--- title: "Planning in Excel — Buyer's Toolbox" url: https://antusa.com/challenges/planning-with-excel 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 --- Planning in Excel # Excel is a glass ceiling for growth. **Buyer's Toolbox AP** is a professional planning system built for YOU — supporting your need to plan collaboratively, deeper, faster, and at the frequency the business actually demands. [Talk with a Retail Expert →](https://antusa.com/pricing#book-a-call) Trusted by planning teams across 20+ countries for over 30 years. Explore Capabilities: Explore Capabilities: For Head of Planning For CFO For Head of IT Sound Familiar? ## The spreadsheets aren't scaling. And your team feels it everyday. You know the answers are hidden deeper in the hierarchy But that "free" spreadsheet can't get you there — formulas break, the large file opens slowly, and your team works at Department/Month because going deeper would take the time they don't have. The plans are late, and fresh because it's too much work to plan by weeks or sometimes even months Reforecasting takes too long. Version control means hundreds of spreadsheets. By the time the updated plan is ready, the merchants have spent the money. Your time is drained by manual make-work. Updating with actuals, formatting outputs, V-lookups, fixing broken links, copying and pasting. You are maintaining The Spreadsheet instead of planning. The most expensive free tool ## Excel is infinitely flexible and malleable. ### Planning in Excel Department-level plans because deeper granularity is too hard Seasonal plans with limited mid-season reforecasting Endless manual updates with data actuals, plenty of copy/paste Hundreds of disparate spreadsheets to keep track of Leadership requests require endless hours for special projects Not enough planners to get the job done for all the merchants ### Planning in Buyer's Toolbox Subgroup and class-level plans with full drill-down Frequent reforecasting with % to Actuals and Original Plan Seamless updates for actuals, hierarchy, stores, attributes A single version of the truth with shared KPIs and formats Easy, predictable answers to even the most unusual questions Better, fresher, more detailed plans with the same staff > We went from planning the entire year in a massive Excel file that took weeks to process, to **planning a year in a matter of days** and **reforecasting in just a matter of hours**. David C. Head of Planning, Large Retailer How It Works ## From spreadsheet ceiling to full-depth planning in three moves. ### Your ERP feeds the plan automatically. Connect your ERP once. Actuals for the KPIs YOU need - Sales, Stock, Open Orders, Receipts, FP/MD and more - key details flowing into Buyer's Toolbox on a regular basis. The data admin work disappears on day one. ![Dynamics 365](https://antusa.com/images/logos/dynamics-365.svg)![NetSuite](https://antusa.com/images/logos/netsuite.svg)![Jesta](https://antusa.com/images/logos/jesta.svg)![Retail Pro](https://antusa.com/images/logos/retail-pro.svg)![KWI](https://antusa.com/images/logos/kwi.svg)![Horizon](https://antusa.com/images/logos/horizon.svg) ![Dynamics 365](https://antusa.com/images/logos/dynamics-365.svg)![NetSuite](https://antusa.com/images/logos/netsuite.svg)![Jesta](https://antusa.com/images/logos/jesta.svg)![Retail Pro](https://antusa.com/images/logos/retail-pro.svg)![KWI](https://antusa.com/images/logos/kwi.svg)![Horizon](https://antusa.com/images/logos/horizon.svg) ![Dynamics 365](https://antusa.com/images/logos/dynamics-365.svg)![NetSuite](https://antusa.com/images/logos/netsuite.svg)![Jesta](https://antusa.com/images/logos/jesta.svg)![Retail Pro](https://antusa.com/images/logos/retail-pro.svg)![KWI](https://antusa.com/images/logos/kwi.svg)![Horizon](https://antusa.com/images/logos/horizon.svg) ![ERP to Buyer's Toolbox data flow](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/erp-data-flow.svg) ### Plan and actualize the details you need. Plans and reports at the levels the business needs — easily drill into any dimension - time, merchandise hierarchy, locations, cost/retail/units. ![Planning depth](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/planning-depth-charts.svg) ### Reforecast just as quickly as actuals come in. Your plan is always current — and your team focuses on the decisions, not the data. ![AI-powered reforecasting](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/ai-reforecasting.svg) Key Capabilities ## The planning depth your business demands — out of the box. For Head of Planning For CFO For Head of IT ### Every level of detail, one drill-down away. From two to nine levels of merchandise hierarchy. The depth that was impossible in Excel is at your fingertips by default. ![Hierarchy drill-down](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/planning-depth.svg) ### Configured to your preferences. Design the solution to fit your current needs, then reconfigure quickly and cost-effectively to stay relevant and up-to-date as the business evolves. ![Scenario comparison](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/scenario-analysis.svg) ### Reforecast vs Actuals, Original Plan, Revised Plan etc. Actuals and plan version at all levels of detail and all KPI's — always current, always accessible. When leadership asks, you have the answers. ![Live dashboard view](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/dashboards-reporting.svg) ### Better plans and OTB without more headcount. Your planning team works faster, better, more precisely. Sales Forecasting and OTB mean the work that used to require extra hires now happens inside the system. ![Planning output without added headcount](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/team-efficiency.svg) ### ROI you can see before you commit a single dollar. Proof of Concept with your data. An actually profitable demo. You get actionable outcomes, see bottom line and time savings, and opportunities even before you sign up. ![ROI before commitment](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/roi-commitment.svg) ### A system that pays for itself manyfold DURING training. No hidden fees, no implementation surprises. You know what it costs, what it replaces, and what the payback looks like — before the project starts. ![Transparent pricing](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/transparent-pricing.svg) ### One file interface replaces a hundred spreadsheet workarounds. A single easy to support set of interface files replaces the tangle of exports, macros, and manual data flows your planners need. Automate, monitor, forget. ![ERP integration](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/system-integration.svg) ### Single database, many uses. Avoid multiple versions of the truth. Open database, integrated platform, stable code base. ![Sandbox environment](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/sandbox-environment.svg) ### Fewer emergencies, less IT support. Buyers Toolbox includes point-n-click tools to adjust names, configurations, user profiles and workflows. The planning team takes care of their business, the IT team stays focused on infrastructure, not spreadsheet support. ![Self-service configuration](https://antusa.com/images/illustrations/self-service-config.svg) The Buyer's Toolbox Solution Suite ## One platform. Four products. Best of Breed. [ADVANCED PLANNING Merchandise planning, OTB, and sales forecasting — the starting point for every team moving off spreadsheets Explore →](https://antusa.com/advanced-planning) [BASIC ALLOCATION & REPLENISHMENT Right product, right store, right time Explore →](https://antusa.com/allocation-replenishment) [DATA SCIENCE Predictive analytics and demand forecasting Explore →](https://antusa.com/data-science) [EXCEPTION INTELLIGENCE AI-powered proactive alerts Explore →](https://antusa.com/exception-intelligence) ## What is that spreadsheet really costing you? Talk with our seasoned retail experts and get: - ✓ An honest look at where Excel is costing you time and margin - ✓ A side-by-side of your current process vs. what planning depth looks like in Toolbox - ✓ A working proof of concept with your actual data — risk-free, no commitment [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.