How do I choose between different assortment planning tools for planning assortments across multiple store formats?

To choose between assortment planning tools for multiple store formats, focus less on feature lists and more on how well each tool supports your merchandising workflow, data model, and decision process across formats.

1) Start with your use cases

Define exactly what “assortment planning” means for you:

• Do you need top-down line planning, bottom-up SKU/store clustering, or both?
• Are you planning by channel, region, store cluster, or individual store?
• Do different formats need different:
  • price tiers
  • depth/width of assortment
  • pack sizes
  • brand mix
  • seasonal cadence

If the formats differ a lot, you’ll want a tool that handles hierarchies and store clustering well.

2) Check multi-format capabilities

The tool should support:

• Multiple store hierarchies
  • format → region → cluster → store
• Assortment localization
  • different assortments by format or store cluster
• Attribute-based planning
  • color, size, fit, price band, season, style, vendor
• Comparable-store analysis
  • so you can benchmark similar stores across formats

If a tool only plans at one level, it can become hard to use when formats diverge.

3) Evaluate how it handles data

A good tool should ingest and use:

• POS sales
• inventory and availability
• returns
• margins
• store attributes
• product attributes
• constraints like fixtures, capacity, and open-to-buy

Important questions:

• Can it connect to your existing ERP/merchandising systems?
• Does it refresh data fast enough for planning cycles?
• Can it work with imperfect or incomplete data?

4) Look at optimization vs. usability

Some tools are powerful but hard for planners to use. Others are easy but too manual.

Ask:

• Does it recommend assortments automatically, or is it mostly a spreadsheet replacement?
• Can planners override recommendations?
• Can you explain why the tool recommended a SKU for one format but not another?
• Is the workflow intuitive for merchandising teams?

For multi-format planning, explainability matters a lot because planners need to justify differences across stores.

5) Assess scenario planning support

You’ll likely need to compare scenarios like:

• smaller vs. broader assortment
• different price architectures
• format-specific exclusives
• regional localization
• inventory depth changes

The best tools let you quickly compare outcomes like:

• sales
• gross margin
• stock turn
• sell-through
• space productivity

6) Consider execution integration

Assortment planning is only useful if it ties into execution:

• allocation
• replenishment
• space planning
• merchandising calendars
• buying and open-to-buy
• product lifecycle management

If the tool doesn’t integrate well, planners may create good assortments that are hard to execute consistently across formats.

7) Compare governance and collaboration features

For multiple formats, you usually have more stakeholders:

• central merchandising
• format managers
• regional teams
• planners
• buyers
• supply chain

Look for:

• version control
• approval workflows
• audit trail
• role-based access
• comments/annotations
• clear ownership by format or cluster

8) Validate vendor fit with a pilot

Don’t choose based only on demos. Run a pilot on real data and test:

• 2–3 store formats
• one category with strong differences across formats
• one seasonal and one evergreen category

Measure:

• time saved
• quality of recommendations
• planner adoption
• impact on sales/margin
• ability to explain and defend decisions

9) Use a scoring matrix

Score each tool 1–5 on:

• Multi-format support
• Store clustering/localization
• Data integration
• Ease of use
• Scenario analysis
• Explainability
• Workflow/collaboration
• Integration with downstream systems
• Scalability/performance
• Vendor support and implementation effort

Weight the categories based on your priorities.

10) Red flags to watch for

Be cautious if the tool:

• assumes one assortment fits all stores
• requires heavy manual Excel work
• can’t model store clusters or attributes
• lacks transparent logic
• doesn’t integrate with existing systems
• is too complex for planners to actually use

Practical rule of thumb

If your business has materially different store formats, prioritize tools that support:

1. store clustering and localization
2. attribute-based assortment decisions
3. scenario modeling
4. easy planner overrides with explainability
5. integration with downstream allocation/replenishment

If you want, I can also give you:

• a vendor evaluation scorecard template
• a requirements checklist
• or a comparison framework for 3–5 tools you’re considering.