Course for
Merchandising Manager

The Merchandiser Manager is a professional figure that has acquired an increasingly strategic importance in the retail channel. Those involved in merchandising have the task of studying the market, discovering trends and interpreting the company's results to define the guidelines and distinctive elements of the collection. The Merchandiser constantly interacts with all company departments in order to create the correct synergy aimed at achieving results with the right balance between collection, trends, brand identity and market needs.
The Merchandiser Manager is a professional specialized in advising sales staff on new products, their characteristics or functioning, organizes the promotional events proposed by the company, makes price surveys from competitors, periodic visits to the points of sale of his competence and compiles reports.

What are the skills needed to become a Merchandising Manager?

Deep knowledge of the market and the consumer: The Merchandising Manager must, first of all, have a profound knowledge of the sector in which he operates and the consumer to whom he turns to plan the series of products on the basis of market demands and therefore direct sales towards correct differentiation of the offer. It must therefore act as an “influencer” for product and sales.

Strategic vision: The Merchandiser has the task of planning the collection so that a consistent offer of the proposed products corresponds to the real and effective needs of the commercial and the market, balancing saleability and creativity and defining the right relationship between new products and carry-over.

Managerial and coordination skills: Every company in the fashion sector needs a figure who is the link between the inside and the outside and who follows step by step all the development steps of the collection; this is the Merchandising Manager. The Merchandiser, in fact, must be able to manage a single project in all aspects, from the creative phase to the sale, coordinating with the Style Office, Marketing and Distribution Department.

Analytical skills: Knowing how to analyze and interpret sales data, both sell-in and sell-out, is essential for choosing what to propose and what to include in the collection. The Merchandiser must, therefore, possess excellent numerical and evaluation skills in order to conceive a project based on the indications obtained from the market.

Creativity and product sensitivity: One of the main tasks of the Merchandising Manager is to transmit to the Style Office the directives useful for the development of the new collection: which models of the previous year's season to propose again, how to best interpret the trends, which items to modify and which ones to delete. Creativity and knowledge of sales dynamics are prerequisites for being a successful merchandiser.