Retail Intelligence™ System

The web-based Retail Intelligence™ software platform uses proprietary algorithms and related databases to generate forecasts for sales, inventories, markdowns and receipts. This plan, combined with RMSA’s analytical tools, gives you the information and metrics you need to maximize cash flow and improve your retail operations.

Dynamic Class-Level Forecasts are the Core of our Solution

The RMSA forecasts represent the core of our solution and are provided at the class level for each individual store. Each store level classification is treated as a unique business with individualized profit plans which can also be rolled up into the appropriate summaries for reporting purposes. Whether it is a physical location or an e-commerce site, our plans are built using a “bottom-up” approach based on the following inputs:

Sales Patterns
Seasonality
Turnover potential
Optimum flow of receipts

The system automatically receives monthly updates from your point of sale system and continuously refreshes each individual forecast. With the transmittal of new data, the system uses our retail analysis and management algorithms to review data at the store classification level. The system looks at data such as:

Were sales above or below last year and plan?
Were sales profitable?
Was there enough inventory?
Were receipts adequate?
Is inventory fresh?
Are markdowns needed?
Is turnover appropriate?
Were sales trending up or down during the last 90 days?
Are transfers necessary?
Should forecasts be adjusted because inventory is too high or too low?
Does the on-order match the open-to-receive?
Are there upcoming promotions?

All future months plans can automatically be revised with no additional inputs needed from the customer. However, plans are easily modified based on input from the customer and the RMSA team.

Additional Analytical Tools

Cash Flow Analysis: RMSA’s easy to use cash flow analysis feature enables you to see how your cash position is affected by future forecasted sales, operating expenses, other income, debt service and the cost of inventory currently on order and not yet ordered (positive open-to-buy). The tool also allows you to run sensitivity analyses by overriding all items populated by your RMSA plan. With our program, you can see how all aspects of your operation affect cash flow.

“What if” Function: Our software’s “what if” function allows the user to test different scenarios of the plan. Alternate plans may be used to see the impact of special circumstances such as off price goods available to you or special sales that you want to hold. You also can measure the impact of adjusted turnover rates, annual volumes or inventory levels. As your business is presented with new opportunities, our analytics tools can help you model their impact on your operations.

Mid-Month Updates: You can quickly see how your classifications are performing as you proceed through the month. This information makes it possible for you and your merchandising analyst to revise your open-to-buy and distribution decisions. Special circumstances during the current month may influence today’s merchandising decisions. These circumstances may include:

Taking more markdowns than planned
Selling much more than expected at any given point in the month
Hitting upon an item or items that are suddenly driving sales in a single class or subclass

Charts & Reports: The system is pre-loaded with a number of useful charts and reports which provide additional views of your operations including:

Classification Detail
Company Summary
Transfer / Distribution Report (multiple store)
Store Summary
Executive Summary Report
Total Department Sales Summary
Profit Report
Total Department by Store Summary
Cash Flow Analysis
Total Company Classification Summary
Inventory Comparison
Positive open-to-buy
Cumulative open-to-buy
Cost of goods sold
Fiscal year-to-date maintained margins

These standard reports can also be supplemented with custom reports that you and your merchandising team create for your individual needs.