Retail assortment planning has historically been a very broadly defined capability under which many different activities fall. However, at a high level, this critical retail process represents the practice of developing different product ranges or collections for targeted groups of customers. While often combined with item planning, assortment planning is typically a precursor to item planning and is done pre-season.

In this guide, Parker Avery’s assortment planning experts provide a comprehensive overview of the assortment planning process, key assortment planning competencies and their importance, as well as common mistakes and challenges we have witnessed throughout Parker Avery’s many client projects. We also explore assortment planning best practices and innovations that can help improve this key retail capability.