Top 30 Job Duties and Responsibilities for Apparel Merchandiser

What is apparel merchandising?

The word merchandising has been executed from the merchandise. Merchandise means products or goods that are purchased & sold. The merchandising is commonly involved in apparel trade. 

Apparel merchandising means purchase raw materials, accessories, costing and pricing, garment producing, sustain high quality level and exporting the garments within schedule time. Merchandising department is a linking device of all the section like cutting, sewing, finishing, packing, and shipment etc in the clothing industry. Merchandising is an internal planning that helps to the sale of garment to retail consumer.

Who is apparel merchandiser?

The person who is completely involved in merchandising process is called merchandiser. In apparel export business, apparel or garment merchandiser is a person who is meeting and interacts between garment buyer and garment exporter or manufacturer. He has to maintain the responsibilities from order analysis, sample making, buying the raw materials that is needed to complete the garment, garment making, garment finishing, documentation, and finally shipping. The role of a merchandiser is to arrange all departments in the apparel industry as well as the customers. To perform merchandising job successfully wide range of knowledge, responsibilities and skills are must be needed.

Fig: Apparel merchandiser discussing with each other

Types of merchandiser in apparel and fashion industry:
There are 4 types of merchandiser, who are involved in different field of apparel and fashion industry. They are:

1. Fashion merchandiser
2. Apparel production or export merchandiser
3. Retail merchandiser
4. Visual merchandiser

Top 30 Essential Duties and Responsibilities for an Apparel Merchandiser
Apparel production or export merchandising may be defined as, all the planning and activities involved with six right like right merchandise, right place, right time, right quality and quantity of garment, right price, and right promotion from the buyer communication and order receiving to the shipment.

When an export order is placed to a merchandiser, he has to schedule the following-

1. To get new order merchandiser collects the address of buyer.
2. Communicate with buyers by sending mail with formal letters/profile.
3. After receiving buyer’s response then planning with buyer for new sample and production order.
4. Collect the buyers sample, accessories and trimming and various types of swatches which are required.
5. Samples are sending to the buyer and follow up it.
6. Prepare price quotation along with making of sample as counter or approval.
7. After giving approval on sample or sample comment he should consider it.
8. Fabric and accessories requirement calculation (consumption).
9. Optimum costing of garments.
10. Develop Lab dips of the materials like fabric and accessories.
11. Receive the export L/C & verify it in the technical and commercial point of view.
12. Estimate time schedule for the export of those garments as per L/C.
13. Garment factory open the back-to-back LC by bank.
14. Sourcing of fabrics and accessories.
15. Preparing internal order sheets, purchase order, booking sheet, packing list.
16. Garment analysis and production planning and controlling.
17. Advising quality department to maintain acceptable quality level (AQL).
18. Maintaining files and all the documents about export.
19. Monitoring garment production progress as per time schedule.
20. Swatch making and distribution to the production unit and quality concern people.
21. Communicate and negotiate with trim & accessory suppliers.
22. Arrange pre-shipment documents.
23. Monitor garment packing instructions
24. Preparing quality inspection schedule for shipment and informing to quality department in the buying house.
25. Arrange shipping documents and final inspection.
26. Monitor the cyclical process of garments export marketing.
27. Continuous communication with buyer.
28. He has to handover the products which are ordered by the buyer with undamaged condition.
29. He also has to motivate people with his logical and pleasant behavior.
30. Finally, he will ensure how to earn profit through garment export execution.