Patent ID: 8370184

Claim:
A machine-readable media for planning an assortment using an automated process, the machine-readable media comprising program code stored therein executable by one or more machines to perform the automated process, the automated process comprising: defining an enterprise structure for each of a plurality of enterprises wherein each of the enterprise structures has a plurality of dimensions including a sales structure, a store structure, a theme structure, a merchandise structure and a purchasing structure; wherein a sales structure includes one or more sales channel level nodes; wherein the store structure includes one or more store definitions; wherein the theme structure includes plurality of category levels; wherein the merchandise structure defines groupings of merchandise; and wherein the purchasing structure includes buyer group definitions; grouping one or more enterprises based on one of the plurality of dimension or one or more store definitions; defining a plurality of article hierarchies wherein an article hierarchy includes a plurality of relational nodes comprising a first enterprise level, a second consumer field level, a third division level, a fourth consumer theme level, a fifth theme module level, a sixth assortment module level, and a seventh article level; assigning a plurality of articles to each article hierarchy of the plurality of article hierarchies at one of the plurality of relational nodes; selectively linking each level of the each article hierarchy of the plurality of article hierarchies to at least one parent node and a plurality of child nodes; assigning the grouped one or more enterprises to the assigned one of the plurality of relational nodes; and distributing the plurality of articles that are included in the assigned one of the plurality of nodes to at least one store included in the grouped one or more enterprises.