Merchandiser - A business person engaged in retail trade

The planning involved in marketing the right merchandise or service at the right place, at
the right time, in the right quantities, and at the right price.

Promotional sales activities of an advertiser's sales force, retailers, wholesalers, or

dealers, including advertising, point-of-purchase displays, guarantee seals, special sales,
and in-store promotions, designed to show a product or service in a favorable light so that
it will be purchased by the business community and/ or the consuming public.

Retail selling effort that is the principal task of in-store sales personnel through the use of
promotions designed by a manufacturer, such as unique displays, giveaways, or discount
and premium offers. In this case, merchandising is the act of managing and arranging the
merchandise on display in a store so as to promote its sale.

Merchant

Baker- someone who bakes commercially

Book seller, book dealer- a dealer in books; a merchant who sells books
Bourgeois, businessperson- a capitalist who engages in industrial commercial enterprise
Butcher, meat man- a retailer of meat
Clothier, haberdasher- a merchant who sells men's clothing
Grain merchant - a merchant who deals in food grains
Grocer- a retail merchant who sells foodstuffs (and some household supplies)
Hat maker- someone who makes and sells hats
Retail merchant, retailer - a merchant who sells goods at retail
Marketer, seller, trafficker, vender, vendor - someone who promotes or exchanges goods
or services for money
Market keeper, shopkeeper, storekeeper, and tradesman - a merchant who owns or
manages a shop
Merchant-venturer, venture - a merchant who undertakes a trading venture (especially a
venture that sends goods

Trading industry

In Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, the term “merchandising” is commonly used

within the trading industry and denotes all marketing and sales stimulation activities
around PoS (point of sale): design, creation, promotion, care and training of the sales
staff. Basically a merchandiser is someone who is continuously involved in business
promotion by buying and selling of goods. In Asian countries such as India, this term is
more synonymous with activities right from sampling or idea conception to dispatching
of the shipment. It is a job description that involves leading and working with different
departments within the organization, suppliers and buyers to deal with timely deadlines
and accepted quality levels.

Licensing
In marketing, one of the definitions of merchandising is the practice in which the brand or
image from one product or service is used to sell another. Trademarked brand names,
logos, or character images are licensed to manufacturers of products such as toys or
clothing, which then make items in or emblazoned with the image of the license, hoping
they'll sell better than the same item with no such image. For the owners of the
intellectual property in question, merchandising is a very popular source of revenue, due
to the low cost of letting a third party manufacture the merchandise, while the IP owners
simply sit back and collect the merchandising fees.

In retail, merchandising involves selecting and purchasing the goods that a store will sell.
The merchandising manager supervises the activities of a store or retail chain's
merchandising efforts.
Function
The merchandising manager makes final decisions about what a store or chain purchases
and helps negotiate the cost of the goods for the store. Managers also help determine the
price that the store sells the goods for in order to make a profit.

Strategizing

Merchandising managers follows sales trends in the store or stores they work for,
monitoring what types of goods sell and what types are difficult to generate interest in.
Managers also examine market trend reports to determine the type of clientele that visit
stores as well as information about upcoming trends or advances in the types of products
the store carries.

Skills

Successful merchandising managers possess leadership and organizational skills, the

ability to both communicate and negotiate effectively and knowledge of how to read and
interpret financial reports. The ability to use email, spreadsheet, word processing, and
database and inventory-control software is generally necessary as well.

Requirements

Most employers require merchandising managers to have a minimum of a bachelor's

degree in a field like business, marketing or economics. Experience working assisting in
merchandising at a similar type of retail store is usually necessary.

Garments Merchandising
CHRONOLOGICAL PROCESS OF MERCHANDISING

1. Salesman Samples, Counter Samples, Approval Samples, Photo samples,

Preproduction Samples, Production Samples, Shipping samples.
2. Swatch, and Trims, Trim's Related Affairs

Sample: Reference garment corresponds to:

· The artwork (styling) done by designer and/or developer
· Particular purchase order.
· Any revision to the style work.
· Conform to any specific requirement.

Sequence of Sampling

1ST Pattern→ 2ND Pattern→ Counter Sample→ Salesman Sample→

Photo Sample→ Approval Sample (Size Set, Mock-Up)→Pre- Production
Sample→ Production Sample→ Shipping Sample.

First Pattern

First pattern is the first physical version of any garment as per the artwork
done by designer and for developer.
Human Mind→ Sketch→ Paper Pattern→ Sample
Purpose: See the design work & test the fitting
Status: Nothing specific
Material: Available
Price: Not confirmed
Quantity: 1 (for customer) + 1 (for merchandiser)
Delivery : As per urgency

Second Pattern

Usually designer /developer always ask for some changes to the first
Pattern Second pattern is made as per comments.

Counter Sample

Where first pattern is made on designers artwork, Counter sample is to

make not on designer's artwork, has to follow another sample given by the
merchandiser.
Purpose: See the workmanship &test the factory skill
Status: Nothing specific
Materials: Available
Price: Not confirmed
Quantity: 1 (for customer) + 1 (self keeping)
Delivery: As per request

Salesman Sample
Salesman sample is made when price is confirmed and orders are on
speculation, usually in l size in all color combinations of expected order.
Buyer held a meeting with its customer and record their response on order
quantity per color, size etc. And finally place order to their vendor.
Purpose: Sales meeting by retailers, market appraisal &
Demand / order forecast
Status: Final stage of the order confirmation
Material: Actual
Price: Confirmed
Quantity: There is minimum quantity per color combination
Delivery: Very, important to meet the delivery date.

Photo Sample

Photo samples are made with actual color and material to be worn by the
Models on the event of shooting for catalog

Approval Sample

In any discrete period of time, whenever it required any revision in the

sample, a new sample is made (some times mock-up is workable too) as
per new specification. It is sent to buyer for his approval of the conformity
that-the revision is done correctly.
SIZE SET: Consists of 1 pc from each size for each color combination.
MOCK UP: Any PART of the garment to make-for PARTICULAR purpose,
not complete garment

Pre- Production Sample

When material for bulk production arrived, factory makes a sample with the actual
material and sends to buyer.

Production Sample

It is a reference to the buyer that the bulk is being produced as per

specifications. Buyer wants to be assured that correct material is sourced &
line workmanship conformed to the quality level.

Shipping Sample

A sample is kept from every Pre-Shipping inspection to be referred, if

required, after the order has been delivered. Usually for any disputes (e.g.
Claim) shipping samples is important.

Swatch
Swatch is a presentation of all the materials is (Fabric & Accessories) used
for any specific style /order. Usually small piece of fabric and each piece of
accessories are attached in board paper in a systematic manner. Swatch is
very important for production line to make the correct construction of a
garment and QC department ensures it. Concerned merchandiser should

Trims

Trims cover all the items used in the garment except the basic fabric.
There are hundreds of items used to manufacture the garments, Proper
selection of trims and its quality are very important for styling, otherwise
the garment may be rejected or returned by the customers.
Following is a part of list that covers some names of the trims:

Zipper/Fastener

Teeth: Nylon, Vislon, Metal

Color: Tape Color, Teeth Color
Size: #3, #5, #8 etc.
Length: As per requirement 18 cm, 72 cm
End Close End (C/E), Open End (O/E)
Slider : One Way, Reversible.