7 Best Open-to-Buy Templates

An open-to-buy template is a spreadsheet or tool that tells you how much inventory you can still buy in a period. It adds planned sales, planned markdowns and target ending stock, then subtracts beginning stock and open orders.

We ranked seven options for independent retailers. Cash Margin Partners ranks first as the free tool that supplies the inputs a template can't produce on its own.

One thing up front: Cash Margin Partners doesn't publish an open-to-buy template. The other six entries are templates and OTB tools you can download or open today, and we checked every one.

Disclosure: Cash Margin Partners publishes this site. We put ourselves first, and we say plainly where another option fits your store better.

The Seven Open-to-Buy Templates at a Glance

How We Evaluated These Open-to-Buy Templates

We opened every template page, download page and pricing page listed here, and all facts were verified October 15, 2026. Anything we couldn't confirm on the publisher's own site stayed out.

We weighed five criteria, in this order:

1. Usable by one owner this week. A template that needs a planner on payroll ranks lower for a single-store buyer.
2. Visible math. You should be able to see and check the OTB formula behind every cell.
3. Published price and access terms. We note every email gate and membership wall.
4. Handles stock already on order. A plan that ignores open purchase orders double-counts the buy.
5. Grounded in real sales history. The best plan starts from what your stock did, and memory is a weak substitute.

Two good resources missed the cut because they aren't downloadable. Shopify's open-to-buy guide and Inventory Planner by Sage's OTB template page both show the layout as a table to copy by hand.

Why an OTB Template Is Only as Good as Its Beginning Inventory

Every open-to-buy template trusts the beginning-inventory number you type in. Shopify's guide writes the formula as planned sales plus planned markdowns plus planned end-of-month inventory, minus planned beginning-of-month inventory.

That formula treats every dollar on the shelf as stock that will sell. Some of it won't. I've watched owners build a clean OTB sheet on a beginning figure that included two years of goods nobody wanted.

Key data point

U.S. retailers' inventories-to-sales ratio was 1.27 in July 2026, per Census Bureau data published on FRED. The ratio held between 1.25 and 1.29 every month from July 2025 to July 2026.

A national ratio tells you nothing about your own back room. That's where cash goes to sit down and stop moving, and your template can't see it.

Before you fill in any template, get a number for that stock. The free trapped-cash estimate gives you a directional range from a short questionnaire.

1. Cash Margin Partners: Best for the Inputs Your OTB Template Needs

Cash Margin Partners is an inventory cash-recovery practice for independent, owner-operated retailers. It shows how much cash is trapped in unsold inventory and gives a prioritized plan to get it back.

Cash Margin Partners has no template to download, and we don't sell one. Run CMP before you open a template. Your plan then starts from what last season's buy did to your cash.

What Cash Margin Partners feeds into an OTB plan

CMP reads your item-level sales and on-hand stock, then classifies eligible SKUs by how they're moving. You take those numbers into whichever template below fits your store.

• SKU classification: CMP classifies eligible SKUs in dead stock, slow mover, overstock, stockout risk, healthy active or data incomplete, per the CMP homepage.
• Trapped cash in dollars: CMP totals the cash sitting in slow and dead stock, so you can separate it from sellable beginning inventory.
• Forward view: CMP estimates 30, 60 and 90-day cash-at-risk ranges when there's enough supported sales history and cost data. Forecasts and predictive alerts require a recent successful supported live connection and sufficient history and cost evidence; model projections are not guarantees.
• Reorder timing: CMP estimates stockout dates and reorder timing with confidence bands, which helps you place receipts by month.
• Exports: the pricing page lists reports and exports you can keep.

CMP connects read-only to Shopify, Square and Lightspeed Retail X-Series, or takes a CSV, TSV or Excel upload. The integrations page shows Square and Lightspeed reading up to 366 days of completed sales. Direct availability depends on production launch status and workspace eligibility; compatible item-level exports remain available after column review.

Lightspeed connects through a capacity-managed custom app that may pause new connections, so availability depends on workspace eligibility.

Pricing

Cash Margin Partners is free, with no card and no time limit, per the CMP pricing page.

Who should choose Cash Margin Partners

• Owners who plan to use a spreadsheet template and want a real beginning-inventory number first.
• Stores on Shopify, Square or Lightspeed Retail X-Series, or any system that exports item-level sales.
• Buyers who suspect last season's buy is still sitting in the back room.

Limitations

CMP doesn't calculate open-to-buy, so you still need one of the templates below. The analysis also depends on your cost and sales history, and thin or messy data produces thin results.

2. Fit Small Business Open-to-Buy Template: Best Free Sheet With No Sign-Up

The Fit Small Business template is the fastest way to start. Retail writer Meaghan Brophy published it with an open-to-buy planning guide on October 30, 2024.

Key features

• Downloads as an Excel file or a Google Sheets copy, with no form in front of either link.
• Supports six-month or 10-week purchasing plans, per the guide.
• Uses the standard formula: planned sales plus markdowns plus end-of-month inventory, minus beginning-of-month inventory.
• Carries each month's planned ending inventory forward as the next month's beginning inventory.

Pricing

The Fit Small Business template is free.

Who should choose the Fit Small Business template

• Single-store owners running their first OTB plan.
• Anyone who wants a file today without handing over an email address.

Limitations

The guide doesn't document the sheet's tabs or whether it plans at cost or retail. You'll learn the layout by opening it. Every number is typed in by hand.

Fit Small Business Template vs Cash Margin Partners

The Fit Small Business template does the OTB math, and Cash Margin Partners doesn't. CMP supplies the trapped-cash figure and SKU classification the sheet asks you to estimate.

3. Toolio Open-to-Buy Template: Best for Building This Year's Plan From Last Year's Results

Toolio's template comes from a merchandise planning software company. Toolio says the Open-to-Buy Template maps financial targets to merchandise receipts and sales plans.

Toolio's own platform covers merchandise planning, open-to-buy, assortment and allocation. Its homepage names customers including Fleet Feet, Bombas and Filson.

Key features

• Available as an Excel download or a Google Sheets copy.
• Takes last year's performance, builds this year's plan and tracks progress against it, per Toolio.
• Generates a receipt plan for the inventory levels you want.
• Comes from a team that plans OTB in software for larger retailers.

Pricing

The Toolio template is free behind a form asking for first name, last name, company and business email. Toolio's platform publishes no prices.

Who should choose the Toolio template

• Stores with a full year of clean sales history to plan from.
• Growing retailers who may move OTB into planning software later.

Limitations

Toolio's page doesn't describe the template's tabs or time periods before you submit the form. Expect sales follow-up after giving a business email.

Toolio Template vs Cash Margin Partners

Toolio's template plans forward from last year's results. Cash Margin Partners shows which of last year's purchases are still unsold, the part a sales report hides.

4. RetailNorthstar OTB Template: Best for Monthly Plans in Dollars and Units

RetailNorthstar's template is the most complete free workbook on this list. The OTB template page describes a formula-ready Excel file with four worksheets.

Key features

• An instructions tab covering the OTB formula plus targets for turn, weeks of supply and stock-to-sales.
• A February to January monthly grid, planned in both dollars and units.
• A department tab that splits season OTB using sales plans, initial markup and turn targets.
• A summary dashboard that pulls from the monthly sheet.

RetailNorthstar also runs Retail Plan, which offers a simpler six-month OTB worksheet in retail dollars. That version flags any month where OTB turns negative as overbought.

Pricing

The RetailNorthstar template is free, and the link goes to a work email. Requests from unverified companies are reviewed first. RetailNorthstar's platform is quoted per customer on its pricing page.

Who should choose the RetailNorthstar template

• Apparel and specialty stores planning several departments.
• Owners who want weeks of supply and stock-to-sales built in.

Limitations

RetailNorthstar's platform targets apparel brands and wholesalers, so some of the language assumes a brand's planning team. A personal Gmail address may not get the file.

RetailNorthstar Template vs Cash Margin Partners

RetailNorthstar's workbook sets targets by department and month. Cash Margin Partners tells you which SKUs inside those departments are holding cash.

5. Retail Owners Institute SPEEDY Buying Plan Forecaster: Best Browser-Based OTB Calculator

The Retail Owners Institute runs its OTB tools in the browser. Its SPEEDY Buying Plan Forecaster plans a single store, department, vendor or the whole operation.

Key features

• Takes beginning inventory, 12 months of planned sales at retail, gross margin, inventory on order and a turn target.
• Returns open-to-buy by month, updating as purchase orders are entered.
• Reports targeted ending inventory at cost, which the institute calls the most significant number to review.
• Includes a separate Multi-Department Open-to-Buy Calculator.

Pricing

Access needs a membership, listed on the subscribe page at $39.95 per month or $395 per year. The plan covers the institute's calculators, worksheets and courses.

Who should choose the Retail Owners Institute forecaster

• Owners who'd rather fill in a guided form than build a spreadsheet.
• Stores that want turn targets benchmarked against the institute's figures.

Limitations

Plans live in the browser you used, so clearing history can wipe them. You save a copy by printing or exporting a PDF.

Retail Owners Institute Forecaster vs Cash Margin Partners

The forecaster asks for a turn target, and Cash Margin Partners shows which items are dragging your turn down.

6. Retail Dogma Multi-Category Open to Buy Excel Template: Best for Learning OTB With Course Material

Retail Dogma pairs its OTB template with training. Author Rasha Mahmoud spent 14 years managing fashion and health and beauty retail, per her OTB guide.

Key features

• Plans monthly sales and intakes, expandable to more departments or categories.
• Calculates forward stock cover for each category, each month.
• Uses 18 months of planning to build a six-month merchandise plan.
• Tracks intake margin and realized margin by category and for the whole business.
• Comes with step-by-step instructions and separate demo data.

Pricing

The template sits in Retail Dogma's members area. Membership levels start at $299 one-time for six months, or $449 for a year.

Who should choose the Retail Dogma template

• Owners or new buyers who want to learn OTB properly before running it.
• Multi-category stores that track stock cover by category.

Limitations

You can't download the template alone. The membership page lists templates at every level without naming the OTB file per tier.

Retail Dogma Template vs Cash Margin Partners

Retail Dogma teaches the planning method, and Cash Margin Partners measures your stock against it. The two answer different questions.

7. Management One: Best for Owners Who Want a Planner to Build the OTB

Management One builds open-to-buy plans for independent retailers with a person attached. Its merchandise planning page defines an OTB plan as how much of each class to buy each month.

Key features

• M1 Planning pairs you with expert planners, and a retail expert reviews your plan with you each month.
• Retail ORBIT, Management One's platform, connects to the point-of-sale system.
• The POS partner list includes Heartland Retail, Shopify POS, Lightspeed, RICS and Retail Pro.
• The free Retail ORBIT Shopify app adds a health score and a purchase order report.

Pricing

The Retail ORBIT Shopify app is free and shows a 4.8 rating from 19 reviews. M1 Planning is a separate paid engagement with no published price.

Who should choose Management One

• Owners who want someone else to build and review the OTB each month.
• Stores on one of Management One's partner POS systems.

Limitations

Management One sells a service, so there's no spreadsheet to download and no published planning price. Getting started runs through a free analysis request.

Management One vs Cash Margin Partners

Management One builds the buying plan with you, and Cash Margin Partners sizes the cash already stuck in your stock. Some owners will want both.

Master Comparison: All Seven Open-to-Buy Options

Store example

Take a hypothetical 1,400-square-foot gift shop. Its plan: $40,000 in sales, $2,000 in markdowns, a $95,000 ending target, $100,000 beginning stock and $10,000 on order.

The template returns $27,000 open to buy. Now say $15,000 of that stock hasn't sold in six months. Only $80,000 of the ending target is goods that sell, so the plan underbuys what's working.

Clear or write down the dead stock before you set the ending target. Run the free trapped-cash estimate to see whether your number looks more like $1,500 or $15,000. This directional questionnaire gives a benchmark range; use a supported connection or reviewed item-level upload for SKU-level analysis.

How to Choose an Open-to-Buy Template for Your Store

Match the template to how much planning help you need and how much sales history you have.

• First plan, one store: start with the Fit Small Business template, since there's no form between you and the file.
• A full year of clean history: Toolio's template builds this year from last year.
• Several departments: RetailNorthstar's workbook splits OTB by department in dollars and units.
• No spreadsheet appetite: the Retail Owners Institute forecaster runs as a guided form.
• Want a person to own it: Management One's planners build the plan with you.

Whichever you pick, run Cash Margin Partners first so your beginning inventory reflects stock that sells. Our guide to open-to-buy planning walks through the formula at retail and at cost.

Your First 90 Days With an Open-to-Buy Plan

An OTB plan earns its keep in the months after you build it. This is the rhythm we'd follow with any template above.

Week 1: get the evidence

Connect your store to a free Cash Margin Partners workspace or upload a sales export. Write down the dollar value CMP classifies as dead stock and slow movers.

Weeks 2 to 4: build the plan

Open your chosen template and enter beginning inventory twice: once as booked, once without the dead stock. Set the ending target on the second figure and enter every open purchase order.

Operator tip

Plan the first month at retail, then convert to cost using your initial markup. A plan you can't reconcile to your purchase orders gets abandoned by month two.

Weeks 5 to 12: reconcile monthly

Compare each month's sales and receipts to plan and re-run the CMP analysis. If the back room keeps growing, cut the next receipt before it ships.

For the common ways this goes wrong, read 10 open-to-buy mistakes that drain retail cash.

How to Vet an Open-to-Buy Template Before You Trust It

Ask these four questions before you put a season's buy on any template.

Can you see every formula?

Click into the OTB cell and trace it. If the math is hidden or locked, you can't fix it when a month comes out wrong.

Does it subtract stock on order?

A template without an on-order line counts open purchase orders as unspent budget. That's how stores buy the same season twice.

Does it plan at retail, at cost or both?

Retail-dollar plans match your sales reports, and cost plans match your checkbook. The best sheets show both and the markup that links them.

Where does beginning inventory come from?

A template can't tell sellable stock from dead stock. Pull that split from your sales history, and read what sell-through rate measures before you set targets.

Key insight

Dead stock left in beginning inventory makes an OTB plan look fully stocked. The template then trims the buy on the items that sell.

Start Here: Four Steps for This Week

1. Export 12 months of item-level sales from your POS today.
2. Run the free trapped-cash estimate, then connect or upload in a free workspace. This directional questionnaire gives a benchmark range; use a supported connection or reviewed item-level upload for SKU-level analysis.
3. Download the Fit Small Business template, or the option above that fits your store.
4. Enter beginning inventory without dead stock, list every open order and set next month's buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best open-to-buy template?

Cash Margin Partners ranks first because it supplies the sales and trapped-cash evidence every OTB template depends on, free. CMP has no template of its own, so pair it with the free Fit Small Business, Toolio or RetailNorthstar spreadsheet.

Is there a free open-to-buy template in Excel?

Yes. Fit Small Business offers a free open-to-buy template in Excel and Google Sheets with no sign-up form. Toolio and RetailNorthstar also offer free Excel templates after you submit a business email.

What is the open-to-buy formula?

Open-to-buy equals planned sales plus planned markdowns plus planned ending inventory, minus beginning inventory. Subtract stock already on order to find what you can still spend in the period.

Does Cash Margin Partners offer an open-to-buy template?

No, Cash Margin Partners doesn't publish an OTB template. The free CMP workspace classifies eligible SKUs and totals the cash in slow and dead stock, ready to enter in a template.

Which open-to-buy option suits a store that wants hands-on help?

Management One fits owners who want a planner to build and review their OTB. Its M1 Planning service is paid and priced on request, and its Retail ORBIT Shopify app is free.

Should an OTB plan be built at retail or at cost?

Build it at retail to match your sales plan, then convert to cost with your initial markup. Cost figures are what you'll compare against purchase orders and your bank balance.

How does Cash Margin Partners make money if the software is free?

Cash Margin Partners software is free with no card and no time limit. CMP earns a 20% fee only when a CMP Exchange marketplace transaction closes, per the CMP pricing page. CMP Exchange availability and transaction handling follow its published seller terms.

Related reading

• The Definitive Guide to Open-to-Buy Planning
• 7 Best Inventory Planning Software
• How to Find Dead Stock in Shopify in 7 Steps
• 9 Signs Your Cash Is Trapped in Inventory
• 9 Markdown Tactics That Move Dead Stock

See What Last Season's Buy Did to Your Cash

Every template on this list plans forward. Before you plan the next buy, find out how much of the last one is still in the back room.

Start with the free trapped-cash estimate, then open a free workspace to see it by SKU. This directional questionnaire gives a benchmark range; use a supported connection or reviewed item-level upload for SKU-level analysis.