New York runs on retail. From DTC brands in Brooklyn to wholesale lines selling into department stores uptown, the competition for shelf space, attention, and margin is as tough as anywhere in the country.
We help New York consumer brands win that fight with the merchandising and planning discipline usually reserved for the biggest retailers. After all, it’s the city we met in!
We ❤️ New York
Plan + Pivot Collective is a senior team of retail operators. Between us we have owned merchandising, buying, and planning at Bath & Body Works, J.Crew, Restoration Hardware, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, and Club Monaco.
We are remote and embedded, which means that your brand gets that depth of experience without the cost of a full in-house team.
Who We Are
How We Can Help
We focus on the work that protects cash and margin
Assortment and product mix, so you buy what actually sells. Open-to-buy and inventory planning, so growth does not freeze your cash. Pricing and margin strategy. Wholesale and partnership development for brands expanding into retail accounts. And a clear weekly rhythm your team can run after we are gone.
1. Long-Term Merchandising Strategy
We partner with you to map out a multi-year product roadmap tied directly to revenue goals. This includes identifying which SKUs to prioritize, how to structure your product line, and where to allocate resources for maximum return on investment.
2. Product Mix
Optimization
Building the right balance between bestsellers, new launches, and seasonal items requires both art and science. We help you structure assortments that reduce risk while keeping your offerings fresh and relevant to your target market.
4. Store Experience & Display Strategy
How products are presented impacts conversion rates and basket size. We can help design planograms, provide fixturing recommendations, and develop visual merchandising standards that enhance the customer journey while remaining operationally feasible.
3. Open-to-Buy Systems & Cash Flow Planning
Managing inventory investments strategically prevents cash from getting tied up in slow-moving stock. We create OTB frameworks and forecasting models that align purchasing decisions with sales patterns and financial capacity.
6. Pricing Strategy & Margin Protection
Setting prices involves understanding costs, competitive positioning, and perceived value. We develop pricing architectures, promotional strategies, and markdown guidelines that drive sales without sacrificing your bottom line.
Effective merchandising creates predictable revenue and protects profitability. We can help you do both.
5. Wholesale & Partnership Development
If you're looking for a retail partner that aligns with your growth trajectory, we're built to support ambitious brands as they make their next move.
We serve a wide spectrum of consumer brands and retail operators, tailoring our retail consulting approach to where you are and where you're headed.
Our clients typically include:
Early-stage companies: establishing their first structured merchandising processes and learning to plan systematically rather than reactively.
Growing retailers: managing increased complexity as they add sales channels, geographic markets, or product categories.
Founder-operated businesses: seeking to bring professional retail practices into their operations while preserving entrepreneurial speed and creativity.
Multi-channel brands: coordinating merchandising across physical stores, e-commerce platforms, and B2B partnerships to ensure consistency and profitability.
If you're looking for retail consulting services that align with your growth trajectory, we're built to support ambitious brands as they make their next move.
Why a remote firm beats a local one
Let’s Talk
If you are a brand ready to scale without the margin and inventory pain that usually comes with it, book a Smart Start session, and we will find the one number you should be watching and probably are not.
Focused on outcomes
We measure success by improvements in your key metrics - sell-through rates, margin performance, inventory efficiency, and revenue growth. Strategy matters, but results matter more.
Schedule a consultation with us and leave with actionable recommendations you can implement right away.
Real retail experience
Our team has held senior merchandising and planning roles at leading consumer brands. We've managed budgets, led teams, and delivered results under pressure - giving us perspective that goes beyond theory.
Designed for founders
We recognize that entrepreneurial teams operate with limited bandwidth and budgets. Our engagements are structured to deliver maximum value efficiently, with clear communication and no unnecessary complexity.
Flexible engagement options
Whether you need a focused project, ongoing consulting support, or fractional leadership, we adapt to your requirements and scale with your business.