Planning
Designing a product assortment for a business channel
Build a range around customer needs, operations, storage, and the role of each item.
A wider range is not automatically more effective. Each item should have a clear role and remain manageable for the operation.
Decisions to align
Use these prompts to begin the conversation. Adjust the depth of review to your organization’s risk, scale, and requirements.
- Consumption occasions and the customer profile to be served.
- Each item’s role as core, seasonal, premium, or complementary.
- On-site storage, display, reheating, and serving capacity.
- The initial SKU limit and criteria for adding or retiring an item.
Working evidence to retain
Concise records help the team understand earlier decisions, control changes, and review outcomes without relying on memory.
- An item matrix covering role, format, and handling needs.
- Sales or customer-acceptance results by review period.
- Approved substitutes when a primary item is unavailable.
- Assortment review date and resulting decisions.