role of merchandiser

7/21/2019 Role of Merchandiser

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TECH PACK:

Tech pack is an instruction guide for procedure of the garment

manufacturing. This is a graphical and written document which

indicates the design specication, t specication, procedure for

manufacturing the garment, measurement and siing of the garment.!u"er communicates the tech#pack with production merchandiser in

order to get the desired outcome with the desired $ualit" and

aesthetics. The pro%ision is made in tech#pack to control the $ualit" of

the product throughout the production procedure. &pecication sheets

pro%ide important details to ensure the correct e'ecution of garment

patterns into nished garments. (t helps to produce accurate samples,

which impro%es turnaround time and simplies communication during

all stages of manufacturing and $ualit" control. Tech pack includes

detailed technical diagrams, construction notes, nished garment

measurements, fa)ric "ields and material and trim details. (t is

normall" tailored in terms of the format and information pro%ided to

suit the compan"*s needs. Tech#pack pro%ides )ase for communication

to e%er"one related to production purpose )" pro%iding the information

a)out the measurements and technical design, product de%elopment

)" pro%iding the information a)out the silhouettes and measurements

etc. +or $ualit" department it pro%ides the point of measurement and

seam specication, t specication. nce tech#pack for an" st"le is

froen, the production department must )e a)le to go ahead with the

manufacturing process without ha%ing to refer )ack to the designer foran" aspect of production. The merchandisers are thus a)le to go ahead

and ensure that the re$uired material as per the tech#pack is made

a%aila)le to the production department, in the right $uantities at the

right time. The marketing department can use this document in their

presentation, particularl" to the large format stores and their ke"

customers. The preparation of a tech#pack and using it to manage and

(nternal - E'ternal Communication:Communicate with )u"ers, )u"ing houses and material suppliers. nthe other hand the" are responsi)le for downloading informationrecei%ed from )u"ers, like )u"er comments on the sample, )u"ersre$uirement on new de%elopments, pricing details of raw materials etc.



(nternal communication includes pro%iding information to accountsdepartment, shipping and documentation department, souringdepartment etc.

arment &ampling:

/ithout sample de%elopment e'port house can not think of doinge'port )usiness. &ampling is one wa" to attract customers for )ulkorders. 0erchandising team take full responsi)ilit" of de%elopingsamples at %arious stages, like Proto sample, sie set sample,salesman sample etc. The" source all re$uired material for the thesampling, download sample construction to sampling master andsampling tailors. &end samples to )u"ers for appro%als.

1a) dip 2e%elopment:

1ap dip de%elopment for d"ed fa)rics and take appro%al on lap dipsfrom )u"ers. This is done from fa)ric suppliers.

Accessories - Trims &ourcing:

+inding suppliers for accessories and trims for the samples and )ulk

orders. 3egotiation on pricing and sourcing of trims. Take appro%als oftrims and prepare trim card for production team.

Preparing Production le:

The" make production le for production and $ualit" department withall necessar" information re$uired to process )ulk orders. The"hando%er production order to production head and production processstarts from cutting to nal inspection.

Preparing of !ill of 0aterial:

0erchandising team is responsi)le for making consumption of fa)ricand trims for )ulk orders. nce consumption is appro%ed the" make!ill of 0aterials 4!05 and raise purchase order to source all rawmaterials.



Production +ollow up:

nce production started, merchandisers do continuous follow up forproduction with in#house production team and su)contractingfactories. This wa" the" keep production and shipment deli%er" onrime.

Taking responsi)ilit" for inspections:

!u"er follow third part" inspection of nished goods. 0erchandisertakes the responsi)ilit" to communicate with inspection agenc", o6erthem packed shipment and forward inspection report to )u"ers.

+ollow up of &hipment:

1ast )ut not the least, the" do follow up of shipment with )u"ers andsend shipment related document to )u"er.

Introduction:

Product de%elopment is the %er" rst stage of introduction of newst"le. The concept of new st"le or design is de%eloped )" fashion

designer which is merel" a design or sketch on the paper. Productde%elopment is the process where that sketch or design is con%erted into a 72 form garment, with all technical and aesthetic approachkeeping in mind. The rst stage is of organiing the thoughts andcollecting images 40ood )oard5 from designer. (t captures the mood or8a%our of the design pro9ect, as well as re8ects the target customer,sometimes designs are de%eloped target costumer keeping in mind.

The in#depth stud" - close e'amination as well as market forecastingof the costumer stimulates the ideas a)out colours - te'tures whichin8uence choice of fa)rics. Colour palette is selected with theimportant shades and identif"ing the market and customer taste,historic data from marketing team and salea)ilit" of the de%elopedproduct. 0ethods such as d"eing, printing, appli$ue - manipulatingthe fa)rics con%ert the stimulated ideas into re$uired te'tures - drapeof the garments. At the stage of de%eloping fa)rics for &watch !oard,practicalities of achie%ing the e6ects hardl" matters whereasinno%ation is highl" demanded. 2esigning a collection is concerned



with decisions of taste, choice and sensiti%it" and relies on the marketforecast.

(n present glo)al scenario and fast fashion era product de%elopment)ecomes the )usiness strateg" for the whole suppl" chain of the

fashion industr". 3ow a da"s product de%elopment is done at e%er"stage of the fashion industr". T"picall" product de%elopment is done )"following institutions.

Product development by global buyer:

+rom the )u"ers point of %iew the product de%elopment is the creatingindi%idual st"le within the line. The t"pical product de%elopmentprocess at )u"ers stage can )e gi%en as



Product de%elopment process starts after market forecast, itis theprocess of creating each indi%idual st"le within the line. After theresearch phase of line de%elopment is completed, silhouettes arede%eloped, fa)rics and trim selected, protot"pes made, andspecications are created. The resulting st"les are anal"sed todetermine manufacturing costs. These steps are all part of the productde%elopment phase of the line de%elopment process. The rst steps ofsilhouette de%elopment and fa)ric selection are approached indi6erent wa"s )" di6erent designers and companies. 0an" companies)ase their lines around fa)ric and print designs. Their designers start)" selecting fa)rics and then create silhouettes for those fa)rics. Thesedesigners are fabric driven.ther designers are silhouette-driven.

The" design silhouettes and then select fa)rics that are compati)lewith the silhouettes. !oth processes achie%e the same end result;uni$ue garment st"les.

This t"pe of product de%elopment is done either )" )u"er along with)u"ing house. Product de%elopment is the essential part of the line



de%elopment after market forecast is done. /ithout productde%elopment line cannot )e de%eloped. The essential parts of productde%elopment are

Fabric selection: fa)ric selection is done )ased on aesthetics as well

as technical demand of the garment. +ollowing things need to considerwhile selecting the fa)ric for product de%elopment.

• +i)re content.

• +a)ric construction;)asic structure.

• Te'ture and engineered e6ects created )" wea%e congurations

and

• <arn selections.

• Prints.

• Colour range.

• Performance characteristics;wear factors, care re$uirements,

sewing

• Compati)ilit" and drape.

• =ersatilit" for use in multiple st"les.

• Price and terms.

• A%aila)ilit".

• 0inimum order $uantities.

+or fa)ric selection designer %isits te'tile mills, fa)ric studio, designstudio.

Silhouettes: &ilhouette de%elopment in%ol%es transforming garmentideas into nal garment &ketches or technical drawings, which are

hand or CA2 renderings of the front and )ack of a garment, includingstitching details. Technical drawings usuall" do not include )od"silhouettes and are used where construction and st"ling details arecritical to the design.



Proto type development: after &ilhouette is de%eloped, tech pack isde%eloped and de%elopment sample are de%eloped. )9ecti%e is to seethe aesthetic and manufacturing a)ilit" of the proposed st"le.

Costing: Costing is done at the stage of sample de%elopment to see

the market feasi)ilit" of the product for sales and to decide the protmargin.

Advantages of product development by buyer/ buyingspecication:

• !u"er makes the market forecast, hence the understanding of

market is )etter.

• The recent trends are decided )" )u"er.

•

The colour, prints and patterns are de%eloped )" )"er which is)ased on market forecast.

• !u"er is totall" responsi)le for the success of de%eloped st"le.

!isadvantages product development by buyer/ buyingspecication:

• The process of product de%elopment is long and tidies process for

)u"er>if)u"er doesnt ha%e in#house production capa)ilit".

•

!u"er needs to depend on either )u"ing house or garment?te'tilemanufacturer for de%elopment of la)#dip, strike#o6, and samples.

• The cost of product de%elopment at this stage is higher.

• Though )u"er does the market forecast )ut )u"er ma" has

limitation on technical knowledge and production feasi)ilit" of thest"le.

Product development by garment manufacturer

Product de%elopment is the )usiness polic" of the organiation whichincludes the de%elopment of the new designs and st"les within theorganiation. This acti%it" )rings the more )usiness to organiation, )"showing pro#acti%eness in design de%elopment )u"er also impress. Therole of production merchandiser in this acti%it" is pla"s %er" important



role. Production merchandiser must keep update to )u"er time to timea)out the product de%elopment done )" organiation.

0oti%ate the )u"er to gi%e the design de%elopment to the organiationinstead of doing themsel%es. /hene%er )u"er %isits to theorganiation, presentation of new colour, prints, em)roider" patternsand desk loom de%elopments is done )" production merchandiser.Presentation of new designs de%eloped )" P2 department. Tr" tocon%ince the )u"er to select the designs from presentation. A %er"good presentation and con%incing a)ilit" of production merchandiser)rings more )usiness to the organiation.

"ole of production merchandiser in product development

• Product de%elopment is )ecome )usiness polic" of the

organiation, as merchandiser is the )ridge )etween )u"er and

manufacturer, merchandiser can understand the )u"ers know#hows of the market and new de%elopment can )e doneaccordingl".

• 0erchandiser not onl" follows the e'port order )ut, he?she must

)e aware of the new trends in market related to fa)ric, colour,patterns, st"le, designs etc.



• Cost calculations are the main role pla"ed )" the merchandiser.

At product de%elopment and sampling stage onl" cost iscalculated and $uoted to )u"er.

• 0erchandiser must insist in#house design studio4if a%aila)le5or

product de%elopment team to come up with new ideas anddesigns and st"le.

• At the same time merchandiser should con%ince )u"er to gi%e

de%elopment to the factor" if capacit" is a%aila)le.

• 0erchandiser knows what )u"er wants hence at the time )u"er

%isit to factor", merchandiser can present the new de%elopmentsi.e. desk looms, la)#dips, strike#o6s, newl" de%eloped design ingarment in front of )u"er or send to )u"ers o@ce for selection

purpose.• 0erchandiser must use con%incing a)ilit" to make sure that )u"er

will accept some designs.

• The important role of merchandiser pla"s is follow#up of )u"er as

well as sampling department to make sure that de%elopmentshould go smoothl".

Advantages:

• Production merchandiser can control product de%elopment

process in )etter wa".

• Pro#acti%eness of merchandiser can )ring the more )usiness to

the organiation.

• The cost of product de%elopment is lesser when it takes place in

manufacturing organiation.

• 0anufacturing organiation ma" not charge the cost of product

de%elopment to the )u"er if )u"er is regularl" gi%ing orders to

the organiation that is the )enet to the )u"er.!isadvantages:

• 0erchandiser ma" not aware full" a)out the )u"ers re$uirement

of st"le and designs for that particular season. (f it is so thenwhole work will )e wasted.



• The $ualit" re$uirements of the )u"er na" not match.

• There ma" )e capacit" of sampling or product de%elopment

department to produce the new st"le, )ut there ma" )epossi)ilit" that production 8oor ma" not )e a)le to handle the

st"le

• 0erchandiser ma" ha%e limited knowledge of the market, trends,

running st"le, sales )ackground of the )u"er, )rand image.Hence there are limitations for merchandiser to go for productde%elopment.

Product development by design studio:

(n glo)aliation era product de%elopment process is also outsourced )")u"er. The t"pical product de%elopment process )" design studio can)e gi%en.

The process of product de%elopment is similar to what )u"er is doing)ut onl" third part" or indi%idual design studio is in%ol%ed in theprocess. !u"er asks design studio to de%elop the new designs,sketches, st"le and colour. 2esign studio de%elops designs according tomarket forecast of )u"er, )" keeping )rand image in mind.



Advantages of the process:

• !u"er gets the ad%antage of e'pertise in design studio.

• !u"er need not to see the sourcing part for the product

de%elopment.

• The risk is transfers to the design studio.

• /ith in%ol%ement of third part" product de%elopment sharing of

knowledge is happens.

• The resources can )e com)ined.

• (ncreasing the speed of product de%elopment process as design

studio does that 9o).

• !u"er gets the ad%antage of latest technolog" in design studio.

!isadvantages:

• 0ore cost is incurred for )u"er.

• 2ependenc" is more on design studio.

• 2esign studio ma" not )e a)le to understand the )u"ers

perception a)out market though )u"er shares data.

• There is reduction in knowledge gain a)out technolog", newtrends and technical aspects of product de%elopment.

Conclusion

lo)aliation makes product de%elopment process heart of fashionindustr".The apparel product de%eloper is in%ol%ed through the entireprocess from concept to deli%er".&ince the product de%eloper works intandem with the merchandiser, ha%ing a strong )ackground in

forecasting and mathematical skills is a plus. The costing is estimate atproduct de%elopment phase hence> it is %er" eas" for )u"er toestimate the 0P of the garment. Accordingl" marketing plans can )ede%eloped. +or manufacturers point of %iew product de%elopment is a)usiness tactics. To sustain in the )usiness manufactures takes acti%epart in product de%elopment process. +or design studios or third part"product de%elopment organiation it is opportunit" to work glo)all".



/ith product de%elopment entrepreneurship can )e possi)le asstandalone design studio are run )" single person or group of personswho are e'pert in the eld.

Introduction

Production 0erchandising is a function of multiple acti%ities performed)" a person which are either parallel or inter connected. &ome of themare interdependent and others are independent of each other.

0erchandising in%ol%es planning and e'ecution of the e'port order withthe right place, at the right time, in the right $uantities, at the rightprice. (t is concerned with all the acti%ities necessar" to pro%ide )u"erswith the merchandise the" want to )u" and when and where the" wantit and at prices the" can a6ord and are willing to pa". Hence it in%ol%esmaking e'ecution plans, understanding the )u"ers need regarding$ualit" and cost, follow up of running order, e6ecti%e communicationwith )u"er. The term *0erchandising* has alwa"s )een a magic wordand hot pick of the cake in the eld of apparel and fashionmerchandising. 0ost of the persons who want to pursue a career in the

apparel eld want to )ecome a merchandiser. /hat makes this somuch attracti%e and important is;reputation, responsi)ilit" and careergrowth.

#he functions of production merchandiser can be summarisedas:



%er the "ears of the growth of merchandising as a discipline in theapparel e'port industr", there ha%e )een man" changes in the 9o)prole of the apparel merchandiser to perform these functions. (t hascharges from a simple to a much more comple' 9o) transcendingalmost all departments and functions in an apparel e'port house. This

has led to a change in the skills re$uired for the 9o) and e%olution ofthe discipline of e'port merchandising. 0erchandising has )een to alarge e'tent a function which was ne%er clearl" dened not distinctl"performed in the Apparel e'port industr". n one hand themerchandiser had the 9o) of getting orders and e'ecute them> donning

the role of productioncoordinator in the same)reath.

+unctions of production

merchandising

$. Productdevelopment

Product de%elopment isthe )usiness polic" of theorganiation whichincludes the de%elopmentof the new designs andst"les within the

organiation. This acti%it")rings the more )usinessto organiation, )"showing pro#acti%eness in

design de%elopment )u"er also impress. The role of productionmerchandiser in this acti%it" pla"s %er" important role. Productionmerchandiser must keep update to )u"er time to time a)out theproduct de%elopment done )" organiation. 0oti%ate the )u"er to gi%ethe design de%elopment to the organiation instead of doingthemsel%es. /hene%er )u"er %isits to the organiation, presentation of

new colour, prints, em)roider" patterns and desk loom de%elopmentsis done )" production merchandiser. To present new designs de%eloped)" product de%elopment department. Tr" to con%ince the )u"er toselect the designs from presentation. A %er" good presentation andcon%incing a)ilit" of production merchandiser )rings more )usiness tothe organiation.

%. Sampling



&ampling is one of the main processes in arment manufacturing andit pla"s %ital role in attracting )u"ers and conrming the order, as the)u"ers generall" places the order once satised with the $ualit" andresponsi%eness of the sampling. &ampling is the most crucial and mostimportant stage of fashion merchandising. &ampling department

makes samples on the )asis of the specication and re$uirement )"the )u"er. &ampling in merchandising ma" )e dened as BThe concept,perception and ideas of fashion designer de%eloped into productsamples, in s"stematic stages of product de%elopment, with technicaland $ualit" clarit" in a de%elopment. The role of merchandiser pla"sthe crucial role as the follow up of the samples is important aspect.!u"er passes some comments to the merchandiser after su)mittingthe sample. These comments are needed to understand andcommunicate with the sampling department. et changes from thesampling and resu)mit to )u"er. +ollow up with )u"er to get appro%als

of the sample.

&. Costing

Costing is the %er" d"namic process, and it is the most importantfunction performed )" merchandiser. 0erchandiser should ha%eknowledge of costing and its calculations. /hile calculating the cost of the garment merchandiser keeps following things in mind.

• +a)ric consumption

• Trims

• C0T

• =alue added ser%ices: printing, em)roider", washing, appli$ue

• Testing

• Transportation and logistics cost

• Prot of the manufacturing organiation

• Currenc" e'change rate

The role of merchandiser does not end onl" after calculating the cost,)ut after $uoting the cost merchandiser need to negotiate with )u"eron cost of the garment.

'. Planning (#ime and action calendar)



Production merchandising is an interdependent acti%it". &uccessfulmerchandising is outcome of e6ecti%e preparation and follows up oftime and action calendar )" all departments. Time and Action Calendaror T3A, a most important 9argon used in fashion merchandising, it is ane6ecti%e wa" of coordination and following up of important milestones

in preproduction processes to ensure timel" deli%er" within stipulateddeli%er" date. 2espite claims of )eing practicall" in use )" most )u"ingand manufacturing organiations, the follow#up of orders?st"les duringthe pre#production processes are not fool proof and there are se%eralm"ths which need to )e redressed claims. Production merchandiserprepares the T3A )" keeping things in mind like production capacit",lead time of )u"er, holida"s etc.

*. Communication

Communication is a most important aspect of an" e'port orderprocess. (n production merchandising there are %arious tools used tocommunicate with )u"ers in order to proceed further in e'port orderlike $ualit" manual, purchase order, packing list, colour wa"communication, st"le no. tech pack. !u"er communicates each ande%er" aspect of on#going and future st"le with merchandiser onl".0erchandiser must )e a)le to communicate with )u"er and withinternal departments e6ecti%el" to process the e'port order e6ecti%el".

There are se%eral modes of communication like telephone, email,actual meetings, fa' etc. merchandiser must aware of eti$uettes to usethese modes of communication.

+. Coordination

Coordination is the ma9or aspect of fashion merchandising, one need tocoordinate with all the departments within the organiation andoutside the organiation in order to run the e'port order successfull".Coordinating with other department is the one of the ma9orresponsi)ilit" of a production merchandiser. A production merchandiserhas to coordinate with the other departments so as to complete its 9o)and to following the production acti%ities. +actor" merchandiser uses

di6erent formats and documents to coordinate within the factor" like!0, production le, tech pack. &ome of them are need to create )"factor" merchandiser some of them are pro%ides )" )u"er. This t"pe ofcoordination referred to as internal coordination. Productionmerchandiser needs to coordinate with )u"er as)u"er also takes thefollow up from merchandiser. 0erchandiser pro%ides the formats to the)u"er like production status report, packing list, T3A etc.



,. Sourcing

+or garment e'port house fa)ric and trims are the raw material whichneeds to )e outsourced. &ourcing is )asicall" determining the mostcost e@cient %endor of materials, production, or nished goods at the

specied $ualit" and ser%ice le%el. (t is closel" associated and animportant part of apparel merchandiser*s responsi)ilit". 0aterials)asicall" include piece goods that will )e cut and con%erted into thegarments. 3ot onl" does the fa)ric ha%e to )e appropriate and suitedto the garment design and end use )ut it must also )e made a%aila)leat the precise time when it is needed. Thus, lead times pla" animportant role in the sourcing and placing orders for the materialsre$uired for the production. 1ead times re$uired from a supplier can%ar" from as little as two weeks to as much as nine months. Trims areall the materials other than the piece goods that are re$uired to make

up a garment. +indings re$uire the same careful planning as the piecegoods. As soon as the fa)ric is in the stores, then onl" the sourcing ofthe threads start )ecause the colour of the thread must match the)u"er*s re$uirements. The ordering of the threads must )e complete)" the time fa)ric is cut read" to )e feeded to the sewinglines.&ourcing department along with apparel merchandiser pla"s the%ital role to e'ecute and shipment of e'port order successfull".0erchandiser must make sure that all appro%als related to fa)ric andtrims should )e coordinated with the sourcing department in gi%entimeframe.

role of merchandiser

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