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Formal and Universal Definitions

Merchandising
Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary - The
activity of selling goods, or of trying to sell
them

Encarta Reference Library 2005, Dictionary
Trade Commercially; to trade in or buy and sell
products for profit
Market Products: to promote a product by
developing strategies for packing, display, and
publicity.
Garment merchandising concepts complies
with all procedures to execute and dispatch
the shipment on time, considering quality,
cost and time.


Merchandisers are serious in the success of any garment
retail business.

They provide the right products at the right time, enabling
a company to match with latest market trends and meet
the market demand. In the merchandising concept, time
management is a gig to manage one's time properly, so
s/he can focus on value adding actions.

A individual who acts as a coordinator, follows-up and
takes total responsibility of an order form booking to
shipment and beyond, for the customer who placed it and
for his companys management.


Good knowledge of Fabric.
Adequate knowledge of commercial terms
Good knowledge of fiber, yarn, dyeing, printing, and
finishing etc.
Clear conception of the usual potential quality problems in
the garment manufacturing
Good knowledge about the usual raw materials inspection
systems and garment inspection system
Good command in English
A sufficient network for sourcing
Work under Pressure



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Understanding Sample Order

Merchandiser has to understand the buyer's
requirements after receiving specification in the
sample order. In many cases, there are
modifications pertaining to the specifications in
the order to dispatch on time and the right quality.

He has to talk with the in-house veterans on the
execution problems of sample orders, as the right
information is required in decision making.


Managing order route card and production
timetable

Merchandiser has to manage every single production schedule
and order route card that helps to follow-up the execution in
the planned way. It is expected to be acknowledged of the
various descriptions like: design, no. of modules, no. of
operators, how many processes, date of dispatch, quantity,
output capacity, and deadlines in the schedules.
In a "daily schedule", merchandiser has to carry-out and
categorize which is the most significant and urgent task. The
activity that has to be focused with full attention to sweep-
off non-essential activities and have to be to be corrected by
prioritizing to meet the deadlines.


Using route card to reschedule activities

To get updated on the current status on the order, the route
cards should be utilized. The latest status can be fed into the
computers. In case, the buyer ask for the goods prior to the
deadline, then merchandiser has to reorganize the schedules
to accomplish tasks, output capacity, no. of pieces to be
produced daily, substitute arrangements, time availability,
supply time, scheduling critical ratio, etc.


Submitting pre-production samples

The pre-production samples should be provided on time to
the concerned buyers. Quality of the sample must be
verified. If required, revised samples should be made
available to the buyers. Merchandiser should adjust to the
required changes demanded by the buyer. The execution of
bulk orders should be made only after samples are approved
by the buyer.

In-process inspection denote between any tasks in order-
execution.

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Solving shortage problem

The merchandiser should know about the dearth of any
commodity such as fabric, yarn, etc... from the beginning.
Actions should be taken immediately to arrange required
materials, after discovering the shortage. It is expected that
the merchandisers should verify quality of the goods prior to
execution of the order. If the material is found unavailable,
the superior should be informed about the concern.

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Communicating with associated people and
buyer
It is essential to communicate with the buyers regarding the
order. It is expected to give some time to the buyer to read
the sent messages. Merchandiser should to go through the
messages received from the buyer and reply on time. In many
cases, merchandisers have to provide order status to the
buyers. Also, merchandiser has to communicate with the
people that are in-house, vendors, contractors and job-
workers. Only through the right communication can one meet
deadline for the concerned orders.

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Merchandisers can be from various position
Buyer
Buying house
Trading house/ Agent
Factory
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Tops
Bottoms
Sweater

Coats, Jackets, Blazers
Rainwear
Winter outerwear
Casual wear
Dresses / skirts
Woven shirts & blouses
Athletic shirt/ T shirt/ polo
shirt
Sleep wear
Bathrobes
Jerseys, Pull-overs, sweaters
Swimwear
Underwear/ Foundation wear


Toddlers/Baby
Boys/girls
Ladies / Gents
Old (65 +)
Maternal (pregnancy)

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Factory
(Bangladesh)
Buyer
(USA)
Fabric Suppliers
(China)
Trim Supplier
(Local)
Bank
(Bangladesh)
Bank
(USA)
Warehouse
or DC
Stores
Suppliers
Bank
Agent
PA
Finished Goods Flow
NY NJ LA
Financial
Flow
Raw Material
Flow
Information
Flow
Come to office to work, leave when you are done.
Should not hanger around till late for some other
person.
Punctuality at work
Use your computer more efficiently
Meet suppliers with prior notice
Do not Procrastinate any tasks
Meetings to be held at planned times
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Very important aspect in order to deal with
suppliers and customers smoothly.
Statements and payments should be clear, so
balancing is easy.
Post costings should be done to know the real
situation of the order.
Should issue a purchase orders for every
purchase.
Instruct our suppliers also to deal in a
professional manner.
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This is the key, if anyone can handle this
application efficiently, they can do a
days job in one hour.
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This is important to control the order from the
initial stage.
T&As up-dated & meetings held.
Screaming when something is sliding or going
offhand.
Making it practical and easy to follow.
Planning production & sampling base on the
T&A.
Standardizing and customizing.
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Better communication will lead us to
understand our customers much better and give
them in return what they really expect.
Replying messages promptly.
Training
Improves Proactiveness
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Planning meetings
T&A meetings
PP meetings
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The sample flow of a order should be followed by the
merchandiser and he is totally responsible for it.
Once again, you should stick to the T&A to make sure
the samples are approved on the given time frame.
Make proactive decisions if something is going wrong.
All sample comments has to be read by the merchant
and should be discussed with the sample room in-charge
before passing a copy.
On this you have to work as a team, than passing the
ball, since you know the order better than the sample
room.


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Always work SMART, than hard.
Be very good Time Managers.
Take pride on their work and not on their
position.
Be effective team players.
Be able to adopt to change.
Be responsible.


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KEEP YOUR EYES & EARS OPEN
Positive attitude &
Discipline
Time Management Skills
MS-Excel (This is a key
element in making a
efficient merchandiser)
Filing (Systematically all
should follow on filing
system do all trim &
swatch cards)
Transparency












Critical paths & Planning
Communication
Costing
Meetings
Others
Fabric / Trim booking
charts.
Material control and
follow-up.
Sample follow-up.
Shipment follow-up and
recording.
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