Styles, sizes and colors without chaos
A matrix item structure represents a style with its size and color combinations, so each variant carries its own stock and price while the style is managed as a unit. Establish naming and numbering conventions up front, and keep attributes such as fabric, season, and collection as structured fields so merchandising can filter and analyze. Poorly structured items make every downstream process, from buying to reporting, harder than it needs to be.
- Use a consistent style, color, and size coding scheme.
- Store season, collection, and category as attributes.
- Decide how size scales differ across product lines.
Seasonal buying, purchase orders and open-to-buy
Brands place orders with factories months ahead, with delivery windows, deposits, and long lead times. Track purchase orders by style and size, with expected ship and arrival dates, and compare orders with sales plans to manage open-to-buy. Late deliveries into a season cost sales, so visibility of in-transit stock and vendor performance is valuable. Landed cost, including freight, duty, and fees, should be allocated to items so margin by style is accurate.
Wholesale, direct and marketplace channels
Many brands sell through wholesale accounts, their own stores or website, and marketplaces. Each has different pricing, terms, and returns behavior. Wholesale involves pre-season orders, size-run allocations, and negotiated terms, while direct sales are individual orders with immediate payment. Keep one inventory view across channels, with rules for allocating limited stock, so channels do not oversell each other.
NetSuite for retail and e-commerce →Returns, chargebacks and markdowns
Returns are a major cost, especially online. Track reasons by style and size to reveal fit problems, and process returns quickly so goods can return to stock or outlet channels. Wholesale customers deduct chargebacks for compliance and late shipments, which need matching to agreements. Markdowns and clearance affect margin and inventory value, so define how discounted inventory is valued and reported.
Planning, sell-through and margin analysis
Leaders watch sell-through, weeks of supply, and margin by style, color, and channel. These measures guide reorders, markdowns, and the next season's buy. Build reports from the item attributes and channel segments, and review them weekly during the season. Where merchandise planning is done in a specialized tool, define how plans and actuals reconcile to the ledger.
NetSuite integration services →Fulfillment, third-party logistics and samples
Brands often use third-party warehouses and logistics providers, with inventory held by the provider and fulfilled on instruction. Integrate inventory and orders so quantities agree, and reconcile counts regularly. Samples and marketing stock, which are not for sale, should be tracked in separate locations or categories so they do not distort inventory or margin.
Decisions to settle before configuration starts
- Item structure. Agree the style, color, and size coding and the required attributes.
- Channel rules. Define allocation of stock between wholesale and direct, and the pricing for each.
- Landed cost method. Choose how freight, duty, and fees are allocated.
- Season handling. Decide how seasons are represented for reporting and carryover.
A realistic first 90 days
- Days 1 to 30. Design the item structure and attributes, and clean the product data.
- Days 31 to 60. Configure purchasing, inventory, and the first channel integration, and load open orders and stock.
- Days 61 to 90. Add the remaining channels and returns processing, and publish the first sell-through and margin reports.
Pitfalls in fashion projects
- Messy product data. Inconsistent coding spreads problems across systems. Clean before loading.
- Ignoring landed cost. Without it, margin by style looks better than it is.
- Channels fighting over stock. Allocate deliberately or the best channel oversells.
- Reporting only at style level. Fit and size problems hide in size-level data. Report at the right level.
