Q4 Inventory Planning Checklist: How to Prepare Early for Holiday Demand

Happy Holidays in June: Get Ready With Our Q4 Inventory Planning Checklist

Temperatures are heating up…which means it’s officially time to start planning for Q4. Yes, really!

In retail, early holiday inventory planning is one of the biggest predictors of success. Waiting too long can lead to stockouts, missed revenue, cash flow issues, and costly last-minute scrambling. For product-based businesses—especially those with long lead times—Q4 demand planning truly begins months (and sometimes a full year) ahead of peak season.

Many beauty, CPG, and apparel clients we support at Boon deal with production and supply chain lead times of 6–12+ months. Think glass bottles, custom pump components, palettes, garment trims, or seasonal packaging—these aren’t quick turnaround items. If brands like these hadn’t already been planning for Holiday 2024, they’d be in major trouble right now.

Fortunately, our team helps clients implement assortment planning, sales recapping, and inventory forecasting best practices that support retail growth all year long. Retail planning requires living in three “time zones” at once:

• Reviewing historical assortment performance

• Recapping current sales actuals against the forecast

• Planning future buys using data-driven insights

If you don’t yet have a sales recap process, an assortment review process, or a holiday inventory planning framework, now is the time. Book a consultation to get started—or keep reading to see how your business measures up against our Q4 readiness checklist.

Your Holiday Prep Checklist: How Ready Is Your Business for Q4?

Holiday success comes down to one thing:
Having the right inventory, in the right place, at the right time—supported by an accurate demand plan.

Let’s dive into the steps every retail and DTC brand should take to avoid costly mistakes.

1. Review Current Sales Trends and Demand Forecast Accuracy

Before finalizing your Q4 inventory buys, validate your:

• Sales trend

• Forecast accuracy

• Category performance

• Inventory position

• Sell-through patterns

If your demand plan is too optimistic, you’ll over-order—and tie up cash flow. If it’s too conservative, you’ll fall out of stock right when seasonality is at its peak.

Focus especially on:

• Holiday hero products

• Giftable items

• Seasonal SKUs

• Core items with high velocity

Double-checking your sales forecast now will prevent expensive missteps later.

2. TEST, TEST, TEST! (Your Holiday Forecast Depends on It)

Holiday brings unpredictable variables—marketing spikes, influencer impact, shipping delays, viral moments, and shifting customer behavior. Smart retailers test everything before November.

>> Test Sales Velocity

If possible, bring in a small early buy of your planned holiday product.

This helps you validate:

• Customer interest

• Unit velocity

• Pricing sensitivity

• Seasonality indicators

Even a 2–3 week sales read provides meaningful insights for inventory forecasting.

>> A/B Test Your Promo Strategy

Test different promotion types to understand:

• % off vs. BOGO

• Free gift with purchase

• Tiered discounts

• Shipping thresholds

This allows you to refine your holiday promotional forecast, adjust your demand plan, and buy inventory confidently.

>> Test Your Marketing Strategy

Your highest selling items will correlate directly with your marketing efficiency.

Identify which channels deliver the strongest ROI and velocity:

• TikTok

• Meta

• Email

• SMS

• Influencers

• Paid search

The more you understand your marketing funnel, the better you can predict demand and avoid stockouts or excess inventory.

3. Align Inventory Planning With Marketing

Marketing and inventory planning must work hand-in-hand.

Your marketing team needs visibility into:

• Inventory constraints

• Forecasted demand

• Promotional lifts

• OTB availability

• Lead times

Likewise, planners need visibility into:

• Planned campaign volume

• Influencer pushes

• Category focus areas

• Expected velocity changes

When marketing strategy and inventory forecasting operate in silos, it’s a recipe for stockouts, wasted ad spend, and lost sales.

4. Troubleshoot Excess Inventory Problems NOW

If you’re dealing with excess inventory heading into Q4, it will:

• Tie up cash you need for holiday receipts

• Take up warehouse space needed for newness

• Slow down your OTB

• Reduce flexibility in your demand plan

If you don’t have an open-to-buy tool, download Boon’s OTB planner—this is your sign. Add your email below and we’ll send it to you!

A strong OTB tool helps you:

• Identify unproductive inventory

• Reflow receipts

• Delay shipments

• Cancel POs (when possible)

• Free up cash for high-demand SKUs

Cash flow is everything heading into Q4. Don’t wait.

5. Check in With Vendors on Production Timing

Your Q4 plan is only as strong as your supply chain.

Reach out to your vendors now to confirm:

• Production timelines

• Raw material availability

• MOQ requirements

• Packaging readiness

• Shipping cutoffs

• Expected delays or constraints

Having inventory ready to ship is essential to protecting sell-through during peak sales windows.

So, what’s next?

If this checklist feels overwhelming, that’s completely normal. Holiday retail is complex—and Q4 planning is one of the most critical components of retail inventory management.

The good news is — you don’t have to do it alone.

The Boon team brings decades of experience in:

• Retail demand planning

• Inventory forecasting

• Sales recapping

• Assortment optimization

• Open-to-buy planning

• Cash flow analysis

• Seasonal planning

We help brands create data-driven processes that increase profit, protect cash flow, and prepare them for their strongest holiday season ever.

Let the holiday countdown begin—and let Boon make sure you’re ready.

👉 Book a call today and prep for Q4 like the brands that always win.