Last-Minute Readiness

Even so, American Girl's customers are ordering later in the season, most notably with an increase in orders during the second week after Thanksgiving. Planning for this time starts early in the year and is cross-functional. It includes the marketing, forecasting, inventory management, customer service, fulfillment, retail, IT and human resources teams. Members of these teams meet regularly during the year. During the fourth quarter, these meetings become a daily affair to talk about any challenges or glitches. This helps in the successful management of incoming orders.