Sortimentsmanagements

Sortimentsmanagement, or assortment management, refers to the strategic process of selecting, structuring, and maintaining the range of products offered by a retailer or catalog business. The goal is to balance customer needs with profitability by shaping the assortment’s breadth (the number of product groups) and depth (the variety within each group). It integrates market insights, brand strategy, and supplier capabilities to ensure the assortment supports the company’s target segments, formats, and channel mix.

Core activities include market and customer analysis to identify opportunities, defining category roles, and planning the assortment for each format and season. It requires collaboration with merchandising, marketing, procurement, and store operations. Decisions cover which product categories to carry, how many SKUs per category, pricing and promotions, and supplier relationships and rationalization over time.

Analytical methods such as ABC analysis and assortment optimization, together with demand forecasting and inventory planning, guide decisions. Digital tools like product information management and ERP systems support data accuracy and speed. Key performance indicators include GMROI, sell-through, stock coverage, and out-of-stock rate. Effective Sortimentsmanagement aligns the assortment with strategy, formats, and customer needs while managing supplier risk.

Trends include integrating with category management, maintaining omnichannel consistency, and using data-driven approaches to adjust ranges. In practice, assortments vary by sector: groceries favor breadth and turnover, fashion emphasizes trend-driven depth, and electronics focus on selection quality and after-sales support.