Fashion Merchandising

By tasneem merchant
 Fashion merchandising
 The term fashion merchandising in fashion retailing
refers to the total process of stock
planning,management and control.
 The job requires highly developed numeric skills and
inate ability to spot trends, relationships and co-
relationships within regular sales and stock figures.
 The sales information is captured by price ticket bar
codes, detailing style, colour, size, season and price.
 merchandising
 The merchandiser is responsible for maximizing the
profitability of the department,working within the
conventionally accepted norms of business.
 Each buying team must plan and buy ranges that fit in
with those of other buying teams in terms of styling ,
age targeting, color palette, pricing and quality level.
 Without such synergy any fashion retailer would
create varied ranges resulting in total consumer
confusion.
 He is helped in the process by regular interaction
,intervention, advice from a senior buying and
merchandising executive.
 Merchandising structure
 Many large retailers with separate and dedicated
distribution teams believe that the specialist and
highly detailed work of allocating garments
effectively at a very low level of detail.i.e. by
individual size and color to an individual shop – best
done as a separate operation.
 Businesses that apply erratic parameters to stock
management can easily lose control of their stock at
both their overall and line level of detail.( line –
individual product styles).
 The distribution team is focused on maximizing sales
and profit ,through effective allocation to stores.
The new merchandising structure
Buying and
Merchandizing
director

Head of
Merchandizing-
Several
Product lines

Product 1 Product 2

Merchandizer(planner)

Assistant merchandiser
Merchandising assistant
Merchandiser ensures that
The business de-risks itself
by making the best
decision at a point in time.
De-risking refers to the
process of optimising sales
Performance and
minimising stock risk by
Making informed
decisions.
Stock- an investment
which generates best
returns for the business.
Stock is money –it
must always be in
the right quantity,
in the right place at
the right time
 Merchandizing management
 The process of merchandise management reflects the
activity of both the merchandise planner and the
distribution manager.
 Planning stock to be delivered in the business i.e.
 Analyzing historic sales patterns and trends
 Recommending forward fabric buying levels
 Recommending forward garment buying levels
 Monitoring and managing delivery of new stock into
the distribution centre.
 Merchandizing activity
 Ensuring that overall stock levels and buying are in line with
the organization sales plan
 Moving delivered stock around the business
 initial allocations of new stock to shops- what qty to each?
 Store replenishment as garment start to sell- how much more
stock and how quickly to send to different branches?
 Recommending the level of repeat buys of best selling lines
 Transfers and recalls of faulty or non- seasonal stock
 The role and responsibilities
of the merchandiser
1) To estimate sales and plan stock levels to achieve
the planned sales and margin for a specific garment
type
- a key function of the merchandiser is to develop the
range plan for the product lines which the
designer/buyer have conceptualized
- To ensure that a specific product range is balanced
in terms of style and color , size and price point and
that there is sufficient stock available to meet the
garment type or sales target.
 Role of merchandizer
 2) to provide regular analysis and progress report
referring to stock levels, sales performance and stock
purchases to senior management
 - providing weekly reports indicating their product
areas performance compared with target sets.
 Fast- selling items need to be re-purchased quickly
 Poor-sellers need to be marked down to lower the
price and sell them in end of season sales.
3) To work with buyer on range planning
to maximise
commercial opportunities for products
The merchandiser is most concerned with balancing the range
commercially, ensuring that there is correct mix of styles,colours,
sizes and price points in the range.
The quality and accuracy of the range planning process provides the
Fundamental foundation for the future of the organization

A great deal of creativity is required in the analysis

and interpretation of historic
And predicted future trends.
4) To manage intake and commitment
to accommodate
the stock requirements of the business
At any given time and the open
to buy rerquirements of the business
At any given time /garment type.
-Intake – refers to new stock delivered into the business for distribution
-To stores.
-Commitment refers to stock on order
- Open To Buy (OTB) refers to the amount of money available to spend
- on new stock
-To keep a wary eye on dialy and weekly deliveries , to ensure that the
-Stores are adequately stocked with the right goods at the right time.
-They will need to take daily decisions to either try and bring forward
Or delay future deliveries of merchandise , to ensure that the current stock
Provides balanced offer to the customers.
5) To manage stock distributions to stores
optimizing customer demand , available
Selling space and seasonal selling
opportunities
-A key contribution that a merchandiser can f make to the
-Profitability of the garment type is to make the best use
-Of the stock available by trying to meet the demand
-In branches and maximizing profitability of the sales

-They need to understand each stores micro market so as to

-Plan the merchandise as per the store requirements.
To effectively manage and develop
the merchandising team

-The merchandiser has the same line responsibilities as the buyer

And the overall success of the garment type is dependent on the
Effectiveness of his management of the team.
-A good merchandiser has to be a good lateral thinker ,who
-Can work on several things at once, able to re-prioritise their work
all the time.