — a door that is A in summer and B in winter gets the right index for each season.
Related formulas
- Fair-Share Allocation — how the index drives unit distribution
- Replenishment Trigger — index modifies trigger levels
See door-level demand indices live by category, with allocation recommendations attached.
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