1 Introduction

About this User Guide

This User Guide provides step-by-step process guidance for completing assortment planning activities within Oracle Retail Assortment Planning Cloud Service (APCS). The guide focuses on operational workflow execution, workbook interactions, planning tasks, and application processes required to complete assortment planning activities.

The Oracle Retail Assortment Planning Cloud Service Functional Overview complements this document by providing additional information on business concepts, planning methodologies, AI-driven recommendations, and functional process design. This reference paper is available on My Oracle Support in the Oracle Retail Predictive Application Server (RPAS) Cloud for Planning and Optimization / Supply Chain Cloud Services Documentation Library: KB695860.

Overview of Assortment Planning

Assortment Planning is the strategic process retailers use to define the optimal product mix by balancing assortment breadth, depth, and product attributes to meet customer demand across channels and locations. Oracle Retail Assortment Planning Cloud Service (APCS) operationalizes this process by combining predictive AI, automation, workflow orchestration, and visual planning into a single end-to-end platform.

Planning within APCS occurs for an Assortment Group, which represents the combination of an Assortment Period and assigned Cluster version. Assortment Periods define the planning timeframe, while Clusters define groups of stores with similar assortment needs. Together, they establish the time and location framework that drives localized assortment decisions across stores, channels, and product categories.

APCS supports planning for two primary product lifecycle classifications:

  • Long Life Cycle (LLC) items represent replenishment-driven or evergreen assortments that remain active across extended time periods and typically flow into external replenishment or allocation systems after assortment approval.
  • Short Life Cycle (SLC) items represent seasonal, fashion, trend-driven, or limited-duration assortments that require pre-season inventory flow planning and external purchase order execution processes.

APCS organizes assortment planning around three core functional capabilities:

  • Assortment Strategy defines assortment breadth by establishing option counts, attribute mix targets, and sales expectations aligned to customer demand and financial objectives.
  • Assortment Fit defines assortment selection by determining which style-colors assort to which store clusters while aligning to assortment strategy and financial targets.
  • Item Flow (SLC Only) defines weekly sales and receipt plans for Short Life Cycle assortments to support downstream purchase order creation and inventory execution.

Together, these capabilities deliver a closed-loop, data-driven assortment planning process that connects historical insight, localization strategy, assortment selection, and inventory execution into a unified planning workflow.

Key Steps in Assortment Planning

Step 1: Planning Administration

Administrators configure the planning environment by mapping weeks, defining product and location attributes, setting store exceptions, and preparing base data required for planning.

Step 2: Validate Loaded Data

Users validate historical actuals, MFP plans, location plans, and forecast inputs to ensure planning begins with trusted data. This step is primarily required during implementation and testing cycles.

Step 3: Location Clustering

Locations are grouped into clusters based on performance and attributes, enabling assortments to be planned and localized at scale.

Step 4: Assortment Period Maintenance

Assortment periods, cluster assignments, receipt timing boundaries, and planning timelines are defined to establish the time and location framework for assortment planning activities.

Step 5: Curve Maintenance

Sales curves are created or refined to support time-phased sales and receipt planning for Short Life Cycle assortments.

Step 6: Hindsight

Historical performance is reviewed at the style-color and attribute level to understand historical trends and support future assortment decisions.

Step 7: Assortment Strategy

Historical performance, financial targets, and AI-driven recommendations support definition of attribute mix targets, option counts, and sales expectations for each Assortment Group.

Step 8: Assortment Fit

Style-color assortments are created by evaluating eligible items, generating placeholders, applying sales potential recommendations, and reconciling assortments against strategy and financial targets.

Step 9: Cross-Category Line Review

Assortments are reviewed across categories to evaluate assortment balance, visual coordination, and broader merchandise alignment.

Step 10: Item Flow (SLC Only)

Weekly sales and receipt plans are developed for Short Life Cycle (SLC) assortments by applying sales curves, delivery strategies, and receipt planning logic prior to external downstream execution.

Step 11: Store Exception Item Flow (Optional)

As needed, planners adjust Item Flow plans at the store level to support localized receipt timing, inventory flow, and operational requirements.

Step 12: In-Season Item Flow (Optional)

Planners monitor in-season sales, inventory, and sell-through performance and refine future sales and receipt flows based on emerging trends and business conditions.