Hierarchy Trade-Offs: Finding the Right Level of Complexity In Merchandise Planning

How detailed should your merchandise hierarchy really be?

In this session, we’ll explore how to structure your merchandise hierarchy based on your business size, operational complexity, and planning goals—without making it overly complicated or difficult to maintain. Learn how leading retailers balance visibility and flexibility by applying the 80/20 rule, leveraging attributes like seasonality and collections, and deciding when elements like vendor, brand, or style truly belong in the hierarchy.

You’ll gain practical strategies to build a hierarchy that improves merchandise planning, purchasing, inventory visibility, and reporting—while keeping your data clean, scalable, and easier to manage across teams. Learn how to simplify your hierarchy structure, improve cross-team alignment, and make faster, more informed business.

Key topics include:

☑️ Determining the right level of hierarchy detail for your business
☑️ Applying the 80/20 rule to simplify hierarchy management
☑️ Using attributes like seasonality, collections, and brand effectively
☑️ Understanding when vendor should — and shouldn’t — be part of the hierarchy
☑️ Avoiding overly complex structures that slow down reporting and planning
☑️ Improving visibility across merchandising, inventory, and operations teams
☑️ Creating a scalable hierarchy that supports future growth

Who should attend:
Retailers, merchandisers, inventory planners, buyers, and operations leaders.