A conversation with Board’s Head of Retail Solutions 

We sat down with the Head of Retail Solutions at Board to talk candidly about where merchandise planning transformations go wrong and how leading retailers are rethinking their approach to make planning faster, smarter, and truly connected. 

Quick intro from Daniele on board and solutions mission etc 

Q1: Let’s start with the big one. Why do so many planning transformations fall short? 

Board: Too often, the conversation starts with technology “What system should we buy?” instead of, “How do we improve the way we plan and manage margin?” Merchandise Financial Planning (MFP) should sit at the heart of that transformation. But if you jump straight to implementation without redesigning planning processes, roles, and KPIs, you’re just layering tech on top of old thinking. 

Q2: Where do things break down once implementation begins? 

Board: MFP is usually one of the first areas to struggle because it exposes all the upstream data and governance issues. If your hierarchies don’t match, your sales actuals lag, or product attributes are inconsistent, the financial plan gets distorted from the start. 

And if planners don’t trust what they see, they go back to spreadsheets. That’s a red flag. Data alignment has to be resolved before financial planning can take hold at scale. 

Q3: So what’s the right way to get started? 

Board: Think big, but start small. We’ve seen great success with MFP pilots—taking a specific category or region and testing a new approach: top-down, bottom-up planning, versioning, in-season re-forecasting. 

But the key is to map how those financial decisions flow into assortment, buying, and replenishment. MFP isn’t just a finance exercise, it’s the financial engine behind every downstream merch decision. 

If you prove value with one season or category, you earn the right to scale. 

Q4: You mentioned decision flow and orchestration – how does that tie into cross-functional alignment? 

Board: This is where a lot of transformation efforts hit friction. Merchandising is trying to hit category margin targets, finance wants budget control, and supply chain’s focused on availability. But they’re all planning in isolation. 

A strong MFP process creates a shared source of truth: sales, margin, receipts, markdowns—all reconciled, all agreed. That unlocks cross-functional trust and lets the business plan in rhythm. No last-minute re-forecasts, no firefighting. 

Q5: What about integration to assortment and open-to-buy? Where do retailers trip up? 

Board: Great question—this is where MFP really needs to connect. Without a strong financial framework, assortment planning often becomes guesswork. Too many SKUs, no role clarity, and open-to-buy becomes a reactive exercise instead of a strategic lever. 

We advise clients to start with category role definition (core, fashion, seasonal, test), layer in financial targets, and link that to the range architecture by store cluster. The goal isn’t more control—it’s more confidence in decisions. 

Q6: Is technology still part of the problem? 

Board: It can be—especially if it’s inflexible or disconnected. Your planning platform needs to support real-world workflows—not just idealized models. 

For MFP, that means: 

Can you plan by multiple levels—company, division, department—across sales, margin, and markdowns? 

Can planners run scenarios and re-forecast in season based on performance? 

Can you roll financial targets into assortment, buying, and in-store allocation decisions seamlessly? 

At Board, that’s what we deliver—an MFP process that’s dynamic, unified, and actually usable. 

Q7: What about partner selection? How do retailers get that right? 

Board: Partner choice is huge. You want someone who understands financial planning as a retail discipline, not just as a system module. MFP touches everything, category strategy, inventory flow, pricing and if your partner doesn’t get that, you’ll end up with a disconnected experience. 

Look for someone who can challenge you, who knows how financial planning works in a fast-moving retail environment. And make sure they’ll help build internal capability not just install templates and walk away. 

Q8: Any pitfalls that catch retailers off guard? 

Board: Yes, change fatigue. MFP shifts how people think about the season, about authority, and about accountability. If you don’t support teams through that with relevant, live training, adoption suffers. 

Forget classroom decks. Enable planners with real scenarios, in real categories, using their data. That’s how confidence—and capability—builds. 

Q9: Final advice for a merchandising leader just starting this journey? 

Board: 

Put MFP at the center—it’s the link between strategy and execution. 

Don’t roll out to everyone at once—start focused, prove value, then scale. 

Choose a partner who understands retail margin mechanics—not just workflows. 

And remember, a planning platform is only as good as the decisions it supports. Get the foundation right—data, governance, alignment—and the results will follow. 

Final Word 

Merchandise Financial Planning isn’t just a module—it’s the engine of modern retail. When done right, it aligns strategy with execution, empowers teams with insight, and drives better decisions across the entire merchandise lifecycle. 

If you’re ready to make MFP the backbone of smarter, faster planning, we’d love to talk