Where apparel planning
should be in five years.
Long-form stance pieces from the RetailNorthstar team on the structural forces reshaping apparel merchandising — AI, implementation timelines, the mid-market gap, and what "connected planning" actually means.
We have an opinion. We publish it.
All perspective pieces
The Mid-Market Planning Gap
Mid-market apparel brands are not small enterprises. They are a different shape, and that shape, not price, is what most planning software gets wrong.
Read perspective →The In-Season Reforecast
The pre-season plan is a hypothesis with a short shelf life. The in-season reforecast is where planning earns its keep, and where most teams run too slowly.
Read perspective →AI in Apparel Merchandising
Most AI announcements from apparel software vendors are answers to a different question than the one operators are asking.
Read perspective →The Death of the 12-Month Implementation
For two decades, enterprise planning software meant a 12-month rollout, an SI partner, and an implementation priced separately from the licence.
Read perspective →Connected vs. Integrated
'Connected planning' is the most overused phrase in apparel software marketing.Most tools that claim it are integrations of separate tools.
Read perspective →Want our take on a specific question?
If there is something you want us to write about — or just talk through — get in touch. The feedback shapes what gets published next.
Connected merchandise planning — live in weeks, not quarters.