Implementing a WSSI system for a footwear retailer

This footwear retailer was embarking on a programme of upgrading merchandising skills and identified a need to introduce a WSSI system as a key tool to plan and manage their business. First Friday supported them with selecting the right tool for them, and the resulting configuration and training to launch it into their business.

Implementing a WSSI system for a footwear retailer

Implementing a WSSI system for a footwear retailer first glance image with icons. Industry: Retail; Footwear & Accessories. Location: UK & ROI; stores & web. Services: Consulting, Excel-based WSSI configuration & training

The Challenge

This retailer had been undertaking a review of their merchandising processes and First Friday had been working with them for some time on their operating model, including creating a new retail planning calendar, a review of their product hierarchy, introducing grading & range planning methodology, reviewing best practice principles for stock management, upgrading role profiles and trialling business rules for allocation.

Their next step was identified as the need to introduce a WSSI system to help them plan and manage their business – with a particular focus on improving decisions about stock levels. Those familiar with WSSI (Weekly Stock Sales and Intake) or Merchandise Financial Planning (MFP), will know how powerful a tool it can be due to the dynamic relationship it enables between sales, stock and OTB, however, if the WSSI is new to you and your business take a look at our blog What is a WSSI and why is it so important to find out more.

Our Approach

Some of the team had used a WSSI system in previous businesses, but most had little or no experience, so we set about explaining the choices they could make between investment in advanced WSSI or MFP system solutions, compared with the use of an Excel-based WSSI tool supported by training of best practice processes and decision making. They wanted to move quite quickly and introduce some planning and stock control measures to support them in buying the right quantity by product category, enabling them to manage the physical store requirements vs those of the website and also manage their price status decisions.

Introducing the First Friday WSSI A photo of two men collaborating on a refined Excel-based tool with all essential parameters, able to plan and manage at different levels of the hierarchy

First Friday has worked on multiple WSSI or MFP system implementations, many of them for well-known software providers – it’s one of the core elements of our business; however, we also have our own WSSI system which is a sophisticated Excel-based tool incorporating all the essential WSSI parameters with the ability to plan and manage at different levels of the hierarchy – product, time and location. This retailer opted to proceed with our tool, and we configured it for their needs to operate initially at department or category level, by price status, with a further split by stores and ecommerce.

A blend of WSSI consulting, system configuration and training

We began by working with the commercial team to establish the specific requirements they had of a WSSI system to support their sales forecasting and stock purchasing decisions. This shaped the layout, calculations and also the reporting they would need, as well as the process they would adopt to set up and manage the WSSI. We then worked extensively with their in-house IT department defining, accessing and checking the data that is needed to operate a WSSI system, week in, week out. One of our consultants with first class Excel skills then configured the tool according to these requirements, and we set up a pilot version with their data to begin to show how powerful it was going to be in highlighting stock issues and helping to address them.

To support the launch we created two different WSSI training sessions:

  • One for the more senior roles within merchandising to help them understand in depth how a WSSI system operates, how to use it as a planning tool pre-season and how to use it as a trading tool in-season. They had lots of opportunities to practice with their own department data and to begin to make their first WSSI forecasting decisions, as well as to work through the new process that would be introduced.
  • The second session was for the more middle to junior levels within merchandising focusing on what the WSSI tells them, how to ‘read’ it and work out what actions it suggests should be taken – usually around OTB, or price status decisions with relation to stock targets.

Find out more about how we put WSSI systems into operation in our blog Implementing a new WSSI or MFP system.

Client feedback: “I have never seen such energy and interest in a training course here before”

The Results

  • A blend of best practice, tailored to their specific needs was incorporated into their WSSI system solution
  • The process for setting up merchandise financial plans pre-season and for managing WSSI forecasting in-season was created and introduced
  • The whole team was trained according to their experience and their needs
  • The WSSI system was configured and tested by First Friday and then handed over for their Central Merchandising team to manage
  • A staged process for rollout and use was agreed so that those with no WSSI experience could begin to use it in a step-by-step approach, adding functionality and complexity once their confidence had built

Client feedback: “I can really see how this is going to help us – can’t wait to get started” and “I thought this may be yet another new thing to get used to, but I can really see the benefit”

Got a similar project you’d like us to work on?

Let us know some high-level details, and one of our team will be in touch to talk you through how we can help and what you’d need to do to get the ball rolling. We can help with complete end-to-end support including system selection, process creation, WSSI configuration according to your needs, through to helping you build your own excel tool and of course training for the impacted team. We also provide skills training which supports the effective use of a WSSI in our First Friday Academy – check out our courses on Merchandise Planning for pre-season set up and In-season Management: Forecasting, Trading and WSSI for in-season use.