Target - soft bath contingency
Target - soft bath contingency
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Situation
Situation
The Soft Bath category is a critical area for back-to-college sales, with peak demand during the summer.
However, the long lead time for these soft goods, primarily manufactured in China and Pakistan, posed challenges. Orders had to be placed a year in advance with little flexibility to adjust if sales exceeded expectations, creating potential stock issues during peak periods.
task
task
My task was to explore and implement strategies to add flexibility to the planning process, enabling faster inventory flow to stores during peak sales periods.
action
action
Conducted interviews with Apparel & Accessories (A&A) planners to understand their contingency planning strategies, exploring methods to better anticipate peak demands.
Partnered with the sourcing manager to negotiate with manufacturers on options for storing backup stock, allowing us to access inventory quickly if sales surged.
Identified the top 20% of items driving 80% of sales within the category, focusing our efforts on these core products.
Developed a strategy to platform fabrics for core programs, enabling manufacturers to produce and ship finished goods faster during peak seasons.
result
result
Successfully reduced the import lead-time by 7 weeks for the Soft Bath category, providing greater flexibility during critical sales periods.
Achieved this improvement with no additional costs to the company.
Created a comprehensive Roles & Responsibilities (R&R) guide to standardize this contingency approach across the division, ensuring consistency and alignment for future planning.
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