Impact Planner

OVERVIEW

IMPACT Planner is a powerful but easy to use Windows based merchandise planning system, designed to help retailers to improve the return on investment in their stock by maximising sales potential and minimising stock-outs and mark-down.

Built using a powerful but cost-effective multidimensional database, IMPACT Planner presents a user-friendly Graphical User Interface using either your Web browser or Excel spreadsheets embedded into the system.

Every retailer has a different set of planning requirements, so IMPACT Planner is designed to offer industry best practice logic, but is flexible enough that it can be customised to meet individual requirements.

Our “off the peg” version allows you to complete weekly category level Retail plans for Sales, Margin, Mark-down, Stock and Intake.

Dynamic variance reporting and in-season reforecasting based on actual sales complete the system.

Plan creation can be top-down, bottom-up or middle-out

IMPACT Planner can be integrated to any central system capable of generating text files.

KEY FEATURES

PC Windows based
Uses Industry standard tools (Jedox Palo Open Source modeller or Cognos TM1, Microsoft Excel and IE7)
Multi-user, client-server architecture - (stand alone version available )
Scaleable from 1 to 100 users
PALO / TM1 database provides flexible analysis & plan creation across time, product, location and plan version
Dyanamic exception reporting
Embedded Excel spreadsheet technology for ease of maintenance and ease of use.
Top down and bottom up planning
Multiple plan versions
Unlimited alternate hierarchies
Full security
Integrates to all central systems
User defined planning levels
Flexible, customisable design
Consultancy support

To see a flash demo of IMPACT Planner click here (6mb download)

KEY CONCEPTS

MULTI-DIMENSIONALITY

IMPACT Planner uses a multi-dimensional database - to give you total flexibility across the principal dimensions of the planning cube - Product, Location, Time and Plan Version. The storage and presentational capabilities of a multi-dimensional database are particularly suited to Retail Planning

INTEGRATION

IMPACT Planner can be integrated with any central system by text file or ODBC connectivity.. This means that base data and key performance indicators are easily available as a basis for planning decisions.

Data is imported to the multi-dimensional database using pre-defined update procedures, thus doing away with the need to re-key data. However, in the event that data required for planning is not held in the central system, data can be input manually. Our superfast data import routines can bring in a whole season’s worth of data in seconds!

Storing planning data in the multi-dimensional database presents the additional advantage that, when actual data for the planned season is imported, flexible and up to date variance reports can be viewed across all of the planning dimensions.

FLEXIBLE PLANNING HIERARCHIES

Planning hierarchies are based on your branch, product & time structures. IMPACT Planner's multi-dimensional structure allows you total flexibility in selecting the way in which the product and branch (if used) dimensions of the plan are organised. A key feature here is the ability to view data through alternate hierarchies For example summarise up to Ladieswear and Menswear, or alternatively Casualwear and Formalwear.

The time dimension is equally flexible. IMPACT Planner stores actual and planned data by week, and the weekly values can be aggregated into any combination of user defined periods. This means that Margin and Open to Buy Planning can be accomplished at user selected levels of product and time.

EASY CUSTOMISATION

The Planning Factory recognise that no two retailers have exactly the same needs when it comes to planning.

Whilst there is a core set of processes, the exact way in which they are used will depend on the data available and the retailer's organisational ability to create and react to the plans.

IMPACT Planner has been designed to allow the planning logic to be easily modified to reflect the particular characteristics of individual businesses.

Customisation extends to cover the base data and key indicators used, the levels at which planning is undertaken, the methods of calculating outputs, and access authorisation to different stages of the process.

Customisation is undertaken by The Planning Factory staff with extensive experience of consultancy and the planning process itself to ensure that retailers gain maximum benefits from the flexibility offered.

PROGRESSIVE SOPHISTICATION

Experience has shown that successful planning system implementations are those where retailers have introduced merchandise planning progressively, and built sophistication into the system as they become familiar with new ways of working.

Implementation involves cultural as well as technical change, and users need to be able to assimilate the changes at their own pace. For this reason, IMPACT Planner allows users to build up complexity and the level of detail at which the system is used as they develop expertise. The modular basis of the system means that users can begin by using part of the system, introducing other elements as they gain experience.

JOINED UP PLANNING

One of the major benefits of using a tool based on a multi-dimensional database is that you can create complementary planning models that integrate with the planning tool. Customers have enjoyed great success in building financial budgets, and then integrating them with the merchandise plan. Remember, your purchase of IMPACT Planner includes a full development licence for the Jedox Palo or Cognos TM1 software. At last you can turn collaborative planning within your organisation into a reality!

If you would like to discuss Impact Planner with us, please contact John Hobson