Understanding Calendars and Seasons in Merchandising

In this article, learn about: 

• Common retail calendars 

• How to align teams, data, and forecasts 

• The importance of coordination 

Many of the biggest wins in sell-through, margins, and inventory efficiencies come from simply being in sync with retail calendars. Retail cycles aren’t random—they’re intentional and predictable. Consumers shop with the seasons, and retailers plan months in advance to meet the demand.  

Seasons aren’t just marketing moments for retailers; they should be viewed as operational anchors for all businesses involved. It has been said that seasonal merchandising is like an invisible structure behind the scenes: the planning, buying, allocation, inventory, and promotions all timed to match how (and when) people actually shop.  

When manufacturers, suppliers, 3PLs, and retailers all align, the greater supply chain benefits by: 

• Positioning assortment at the right time 

• Preparing teams for production and distribution 

• Strengthening relationships 

• Reducing compliance issues  

• Improving forecasting accuracy  

Alignment starts with timing, and timing starts with understanding how retailers break down the fiscal year. This article covers the calendars, cycles, and best practices for seasonal merchandising.  

Fiscal Years and Quarters in Retail 

A retail year is split into four quarters (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4). Each quarter has 13 weeks (totaling 52 weeks in a standard year), with one five-week month placed in each quarter to ensure proper alignment with planning, operations and year-over-year reporting. 

Quarters matter because they shape: 

• Seasonal transitions 

• Marketing investments 

• Budget resets 

• Forecast adjustments 

• Inventory commitments 

• Assortment decisions 

When retailers, suppliers, and 3PLs synchronize their planning around quarters, timeliness becomes easier. However, retail fiscal years rarely align with the standard calendars we all know and love. Many calendars intentionally position the new fiscal year after peak holiday sales in order to capture performance and to prevent overlap.  

For example: 

• A retailer may define Q1 as February – April.  

• Others may place Q4 right before the holidays to finalize budgets 

With this understanding, there is an opportunity to align operations in unison. 

• Suppliers can better plan production cycles, raw materials, and labor 

• Retailers can coordinate marketing, forecasting and promotional events 

• 3PLs can prepare for volume swings tied to seasonal resets 

When all stakeholders know how the fiscal year is structured, launches, resets, and shipments can fall into place with far less friction.  

Related Reading: Fulfilling Orders with Ulta’s Retail Calendar 

Understanding Retail Calendars 

Retail operations are cross-functional by nature and one of the biggest challenges across the industry is that not every company follows the same timing cadence. Manufacturers may follow a standard production schedule, while retailers rely on specialized calendars built to track weeks, promotional events, and merchandising schedules. 

This is where alignment becomes crucial. Before any seasonal planning begins, suppliers and retailers should confirm which calendar governs: 

• Reporting 

• PO cycles 

• Seasonal resets 

• Promotional timing 

• Floor/Store set schedules 

Getting this clarified early prevents late shipments, poor timing, and misaligned expectations later.  

Most Common Retail Calendars 

One of the most common calendars in North America is the 4-5-4 retail calendar, which most agree was created in the 1930’s with informal cross-industry communications. Just ten years later, it was widely accepted and used across industries.  

It caught on quickly because retailers and suppliers needed a consistent way to plan inventory and compare data year-over-year, as the number of weekends in a month varied with standard calendars. Endorsed by the National Retail Federation (NRF) , the 4-5-4 calendar ensures that "like days are compared to like days" for accurate sales reporting and operational forecasting.  

Other common retail calendars are the 4-4-5 and 5-4-4 . These variations simply rearrange the order of the 4-week and 5-week months within the quarter. 

For example: 

• 4-week, 4-week, 5-week 

• 5-week, 4-week, 4-week 

The total number of weeks in the quarter (13) and per year (52) remain the same. An extra 53rd week is added approximately every five to six years to realign the calendar. 

The 4-5-4 calendar is by far the most common with major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Macy’s all using the same system. Suppliers who adopt the calendars of their retailers can easily streamline week-to-week and year-over-year sales comparisons. 

Related Resource: Walmart Fiscal Year End 2026 Calendar 

Seasonal Planning: The Rhythm of Retail 

In the world of retail, the term seasonal has nothing to do with the temperature outside and everything to do with consumer behavior. Here, the term “seasons” means cycles. Retail has its own natural pulse—steady, cyclical, and highly predictable.  

Major seasons for general merchandise include: 

Major seasons for apparel include: 

Major seasons for consumable goods include:  

The 4-5-4 calendar applied to all of these seasons gives both suppliers and retailers the opportunity to dive into forecasting, data, and analytics in a congruent manner.  

How to Align to 4-5-4 Calendar 

The goal is simple: ensure production, marketing, logistics, and in-store placement all move according to the same rhythm. The key to this rhythm is communication.  

Once timing is unified, alignment becomes a matter of coordinating the details. Teams can then focus on early information sharing and collaborative planning.  

Visibility also plays an ongoing role in seasonal merchandising and retail calendars. Shared data, accurate forecasting, real-time PO updates, and clear shipment tracking all help to prevent the most common seasonal issues. 

Why Alignment Matters for Your Business 

Alignment to seasonal timelines is more than just forecasting or courtesy—it’s performance and money.  

When suppliers, retailers, and 3PLs operate from the same calendar expectations, it reduces friction across the entire supply chain. Alignment helps prevent all kinds of awful outcomes like: 

• Late PO acceptance 

• Inventory arriving after peak selling time, empty shelves 

• Overstock from missed demand 

• Costly markdowns 

• Avoidable deductions for late shipments or missing ASN milestones 

• Misreported performance 

When teams are aligned, we see: 

• Improved forecasting 

• Mutually beneficial collaborations 

• Stronger profitability from Q1-Q4, consistently 

Practical Takeaways  

It is crucial for suppliers, retailers, and 3PLs to understand that the desire for alignment exists throughout all parties.  

Tips for Supplier Alignment 

• Use 4-5-4 weeks for demand forecasting 

• Plan production cycles around retailer reset dates 

• Confirm marketing schedules match product availability 

Tips for Retailer Alignment 

• Communicate seasonal expectations and deadlines early 

• Confirm supplier lead times 

• Build buffer time into seasonal transitions 

Tips for 3PL Alignment 

• Prepare staffing and schedules around seasonal peaks and surges 

• Support to diminish early and late deliveries as seasons transition 

• Track inventory flow by week for stronger accuracy 

Aligning Through Technology 

Seasonal merchandising becomes dramatically easier when both suppliers and retailers work from the same data. SPS Commerce offers tools—like SPS Fulfillment, SPS for 3PLs, and SPS Analytics—that streamline communication and keep everyone aligned on shipments, timing, orders, and performance.  

In the world of retail, every week matters. The right technology helps both sides stay in rhythm quarter after quarter.