The merchant's handbook to conducting an after action review for category, brand, or promotion. Step by step instructions on content to capture, and how to engage cross functional teams. Mech/ Merchandise /Revenue/Gross Profit/Margin/Dollars/Data/Ecommerce/Omnichannel/Retail

1. How to
Conduct After
Action Review
Joan Braatz
Vice President Merchandising

2. What is an After Action
Review (AAR)?
• Summary of Data Results for Time Frame
• Translates Sales Data into Key Take Away’s
• Records Insights for Future Planning
• Valuable Companion to Daily Sales Report
2

3. After Action Review
(AAR)
Summary of Results Captured:
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• By Category or By Buyer
• Omni-channel: Stores + Ecommerce
• By Promotional Time Frame (e.g., Back to
School, Holiday)
• Optional: Deep Dive Vendor Focus
• Optional: Roll Up to Division

4. For What
Timeframe?
• Month End
• Quarter End
• Season End
• Appointment Shopping:
 Easter, Memorial Day
 Mother’s Day / Father’s Day
 Back to School
 Holiday (Black Friday – After
Christmas)

5. Who Prepares the AAR?
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• Buyer (Associate + Assistant Buyer)
• Merchandise Planner
• Replenishment Manager / Business Analyst
• E-commerce Merchant

6. Gather Input from Cross
Functional Teams
• Suppliers
• Marketing
• Store Operations
• Visual Merchandising
6

7. The 4 Quadrants of After Action Review
What
Worked
What Didn’t
Work
Competitive
Insights
7
Resources
Needed

8. Doing the Work - After Action Review (AAR)
Completing Q1
“What Worked”:
• Draw Conclusions from
Data
• Look for Patterns Across
Category/Brand
• Develop Big Picture
Perspective
• Write Summary of “Why”
Category Win
Completing Q2
“What Didn’t Work”:
• Draw Conclusions from
Data
• Look for Commonalities
in Loss
• Look for Outliers to Trend
• Write Summary of “Why”
Category Loss
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9. 9
Completing Q4 “Competition” Analysis:
• Recap Key Competitors
• Collect Competitor Marketing Materials
• Comp Shop for Key Events
• Probe Suppliers for Market Intelligence
• Ask Store Operations for Field Insights
Completing Q3 “Cross Functional
Support”:
• Tie Directly to Wins & Losses for Month
• Clarify Support to Fuel Positive Gains
• Identify Support Needed to Mitigate Loss
• Write Summary of “Why” Support Needed
Doing the Work - After Action Review (AAR)

10. MAT Team Discussion
• Captures Diverse of Point of View
• Promotes Engagement of Direct Reports
• Involvement of Cross Functional Teams
• Ownership and Responsibility for Action
• Gains Alignment on Next Steps

11. After Action Review
Agenda
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Agenda for Team Discussion:
• Merchant Review Sections 1-4
• Planning Review Sections 1-4
• Ecommerce Merchant Review
• Invite Store Operations for Summary
• Invite Marketing for Summary
• Invite Visual Merch Team for Summary
• Gain Alignment on Key Learnings + Actions

12. Thank You
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Reach Me
Joan Braatz
Vice President Merchandising
Retail | B2C | B2B
braatzjoan@gmail.com
214-733-9677
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanbraatz/
https://joanbraatz.com/