Merchandising Department in Garment Industry: Duties & Responsibilities

Last Updated on 23/04/2021

Merchandising Department in Garment Industry:
Merchandising is the process of planning right merchandise at right time in the right quantity and at the right price to meet the needs of the company’s target customer.

Apparel merchandising involves a constant watch of the production of the apparel products. It is an intricate and detail oriented job. If it can be done properly can be very rewarding. On the country, if it is done with lack of knowledge, insufficient skill and thoroughness, it can be destructive. As the job of the merchandiser is to have the right product, at the right time, in correct quantity and in correct quality, the merchandiser should have constant eye on the manufacture and communicate with the manufacturer to get the goods as per the requirement of the buyer. The ultimate aim an apparel merchandiser is to satisfying customer needs is met.

planning of Merchandising Department in garment Industry — Fig: Planning of merchandising department in garment industry

The manufacturing factory as per the requirement suppliers the fabric and a ledger is maintained regularly to assess the production status. The accessories such as label, button, zipper, sewing thread, packing materials are collected from outside sometime mentioned by the buyer through back-to-back L/Cs.

The merchandising department also looks for the sources for procuring yarns to produce fabric. Merchandising department in garment industry monitors the production status regularly and ensures timely delivery of the shipment.

Job Responsibilities of Merchandising Department in Garment Industry:

Section	Corresponding Responsibilities
Development and Costing	Reviewing the development packs RCVD from buyer. Put the developments into work with product development team. Clarify all necessary info with buyer as much as possible. Follow up on the delivered sample deadline. Work out the initial costing (all costing must be checked by merchandising manager) Price negotiation with buyer. Follow up with buyer regarding the feedback of the sample and costing
Order Confirmation	Quoting the delivery dates to buyer after checking factory’s capacity situation. Checking all the details in the order sheet once received from buyer. Communicate with buyer regarding any discrepancy in the order sheet. Passing the correct order sheet to all concerned department i.e. planning, production, commercial etc.
Sampling	Updating production development team regarding different sample requirement of buyer at various stage (sales man, fit ,size set, pp sample etc) Coordinating all fabric + trims which are required for sampling purpose. Coordinating print, embroidery, wash for sampling. Checking all the technical aspects of samples before releasing to customer. Checking all the aesthetic aspects of samples before releasing to customer Checking the quantity requirement of each sample. Checking the necessary paper work of reach sample. Follow up the buyer regarding each sample comments.
Bulk Fabric	Work out the consumption for each new style from CAD. Provide fabric booking to fabric department with correct quantity and all necessary information. Follow up on the lab dips/strike off submission and chase Follow up on the fabric delivery against critical path Follow up on all fabric approval related issues. Prioritizing the fabric delivery schedule based on the garment delivery dates.
Bulk Trim	Preparing the cost sheet/ check list for individual trims Chasing the trim details from the buyer. Submitting required trims to buyer for approval. Provide booking for individual trims to the approved source. Chasing the P/I from the most ensure on time delivery. Monitoring the Back to Back L/C or TT payment status. Sourcing all trims from the most commercially viable source. Follow up with suppliers to ensure on time delivery. Liaise with store in order to ensure all trims RCVD in correct quantity and quality.
Embellishment	Chasing the correct artwork for all print/embroidery from buyer. Developing the design in the best possible method Provide capacity booking to print /embroidery plant in advance. Submitting print/embroidery strike off for buyer’s approval Passing approved copy of the strike off to the print/embroidery plant. Negotiating the price with the subcontractors. Monitoring the panels sent and receive dates to ensure smooth production flow Communicate with supplier for general issues.
Filing & Correspondence	Maintaining style file for all running orders Maintaining the development file. General correspondence with buyer and suppliers. Critical correspondence with buyer and suppliers Weekly updates for buyer, such as audit schedule, production status etc.
Meeting	Meeting with foreign buyers and suppliers. Meeting with local buyers and suppliers. Internal meeting with production, planning, quality, commercial and HRD.

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Mazharul Islam Kiron

Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.