Boutique Open-to-Buy Calculator
Find out how much inventory your boutique can still buy this period — after accounting for what you already own, what's already on order, and the sales and markdowns you're planning.
🧾 Your plan for this period
Open-to-buy, in plain boutique language
What is open-to-buy?
What does my result mean?
OTB vs. inventory budget
What if my OTB is negative?
A negative number isn't a crisis — it's information. It usually means merchandise already on order slipped your mind, or sales came in softer than planned. The practical responses are to hold off on new orders, push sell-through on what you already own, delay or reduce an open purchase order where the vendor allows, or revisit the plan itself if your planned sales figure was too conservative. Run any clearance plan through the markdown calculator first so discounting doesn't quietly erase the margin you were protecting.
How often should I calculate it?
Monthly works for most independent boutiques, plus a quick re-check before market, a big vendor order, or a seasonal buy. The value comes from doing it on a rhythm — a number you calculate once a year is trivia, not a control.
Where this fits with your other tools
Open-to-buy controls ongoing monthly buying. If you're still planning an initial or seasonal assortment — units, styles, category splits — the Boutique Inventory Buy Planner is the right tool. For what deserves the money once you know your room, the metrics live in boutique inventory management.
Want the full method, a worked example, and the mistakes that make OTB useless? Read Open-to-Buy for Small Boutiques: A Simple Monthly Formula.
Frequently asked questions
- Open-to-buy is the amount of additional inventory you can still purchase during a period while ending that period with the amount of stock you planned to have. It's a buying budget expressed in retail dollars, not a bank balance.
Your numbers stay in your browser — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere. These estimates are for planning purposes only and are not financial advice.
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