Is It Time to Modernize Product Development?

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5 Hard Questions Swimwear and Intimates Brands Must Ask.

The pressure to scale is real, but so are the risks of scaling the wrong way. Product complexity is exploding, fit expectations are tighter, sizing is more inclusive and launches are more frequent. Many small and mid-sized swimwear and intimates brands are still managing development with spreadsheets, seasonal decks and gut instinct.

That approach doesn’t just slow you down, it puts margin, brand and success at risk. As the year races ahead, here are 5 tough questions teams need to ask about product lifecycle management (PLM) and what leading companies are doing differently with Centric PLM™ and Centric Visual Boards™.

1. Are product decisions made based on old data or no data at all?

Consumer mindset is changing at a rapid rate, trend cycles, pricing expectations and global events change by the week. In Swimwear and intimates, where sizing, style and fit are everything – relying on last season’s numbers or gut feel is a fast track to markdowns. A swim collection may involve multiple torso lengths, colorways and channel-specific assortments. Teams are juggling thousands of SKUs, tight calendars and multiple overlapping launches, all with the same or fewer resources.

A modern PLM like Centric PLM enables streamlined and up-to-date data. A centralized system provides a single source of truth. From sizing libraries to tech packs to supplier updates. Changes are visible in real time. No chasing data. No duplicate entry.

“I highly recommend Centric PLM system for organizations seeking to enhance efficiency, collaboration and visibility across their product development processes. Since implementing Centric PLM, our team has experienced significant improvements in organizing information and streamlining workflows.” – Senior Director, Planning and Allocation | Spruce Int.

2. Is line planning taking up more time than building products?

If teams are still recreating assortments in PowerPoint or Google Slides every time there’s a line review, it’s wasting hours (if not days) per launch. It’s easy to keep “plugging holes” with another spreadsheet or shared folder. But that system breaks the minute the business expands.

Replace seasonal decks with a live, visual planning space where design, merchandising and leadership collaborate instantly. With Centric Visual Boards™ teams drag and drop SKUs directly from PLM, filter assortments by margin to align launch dates in real time.

Results:

100% of changes tracked digitally
77% faster line sheet development
85–90% time saved in ranking meetings

“We needed a centralized system that would allow our design and development teams to seamlessly collaborate and bring new products to market faster” – VP of Creative and Design | LSPACE

3. Do products hit the market on-time or are they losing margin because they’re late?

Timing is everything. Product launches are more frequent and retail calendars are becoming blurred. Don’t let a late delivery window and the most innovative products sit on a markdown rack.

Enable teams to speed up every phase of development and reduce time-to-market by 50%. Gain real-time updates, milestone tracking and vendor portal in a modern PLM allows teams to collaborate easily and eliminate manual handoffs and delays. Everyone sees what’s happening, when and what needs to move next.

Frankies Binkinis report saving time developing tech packs and gain visibility into the entire product development process by reducing spreadsheet updates and manual communication.

4. Is sustainability built into the process or is it an add-on later?

Reducing waste, cutting excess samples, choosing better fabrics aren’t side projects. They’re brand-defining choices. But if sustainability tracking lives outside of workflows, it’s hard to enforce. Centric PLM and Visual Boards embed sustainability at every stage. Tracking certifications, reducing overproduction with digital planning and letting teams simulate environmental impacts before finalizing assortments. It’s not just about checking boxes. It’s about making smarter decisions from the first sketch.

”The Centric team guided us on what the best practices are and combined that with Honeylove’s needs to figure out what configuration is best for our team. We then did the major set-up internally; it was seamless.” – VP of Design and Product Development | HoneyLove

5. Is the business able to scale with our current systems or is it time for an upgrade?

As businesses expands into new categories, new markets or DTC/wholesale channels, systems need to support expansion not slow it down. An integrated system means no duplicate entry, no version mix-ups and no more email-tag for approvals.

Whether it‘s a team of 10 users or 10,000, Centric PLM and Centric Visual Baords supports design, development, sourcing and merchandising teams with tools streamline communication earlier and stay fit-accurate across every size and style.

If any of these questions hit a little too close to home, it’s time for a better way to manage product development.

Get the full breakdown in our free guide:

The Secret Weapon Behind Swim & Intimates Brands: Future-Ready, AI-Powered Product Development Solutions

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