Problem: India's apparel retail industry has long supply chain lead times (6-9+ months), forcing brands to plan collections up to a year ahead. This leads to forecasting errors, desynchronisation in production, delayed store drops, size breakages, and high discounting of unsold stock (21%-40%), impacting profitability and brand image. Solutions: The white paper suggests moving away from seasonal planning by categorising products into: Perennials, Semi-perennials, and True Fashion items. This enables targeted supply strategies and smarter inventory management. Benefits: This approach reduces lead times, minimises overstocking, enables in-season responsiveness, lowers markdowns, and improves sales and agility across the value chain.

Key Takeaways

India’s apparel industry struggles with 6–9 month lead times, resulting in inventory mismatches and lost sales. What if a smarter, faster approach could transform profitability? Discover how brands can gain agility and control.

From threads to trends: Navigating supply chain complexity in apparel retail

<h6>From threads to trends: Navigating supply chain complexity in apparel retail</h6>

Download PDF

Long supply chain lead times trigger costly size-set breakages and excessive discounting in apparel retail. Transitioning away from fixed seasonal planning to a differentiated product lifecycle framework minimises overstocking.