Apparel Assortment Planning Template

What this template is for

The Apparel Assortment Planning Template provides a structured framework for apparel brands to build their seasonal assortment — from carry-over decisions through new introduction selection, depth targets, and size curve assignment.

It is designed for brands currently planning in blank spreadsheets and looking for a more structured starting point. It does not replace a connected planning system — but it imposes useful discipline on the assortment process before a platform is in place.

Best for: Mid-market DTC or wholesale apparel brands with 100–500 active SKUs planning one seasonal assortment (SS or FW).

Template structure

Tab 1: Assortment Summary

| Column | What to enter | |---|---| | Category | Department / category (e.g., Tops, Bottoms, Outerwear) | | Style count target | Planned number of styles in this category | | Depth target per style | Average units per style (OTB ÷ style count) | | Carry-over target | # of styles returning from prior season | | New intro target | # of new introductions this season | | Newness % | New intros ÷ total style count | | Planned IMU % | Target gross margin at original price |

Tab 2: Style-Level Plan

| Column | What to enter | |---|---| | Style # | Internal style identifier | | Style name | Description | | Category | Department / category | | Status | New / Carry-over / Test | | Prior STR % | Prior season sell-through rate (carry-overs only) | | Planned depth | Total units planned across all sizes | | Planned cost | Cost per unit | | Planned retail | Retail price | | IMU % | Auto-calculated: (Retail − Cost) ÷ Retail | | Channel | DTC / Wholesale / Both | | DTC depth | Units allocated to DTC channel | | Wholesale depth | Units allocated to wholesale channel | | Size curve | Reference to size curve tab | | Notes | Any flags or decisions |

Tab 3: Size Curve Reference

| Column | What to enter | |---|---| | Curve ID | Reference name (e.g., "Tops-Standard", "Bottoms-Petite") | | XS | % of total units in XS | | S | % of total units in S | | M | % of total units in M | | L | % of total units in L | | XL | % of total units in XL | | XXL | % of total units in XXL | | Source | Prior season data / Category average / Estimated |

How to use this template

Step 1: Set your category-level targets in Tab 1 before selecting any styles. Start with style count targets — this constrains the depth available per style.

Step 2: Pull prior-season sell-through for all carry-over candidate styles. Enter prior STR % in Tab 2 for each.

Step 3: Apply your carry-over criteria (e.g., minimum 55% STR to re-enter). Mark styles that don't qualify for removal.

Step 4: Identify new introductions and add them to the style list. Keep new intro depth conservative relative to carry-over depth.

Step 5: Assign a size curve from Tab 3 to each style. Check that the size curves reflect your actual sell-through history, not generic category averages.

Step 6: Cross-check: total planned units × average cost vs. your OTB. If total cost exceeds OTB, reduce style count or depth before finalizing.

Template limitations

This template covers assortment structure but does not:

• →Auto-update OTB as you make changes
• →Connect assortment decisions to the buy plan
• →Track in-season sell-through against the plan

When these limitations become material — typically above 300 SKUs or when pre-buy reconciliation is taking more than a day — a connected planning platform replaces the template.