What is Fashion Merchandising?
Fashion merchandising is a job in the retail segment of the fashion and apparel industry. The position combines marketing, trend forecasting, and other skills that mix a head for business with an eye for design. A fashion merchandiser consults with a retail outlet, like a boutique or a chain of department stores, in order to help the merchant select and sell fashions that will be profitable.
There are many facets of this job, which can range from attending a catwalk runway show to arranging a window display to simply crunching numbers. Read on to learn more about what fashion merchandising is, and to find out whether you’re a good fit for this exciting and challenging career.
Fashion Merchandisers at Trade Shows and Fashion Shows
A fashion merchandiser often attends trade shows and fashion shows, for several reasons. One is that these are ideal places for a fashion merchandiser to scout trends for his or her employer, and identify fashions that will be a good fit for the retailer’s market and demographic. Another is that these are the arenas in which personal connections are made with suppliers, and part of a fashion merchandiser’s job is often to reach out to suppliers in order to create relationships that lead to discounts and other perks.
Fashion Merchandisers and Trend Analysis
Being a fashion merchandiser certainly requires spotting trends so that you can make sure your employer is on the cutting edge of what shoppers want, but there’s more to that aspect of the job than just deciding what fashions look “cool.” A good fashion merchandiser knows how to conduct and analyze market research, sometimes in collaboration with an advertising or marketing firm or consultant, in order to understand demographic and economic shifts and changes.
That’s why experts at places like the Utah State Office of Education suggest coursework for this job that includes training in market research and statistics. Some background in quantitative analysis is a plus, as it’s a big advantage to be able to look at a page full of numbers and understand how you can apply that information to the buying and marketing decisions you’ll make for your employer.
You’ll need to be able to “read” statistics including past and current sales figures, projected cost estimates, and results from surveys and focus groups. Not every employer will need all of these tasks done by their fashion merchandiser, but the more equipped you are, the more varied your career options will be.
Fashion Merchandisers on the Store Floor
Within a retail outlet like a store or shop, a fashion merchandiser often gets hands-on by creating the actual displays that customers see. A fashion merchandiser must be able to use information and intuition about trends and styles in order to create a shopping environment that is optimized to appeal to the consumer.
This part of the job requires both an ability to think like an artist, in terms of designing a visually attractive way to showcase merchandise, and an ability to think like a businessperson, in terms of deciding which products are most fruitful to draw attention to, and what will boost the retailer’s bottom line. This is why fashion merchandising programs like those described at the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Resources Information Center require coursework in visual merchandising and display.
Article Resources:
U.S. Department of Education’s Education Resources Information Center - Fashion Merchandising
Utah State Office of Education – Curriculum for Advanced Fashion Merchandising Course
Fashion Merchandising Curriculum Content Frameworks – Arkansas Department of Career Education