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What modern planning platforms change in retail.

By Olivier Delande · 2 July 2026 · 6 min read

We have been helping brands modernise their planning processes for more than fifteen years. Here is what we see in the field, use case by use case.

Connected planning tipped over in five years

In fashion and luxury, adoption has taken a massive leap in five years. The scope now runs from merchandise planning to supply chain optimisation, from financial planning to manufacturing. Even highly operational processes such as distribution are now integrated into planning solutions.

Put simply: if you see a product on the shelf, a modern planning platform has very probably crunched the numbers, optimised the transport cost and recommended shipping it to that exact spot. The gains show up in sell-out, on-shelf availability and cost.

Merchandising: from the sales plan to in-season steering

For merchandising teams, the journey runs from preparing upcoming seasons to dynamically fine-tuning the current collection's assortment. These are processes usually held in Excel that become secure:

Sales plans, buy plans and margin targets by season and collection
Range plans and range building
Pricing: automated local price lists in local currencies from a base 100, and benchmarking against competitor offers
Assortment: store clustering, product grading, life cycles, seasonality curves
Buying sessions and buy quantification
Optimal store setups and replenishment quantities by size
Assortment analysis and optimisation, markdown steering

Many of these are quick wins: easy to roll out, and warmly received by the teams.

Supply chain: synchronised stock

For supply chain, the focus remains distribution and the ability to get the right product to the right place at the right time. Platforms bring a complete framework:

Product life cycle and status management, including end of life and stock constraints
Statistical forecasting for core lines, sales profiles for seasonal items
Prioritisation logic and full automation of the replenishment calculation
Handling disruptions: temporary store closures, delays to the central warehouse
Stock rebalancing and store-to-store transfers

These projects produce measurable gains. On real cases we have seen stock-outs reduced by 30%, sell-through improved by 20% and sell-out up by 2%.

Finance: processes aligned with the financial plan

Finance gains a great deal from integrating its FP&A framework with the tools used in merchandising and supply chain. That integration finally connects financial performance to its operational drivers: sales, supply, production. The scope usually covered:

P&L, consolidation, balance sheet and cash flow planning
Top-down sales planning by channel, category and country
Cost of goods sold, stock equations and depreciation
Departmental planning, allocations by cost centre
Marketing spend: media, events, shows
CAPEX and workforce planning

What the latest generation genuinely changed

Using technology to smooth retail planning is nothing new. A decade ago we were already working with a major Paris house, on a previous-generation solution, to recommend jewellery allocations to boutiques using sophisticated prioritisation rules.

What changed is accessibility. Simpler, more powerful solutions have made business planning broadly available, replacing Excel and overly rigid tools. Four decisive contributions:

Modelling flexibility, allowing a tailored model for each brand
Automation of part of the chain, from data collection to complex calculations
On-the-fly scenario simulation
Collaboration between teams, through to assortment localisation