All about the role and responsibilities of Merchandiser in Apparel industry.

1. Role of merchandiser in apparel industry

2. Apparel Merchandising
• Apparel merchandising refers to the techniques used to sell products to
consumers.
• A merchandiser is someone who purchases a product from a manufacturer,
and then sells it to shoppers.
• There are numerous techniques that a merchandiser may use to convince
shoppers to buy the products, he or she is selling.
Definition:
• Merchandising is defined as the planning and promotion of sales by
presenting a product to the right market at the proper time, by carrying out
organized, skillful advertising, using attractive displays, etc.

3. Merchandiser in apparel industry
• The term Merchandiser was derived from the word “Merchandise”.
• 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.
• The role of merchandiser varies depending upon whether that
particular company is performing in retail or manufacturing context.
• Merchandising involves the conceptualization, development,
procurement of raw materials, sourcing of production and delivery of
product to buyers.
• Merchandiser always plays a vital role in the performance of apparel
industry. Merchandising forms an effective liaison with the buyers.
• Merchandiser identifies and develops potential new buyers and
buying houses.

4. • 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”.

5. • The merchandisers or the merchandising activity in an
apparel industry can be classified into three broad
categories as shown:

6. Fashion Merchandiser

7. Process flow of fashion merchandiser

8. Roles of a fashion merchandiser
• 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.
• 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 sector and
marketing region.
• This will help them in developing prototypes at the design development
stage.

9. Role of a production or Export merchandiser
• Production merchandiser communicates with the buyer.
• The primary occupation is to accomplish the work according to the
necessity of the customer and dispatch the completed products to the
buyer’s destination on time.

10. APPAREL EXPORT MERCHANDISING:
• Apparel export merchandising may be defined as ‘all the planning &
activities involved right from the buyer communication and order
receiving till the execution or shipment of the order by fulfilling the
following factors (Six Rights):
• Right Merchandise: Retailers must fill their shelves with the
merchandise that customer wants.
• Right Place: The location of the merchandise is of prime
importance since it decides the accessibility. Much merchandise is
seasonal in nature and must be on hand when it is most needed.
• Right Time: Much merchandise is seasonal in nature and must be
on hand when it is most needed.
• Right Quantity: A profitable balance between volume of sales
and amount of inventory is the desired goal.
• Right Price: Merchandiser must arrive at a price that is high
enough to give the store profit and yet low enough to meet the
competition and customers expectations.
• Right Promotion: Right balance between the investment and the
appeal created for the customers.

11. Process flow in apparel industries

13. Product merchandiser
Product merchandiser interacts and
coordinates different jobs as under:

14. Proto sample
order enquiry, Forwarding tech
pack:
• This is the first stage in which the buyer will enquire
with the merchant about the new order
• 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.

15. Product development
• Once the ‘Tech Pack’ is received, the merchandiser will arrange the
tech pack details in a format by dividing various styles and its details
of the garment.
• He advises the junior merchandisers regarding the specification
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.

16. Approval of the developed sample
• After the sample development, 2–3 samples are sent to the buyer
for approval of the style.
• To understand how the garment style looks with the specific details /
they will estimate the manufacturer’s capacity and ability to produce
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.
• In sample development, surface ornamentations and fit are followed
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

17. 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 garment
style.
• It consists of various factors like:
– Fabric cost
– Trims and accessories cost
– CMT (cutting, Make, Trim)
– Washing or finishing cost
– Bank charges
– Buffer value
– Miscellaneous costs like rejection cost, wastage, etc.

18. Order placement
• Based on the finalized 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 accepted by the buyer, the buyer will place the
order with the required order quantity and other main
details to the merchant.

19. Fabric and trims ordering
• Once the order is accepted by the buyer,
the order will be placed officially to the
particular manufacturing firm.
Merchandiser places the order for required
raw materials like fabric, trims,
accessories, etc. as per the colour, GSM,
weave, quantity, quality, etc. which is
required for the style.

20. 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
color analysis.
• The submission of fabric/ lab dip includes many shades of the color
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.

21. 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.

22. 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, color, trims, surface,
ornamentations, etc.
• The sample developed plays a vital role in the order
confirmation 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.

23. Size set samples
• The buyer recommends the merchandiser to produce in
the actual manufacturing unit.
• Size set samples are made for the purpose of checking
the different sizes of the same style in terms of fit,
measurements, styling, etc.
• Size set samples are made for the purpose of checking
the different sizes of the same style in terms of fit,
measurements, styling, etc.

24. Pre-production meeting (PPM)
• The pre-production meeting will be
arranged by the merchandiser
• Pre-production meeting will be conducted
with all the department heads and
important personnel of the company to
plan the process, so that delay can be
avoided

25. • 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
– Measurements
– Export order sheet
– Color details
– Style description
– Packing type
– Print/embroidery
– Job details for computer aided patter making (lectra) and fabric order
– Marker plan
– TNA (Time and Action plan) order sheet
– • 2D style diagram and trims
– • Packing information

26. 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.

27. Checking the surface ornamentation of the particular style
• Surface ornamentation may include embroidery, printing or appliqué 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

28. • 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-
– 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) department for
grading. Grading is a process of making different sizes from a basic size
• Laying and cutting –
– In this process, based on the order quantity, the length of the lay,
the number of lays and the type of the lay to be spread will be
instructed by the production planning department. After laying
the pattern, the developed pattern lay-out obtained from the
marker plan is used to cut the materials.

29. • Wash-
– After cutting, the cut fabrics are sent to washing if the program
requires or else it can be directly passed to next stage like
printing or embroidery
• Bit printing/ appliqué/ embroidery-
– When the garment wash is finished, then the bundles will be sent
for printing/applique/embroidery if the style demands.
• Loading in line-
– Once the surface ornamentation process is over on cut piec es,
the pieces will be bundled and passed to sewing depart ment.
Here the merchandiser needs to follow-up on the correct
schedule of the loading.

30. • Finishing-
– In finishing section, the garments will be checked for defects,
loose threads are trimmed and pressed with steam and then
packed as per the requirement.
• Dispatch-
– Dispatch is the end process in which the garments are packed in
the cartons and shipped.

31. Retail Merchandiser

32. Organization structure

33. Apparel Retail Merchandising Process

34. Role of a retail merchandiser
• 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.
• A retailer merchandiser is both a marketer and a customer handler. He
creates the place, time and facilities to sell the goods.

35. The generalized responsibilities of the retail
merchandisers are as follows:
1. Customer analysis-
– The retail merchandiser use to perform the customer analysis with respect to the
stores location and analyze the potential for the brand in their sector.
– The general analysis in terms of following factors is performed.
• • The geographical location of the store
• • The population content of the area
• • The social activities that the area offers
• • The economical conditions and level of the local population
• • The fashion influences of the particular population.

36. 2. Image of the retail store
– The retail merchandiser will understand their target customers and try
to work for developing some reputed image of the retail outlet in the
consumers mind.
3. Merchandise transaction-
- The merchandisers’ another responsibility is to buy the
merchandise and stock merchandise for different seasons.
4. Display-
- Based on the research work and understanding about the
customer and their buying capacity, the retail merchandiser will
decide the effective ways to display and attract the customers.

37. • Promotion activities
- Sales promotion is very much important to the successful
sale of merchandise. It includes activities like advertising,
publicity, visual displays, fashion shows, special events,
personal selling, etc.
• Sales evaluation
• The retail merchandiser evaluates the sales rate of the product
after every selling season.

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