What Is a Buyer in the Fashion Industry?
You may take it with a grain of salt that some department stores carry different merchandise than others and while your hardest decision is which pair of jeans to buy, someone else had to hand select all that merchandise for you to choose from. Steps ahead of the customer purchasing process, a fashion buyer is the person behind the scenes of every shopping experience.
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Significance
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The fashion industry is flooded with trends and "it" looks. It is the job of the fashion buyer to attend trade shows, fashion shows, befriend designers and observe trends so they can provide the customer with a fashionable selection.
Function
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Typically working at large department stores, boutiques, or wholesale clothing distributors, a fashion buyer selects which merchandise should be sold based on how it will appeal to the customer while at the same time making sure these products will maximize a store's earnings.
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Considerations
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According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, many fashion buyers move to this role after working in retail, but a college degree improves your chances of landing a fashion buyer job.
Types
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The roles will vary for a fashion buyer depending on the store they are employed at and thus the consumer they are targeting. A buyer at a high end department store is going to spend more time "fashion forecasting" or observing what looks are on trend and purchasing such merchandise for the consumer.
Considerations
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However, no matter where the buyer is employed, the key function in their job is to help the store maintain and gain profit through their selections. If the merchandise is appealing to the customer but more expensive than other stores, business will be lost and thus the buyer has not successfully done their job. Appealing and affordable (based on store demographic) are two adjectives a buyer should be familiar with.
Features
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In the fashion world, the buyer is the much needed middle man. Fashion shows may be attended every fashion season but it is the buyer who brings the trends and the clothes of the designers to the people. It is a fast-paced but exciting and creatively challenging career for someone with a love for fashion but perhaps not the knack for design.
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