Toolio Product Updates: August 9, 2024

Metric Rule Sets

Rule Sets function in a similar manner to the Output Metrics that are currently in use today. When working with them, one might wonder: What exactly am I inputting into the formula? And what is the expected output? In essence, you have the flexibility to configure both the inputs and outputs of the metric formula within your settings. Additionally, you can choose and specify the particular rule set you want to apply in any given view. This configurability allows for a tailored approach to managing your metrics, ensuring that the outputs align closely with your specific needs and objectives.

By default, system does not enable Rule Sets for your tenant and hence views. If you prefer to use Rule Sets instead of Output Metrics, please follow the instructions on this help article.

In order to view Rules in a Rule set, go to Settings > Organization Settings > Metric Rule Sets. See the Out-of-Box (default) Rule Sets set up by Toolio: 1) Toolio - MP Choice Planning or 2) Toolio - MP Default.  Double Click on a Rule Set and system will display the rules defined. Follow the help article Walkthrough section for more instructions.

Metric Rule Sets will be replacing Output Metrics by the end of Q3: September 30, 2024. Therefore, please make sure that all your views are compatible with the Metric Rule Sets per your workflows by then.

Please feel free to reach out to your CSMs with any questions. Start using Rule Sets today as it supports multidirectional input, allowing you to enter both sides of the equation, not just one-way like traditional inputs and outputs on the Output Metrics.

Distinct Count Metrics

Toolio now provides Distinct Count Metrics for Choice, Style Number, and SKU in the New Assortment Plan. This enhancement allows you to gain deeper insights and make more informed decisions regarding your inventory and product offerings. With these new metrics, you can now answer detailed questions such as “How many choices will we offer in Fall/Winter 2025?” or “How many SKUs will we have in Spring 2025 for the Web channel?” These capabilities help ensure that you are well-prepared to meet customer demand and optimize your product assortment for each season and sales channel.

Distinct Count Metrics is available in

1. Planning Screen
2. Metrics Tab on Detailed View
3. Reporting Module
4. Assortment Summary (will be available in the upcoming weeks)

Please note that Actual variants of Distinct Count Metrics will be available in the upcoming weeks.

Pricing Table Integration for New AP

Pricing table is now integrated to New Assortment Planning. This allows customers to provide an import of pricing changes to both cost and ticket price by channel, by time. Unlike the implementation of the price table in Item Planning, the price changes are automatically applied when forecasts are generated in New Assortment Planning. The updated pricing is maintained until a new price is added in the future.

Comp Store Planning in MP

We’re excited to introduce Comp Store Planning workflows to Toolio Merchandise Plan! This allows you to plan and report by Comp Stores (existing stores which have been open for over a year) and Spread Stores (new locations typically open for less than a year) independently. This enables you to more granularly forecast and analyze performance to understand which types of locations are driving your top line sales growth at any given period.

To get started with Comp Store Planning, you’ll just want to ensure the following prerequisites are met:

1. Ensure locations are configured properly with ‘Comp Date’ - the date that a store becomes labeled as an existing, comparable ‘Comp’ location (typically at least 1 year after the open date)
2. Ensure you already have a Gross Sales Retail and Gross Sales Units plan at the topline

Then, you can simply navigate to MP - Comp Store Planning View and follow these simple seps

1. Plan Comp Gross Sales Retail - % Var Act/Plan vs Act LY (the percentage of existing location YoY growth) - this will output into Comp Gross Sales Retail
2. Plan Spread % (the percentage of your topline YoY growth driven by new location openings) - this will output into Spread Volume Retail

You can also reference actual data in past periods to understand how your Comp Gross Sales Retail - % Var Act vs Act LY and your Spread %’s have been tracking. These will help guide your inputs to the future periods.

Please note that the sum of your existing stores (Comp) and your new stores (Spread) will always sum to the topline totals.

Planned Sell Through

Calculating receipts in New Assortment Planning allows users to build a receipt plan to include minimum presentation per location which will be held through to the phase out date, driving a projected sell through at the phase out date and end date of a choice. In addition, users can now target a specific sell through to drive the receipt calculation, again to either a phase out date (at which point no more receipts will be planned) or through to the end date of the product. These features offer users flexibility to plan the ideal inventory to support sales for each product.

Launch Curve

Introducing new products often drives significant increases in sales interest from consumers and managing the timing and impact of those introductions can be challenging for retailers with shifting launch dates and expected uplift. To solve this, Toolio provides Launch Curves to efficiently associate a lift with the initial lifecycle of a new choice which will then revert to more generic seasonality after the initial lift. The system will automatically associate the launch curve with a potentially shifting launch date of a product.

• Set the number of periods to affect.
• Partition it by product and location attributes.
• Set the lift over the base curve per period.
• Lift Method allows you to apply the launch curve as additive to the base forecast or to reshape the base forecast to keep the total constant.

Be sure to check out our Roadmap for other planned features and updates to Toolio. Is there a feature you think would be a great addition? Let us know here!