What does a Merchandise Planner/Allocator use to make inventory decisions?

A Merchandise Planner/Allocator primarily relies on sales data and analytics to make informed inventory decisions. This involves analyzing past sales trends, seasonal patterns, and demand forecasting to determine the quantities and types of products that should be stocked. By examining this data, planners can identify which items are selling well, which are underperforming, and how inventory should be allocated across different retail locations. This data-driven approach helps ensure that merchandise meets customer demand while optimizing stock levels to minimize excess inventory.

While customer feedback and product reviews (the first option) can provide valuable insights into consumer preferences, they do not typically guide the quantitative aspects of inventory management. Visual merchandising strategies (the second option) focus more on how products are displayed in stores rather than on inventory levels and allocation. Vendor pricing structures (the fourth option) are important for understanding cost management and pricing strategy but do not directly inform how much product to stock based on sales performance. Thus, sales data and analytics are essential for effective merchandising planning and allocation processes.