Open-to-Buy Planning: A Practical Guide
Open-to-buy planning explained. Formula, examples, and how to use it to control inventory investment month by month.
Calculate markdown percentage and dollar savings for any retail price reduction.
Markdown
33.34%
Dollar Markdown
$40.01
Original Price
$120.00
Markdown Price
$79.99
Formula Used
((Original Price − Markdown Price) ÷ Original Price) × 100
((Original Price − Markdown Price) ÷ Original Price) × 100
Markdown percentage measures the depth of a price reduction relative to the original ticket price.
A coat was originally priced at $120 and is now $79.99. Markdown = ((120 − 79.99) ÷ 120) × 100 ≈ 33.3%. The dollar markdown per unit is $40.01.
They are used interchangeably in practice. Markdown is the more common retail term and is recorded against gross margin.
Apparel and fashion typically run 15–25 percent. Specialty retail closer to 10 percent. Higher rates often signal over-buying.
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Open-to-buy planning explained. Formula, examples, and how to use it to control inventory investment month by month.
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