Assortment planning template
A ready-to-use Excel assortment planning template for apparel brands — organize styles, colors, channels, price points, drops, and buy quantities in one view, with margin calculated automatically.
- One row per style/color so the whole range lives in a single view
- Auto margin column — =(Price − Cost) ÷ Price — to keep profitability visible
- Channel columns to tag each option — store, ecomm, wholesale, or a mix
- Planned units per style, with planned sales calculated automatically (units × price)
- Status column to track each option from concept to confirmed
Merchandisers, buyers, and brand owners building a seasonal range — anyone who needs a single, shareable view of every style and color before styles are locked. It suits emerging and growing apparel brands that have outgrown a scattered set of notes and want one structured assortment plan across categories and channels.
- Set the season and collection/drop so the plan is scoped to one buy.
- Add a row per style and color, filling in category, price, and cost — margin calculates automatically.
- Tag each option’s channel in the channel columns — store, ecomm, wholesale, or a mix.
- Enter planned units — planned sales calculates automatically from units × price — then use the status column to move each option from concept to confirmed.
This template is useful when the workflow is owned by one person or one small team. It starts to break when multiple teams need the same version of the plan, when inputs change frequently, or when decisions need to flow into assortment, buying, purchase orders, production, and allocation.
Use the spreadsheet to get started. When the process becomes too manual, RetailNorthstar connects the plan, assortment, buy, PO, and production workflow.
RetailNorthstar turns assortment planning into a connected workflow across line plan, visual boards, buy plans, sizing, POs, and allocation. From line plan to production, RetailNorthstar connects merchandising, design, buying, sourcing, and operations in one workflow.
Related: buy plan template, line plan vs assortment plan, and the open-to-buy calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- What is assortment planning?
- Assortment planning is the process of deciding which styles, colors, and price points a brand will offer in a season, and how those options are split across categories, channels, and drops. The goal is a balanced range that covers customer needs without over-optioning any one area.
- What is included in this assortment planning template?
- The template gives you one row per style/color with columns for season, collection/drop, category, style, color, price, cost, an auto-calculated margin, channel tags (store, ecomm, wholesale, or a mix), planned units, planned sales calculated from units and price, status, and notes. Sample rows are included so you can see the structure before replacing them with your own plan.
- How is margin calculated in the template?
- Margin is a formula, =(Price − Cost) ÷ Price, formatted as a percentage. As you change price or cost on a row, the margin updates automatically so you can see profitability while you build the range.
- Is the assortment planning template free?
- Yes. Enter your name, work email, and company and the Excel download starts immediately. There is no cost and no trial.
A spreadsheet assortment plan works until it lives in many versions across teams. RetailNorthstar keeps the assortment, buy, and production plan connected and current.
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