Organizations are looking for retail assortment planning capabilities and management software with natural integration and scalability. The extent of this solution should encompass global access and scalability.
Additionally, the solution should offer integrated planning for performance marketing and merchandising capabilities, provide customer-centric assortments, drive real-time pricing and promotion modeling and localized recommendations, and must provide global support.
This custom vendor landscape is intended to provide a retail planning outlook, and a shortlist of viable vendors to aid organizations in discovering the Assortment planning software market.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Localization is the primary business factor behind the increasing number of assortment planning and management initiatives and technology investments.
- Organizations must carefully think through their localization strategy when expanding globally, which may include assortment planning, operating in multiple languages, working with local logistics partners and e-commerce marketplaces, and tailoring marketing strategies for local social media and digital channels.
Impact and Result
A strategic view of retail planning and intelligent assortment management processes and systems improves customer choice and profitability.
Assortment Planning and Management Report
Core Industry Technologies and Software Selection
Understanding the current outlook
Objective |
Vendor Criteria |
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In evaluating the market space for assortment planning software, Info-Tech’s analysts looked at the following vendor attributes:
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Selection Rigor Matters
Organizations need to carefully think through their localization strategy when expanding globally, which may include assortment planning, operating in multiple languages, working with local logistics partners and e-commerce marketplaces, and tailoring marketing strategies for local social media and digital channels.
Defining assortment planning software
Market Definition |
Key Trends |
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An assortment planning and management solution aids in creating consumer-centric plans through a comprehensive grouping of planning and execution processes that links merchandise planning with purchasing, allocation, and replenishment through continual validation against strategic goals. |
Localization is the primary business factor behind the increasing number of assortment planning management initiatives and technology investments. |
Presetting these processes not only saves the enterprise time and labor gathering and understanding large amounts of data; it also speeds up pricing and promotion and exploits the merchandise financial outlook for the enterprise. With greater assortment visibility, the organization can improve its decision-making and reduce localization risk. Assortment management software can be deployed on-premises or as a SaaS-based model. However, the SaaS-based model is increasingly attractive because it enables organizations to save further time and labor hours by outsourcing support and maintenance. |
Source: Statista, 2022. |
Leading end-to-end practice process
End-to-end planning applications

Integrated planning approach
Planning |
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Integrated Strategic Planning |
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1. Merchandise Planning | 2. Channel Clustering | 3. Assortment Planning | 4. Location Planning | 5. S&OP Demand Planning | 6. Digital & Social Media Planning | 7.Price, Promotion Markdown Planning |
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Top-level features
Feature Name |
Description |
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Item planning and target creation |
Pre-season and in-season planning with financial indicators that include sales, markdown, receipts, inventory, gross margins, and open-to-buy. |
Channel clustering and segmentation |
Grouping of channels, stores, and locations into clusters based on similar key attributes for category or customer behaviors. |
Range plan and roll-up |
Ensure assortments match consumer demand and provide assortments to customer preferences. |
Item creation commitments |
Create complex item management capabilities, including setup and maintenance of the item descriptions and attributes, weights, and dimensions. |
Demand forecasting |
Provide planning forecasts for short-, mid-, and long-term assortment models with little human involvement. |
Order management and reconciliations |
Facilitate the order management process across management suppliers. |
Allocation rationalization |
Use of sales demands forecast and stockholding to drive allocation and replenishment. |
Application automation (AI) |
Applications leverage embedded science, AI, and automation to provide an effective assortment strategy to maximize return on investment. |
Analytics, reporting, and dashboards |
Access to real-time dashboards and data interpretation, which can be exported as reports in a range of formats. |
Vendor Quadrant
This quadrant is an unbiased overview of the landscape. The results are based on the expert opinion of the analyst and detailed secondary research.
Legend
Vendor Functionality
Does the vendor have a substantial breadth and depth of capabilities in the assortment management software space?
Vendor Footprint
How big is the vendor? What’s the viability of the vendor? And do they have a valid roadmap?
Key players
Info-Tech identified platforms applicable to the use case. The platforms are listed in alphabetical order.
Analyse2 Offers cloud-based SaaS automated solution with robust product features. |
Infor Offers an intelligent supply chain and merchandising enterprise SaaS suite. |
First Insight Offers SaaS assortment solution with predictive analytic models. |
Just Enough Provides globally supported mid to large-market assortment solutions. |
Blue Yonder (JDA) Offers integrated innovative planning and assortment execution enterprise solutions. |
Logility Provides SaaS planning solutions that aid small, medium, and large companies. |
O9 Solutions Delivers cloud-based assortment planning, analytics, and data platforms to enterprises. |
Oracle Large vendor; provides integrated, single view of the enterprise planning and execution. |
SAS Provides integrated planning with advanced business intelligence and analytics. |
SAP SE Large vendor; mature real-time end-to-end (E2E) integrated automated solution. |
Symphony Provides E2E intelligent assortment planning and optimization solutions. |
TXT e-solution (Aptos) E2E integrated assortment suite; Intelligent visual planning in-memory computing. |
Analyse2
Vendor Name |
Headquarters |
Employees |
Presence |
Analyse2 |
Espoo, Finland |
51 - 200 |
Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement |
Pricing Transparency |
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Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Analyse2 provides assortment management solutions for food retailers and their suppliers. It would provide an excellent assortment planning solution providing consulting, analysis, and clustering segmentation services that integrate insights and consumer trends. This software solution has a greater adoption rate for fast-moving consumer goods and retail food businesses.
Infor
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
Infor | NY, USA | 17,000+ | INFOR: NYSE |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Infor (which was acquired by Koch Industries in early 2020) provides SaaS business applications built for the cloud to enable analytics and artificial intelligence-led user experience for merchandising brands, retailers, and wholesalers. Consider this vendor when seeking a suite with E2E digital omnichannel process automation proficiencies and advanced real-time capabilities for driving transformation and progress across the enterprise.
First Insight
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
First Insight | PA, USA | 51 – 100 | Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Consider First Insight’s assortment solution when seeking predictive analytics and machine learning capabilities to align customer preferences for new products. Their clientele includes some of the world’s leading vertically integrated brands, sports goods, department stores, mass merchant retailers and wholesalers.
Just Enough
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
Just Enough | Irvine, CA, USA | 101 – 250 | Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Just Enough offers planning software applications for retail, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer businesses to forecast customer demand; plan assortments, allocations, and inventory; and shape demand with markdowns and promotions. Consider this solution when looking for globally supported midmarket and large solutions that encompass a broad set of industries and a large spectrum of ecosystem partners.
Blue Yonder
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
Blue Yonder | AZ, USA | 5001 – 10000+ | Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Blue Yonder (which was acquired by Panasonic in 2021) provides integrated planning and execution software solutions worldwide. Consider Blue Yonder to provide endless innovation and continuous improvement that fully allows customers to fulfill their potential. Blue Yonder serves the manufacturing, retail and services, distribution and logistics, hospitality, travel, and entertainment industries.
Logility
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
Logility | GA, USA | 250 – 500 | Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Consider this vendor an integrated suite for retail merchandise assortment planning, allocation, and supply chain applications. Logility is mainly focused on North America, Western Europe, and APAC, where it targets mid-sized and large enterprises in a range of manufacturing and retail sectors. Its AI and analytics tools and solutions aim to automate planning, speed up cycle times, increase precision, increase operating performance, break down business silos, and bring visibility.
O9 Solutions
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
O9 Solutions | TX, USA | 1001 – 5000 | Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Future roadmap – Focuses on transforming its planning by implementing E2E and real-time planning across the enterprise. Integrated real-time replanning – includes demand-to-supplier planning as well as integrated real-time replanning. And new digital technologies are planned. Offices in fewer counties than other leading vendors, while it has an above-average number of distribution partners. | Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Consider this vendor as a supplier of digital platforms for visibility, analytics, planning, collaboration, and endless improvement of decision-making methods across sales, supply chain, product innovation, and integrated business planning. Its set-ups are mainly dedicated to North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and APAC, where it targets mostly large enterprises looking for digital planning capabilities.
Oracle
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
Oracle | TX, USA | 135,000+ | ORCL: NYSE |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Oracle provides an integrated, single view of the enterprise, enabling retailers and wholesalers to innovate quickly and scale. Consider Oracle when seeking a mature, comprehensive, globally supported solution. Enterprise-caliber solutions that address the most complex workstreams provide a framework of best practices and advanced analytics. Core retail AI and machine learning (ML) power all Oracle Retail Analytics and Planning cloud services
SAS
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
SAS | NC, USA | 15,000+ | Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
SAS leverages business intelligence and analytics solutions as a foundation for its retail solutions, which make use of real-time analytics for SAS's merchandising assortment planning solution. Consider this solution when looking for an overall advanced application capability leveraging AI and analytics.
SAP SE
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
SAP SE | Germany | 100,000+ | SAP: ETR |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Consider SAP retail merchandising when seeking a real-time, E2E, integrated, automated solution that supports best practice business processes across the entire retail lifecycle from strategy through execution. It also has key planning partnerships with Dunnhumby (which provides customer insights) and Stylumia (Stylumia provides fashion prediction using AI/ML). It is evolving business process as a service (BPaaS), SAP CAR applications bundle, and industry cloud to enable the intelligent enterprise.
Symphony AI
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
Symphony AI | CA, USA | 1001 - 5000 | Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Symphony AI is a leader in providing high-value enterprise SaaS integrated marketing, merchandising, and supply chain solutions powered by artificial intelligence for long lifecycle retailers and FMCG manufacturers. Consider this vendor for E2E category planning and optimization solutions that enable enterprises to meet customer demand, maximize sales, and achieve revenue growth.
Aptos (TXT Solution)
Vendor Name | Headquarters | Employees | Presence |
Aptos (TXT Solution) | GA, USA | 501 - 1000 | Private |
Product highlights
Strengths | Areas for Improvement | Pricing Transparency |
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| Opaque (request quote) |
Recommendation
Consider this solution for an E2E integrated merchandise assortment management suite with visual planning capabilities and in-memory computing. It offers order management, point of sale, customer relationship management, store fulfillment, merchandise financial planning, and other solutions. The company caters to apparel, footwear, accessories, general merchandise and department store, sporting goods, and the wholesale franchise sectors – locally and internationally.
Overall results
Findings |
Next steps |
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Info-Tech recommends reviewing the complete list of assortment planning and management software solutions, emphasizing those vendors on the right side of the matrix (high in functional viability). Based on our initial scan of the assortment planning management software market, we believe that these vendors are likely to be the best fit, absent information uncovered in pricing discussions or detailed technical assessments. |
The next steps are to undergo a right-sized vendor selection process.
We encourage reviewing our relevant research: |
Summary: Assortment planning and management suites
Accelerate your software selection project
Vendor selection projects often demand extensive and unnecessary documentation.
Software Selection Insight Balance the effort-to-information ratio required for a business impact assessment to keep stakeholders engaged. Use documentation that captures the key data points and critical requirements without taking days to complete. Stakeholders are more receptive to formal selection processes that are friction free. |
The Guide to Software Selection: A Business Stakeholder Manual |
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Work through the straightforward templates that tie to each phase of the Rapid Application Selection Framework, from assessing the business impact to requirements gathering. |
Consolidate the vendor evaluation process into a single document. Easily compare vendors as you narrow the field to finalists. |
Quickly explain the Rapid Application Selection Framework to your team while also highlighting its benefits to stakeholders. |
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Bibliography
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“Aim10x/Roundtables/Vision & Roadmap Building.” O9 Solutions, 19 Jan. 2022.
“Analyse2 Assortment Planning Software.” PAT Research, 2021.
“Assortment Planning Software: Maximize Profitability by Optimizing and Localizing Your Product Assortments.” Tools Group,2023.
“Blue Yonder ICON 2022: Charging Ahead.” RSR Retail System Research,2022.
“CINDE Turns Every Service Conversation Into A Personalized Experience.” Symphony Summit, 2022.
“Demand-Driven Merchandising.” RIS Retail Info Systems, 3 Sept. 2008.
Nicasio, Francesca. “Assortment Planning in Retail: How to Maximize Your Store’s Profitability.” 23 Feb. 2021.
“Improvements in Retail Customer Experience.” Statista published by Blue Yonder, 13 Jan. 2022
“JDA Wins Frost & Sullivan Global Company of the Year Award for Innovative Retail Assortment Management Strategy.” Blue Yonder Press Release, 27 Feb. 2018.
Koshulko, Alex. “10 Best Retail Planning Software for 2023.” GDMH,23 Oct. 2022.
“Logility Partners with Microsoft Azure to Power High-Performing Cloud Environment and Enhance the Customer Experience.” Press Release. Logility, 17June 2021.
Nevill, Steve. Ed Majors “Connected Assortment Solution.” Deloitte, 2018.
“Oracle Retail Assortment Planning Cloud Service.” Datasheet. Oracle, 2022.
Rizzoli, Alberto. “6 AI Applications Shaping the Future of Retail.” V7labs. 21 Oct. 2022.
Roberto, Michel. “Supply Chain Execution Software Convergence.” Supplychain247. 17 Mar. 2014.
“SAP Merchandise Planning for Retail Applications.” PAT Research, 2021.
“SAP Retail Planning Strategy & Roadmap.” SAP,3Feb. 2022.
“Symphony AI advances innovation with real-time insights in its Eureka AI platform” PR Newswire, 21 Sep. 2022.
“Symphony RetailAI Named as Preferred Vendor for Long Life Cycle Companies.” Consulting for Retail, 2021.
“Top 5 Assortment Management Software.” PAT Research,2021.
Woodie, Alex. “SAS Touts One-Click Access to Viya on Azure Cloud.” Datanami, 27 Sept. 2022.