Most pilates ranges are built backwards: a product list first, then a search for space. Count-first planning measures the positions to fill and the replenishment cycle, then derives the number of SKUs.
Count positions before styles
List every place the range appears: studio wall, retail shelf, web category page, distributor catalogue. Each has fixed positions, and positions times the replenishment cycle is the constraint. Twelve hooks on a four-week cycle hold fewer styles than a sixty-tile catalogue page; an empty position costs more than a slow style.
Assign roles, not categories
Four jobs need covering, not five product types repeated: an entry item that brings people in, a core item that carries volume, an upgrade item that lifts the ceiling, a gift item that travels well. One or two styles per role is enough; two doing the same job leaves one stocked for nothing.
Contain the variant explosion
Variants multiply rather than add. Three colours, two sizes and three firmness levels make eighteen SKUs from one design. Choose the axis that carries the choice and freeze the rest: colour for consumer ranges, size for studio ranges, firmness only where it changes the exercise. Every orderable variant needs its own identifier, per the GTIN rules from GS1, so the sheet count matches the warehouse.
The counting sheet
| Role | Variants | First depth | Exit rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | 2 colours, 1 size | Deep | Replace, hold |
| Core | 3 colours, 3 sizes | Steady | One at a time |
| Upgrade | 1 colour, 1 size | Shallow | Twice a year |
Exiting a style without damaging the channel
Retirement is a plan, not a surprise. Stop replenishment first and let the position run down, tell accounts before the final shipment, shift demand to the replacement before a gap appears. Where the range is a custom pilates set, old and new styling merge in one development cycle.
Review the sheet each cycle. A counted range stays manageable and sellable; more notes are in the blog, and the overview on the home page.
Frequently asked questions
What belongs in a starter pilates set?
A mat, one light resistance band and a small ring cover the basic exercises. Add a block only when the audience is already training at home.
How many SKUs should a range have?
Start from positions and replenishment, not from ambition. Most ranges settle at eight to fourteen SKUs once each role has one or two styles.
How do I keep variants from multiplying?
Pick one axis to carry the choice and freeze the others. Colour for consumer ranges, size for studio ranges, firmness only where the exercise changes.
How do I retire a style without upsetting accounts?
Stop replenishment early, warn accounts before the final shipment, and move demand to the replacement before the position is empty.