Apparel Merchandising-

Yuvraj Garg

Ref:-Apparel Merchandising by R. Rathinamoorthy and

R. Surjit (2018) , Woodland publishing
Introduction to apparel industry
• The Indian apparel industry is one of the leading industrial sectors in
the world. Primarily it was quite unorganized but the scenario has
been changed with time. It was mainly started after the economic
liberalization of Indian economy in 1991. The opening up of the
economy gave the much-needed thrust to the Indian apparel industry,
which has now successfully become one of the largest in the world.
Introduction to apparel industry
• It has made a major contribution to the economy of the country in
terms of direct and indirect employment generation and net foreign
exchange earnings. The sector contributes about 14% to industrial
production, 4% to the gross domestic product (GDP) and 17% of the
country’s export earnings. It also provides direct employment to over
35 million people.
Merchandiser
• Merchandiser in an apparel industry is the person who is involved in
man-aging the buyers and their orders by taking care of the garment
business in his/her concern.
• He oversees the manufacturing activities of the company to ensure
timely delivery of right quality and quantity. The term was derived
from the word “Merchandise”.
• With specific reference to the Indian indus-try, a garment
merchandiser is a person who buys raw materials, accessories for
producing required garments and exports them to the buyers in
different countries within the stipulated time period.
Merchandiser
• Merchandising forms an effective liaison with the buyers. Merchandiser
identifies and develops potential new buyers and buying houses.
• The term merchandising means simply to buy and sell commodities for a
profit. The role of merchandiser varies depending upon whether that
particular company is performing in retail or manufacturing context.
• Merchandising involves the conceptualisation, development, procurement
of raw materials, sourcing of production and delivery of product to buyers.
• The merchandiser must combine logical and analytical thinking with
initiative and expressive creativity.
Merchandiser
• A merchandiser must be a part designer, part engineer, part computer
expert, part marketer, and part business management guru and part
entrepreneur.
• According to theory on merchandising, Myer defines merchandising
as “Careful planning, capable styling and production or selecting and
buying, and effective selling”
Types of Merchandiers
• Fashion Merchandiser
• Production Merchandiser
• Retail Merchandiser
Fashion merchandiser
• Fashion merchandising process involves in the design creation and product development
process. This fashion merchandising process starts from different origins.
• The buyer might have visited different countries and various fashion shows across the globe
and brought his inspirations in terms of pictures and garments.
• The buyer might have given a broad trend or theme to the merchandiser and designer to
develop a garment.
• In both the cases, at a given situation the designer can work on developing different aspects
of forecasting process, developing mood board, silhouettes, colour board and requirement.
• But it is merchandiser’s role to coordinate with the designer about the needs and
requirements of the buyer based on his previous experience. Hence, the influence of the
merchandiser in the apparel designing plays a vital role in the acceptance of the developed
design.
Fashion merchandiser
• In the third category, the manufacturing company itself may own
some brand. So, for their market, while designer develops products,
the merchandiser’s role is essential in exploiting the firms target
Role of a production merchandisers
• Proto sample order enquiry
• This is the first stage in which the buyer will enquire
with the merchant about the new order
• Forwarding tech pack
When the order enquiry has been done, then the buyer
will send a “Tech Pack” or technical specification sheet
to the merchant. Tech pack includes all the details of a
style and which includes the items as follows:
• Product style design • Measurements
• Fabric
• Style code
• Surface ornamentation details, etc.
Role of a production merchandisers
• Product development
It is one of the important jobs of the merchandiser. Once the ‘Tech Pack’ is
received, the merchandiser will arrange the tech pack details in a format by
dividing various styles and its de- tails of the garment
• He advises the junior merchandisers regarding the specifica- tion details and
requirements of the buyer
• This will help the junior merchandisers to assist the sampling department
manager / coordinator
• The sample is developed based on the requirements of the customer. The
effective communication between the different levels of people plays a vital
role in sample development
Role of a production merchandisers
• Approval of the developed sample
After the sample development, 2–3 samples are sent to the buyer for approval
of the style
• The main objective of the development sample is, the buyer will understand
how the garment style looks with the specific details / they will estimate the
manufacturer’s capacity and ability to pro- duce the sample for their line
• The samples are prepared with the available fabric in store which closely
resembles the exact requirement. This will help the buyer to understand the
manufacturer’s ability. Sometimes, to receive the order, the merchandiser also
develops the sample with original fabric
Role of a production merchandisers
• In sample development, surface ornamentations and fit are fol- lowed
as per the tech pack. If some correction is to be done then the buyer
will send the correction details and again the samples are reworked /
developed again and sent to the buyer. This process will be continued
till the sample gets approved
Role of a production merchandisers
• Costing
Once the sample approval is received from the buyer, then the merchandiser
will perform the garment costing
• It is done by calculating various costs incurred to make a gar- ment style. It
consists of various factors like:
• Fabric cost
• Trims and accessories cost
• CMT
• Washing or finishing cost
• Bank charges
• Buffer value
• Miscellaneous costs like rejection cost, wastage, etc.
• Checking the availability of fabrics and trims
• Once the file is received by the PPC, they will check and study each
and every detail in the file and they will also check the availability
status of the fabric and trims in the store. They will follow-up on the
same if it’s not yet reached in the house
Role of a production merchandisers
• Order placement
• Based on the finalised pricing value, the costing “quote” will be sent
to buyer. The price quote provided by the company is not necessary
to be accepted by the buyers and there will be a negotiation between
both the parties
• Once final costing or re-costing is done and the same is accept- ed by
the buyer, the buyer will place the order with the required order
quantity and other main details to the merchant
Role of a production merchandisers
• Fabric and trim order
• Once the order is received, Immediately merchandiser will place the
order for required raw materials like fabric, trims, accessories, etc. as
per the co- lour, GSM, weave, quantity, quality, etc. which is required for
• the style
• The merchandiser will also forward the requirement sheet to
• the purchase department by advising them to place orders with the
suppliers
• c and trim ordering
Role of a production merchandisers
• Lab dip
• The first process after the order acceptance is lab
dip where the merchandiser will send the samples
of dyed fabric to the buyer for colour analysis
• The submission of fabric/ lab dip includes many
shades of the colour which the buyer has asked for
the garment.
• The lab dip approval is the critical process, this
process will be continued till the shades get
approved from the buyer. This approved shade will
be used for the bulk dyeing of fabric for final
garment production
FIT sample
• After the approval of lab dip from the buyer, the first sample for the
provided specification is developed by the company which is known
as FIT sample.
• This sample generally developed with the actual fabric or available
fabric close to the buyer requirement will be used. The sample
generally will be developed for a medium size. The main objective of
this sample is to check the fit. Once the sample is submitted, the
buyer evaluates the sample measurements, fit aspects and they will
give feedback to the merchandiser for revision.
Fit Sample
• The buyer returns fit approvals sheet which contains all the ac- tual
measurements and required measurements and how much deviation
has occurred for the purpose of correction
• Totally three pieces are made, all of which are sent to the buyer and
sent back to merchandiser after approval. Once this is ap- proved, the
order is confirmed
Pre-Production sample
• Once the fit samples are approved, then the pre-production (PP)
samples or the red seal samples are made. PP sample will have all the
specific details of the style with the exact fabric, colour, trims, surface,
ornamentations, etc.
• The sample developed plays a vital role in the order confirma- tion
process because this is the main step where the sample has to look
exactly as per the buyer’s requirement. Around 2–3 samples (in four
sizes each) are sent to buyer for the approval and buyer can advise
any corrections if required
Size set sample
• Size set samples
• Till the pre-production sample, the sample may be prepared in the
sample department of the company. But after this stage for the size
set sample, mostly the buyer recommends the mer- chandiser to
produce in the actual manufacturing unit
• Size set samples are made for the purpose of checking the dif- ferent
sizes of the same style in terms of fit, measurements, styling, etc.
• It is also made to check whether the assigned unit is able to produce
that style as per the specs. Three sets are made for all sizes. It is done
in original fabric
Pre-production meeting (PPM)
• Pre-production meeting (PPM)
• Once all the samples are approved and all raw materials are ready in
the store to start the bulk production, the pre-produc- tion meeting
will be arranged by the merchandiser
• Pre-production meeting will be conducted with all the depart- ment
heads and important personnel of the company to plan the process,
so that delay can be avoided
• Here the merchants will discuss with the production heads on how
the production can be scheduled and done within the required time.
So this meeting is important and inevi- table
Forwarding of production file to
production planning and control
• Production file is a document which includes all the details of a
particular style. This document is prepared by the merchandiser.
Production file is forwarded to PPC (production planning and control)
once the PP sample is approved, along with the file, merchandiser will
forward the approved PP sample also. Some of the details in the
production file include the following items:
Role of a production merchandisers
• Measurements
• Export order sheet
• Colour details
• Style description
• Packing type
• Print/embroidery instructions, material requirement sheet category, item,
position, colour, size, consumption, unit in kilograms, quantity, total quantity
• Job details for computer aided patter making (lectra) and fabric order
• Marker plan
• TNA order sheet
• 2D style diagram and trims • Packing information
Checking the availability of fabrics and
trim
• Once the file is received by the PPC, they will check and study each
and every detail in the file and they will also check the availability
status of the fabric and trims in the store. They will follow-up on the
same if it’s not yet reached in the house
Checking
the surface ornamentation of the particular style

• Surface ornamentation may include embroidery, printing or appli- qué

and these are done as per the buyer’s requirement, so PPC will check
the ornamentation details and plans according to that and in parallel
arrange all the required things for the same
Checking the status of stitching materials in-house

• Stitching materials are those which are used for sewing like threads
and accessories which assist production so in parallel they will do the
arrangement for the stitching materials in-house
Checking the Patterns with Master Ji
• Production file includes all the details about the patterns and
merchants will forward the original patterns along with the
production file to the PPC
• Once they receive the patterns, they will forward the patterns to the
pattern master and master will cross check the pattern with the actual
and confirm
Grading and final cross check

• Once everything is checked and confirmed by the master then, the

pattern is forwarded to the CAD (computer aid design) de- partment
for grading. Grading is a process of making different sizes from a basic
size
• When the file is forwarded to PPC, only one size pattern will be
provided and grading is done for other sizes. Finally, the graded
pattern will be cross checked and confirmed with the master
Production Process
• Spreading
• Cutting
• Washing
• Bit Printing
• Loading in the line
• Finishing
• Dispactch
Role of retail Merchandiser
• Retail merchandising is another type of merchandising activity, which happens at the end of
the hierarchy. Here the retail merchandiser sells products in less quantities and he/she act
as an intermediary between the ultimate consumers and wholesalers.
• A retailer merchandiser is both a marketer and a customer handler. He creates the place,
time and facilities to sell the goods. The generalised responsibilities of the retail
merchandisers are as follows:
• Consumer Analysis
• Image of the retail store
• Merchandise Transection
• Display
• Promotion Activities
• Sales Evaluation