Qualities of a Good Textile Merchandiser: Skills and Attributes for Success

Qualities of a Good Textile Merchandiser: Skills and Attributes for Success

Noor Ahmed Raaz
Specialized in Apparel Manufacturing
Owner and Editor in Chief Textile Merchandising
Asst. Prof., Department of Textile Engineering
Atish Dipankar University of Science & Technology
Email: textilemerchandising1@gmail.com

 

Merchandiser:

A merchandiser plays a double role in the apparel industry. Acting as a seller to the buyer, on other hands, play a buyer role to the manufacturer. So the person who is involved in buying and selling goods is called a merchandiser. In all the procedures of the apparel industry, a merchandiser is directly or indirectly involved. For this reason merchandising department is a very important department in the apparel industry. For smooth order execution, a merchandiser must have some essential qualities.

Qualities of a good merchandiser are mentioned below:

1. Textile knowledge
2. Language skill
3. Negotiation
4. Computer skill
5. Consumption
6. Costing
7. Planning
8. Team work
9. Smartness
10. Present Market Prices
    

                                                                                Qualities of a good merchandiser

1. Textile knowledge:

A good textile merchandiser should have outstanding textile knowledge. This is very important for order execution in the apparel industry. Textile knowledge helps a textile or apparel merchandiser in every step of order procurement. So, textile knowledge is very important for a good merchandiser. A textile merchandiser should have knowledge about fiber, yarn, fabric, dyeing, finishing, garments production, accessories, etc.

2. Language skill:

Language is the major way of communication with another person. This communication is essential for merchandising activities. A merchandiser should have excellent communication in English. She/he should have sound skills in English, both written and spoken.

3. Negotiation:

Negotiation skills are one of the most important skills for a merchandiser. A merchandiser should know how to negotiate with the buyer and seller. The garment merchandisers mainly negotiated the order costing with the buyer.

4. Computer Skill:

A merchandiser should have enough knowledge about computer operation specially, basic knowledge of MS Word, MS Excel. The Computer makes it easier to do work such as costing, consumption, time and action plans, etc. With the help of a computer, a merchandiser can easily store any kind of order data, which helps for future records.

5. Consumption:

Knowledge about consumption is the most essential skill for a merchandiser. To be a good merchandiser, he/she should have clear knowledge about consumption of a different order of the buyer. Otherwise, this issue will create a problem in submitting the order at lead time. To be a skilled merchandiser, one should have excellent knowledge about Consumption.

6. Costing:

Proper costing of an export order is a very important factor for a good merchandiser. Accurate costing can make an order profitable. To find out the cost, a merchandiser needs to calculate a few numbers of measurements and the consumption of the order.

7. Planning:

Planning is another important key factor for a skilled merchandiser. A right planning of an order process can help to find out future profit or loss. Therefore, merchandisers always try to make a smooth plan for an export order execution.

8. Teamwork:

Actually merchandising profession is a team work. In a merchandising department, people work as a team. This is very important for the execution of an export order, which improves order productivity. Teamwork also improved the professional relationship of a merchandiser.

9. Smartness:

A good merchandiser should be smart. He/she is an all-rounder in the textile sector. In a normal sense, smartness means a person is external expression. But in the context of the textile sector merchandiser’s smartness is dependent on his work.

10. Present Market Prices:

A good merchandiser should have knowledge about the present market price of textile fabrics and accessories. Market prices depend on market price analysis, sourcing, link up with manufacture, etc. A merchandiser’s smart knowledge of market price can reduce the cost of the order. So, the knowledge about the present market price is essential for a good merchandiser.

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