Practical Advice Expert Guidance Professional Support
Multi-Channel Merchandising & Marketing

Maximize profits and stakeholder value by tapping our decades of experience in Retail, Catalog, E-commerce and Wholesale. Practical Decisions specializes in looking at the whole picture, identifying opportunities and core competencies, and then developing and implementing the strategies to best leverage those competencies.

Merchandise Diagnostics
In any retail, catalog and e-commerce environment, it all starts with the merchandise! Practical Decisions leverages the proven tools, understanding, and decision making refined in billion dollar companies and applied to your business. Practical Decisions comprehensively evaluates inventory productivity, and recommends improvements with an implementation strategy. Included in this assessment are critical reviews of category and classification hierarchy and performance, initial and maintained margin opportunities, inventory management tools and performance, including open to buy, turn, GMROI, aging, conversion planning, and replenishment. The entire merchandise process is integrated to include assortment and financial planning, structure, techniques and timeline.

Merchandising Productivity
Practical Decisions evaluates the productivity of merchandise presentation across all channels, including retail, e-commerce, catalog and wholesale, and provides specific recommendations for improvement. This diagnostic process includes a formal review of pagination, catalog, web and floor flow and impact, visual and copy analyses, return rate improvement, and an assessment of performance of $ per sq. ft. In addition, sku productivity improvement options are developed, pricing matrix options are evaluated, opportunities for increases in average order value are developed, and category dominance relating to brand, within a competitive assessment, are evaluated. We can help you get more out of your current, as well as your future inventory, store, and marketing investments.

Catalog & List Productivity
Practical Decisions develops comprehensive strategies for catalog and direct marketing initiatives, evaluating response rates, developing $ per sq. inch standards, evaluating list productivity strategies, and identifying product, design, creative, and layout opportunities. Practical Decisions has the resources to develop comprehensive circulation strategies as well as develop methods to leverage costs and efficiencies associated with distribution and fulfillment. By looking at the whole picture and it's effects on each channel, we help businesses understand how to leverage catalog and e-commerce to increase profitability, value, and enhance the brand.

Retail Real Estate Portfolio
Practical Decisions provides a comprehensive evaluation of a retail real estate portfolio, including development of minimum 4-wall contribution standards, market, competitive, and DMA strengths, weaknesses, and efficiencies. An assessment of sales and profitability trends by location is conducted, by market, with an identification of risks and opportunities, with the development of strategies for locations that represent deficiencies, as well as future opportunities. Practical Decisions has the resources to identify issues and opportunities, insuring the highest probability of return on this most valuable investment.

Vendor Structure, Product Development, Sourcing, Supply Chain Management
Product Development and Sourcing represent enormous opportunities for profit improvement. Managing change in a Sourcing and Product Development structure as you grow to a new level or focus on Private-Brand development can be difficult. Practical Decisions' experience and proven success in reorganizing, developing and improving a sourcing strategy will provide confidence to rapidly move forward and stay ahead of the market. Practical Decisions evaluates product development and procurement methodology, including development plans, development timeline, specification and bid packages, material, findings, duty and freight opportunities, sourcing lead times and vendor relationships. Included in this process are specific recommendations for gross margin performance, inventory turn and productivity, opportunities associated with domestic and off-shore sourcing, agent relationships, product QC, development and delivery. Practical Decisions not only develops the plan, but can provide training and travel and negotiate on your behalf.

Sales system and management
Information and how it is used is critical! Practical Decisions is able to quickly assess and recommend complete sales funnel systems from target market identification, to the profile of the ideal customer through acquisition, and additional penetration/share of wallet and customer service and retention. Systems include management, forecasting and planning aligned with goals, brand and the value proposition. Practical Decisions provides comprehensive assessment of alternatives and insures that systems investments are productive, robust, appropriate to the task, and long lasting.

Retail Concept Development
Change in a merchandising environment is essential, and the need to develop fresh concepts as a means to differentiate in a competitive environment is critical to success. Practical Decisions has consistently identified new retail, wholesale, e-commerce, direct marketing, licensing channels and concepts for future development. Practical Decisions provides comprehensive leadership throughout the development phases, from preliminary outline and design, to testing and prototypes, to design and layout, and finally to implementation, all of which is focused on maintaining leadership in an increasingly competitive environment.

Sales Channel Development
Practical Decisions understands the sales and profit opportunities for leverage across multiple channels, particularly as it relates to direct marketing in all its forms, including catalog and e-commerce. Practical Decisions can accurately assess the performance of sales within existing channels of distribution, and identify real opportunities for retail, catalog, e-commerce, wholesale and licensing. Opportunities for synergy, enhancement of the brand, and expansion are developed with an objective of profitable growth and return on investment.

Competitive Assessment and Opportunity
Practical Decisions utilizes an innovative market and competitive evaluation process, developing a matrix focusing on price, quality, marketing, competitive strengths and weaknesses, and consumer perception. Practical Decisions has the ability both to honestly evaluate existing concepts and operations and to see what is on the horizon. From this process are developed growth strategies and often include multiple channel distribution opportunities (retail, catalog, direct marketing, e-commerce, wholesale.)