Allocation Factor

The Software Solution for Merchandise Allocations

If your chain has less than 200 stores, then read on. This software was made specifically for chains under 200 stores that do not want the expense or bother of the larger allocation packages. Allocation Factor was designed specifically for you and priced accordingly.

Allocation Factor is the software solution for those retail chains that need to allocate goods to its stores in an intelligent and efficient manner.

Although it can be used by a wide variety of chain store organizations to streamline the allocation process, it is especially helpful to those chains dealing with apparel and softlines.

It is no longer necessary to manually allocate goods on a paper form or computer spreadsheet. Through the use of proprietary algorithms and criteria you define, Allocation Factor quickly allocates even the oddest lot of goods to your stores in an intelligent and reasonable manner.

Once the software knows your store list and your class (category) list, it then has the base information it needs to assist you in the allocation of goods.

Necessary:

Your store list.
Your class list. (Or you can specify one general class.)

Not necessary but helpful:

Your plan for the season for each store.
Minimum quantity you will allow a store to receive of a style's color for each class; broken down by store.
Maximum quantity you will allow a store to receive of a style's size by color for each class; broken down by store.

When it is time to allocate a shipment, you will need to do the following:

Enter the bulk quantity for each color and size for a particular style of goods.
Select the stores or groups of stores you wish to receive these goods.

In most cases, you will probably take the quantity information directly from the manufacturer's (vendor's) packing slip or your warehouse receiving document.

It may sound complicated but it is actually extremely simple.

Once the software knows your store list and your class (category) list you are ready to go.

For each merchandise style you wish to allocate, Allocation Factor has five (5) methods of allocation to choose from:

Manual Allocation
Even Allocation
Equal Allocation
Weighted Allocation
Saved Allocation

Manual Allocation: The Manual Allocation method works similar to a spreadsheet. After entering the quantity information for the goods you want to allocate and selecting the stores you want to receive the goods, the program presents you with a blank spreadsheet for you to manually allocate the goods.

If you are currently doing your allocations on a spreadsheet or a large sheet of paper, this method of allocation will seem more familiar to you. Unlike a spreadsheet program, Allocation Factor is designed specifically for allocations and as such contains many features to make allocating goods easy. For instance, by highlighting a store and pressing one key, you can quickly toggle between a complete view of the allocation by color (broken down by store and size) to a detail view of the allocation by store (broken down by color and size.)

Even Allocation: The Even Allocation method has the same interface as the Manual Allocation method. An Even Allocation will take the bulk quantities that you entered and attempt to allocate exactly the same quantities per size to each and every store selected. In other words, every store will get the same exact quantity breakdown.

If there are not enough red petite pajamas, for example, to give to every store selected, then no stores will get red petite pajamas. The quantities for these and other excess goods are not allocated. You are then able to give out the unallocated goods manually to any of the stores. Each store's allocation can be manually edited.

Equal Allocation: The Equal Allocation method is similar to the Even Allocation method and has the same interface. The Equal Allocation will allocate to each store, an equal total quantity of goods for each style's color as specified by you at the time of allocation. When you run an Equal Allocation the program will ask you to specify a quantity. This quantity determines the exact quantity of goods to give to each store for each color. If you specified the quantity as 12 then each selected store will get a total of 12 for each color within the style being allocated. The quantity by size may vary, but the total quantity by color will not. If there are not enough goods to give each store 12, then some stores will not be allocated any within that color. Each store's allocation can be manually edited.

Weighted Allocation: The Weighted Allocation method is the most powerful of the allocation methods. It will attempt to give out all the quantities to all the stores. It is the only method of the five that uses additional criteria that you, the user, have defined. Such as, the plan, minimums and size limits.

It also has the same interface as the previous three methods and, although it intelligently allocates the goods based on the parameters you set forth, you are still able to manually edit the allocation for each store.

Saved Allocation: The Saved Allocation method is a quick and easy way to allocate goods based on previously saved allocations. Each saved allocation can be used as a template for your new allocation. You can also use this method to rework an incomplete allocation that you had saved to finish at a later time.

Allocation Factor is very simple to use. It was specifically designed for chains of up to 200 stores that are not in the need for burdensome detailed planning; but are in need for the most powerful, quickest and easy to use allocation tool available. There is virtually no learning curve because the software is completely intuitive. There is no need for expensive training classes and there is no need for you to have or to buy an additional database server. It is not necessary for us to have a salesperson hard sell you on our product; Allocation Factor sells itself.

Allocation Factor includes Import and Export functions to allow data exchange with other applications.

Smaller Chains will now be able to enjoy the same benefits as the larger Chains.