RETAIL MARKDOWN & PRICING SOFTWARE
Retail markdown decisions, modelled before margin is lost.
Merchmix helps retail teams identify markdown risk, model alternative price actions and see the projected impact on sales, stock and gross profit before approving a change.
WHAT IT DOES
Markdown decisions with the commercial impact visible first.
Merchmix is retail markdown management software that helps teams identify pricing risk, model alternative markdown depths and see the projected impact on sales, stock and gross profit before approving a price change.
TWO DISTINCT WORKFLOWS
Pricing and markdowns are different decisions.
Pricing
Review current and recommended prices across the range, set the commercial objective and focus attention on exceptions.
Markdowns
Model permanent price reductions against projected sales, stock and gross profit before approving the action.
WORKFLOW
From risk detection to execution.
A connected six-step sequence that moves from detecting margin risk to measuring the commercial outcome: Detect → Model → Compare → Approve → Execute → Measure.
Detect
Identify stock, cover, velocity and margin risks.
Model
Test alternative markdown depths and price actions.
Compare
See projected sales, stock and gross profit outcomes.
Approve
Review the recommendation before committing the action.
Execute
Push the agreed decision into the operating workflow.
Measure
Track the outcome and feed performance back into planning.
PRICING WORKBENCH
Set the objective and Merchmix prices the whole range against it.
Choose year, week and hierarchy, then pick the objective: maximise GP, clear stock, protect margin or free cash. Every style in scope gets a recommended price with the markdown depth, GP lift, stock on hand, cover, risk and confidence behind it.
One objective, one pass.
Change the objective and every recommendation re-runs against it, so clearing stock and protecting margin are two views of the same range, not two spreadsheets.
Lanes sort the work.
Each style lands in Autopilot, Tune, Investigate, Hold or Approved, so the team spends its time on the styles that need a human and lets the rest run.
Opportunity map.
Styles plotted by profit upside against urgency, so high upside and urgent is the first place anyone looks.
Markdown summary in view.
Units by price bracket and participation by category sit above the table, so the plan's shape is visible before a single price moves.
Recommendations read live stock, rate of sale and cover from Product Review, so the price the workbench suggests is the price the trade meeting is already looking at.
See Product Review →REVIEW BOARDS
Build a markdown review for a category and model it line by line.
Start a new review for a category, year and week range. The board opens as a command centre with every style and SKU in scope, current price and bracket, further markdown, new price, projected sales, new margin and projected GP, all editable and all saved as you go.
Full modelling table.
RRP, cost, margin, stock, rate of sale, weeks cover, last year sales, current bracket and the projected result of any change, in one row per style.
Problems filter.
One click shows only the styles with exceptions, with a count on every category so the team knows where the work is before it opens the row.
On markdown filter.
Separate what is already reduced from what is being considered, so second and third markdowns are planned, not accidental.
Import and export.
Bring a supplier or finance sheet in, take the approved plan out, and keep the board as the single record in between.
Every board reads the same stock, sales and cost data as WSSI and the trade wrap, so the markdown line on the board and the markdown line in the plan agree.
See WSSI and open to buy →PRIORITY QUEUE
See what the markdown costs before you approve it.
Merchmix lets retail teams compare price actions and see projected effects on sales, stock, gross profit, GP%, weeks of cover and remaining inventory before approving the markdown. Open any pending style to see the recommended price, the commercial reasoning behind it, and a live impact preview before committing a price change.
Recommendation with the reason.
Each style carries the case for the price in plain language: velocity, season position, cover and units, so the approver can evaluate the specific commercial rationale.
Compare price actions.
Accept the recommended price, match the current price, or test custom markdown depths side by side. Every option recalculates projected sales, stock, and gross profit on the spot.
Impact preview before approval.
Current price, recommended price, unit change, GP% delta, weeks of cover and remaining inventory impact in one card before anything commits.
Recorded approval trail.
Add a decision note and approve. The price action, timestamp, approver and commercial reasoning stay logged with the style for post-season accountability.
Approvals flow directly to the ERP and POS pricing feeds, eliminating manual re-keying and the errors that come with it.
See ERP integrations →PLAN CONTEXT & BRANCHES
Branch the plan, compare it to baseline, and keep every change on the timeline.
Every review board lets you branch the markdown plan into what-if scenarios, compare them against the unpriced baseline, take snapshots before a major shift, and audit every change back to the person who made it.
Baseline comparison.
See units, sales value, gross profit and average discount against baseline at every step, with green and red deltas showing exactly what the plan gained or gave away.
Branches and scenarios.
Create a branch for an aggressive clearance run, another for a margin-protecting pass, compare the two side by side, and merge the one that wins.
Snapshots.
Save the state of the board at any point with one click. Restore a snapshot if the trade meeting changes direction, with nothing lost.
Audit timeline.
Every price change, status shift and lane move logged with user, timestamp and note, so post-season reviews know why decisions were taken, not just what was decided.
Branches and scenarios feed into the seasonal post-mortem, giving merchandising leadership an audit trail of every pricing decision against actuals.
See leadership dashboards →MARKDOWN SUMMARY
See markdown exposure across the plan before it becomes a margin problem.
The summary bar reads the whole board and flags exposure warnings before prices commit. See total styles, SKUs and units in the plan, current stock on hand value, projected sales and gross profit, and category participation at a glance.
Exposure warning.
Automatic warnings when total markdown value exceeds the safe threshold for the department, so margin risk is flagged before approval, not at month end.
Value totals in view.
Styles, SKUs, units, SOH value, projected sales at markdown and projected gross profit all totalled live as rows change on the board.
Category breakdown.
Participation by department, category and sub-category, so the team sees which parts of the range are carrying the markdown weight.
Bracket distribution.
Units and styles grouped by discount depth, so heavy cuts stand out against light touches and average discount stays within budget.
Markdown summaries roll directly into the Merchandise Financial Plan (MFP), keeping sales, intake and margin budgets aligned across the season.
See Merchandise Financial Planning →“Margin was leaking through data inconsistencies. Merchmix highlighted where it was happening and why. We fixed it and protected profit.”
Amit Sharma
CIO, Auriste
WHY MERCHMIX
More than a markdown spreadsheet.
A spreadsheet records a proposed markdown. Merchmix models the commercial consequence before the decision is approved.
| Spreadsheet workflow | Merchmix |
|---|---|
| Static clearance list | Live style and SKU position |
| One discount assumption | Multiple markdown scenarios |
| Margin checked afterwards | GP impact visible before approval |
| Blanket category cuts | Item-level decisions |
| Email sign-off | Recorded approval trail |
| Separate from planning | Decision flows back into WSSI |
HOW IT FITS
Markdown is the last lever, not the first.
Markdown does not operate in isolation. Merchmix connects price decisions directly into allocation, range reviews and merchandise financial planning so price is moved only when other levers have been exhausted.
Markdown & Pricing
If price needs to move, which action creates the best commercial outcome?
See your own range priced against your own objective.
A six-week proof of concept on your own data. Bring a category, set the objective, and see what the workbench recommends.
Frequently asked questions about markdown and pricing
Common questions about how Merchmix supports retail markdown, repricing and margin decisions.