Annual catalog index for a retail group with 14 stores across CDMX

Client context

The group operates three commercial lines under a single tax ID. Each line historically had its own promotional supplier: the Polanco brand office worked with a Polanco workshop, the Guadalajara operation with a Tlaquepaque vendor, and the Monterrey line with a Regiomontana printing house. The result was a fragmented catalog, no master SKU list, duplicate pieces, different prices for equivalent products, and limited traceability.

During an annual planning exercise, the marketing leadership discovered that the group collectively bought roughly twenty-two distinct pieces for analogous purposes. Fragmentation prevented consolidated volumes, better manufacturer terms and a uniform quality policy. The project's first step was precisely that: building a master catalog index.

The programme had to serve fourteen physical stores across Mexico City and its metropolitan area, two additional points in Guadalajara, one in Monterrey, plus an online store with nationwide shipping. The operation required mixed invoicing: most of it under the general regime with CFDI 4.0 and a 16% VAT breakdown, while the temporary export line for trade show samples was documented with the foreign trade complement.

The brand leadership requested that the index function as the single visual reference for purchasing, operations and suppliers. Each SKU had to carry a technical sheet, standardised photography on white background, defined primary packaging, and a net list price applicable both to consolidated purchasing and per-store invoicing.

Methodology

The first phase was a physical and documentary inventory of pieces purchased during the prior eighteen months. We visited each store's backroom, collected invoices and purchase orders from procurement and interviewed brand leads for each line. The output was an initial matrix of 137 active SKUs that shrank to 68 after the consolidation exercise.

Each approved SKU received a technical sheet with twelve fields: description, materials, dimensions, country of origin, suggested supplier, net price, primary packaging, minimum production quantity, delivery time, internal barcode, photography and usage notes. The sheet was built in a master spreadsheet that was later migrated to the client's internal database, accessible from their intranet.

The photo session took place at a studio in Colonia Roma over two days with four models. Photos were standardised with a white background, a 45-degree angle and a colour reference. Images were delivered in three sizes: thumbnail for the intranet, medium for digital catalogs and high resolution for offset printing. Each file was named with the SKU code, which made reuse straightforward.

For packaging we selected six boxes and three reusable bags. Each package carries an interior label with barcode, description and origin. The selection sought to eliminate single-use plastic, replacing it with kraft and recycled corrugated cardboard. Boxes were printed in a single initial run and stored at our El Marqués, Queretaro distribution centre.

Quarterly replenishment aligned with the client's fiscal calendar. Each quarter we delivered to stores the index pieces corresponding to the season, based on the sales forecast prepared by the commercial area. Surplus was held in our warehouse for a maximum of ninety days, after which it was reassigned to the online store or donated through an alliance with a civil organisation.

The cycle closed with a quarterly review with marketing and operations leadership. Each session reviewed per-SKU sales indicators, returns, replenishment times and floor staff suggestions. Decisions were documented in signed minutes that fed the client's internal operating manual. This closing discipline, uncommon in the merchandise industry, was the single largest value driver for the group during the second operating year.

Lessons learned

• A consolidated master SKU list eliminates duplication and lowers unit cost before any price negotiation.
• Standardised photography with code-named files accelerates the joint operation between marketing, operations and ecommerce.
• Quarterly replenishment reduces dead inventory and allows piece reassignment without penalising cash flow.