[MARKETING.GROWTH]
Merchandise Planner
Extended Desk provides dedicated merchandise planners who bridge the gap between sales targets and inventory investment. These specialists analyze historical data and market trends to ensure the right products are in the right locations at the right time, balancing stock availability against capital efficiency.
Our planning teams integrate directly into your retail operations to manage seasonal allocations, replenishment strategies, and open-to-buy budgets. This allows your business to remain agile while maintaining high sell-through rates and protecting gross margins.
The problem
Without dedicated merchandise planning, retailers often face extreme inventory imbalances that lead to trapped capital or missed revenue. Relying on manual tracking or gut feeling often results in overstocks of slow-moving items and stockouts of bestsellers, which erodes customer trust and reduces overall profitability.
The solution
Extended Desk provides professional merchandise planners who implement structured forecasting and inventory control processes. Your business gains a clear view of stock performance, data-backed procurement decisions, and a scalable way to manage product lifecycles across diverse categories and sales channels.
The Challenge
Excess inventory leading to aggressive markdowns and eroded margins
Constant stockouts on high-demand items causing lost sales opportunities
Inaccurate sales forecasting that disrupts procurement and logistics planning
Poorly allocated stock across different channels or physical locations
Lower cost
than local hire
Save up to compared to hiring locally
Fixed monthly rates. No hidden fees for equipment, benefits, or overhead.
What you
actually get.
Forecasting and demand planning
Dedicated planners use historical data and seasonal trends to predict future sales with accuracy, ensuring your purchasing matches actual market demand.
Open-to-Buy management
Strategic control over inventory investment ensures your cash flow is optimized and your purchasing stays within defined budget parameters.
Optimized stock allocation
Products are distributed efficiently across stores and digital channels to meet specific regional demand and improve stock turn.
Markdown and clearance strategy
Structured exit plans for slow-moving stock protect your overall margins and free up shelf space for new arrivals and higher-performing categories.
Regular performance reporting
Detailed insights into sell-through rates, stock turn, and gross margin return on investment provide a clear picture of retail health.
How we
build it.
Every engagement follows a structured lifecycle designed to turn your need into a high-performing, continuously improving operation.
Discover
We analyze your current retail footprint, inventory systems, sales cycles, and historical performance data to understand your specific planning needs and challenges.
Design
Our team establishes the planning framework including key metrics, reporting cadences, and decision-making protocols for stock movements and purchasing approvals.
Recruit
We source candidates with retail math expertise and experience in your specific category or price point to ensure they understand your specific market dynamics.
Onboard
Planners are integrated into your inventory management systems and trained on your specific brand standards, promotional calendars, and seasonal timelines.
Operate
The planning function begins regular cycles of forecasting and replenishment under a managed framework that prioritizes stock health and margin protection.
Uplift
We conduct regular reviews to refine forecasting models and identify opportunities for category expansion or deeper margin optimization as your data set grows.
Ready to extend?
Merchandise planning is delivered as a specialized, data-focused function that stabilizes inventory levels and improves long-term retail profitability.