Learn in the textbookMarketing Fundamentals and Understanding Customers
DefinitionSales, product, and procurement planning (販売・製品・仕入計画) uses the demand forecast from market research to decide, in a consistent way, what and how much to sell, which products to offer, and what and how much to buy in.
ExplanationThe sales forecast comes first, and the products to prepare and the quantities to buy follow from it, so the three plans move together. Turning the chosen items and quantities into an actual product range, prices, and displays on the sales floor is called merchandising (マーチャンダイジング).
AnalogyIt is like estimating how many guests will come over the weekend, planning the menu, and then buying ingredients for that many people.
Memory hookMerchandising is merchandise (goods) plus -ing: the work of shaping goods into a form that sells.