--- title: "Advanced Planning — Buyer's Toolbox" url: https://antusa.com/advanced-planning description: "Buyer's Toolbox — merchandise planning, OTB, and forecasting software for retail teams. 30+ years of retail planning expertise from ANT USA." source: antusa.com --- Meet Advanced Planning # Plan a season or a year in days. Reforecast in hours. From forecasting to variance reports, **Advanced Planning** gives your team the depth, speed, and structure to plan the business — not maintain the spreadsheet. [Talk with a Retail Expert →](https://antusa.com/pricing#book-a-call) [How It Works ↓](#reporting) Trusted by planning teams across 20+ countries for over 30 years. Explore Advanced Planning: Explore Advanced Planning: [Reporting](#reporting) [Planning](#planning) [Implementation](#implementation) [Proof of Concept](#proof-of-concept) Reporting & Dashboards ## Ready reports on all KPIs. No assembly required. The reports that used to take a day to build — variance, OTB, sell-through, scenario comparison — are ready, always current, and drillable to any level. When leadership asks, you have it at your fingertips. Variance Reporting OTB Detail Plan and report by Location. Plenty of Stock KPIs. Scenario Comparison Sell-Through ![Variance Reporting](https://antusa.com/images/product-ui/ap-variance.png) ### Variance Reporting See Plan vs. Actuals at every level of the business. Drill down from company to department to subgroup to door without building a single spreadsheet. The CFO’s weekly question, answered before they ask it. ![OTB Detail](https://antusa.com/images/product-ui/ap-otb-detail.png) ### OTB Detail Open to Buy at the granularity Excel can’t handle. Plan OTB at subgroup, class, location, and week — the depth that reveals where the money is, not just where the top-line report says it is. ![Plan and report by Location.](https://antusa.com/images/product-ui/ap-location-planning.png) ### Plan and report by Location. Channel, Comp Status or Location Group. Any KPI, any level of detail. Organically integrated with Category Planning. ![Plenty of Stock KPIs.](https://antusa.com/images/product-ui/ap-stock-kpis.png) ### Plenty of Stock KPIs. Plan, report and find exceptions with Forward W/S, Lookbacks, Spot Cover, Turn and other measures. ![Scenario Comparison](https://antusa.com/images/product-ui/ap-scenarios.png) ### Scenario Comparison Pull up any two plan versions and compare them side by side — history actuals vs revised forecasts, proposed receipt flows vs orders. The GMM asks “what if.” You show them. ![Sell-Through](https://antusa.com/images/product-ui/ap-sellthrough.png) ### Sell-Through See where margin leaks before end-of-season clearance is required. Sell-through by category, location, and time period — forward-looking, not backward-looking. Flexible Planning ## Plan without limits. Advanced Planning handles the full cycle — how deep you plan, how your forecasts get built, how many scenarios you test, and how often plans stay current. Here’s what each one looks like. Multi-Level Hierarchy ### Drill down from department to door. Build plans at subgroup, class, location, and week using a multi-level planning hierarchy with drill-down. Mix vendor planning into your merchandise hierarchy with alternate hierarchy options. Set up location attributes and groups by channel, country, or format — then slice any view with unlimited custom reports. ![Planning hierarchy drill-down](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/hierarchy-drilldown.svg) The Planning System ### Every category gets a plan. The solution generates forecasts and OTB across your full assortment — at any level of detail. Margin planning runs at the same depth. Automated and on-demand reporting distributes the output without anyone building a spreadsheet. Not enough Planners, hundreds of categories, yet every one covered. ![Automated forecast generation](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/forecast-generation.svg) What-If Analysis ### Sales forecasts you actually believe in. Run rapid what-if analysis and compare scenarios side by side. Freeze your plan versions for comparison. Lock forecasts at any level to protect what’s decided while testing what isn’t. When the GMM asks “How can we glide down the excess inventory,” you show them. ![Scenario comparison](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/scenario-planning.svg) In-Season Agility ### Plans that move with the business. Rapid reforecasting with historical data actualization keeps plans current as actuals come in. Pre-season, in-season, and cross-season planning run in the same system. Plan on weekly, monthly, seasonal, or annual cycles — your cadence, not the tool’s. Stop rebuilding. Start adjusting. ![Dynamic reforecasting](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/reforecasting.svg) Easy Implementation ## Get going without a lot of fuss. Plugs into your ERP, speaks your naming conventions, and comes with people who actually pick up the phone. ### One system of record. No reconciliation. AP connects directly to your ERP — Dynamics 365, NetSuite, Mi9, Aptos, Celerant, Horizon, Epicor and many others. Sales history, inventory, merchandise hierarchy and store structure flow in through pre-built connectors. Bring in value-added data sources — traffic, capacity, comp status, and more. Locally hosted or Azure cloud environment keeps your data safe. ![ERP integration](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/erp-integration.svg) ### Your naming conventions. Your KPIs. Your fiscal calendar. Build custom KPIs and formulas. Set flexible seasons. Direct planner adjustments in the UI — no code, no developer. ![Custom configuration](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/configuration.svg) ### Talk to the people who built it. Not a call center. Not a ticket queue. Direct access to the team that built the system. Best customer support in the industry — it’s what clients say on G2. ![Dedicated support](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/dedicated-support.svg) Risk-Free Proof of Concept ## Up and running before next season starts. We don’t start with a pitch deck. We start with your data. [Apply for your risk-free proof of concept →](https://antusa.com/pricing#book-a-call) ### Spreadsheet-style interface Planners pick up AP fast because the interface feels familiar. The ceiling doesn’t. ### Configure it yourself Custom labels, formulas, fiscal years, naming conventions. No code. No developer. No consulting engagement. ### Live in weeks, not months Not enterprise-scale cost. Not enterprise-scale timeline. We build a proof of concept with your actual data before you commit to anything. Today1-2 weeksASAP ### Today: We load your data - ✓ Connect your ERP — D365, NetSuite, Aptos, Mi9, Epicor, Horizon, your own custom merchandising system — your infrastructure - ✓ Import your sales history, stock, orders, merchandise hierarchy and store structure - ✓ No prep work on your end — we handle the setup ### 1-2 weeks: Your environment is live - ✓ Hierarchy configured to match your business — departments, classes, locations and even styles - ✓ Forecasts and OTB generated across your assortment - ✓ Your naming conventions, your KPIs, your fiscal calendar — already in the system ### We show you the money - ✓ Run scenarios with your actual numbers - ✓ Pull the reports leadership usually asks for - ✓ Decide whether this is the system — no commitment until you say so The Buyer's Toolbox Solution Suite Expand when you're ready. Advanced Planning is the foundation. The rest of the suite extends as your planning operation matures. [Learn more about our approach →](https://antusa.com/about/approach) [Explore ADVANCED PLANNING → Merchandise planning, OTB, and sales forecasting](https://antusa.com/advanced-planning) [Explore BASIC ALLOCATION & REPLENISHMENT → Right product, right store, right time](https://antusa.com/allocation-replenishment) [Explore DATA SCIENCE → Predictive analytics & optimization](https://antusa.com/data-science) [Explore EXCEPTION INTELLIGENCE → AI-powered proactive alerts](https://antusa.com/exception-intelligence) > “Toolbox is a very easy to use tool that allows planning across a wide range of taxonomy levels and locations. I’ve been using the tool for over a decade and am continually impressed by how responsive the support team is and how much they care about their product and their clients. Managing OTB and forecasting sales using the system is user friendly and easy to learn and implement.” Chase S. Director of Merchandise Planning ## See your data in Buyer's Toolbox. Your sales history. Your categories. Your store structure. Built into a working planning environment before you spend a dollar. [Talk with a Retail Expert →](https://antusa.com/pricing#book-a-call) ![Dmitry Goykhman](https://antusa.com/images/ceo-dmitry-goykhman.png)![Daniel Goykhman](https://antusa.com/images/cto-daniel-goykhman.jpg)![Jeff Dillon](https://antusa.com/images/director-operations-jeff-dillon.png)![Murat Dzgoev](https://antusa.com/images/diretor-customer-success-murat-dzgoev.jpg) Our retail experts are ready.