What is Fashion Merchandising? 3 Things to Know about the Field. (2024)

What is Fashion Merchandising? 3 Things to Know about the Field.

Fashion is big business, and there’s far more to this industry than designing clothes. From manufacturers to retail stores and everything in between, a lot of work goes into getting clothes and related accessories off the racks and into consumers’ closets. Learn about fashion merchandising and whether it’s a good career choice for you below.

1. Fashion merchandising requires a passion for business and fashion.

If you’re interested in marketing and business management but you also love fashion, then fashion merchandising may be the field for you. So what is fashion merchandising? It’s essentially the science of making sure that you have the right goods available at the right price, time, and amount, in exactly the right places.

While fashion merchandising encompasses a variety of responsibilities, in any fashion merchandising position, it will be key that you know how to understand, predict, and respond to consumer wants and behaviors to maximize business sales and revenue.

2. Both retailers and manufacturers need experts in fashion merchandising.

At the manufacturing level, fashion merchandising involves forecasting the popularity of clothing shapes and colors, estimating sizes and quantities needed, and determining the optimum price for selling the clothing to retailers. Manufacturer fashion merchandising professionals may work directly with fashion designers to find ways to make designs more affordable and desirable for consumers, with consideration for fabric selection, production methods, and promotions.

In retail, fashion merchandising is also about researching and forecasting what trends your target demographic will want and when. Beyond trends, what and how much to purchase is influenced by factors like past and current sales, your brand image, industry and cultural influencers, regional events, and even the economy. Data on your target market’s preferences for cost, sizing, color, and style all factor into final purchasing and stocking decisions as well as forecasted sales estimates.

After ordering goods, fashion merchandisers may help determine how merchandise is arranged and displayed within stores and online as well as how it is promoted and priced to ensure desired sales and profit margins.

3. Fashion merchandising encompasses various job titles and responsibilities .

Every retailer or manufacturer has many people involved in fashion merchandising, but few people touch the entire process from end-to-end. Instead, people are typically focused on a particular area of fashion merchandising. For example, after studying fashion management & marketing in school, here are a few of the careers you may choose to pursue:

● Retail buyer: Develop buying plans, negotiate with vendors, and order merchandise, including travelling to fashion runway and trade shows to find and purchase the hottest fashions

● Account manager: Oversee key relationships between manufacturers and retail stores, possibly presenting new lines to buyers and sharing product and promotional details

● Store manager: Hire and manage employees while monitoring store sales and profit.

● Visual merchandiser: Determine floor layouts, 3D product displays, and signage, often coordinating with professionals from the manufacturer and retail headquarters to maximize sales

● Marketing specialist: Promote brands and products to your target audience (shoppers if you work in retail or stores if you work on the manufacturing side), using a variety of channels and strategic initiatives

● Merchandise consultant: Assist fashion companies with achieving goals through developing strategic marketing and management plans, trend and sales forecasts, and financial plans.

Excited about Fashion Merchandising? Take the Next Step.

Now that you know what is fashion merchandising, if this career sounds right for you, it’s time to think about how to break into the field. Furthering your education is a great place to start, and

The Art Institutes system of schools

offers both Fashion Marketing & Management degree and certificate programs that can equip you with the training and knowledge you need to pursue a fashion merchandising careers.

Learn more today about how you can build a career out of combining your strong sense of fashion with an expertise in business!