Steps Of Merchandising Process In Apparel Industry
Introduction:
In the attire division, the promoting division serves as a imperative interface between inventive plan and productive generation. They are the symphony chiefs of the design industry, guaranteeing that in vogue contemplations decipher into high-quality articles of clothing that fulfill advertise requests and arrive on store racks on time and on budget. Lets discuss about Merchandising Process.
List of Apparel Merchandising Process
- Market Research and Trend Analysis
- Conduct market research
- Analyze fashion trends
- Concept Development and Design
- Develop initial concepts and themes
- Create design sketches and technical drawings
- Product Development and Sampling
- Select materials (fabrics, trims, accessories)
- Create garment samples
- Review and approve samples
- Costing and Pricing
- Calculate production costs
- Set selling prices
- Supplier Sourcing and Order Placement
- Identify and select suppliers
- Negotiate terms and prices
- Place orders for materials and production
- Production Planning and Control
- Develop production schedules
- Implement quality control measures
- Manage workflow between departments
- Logistics and Supply Chain Management
- Plan logistics and transportation
- Monitor and manage inventory levels
- Ensure proper warehousing
- Sales and Distribution
- Plan product distribution
- Support sales team
- Coordinate with retail managers
- Marketing and Promotion
- Develop marketing strategies
- Execute promotional activities
- Performance Analysis and Feedback
- Analyze sales data
- Collect customer feedback
- Prepare performance reports
- Replenishment and Restocking
- Plan for inventory replenishment
- Coordinate restocking efforts
- Post-Season Review
- Conduct a season performance review
- Make strategic adjustments for future collections
Process Flow Chart of Garments Merchandising
This flowchart outlines the typical steps involved in garments merchandising:
Start -> Order Acquisition & Analysis
* Receive inquiries & purchase orders from buyers.
* Analyze order details (specs, quantities, deadlines).
–> Yes: Proceed | No: Reject or Clarify with Buyer
-> Product Development & Sourcing
* Collaborate with designers on sketches & prototypes.
* Source fabrics, trims, embellishments (consider quality, cost, availability).
–> Yes: All Materials Sourced? | No: Continue Sourcing
-> Costing & Negotiation
* Calculate estimated production cost (materials, labor, trims, overhead, profit margin).
* Negotiate with suppliers for best prices on materials.
–> Yes: Acceptable Cost Achieved? | No: Revise Costing or Materials
-> Sample Development & Approval
* Develop prototypes (fit samples) and send to buyers for approval.
* Address buyer feedback and revisions. –> Yes: Samples Approved? | No: Refine Samples Based on Feedback
-> Production Planning & Order Placement
* Create production plans with timelines and material requirements.
* Place purchase orders with fabric suppliers and manufacturers.
–> Yes: All Orders Placed? | No: Place Remaining Orders
-> Production Monitoring & Quality Control
* Monitor production progress and ensure adherence to specifications.
* Conduct regular inspections and liaise with quality control.
–> Yes: Production Completed & Meets Quality Standards? | No: Address Production Issues
-> Logistics & Shipment
* Coordinate with logistics for a timely and cost-effective shipment.
* Ensure proper documentation and export compliance (if applicable).
–> Yes: Goods Shipped? | No: Resolve Shipment Issues
-> Order Follow-Up & Post-Production Analysis
* Track order progress and address last-minute changes.
* Analyze costs, production efficiency, and buyer feedback for improvement.
Here’s a closer look at the typical working procedure of a merchandising department:
| Stage | Description |
| Order Acquisition and Analysis | – Receive inquiries and purchase orders from buyers. – Analyze the order specifics, including requirements, quantities, and timelines. |
| Product Development and Sourcing | – Collaborate with designers to translate specifications into sketches and prototypes. – Source fabric, trims, and embellishments based on quality, affordability, and availability. |
| Costing and Negotiation | – Calculate estimated production cost, including material, labor, trims, overhead, and profit margin. – Negotiate with suppliers to get the greatest pricing for textiles and materials. |
| Sample Development and Approval | – Develop prototypes (fit samples) and send them to buyers for approval. – Manage communication with buyers, addressing feedback and ensuring revisions meet their needs. |
| Production Planning and Order Placement | – Create production plans with timelines and material requirements once samples are approved. – Place purchase orders with fabric suppliers and manufacturers to ensure timely delivery. |
| Production Monitoring and Quality Control | – Work closely with production teams to monitor progress and ensure quality standards are met. – Conduct regular inspections and coordinate with quality control agencies to resolve any issues. |
| Logistics and Shipment | – Coordinate with logistics teams to arrange for timely and cost-effective shipment of finished goods. – Ensure correct documentation and compliance with the export restrictions. |
| Order Follow-Up and Post-Production Analysis | – Track order progress and address any last-minute changes or unforeseen issues. – Analyze costs, production efficiency, and buyer feedback to identify areas for improvement. |
Steps of Apparel Merchandising Process
A few key forms are included in the attire marketing handle to ensure that a article of clothing moves easily from plan to shopper. Here’s a thorough explanation of the stages involved:
Market Research and Trend Analysis: Market Research:
Gather data on market trends, consumer preferences, and competitor activities through surveys, reports, and trend analysis.
Trend Analysis: Identify upcoming fashion trends by analyzing information from fashion shows, trade fairs, fashion magazines, and social media.
Concept Development and Design: Concept Creation: Develop initial ideas and themes for the collection based on market research and trend analysis.
Design: Create sketches and technical drawings of the garments, specifying details such as fabric, color, and trims.
Product Development and Sampling: Material Selection: Choose appropriate fabrics, trims, and accessories for the designs.
Sample Creation: Develop prototypes or samples of the garments to evaluate design, fit, and quality. Sample Review: Review and approve samples, making necessary adjustments to design or materials. Costing and Pricing: Costing: Calculate the cost of production, including fabric, trims, labor, overheads, and logistics.
Pricing: Set the selling price based on production costs, desired profit margin, and market positioning. Supplier Sourcing and Order Placement: Vendor Selection: Identify and select reliable suppliers for fabrics, trims, and manufacturing.
Negotiation: Negotiate terms, prices, and delivery schedules with suppliers.
Order Placement: Place orders for materials and production quantities based on demand forecasts. Production Planning and Control: Production Scheduling: Develop detailed production schedules, outlining timelines for material procurement, manufacturing, and quality checks.
Quality Control: Implement quality control measures at various stages of production to ensure compliance with specifications.
Workflow Management: Coordinate the workflow between different departments and ensure smooth progress.
Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Logistics Planning: Plan the transportation and logistics for materials and finished goods.
Inventory Management: Monitor and manage inventory levels to prevent overstocking or stockouts. Warehousing: Ensure proper storage and handling of materials and finished products in warehouses. Sales and Distribution: Distribution Planning: Plan the distribution of finished products to retail stores, online platforms, and other sales channels.
Sales Support: Provide support to the sales team by ensuring timely delivery and availability of products. Retail Coordination: Coordinate with retail managers to ensure proper product display, inventory levels, and customer service.
Marketing and Promotion: Marketing Strategy: Develop marketing strategies to promote the collection, including advertising, social media campaigns, and in-store promotions.
Promotional Activities: Plan and execute promotional activities such as discounts, sales events, and fashion shows.
Performance Analysis and Feedback: Sales Analysis: Analyze sales data to evaluate the performance of the collection, identifying bestsellers and slow-moving items.
Customer Feedback: Collect and analyze customer feedback to understand preferences and areas for improvement.
Reporting: Prepare reports on sales performance, inventory levels, and market trends to inform future merchandising strategies.
Replenishment and Restocking: Replenishment Planning: Plan for the replenishment of popular items based on sales data and demand forecasts.
Restocking: Coordinate with suppliers and production teams to ensure timely restocking of inventory. Post-Season Review: Review and Analysis: Conduct a thorough review of the season’s performance, analyzing what worked well and what didn’t.
Strategic Adjustments: Make strategic adjustments based on the review to improve future collections and merchandising processes.
Detailed Working Procedure of Merchandiser
1. Market Research and Analysis:
– Trend Analysis: Merchandisers start by undertaking exhaustive advertise inquire about to decide current design patterns, customer inclinations, and competitive techniques. They look at information from mold presentations, exchange fairs, and industry studies to anticipate the pending patterns.
– Consumer Insights: Understanding the intended audience is key. Merchandisers collect consumer insights through surveys, focus groups, and sales data analysis to modify items to fit client requests.
2. Product Development:
– Concept Creation: Based on market research, the design team works with merchandisers to create fresh product concepts. This includes brainstorming discussions, sketching designs, and selecting materials.
– Sample Development: Once the concept has been finalized, sample garments are produced. Merchandisers manage this procedure, ensuring that samples fulfill the design criteria and quality standards.
– Costing and Pricing: Merchandisers compute the taken a toll of supplies, labor, and overheads to decide the generation taken a toll. They at that point decide the product’s offering cost, taking into account the planning benefit edge and competitor estimating strategies.
3. Supplier Sourcing and Negotiation:
– Vendor Selection: Finding reliable sellers is basic. Merchandisers analyze potential sellers based on quality, cost, steadfastness, and moral guidelines.
– Negotiation: Compelling haggling capacities are required to secure invaluable terms with providers. Merchandisers arrange costs, conveyance plans, and installment terms to guarantee cost-effectiveness and opportune fabricating.
4. Production Planning and Coordination:
– Production Scheduling: Merchandisers create exact generation plans and work with different offices to guarantee convenient completion. They get ready for fabric procurement, fabricating, and quality checks. – Quality Control: Keeping up quality is basic. Merchandisers set quality control benchmarks and conduct reviews at different generation stages to confirm compliance with the determinations.
– Logistics Coordination: Effective coordination’s administration guarantees that supplies and completed items travel consistently. Merchandisers work with coordination’s groups to oversee shipping, warehousing, and dispersion.
5. Inventory Management:
– Stock Monitoring: Merchandisers keep track on inventory levels to avoid overstocking or running out of stock. They employ inventory management software to track stock movements and sales patterns.
– Replenishment Planning: Merchandisers organize inventory replenishment based on sales and market need. This maintains a consistent supply of popular products while reducing surplus inventory.
6. Sales and Marketing Support:
– Promotional Strategies: Merchandisers collaborate with the promoting group to plan special methods that increment deals. This includes planning regular deals, rebates, and promoting endeavors.
– Retail Coordination: For businesses having retail outlets, merchandisers arrange with store supervisors to guarantee redress item show, stock levels, and staff preparing.
7. Performance Analysis and Reporting:
– Sales Analysis: Merchandisers utilize deals information to assess the victory of items. They recognize blockbusters, slow-moving things, and patterns to make educated choices almost future collections.
– Reporting: Normal reports are made to give data on deals execution, stock levels, and advertise patterns. These reports empower administration to make vital choices and alter corporate procedure. Apparel Merchandising Department Organogram
1. Top Management Managing Director/CEO
2. Senior Management General Manager (GM) Merchandising Oversees the entire merchandising department, sets strategic direction, and ensures alignment with overall business objectives.
3. Middle Management Merchandising Manager Manages the merchandising team, coordinates activities, and ensures that all processes are on track.
Product Development Manager Focuses on new product development, sampling, and innovation.
4. Operational Level Senior Merchandiser Leads key accounts, manages complex projects, and oversees junior merchandisers.
Merchandiser Coordinates day-to-day activities, liaises with suppliers and customers, and ensures timely delivery of tasks.
Junior Merchandiser Assists senior merchandisers with tasks, handles administrative duties, and supports the merchandising process.
8Assistant Merchandiser Provides administrative support, manages documentation, and assists with data entry and sample management.
5. Support Staff Quality Assurance (QA) Team Ensures that products meet quality standards through inspections and tests.
Logistics and Supply Chain Team Manages transportation, warehousing, and distribution of materials and finished goods.
Design and Development Team Collaborates on product design, technical specifications, and sample creation.
Inventory and Warehouse Staff Handles inventory management, stock control, and warehouse operations.
Explanation: Managing Director/CEO
The highest authority in the organization, responsible for overall strategic decisions.
General Manager (GM) Merchandising: Directly oversees the merchandising department, setting policies and strategic goals.
Merchandising Manager: Manages the merchandising team and processes, ensuring smooth operations. Product Development Manager: Focuses on developing new products and managing the sampling process.
Senior Merchandiser: Handles key accounts and complex projects, providing leadership to junior staff. Merchandiser: Manages day-to-day merchandising activities, working closely with suppliers and customers.
Junior Merchandiser: Assists with various merchandising tasks and supports senior merchandisers. Assistant Merchandiser: Provides administrative and clerical support to the merchandising team.
Quality Assurance Team: Ensures product quality through various checks and tests.
Logistics and Supply Chain Team: Manages logistics, transportation, and supply chain operations.
Design and Development Team: Collaborates on product design and development.
Inventory and Warehouse Staff: Handles inventory management and warehouse operations.
Conclusion:
The merchandising department is critical to the apparel industry, connecting design, production, and sales. Their painstaking planning, market knowledge, and coordination ensure that the right items reach the right consumers at the right time. Understanding the working procedures of the merchandising department allows one to realize the complexities and importance of this critical function in the fashion industry.