State of Apparel Merchandising Planning 2026
An analysis of how mid-market apparel brands are currently planning — what tools they use, where planning breaks down, and what separates high-performing planning operations from the rest.
Overview
The apparel merchandising planning function is in a structural transition. After a decade of incremental spreadsheet sophistication — more complex workbooks, more tabs, more cross-file formulas — mid-market brands are encountering the ceiling of what disconnected tools can support.
This analysis examines the current state of apparel merchandising planning at brands in the $10M–$200M revenue range: the tools in use, where planning workflows break down, the cost of those breakdowns, and what distinguishes high-performing planning operations from the rest.
The Prevailing Planning Stack
For most mid-market apparel brands, the planning stack looks roughly like this:
OTB: A department-level spreadsheet managed by the planning team, updated manually as purchase orders are placed. The OTB file is typically separate from both the assortment plan and the buy plan.
Read the full 2026 report.
Annual benchmark report on apparel merchandising planning — how brands in the mid-market range approach OTB, assortment, and in-season management.
- OTB accuracy benchmarks by brand size and channel mix
- Planning cycle length and revision frequency data
- Tools and systems in use across mid-market apparel brands
- What high-performing teams do differently across 5 planning dimensions
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