A META-ANALYSIS OF LEAN MERCHANDISING STRATEGIES IN FASHION RETAIL: GLOBAL INSIGHTS FROM THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA

Abstract

This study addresses the problem of how fashion retailers can raise sell-through, inventory turnover, and value while reducing markdown exposure under short life cycles and post-pandemic volatility. The purpose is to quantify the association between lean merchandising adoption and performance, and to test whether operational agility transmits those effects under differing omnichannel maturity and supplier collaboration. Design: quantitative, cross-sectional, case-based. Sample: N = 272 manager responses from 18 international fashion retail enterprise cases. Key variables: Lean Merchandising Adoption, Operational Agility, Omnichannel Maturity, Supplier Collaboration, with KPIs sell-through, inventory turnover, GMROI, markdown percentage, stockout rate, and lead time, plus structural controls. Analysis plan: descriptive statistics and psychometrics, correlation mapping, hierarchical regressions with robust errors and cluster adjustments, mediation via bootstrapped indirect effects for agility, moderation via interaction terms with simple-slopes and Johnson Neyman intervals, and sensitivity checks. Headline findings: higher lean adoption aligns with higher sell-through, turnover, and GMROI, and with lower markdown percentage and lead time, with a small favourable reduction in stockout rate; part of the effect operates through agility; the payoff increases where unified inventory visibility and order orchestration are mature and where supplier collaboration enables flexible minimums and reliable in-season rebuys. Implications: retailers should treat lean as precise commitment and rapid read and react supported by truthful inventory visibility, cross-functional cadence, and vendor flexibility, rather than inventory minimalism; investments in order management, inventory accuracy, and collaboration amplify value and reduce clearance dependence. These results provide a diagnostics-checked, replicable blueprint for decision makers in global fashion portfolios today.