Value Retailer Unlocks Improvements with New Merchandising Roadmap
Evaluation of existing core merchandising processes, tools, and organization to develop a multi-year transformational merchandising roadmap
Client Challenge
The client is a $1.4 billion retailer operating 278 stores and e-commerce, offering fashion merchandise and home goods using presentation tactics of high-end department and specialty stores to target an affluent customer base while providing prices competitive with off-price retailers. The company had defined many solid initiatives to drive top-line profitable sales and address the need to move quickly. Leadership recognized, however, that they were stymied by existing, legacy system limitations and inefficient business processes.
Of particular concern was their merchandising solution, specifically related to merchandise planning, allocation, markdown optimization, promotional planning, and reporting. These inefficiencies added workload to many of their teams in the corporate office and stores. The client wished to reduce the manual work required, standardize their metrics and reporting tools, and enable the ability for company leaders to make fact-based decisions quickly.
Parker Avery Solution
Parker Avery assessed the client’s business processes, evaluated the current technology environment, and identified other issues that inhibited corporate and individual growth, purchasing ease, and accountability. The team worked closely with the client in the following activities:
- Conducted interviews, store visits, and shadowing sessions to review the client’s merchandising, inventory management, and marketing processes and solutions
- Analyzed current core merchandising capabilities, including business processes, systems, documentation, and reporting
- Conducted a change readiness survey to understand the client’s capacity to transform the business
- Summarized findings and presented a gap analysis against industry best practices, tailored to the client’s unique business model and defined vision
- Synthesized potential benefits into five key initiatives, outlining anticipated complexity, change management needs, and workload impact
- Created a prioritized multi-year detailed capabilities roadmap identifying quick wins to build momentum while respecting the client’s bandwidth for day-to-day operations
Results
Parker Avery was subsequently engaged to support the implementation of the new merchandising roadmap. Upon completion, the roadmap is expected to significantly improve product assortment, inventory turnover, employee satisfaction, marketing effectiveness, and company profitability while positioning the company for continued substantial growth.
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