Supposing you ran an orchestra and you had to negotiate salaries. Your true love was the woodwinds and you dealt with them first. When you were finished, you had the best woodwind section in the country, but no money left for the strings, the brass, percussion or any other section necessary to play the music your concert attendees desired. Now what?
Of course, that’s an extreme example, but I hope you see my point. If you put too much emphasis in certain areas and neglect others, you lose balance. In your store, you want to have balance so you can please the majority of your customers. Please note that I did not say all of your customers because that will put you into problematic territory.
Your customers come to your store expecting to see an assortment of the items they desire. They rely on your good taste to pre-select the items they will choose from. Too much and they become confused, too few and they lose interest. So, how do you know the right quantities to buy? Open to Buy planning will guide you to choose the best available merchandise in each of the departments you carry for delivery at the right time.
Using Open to Buy will make you a better item selector because it will give you limits. You will “shop” the market to find the best items rather than just buying whatever you think might sell. Working within these guidelines is a sure path to success.
Because you have so many elements to bring together in your store, you need an Open to Buy plan that is easy to use, takes little time, and is accurate in developing your buying plan. The plan you need is myotbplan.com. We support you 10 hours every day of the year by phone and email, there’s no contract and no risk because of our Performance Guarantee.
Bring your merchandising to a crescendo of harmony that will make your customers revel in your retail mastery. You can do it with myotbplan.com. Let’s talk!
