WHAT DOES A JUNIOR MERCHANDISER DO?
Published: Nov 20, 2025 - The Junior Merchandiser supports the Merchandiser and Buying Team in delivering departmental targets through planning, forecasting, and trading across all channels. This role manages product bookings, monitors performance, and collaborates with stakeholders and brands to optimize sales and availability. The merchandiser also maintains key documentation, presents business reviews, and acts as a deputy to the Merchandiser.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Junior Merchandiser
1. Junior Merchandiser Duties
- Demand Management: Help to manage the demand forecast for the specific areas within the business.
- Forecast Creation: Create a demand forecast for the USA for ongoing products, ensuring demand is reflective of sales budget in a reliable and timely manner.
- Process Ownership: Own end-to-end process in conjunction with SCM to have the right stock in the right place.
- Report Management: Management of specific reporting, with business for insight to support all channels and business areas.
- Report Consistency: Ensure reporting is consistent, reliable, and prompt.
- Channel Support: Offer support to the channels with support from the Senior Merchandiser for exceptional circumstances in maximising all opportunities, i.e., maximise new business.
- Meeting Participation: Be involved in the monthly meeting with the channels to discuss challenges and work with the team to help resolve them.
- Forecast Discussion: Attend monthly meetings with the planning/USA SCM department to discuss forecasts and issues that may compromise stock availability.
- Performance Presentation: Present back every quarter through the SO&P lite forum, the business medium-long-term sales forecast vs demand forecast, and supply plan in conjunction with the supply chain.
- NPD Forecasting: Assist in the NPD forecasting based on the managed region promptly for the global Brand and Merchandising.
- Variance Management: Ensure any variances to product allocations are highlighted to the business and managed effectively.
- Customer Support: Support the customer services team in processing orders from third parties to ensure accurate stock forecasting for manufacturing purposes and excellent customer service to business partners.
- Sales Support: Support sales channels and the remainder of the USA business with the necessary support to ensure sales and BP can be maximised.
2. Junior Merchandiser Details
- Client Development: Work with clients directly to develop business.
- Client Meetings: Regular meetings with clients to ensure all expectations are met.
- Schedule Planning: Creation of a seasonal development schedule, by category by client, in conjunction with management for client discussion and approval.
- Fabric Sourcing: Work with management to source fabrics and trims for client presentation.
- Client Presentation: Attend all client presentations.
- Sample Creation: Creation of samples with nominated vendors for client presentations.
- ERP Management: Creation of all new styles in the company ERP system.
- Cost Sheet Creation: Creation of all cost sheets for styles under the supervision of management approval before presentation to clients.
- Vendor Coordination: Be responsible for vendor matching in conjunction with management.
- Vendor Briefing: Brief vendors on the client’s requests and sourcing of all necessary fabrics and trims for development.
3. Junior Merchandiser Responsibilities
- Production Tracking: Creation and monitoring of weekly production and development tracker per client.
- Vendor Management: Work closely with vendors to monitor product development, the approval process, and bulk approvals.
- Compliance Management: Ensure all vendors comply with Maker and Co supplier guidelines.
- Inspection Coordination: Be responsible for arranging and monitoring third-party inspections.
- Sample Presentation: Presentation of all samples and bulk approvals to clients.
- Quality Assurance: Ensure all QA/QC guidelines are met.
- Deadline Management: Ensure all deadlines for bulk production are met by vendors.
- Communication Management: Ensure the highest level of communication both with vendors and clients.
- Accessory Costing: Cost and creation of all accessories were nominated by Maker and Co.
- Accessory Coordination: Work with nominated client suppliers for all accessories and trims, and ensure on-time delivery to the supplier of the same.
4. Junior Merchandiser Job Summary
- Report Management: Regularly update a set of historical stock and sales reports and forecasts.
- Report Presentation: Produce and present reports at regular Trade meetings.
- Performance Analysis: Work proactively with the Senior Merchandiser to report against pre-agreed sales, stock, and margin targets and recommend actions.
- Range Analysis: Produce an analysis to help inform range building.
- Inventory Management: Ensure all stock is properly receipted, recorded, and that the correct inventory is kept up to date.
- Purchase Order Creation: Raise Purchase Orders using the in-house Software.
- Order Tracking: Track Purchase Orders and chase Suppliers to make sure stock is delivered to the warehouse on time.
- Invoice Coordination: Work alongside the bookkeeper to ensure supplier invoices and stock are properly accounted for.
- Stock Maintenance: Maintain Stock Availability by identifying and recommending products that need to be re-purchased.
- Data Analysis: Use spreadsheets and in-house software to perform analysis and interrogate data.
- Communication Management: Manage the communication of these recommendations to the senior team, who would approve the decisions.
- Record Management: Work with the buying team to ensure keep records are kept up to date and accurate.
- Supplier Relations: Build strong working relations with the suppliers.
5. Junior Merchandiser Accountabilities
- Database Management: Ensure all databases (line list, line plan, project overview) are updated at all times, related to system updates related to sales, production, and supply chain.
- Information Communication: Provide necessary information on any product-related changes through sales memo and operations memo.
- Sample Coordination: Compile and organise accessories and footwear sample selections for the countries and divisions.
- Product Ownership: Take ownership of non-seasonal product offers (such as capsules and NOS).
- Collection Support: Assist the merchandise manager on collection building, to understand and be fully updated at any stage, to liaise on details with product development, design, sales, and supply chain.
- Market Research: Assist the merchandise manager in seasonal price and competitor research and briefing for the new season.
- Sales Analysis: Provide analysis and data for the merchandise manager's analysis on sell-in, sell-out, and post-seasonal.
- Prototype Support: Provide samples and prototype components needed by the external design agency.
- Sales Support: Organize and provide sales needs related to the product during the sales season (samples, swatches, pictures, data).
- Meeting Preparation: Prepare and assist in organizing design and sales meeting materials (boards, hand-outs, PowerPoint file).
6. Junior Merchandiser Functions
- Product Briefing: Prepare the seasonal product briefings for the Design and Development teams.
- Collection Support: Give support in the process of building the seasonal apparel collection.
- Assortment Planning: Build consumer right assortments for multiple distribution channels.
- Milestone Participation: Active participation in key milestone meetings, forecasting process, line-editing, and sample ordering.
- Sample Management: Take care of the sample sets, follow up on deliveries, and send products to photo shoots/countries/global teams.
- Data Management: Own the data entry process of the product lines in the systems.
- Internal Communication: Communicate internally to cross-functional teams the product line updates.
- Line Presentation: Line presentation to the Sales Team and external clients.
- Performance Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of the business performance.
- Sales Analysis: Analysis of past sales figures to anticipate future product needs.
- Market Research: Conduct consumer/market research to identify market trends appropriate to the brand, consumer behaviour, and new product opportunities.
- Accessory Support: Support the accessories development process, including briefing, sample orders, and comments.
7. Junior Merchandiser Job Description
- Range Planning: Work collaboratively with the Planning team to create seasonal range plans and define detailed buy plans incorporating consumer insights, market trends, and commercial opportunities.
- Ecommerce Buying: Manage the Ecommerce buy process, including the creation of seasonal presentations (divisional buy plans), prepare buy sign-off meetings, and oversee the order entry process.
- Collection Selection: Select the Ecommerce collection from the divisional offer in alignment with the buy plan for both Own Operated and Partner Program.
- Product Collaboration: Collaborate with the Product Strategy team in pushing exclusives and trend-driven capsules.
- Milestone Participation: Attend key milestone meetings and communicate Ecommerce business needs.
- Relationship Management: Establish a trusted relationship with respective divisions and present regular feedback to the divisions on selling performance and relevant data throughout the season.
- Calendar Planning: Create a Go-To-Market trade calendar and brief associated teams like Content, Site Merchandising, and Traffic.
- Product Launch Support: Support a successful launch of new products by briefing and giving feedback to associate teams (e.g., host creative presentation to Photo Studio and Copywriting, and provide product enrichments to Master data).
- Sales Optimization: Propose trading actions to improve sales performance.
- Replenishment Support: Provide product-related input to the Planning team on Replenishment and Markdown initiatives.
- Delivery Tracking: Track deliveries and flag issues to associate teams (e.g., in case of delay, request the Content team to change imagery).
- Market Monitoring: Track and keep up with market trends and competitor activities.
- Report Management: Update, maintain, and improve weekly reports (rate of sale trackers, best seller reports, and onsite KPI’s).
- Sales Analysis: Partner with the Planning team to analyze weekly sales and onsite KPIs, monitor sell-through, and present key learnings during trade meetings.
- Report Creation: Create and provide (ad-hoc or recurring) reports for associate teams and projects.
8. Junior Merchandiser Overview
- Sales Optimization: Maximise sales and gross margin for areas of control and the wider business through analysis, planning, and forecasting, and in-season trading.
- Merchandising Liaison: Act as key merchandising contact and develop sound cross-functional relationships with buying, finance, distribution, and marketing.
- Team Leadership: Role model best practice in merchandising and develop skills and knowledge of junior members of the merchandising team.
- Performance Reporting: Provide a weekly summary of key performance indicators within departments of responsibility relating to sales, stock, profit, and markdown versus budget and last year.
- Forecast Management: Maintain department weekly stock sales and intake forecasts (WSSI) and review in-season stock opportunities and risks in line with forecasts to maximise sales and reduce stocks.
- Markdown Analysis: Provide analysis and summary of markdown and promotional activity for departments of responsibility.
- Risk Management: Proactively reviewing risks and opportunities, recommending actions to the business to hit KPIs.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Interact with other teams to improve seasonal performance and drive best practices.
- Business Analysis: Key contact for analysis and conclusions relating to departments of responsibility and the wider business.
- KPI Analysis: Conduct detailed ad-hoc and proactive analysis relating to all KPI's and dependents.
- Department Leadership: Lead the department of responsibility, driving trade actions and follow-up.
- Team Development: Develop and mentor junior members of the team.
- Senior Support: Support the senior merchandiser across all departments of responsibility.
9. Junior Merchandiser Details and Accountabilities
- Trading Reporting: Prepare reporting and present at the Weekly and Monthly Trading Meetings.
- Sales Trading: Drives the Test and Repeat Model to trade their area.
- Sales Review: Reviews Daily and Weekly Sales performance and carries out Rebuy and Markdown actions.
- Performance Analysis: Reviews over- and under-performance at the Product Group level and drives trading actions to maximise potential and minimise risk.
- Forecast Management: Seeds and manages a WSSI by accurately forecasting demand, OTB, returns, AVSP, and margin.
- Critical Path Management: Takes ownership of the Critical Path Management and takes appropriate action on issues when they arise.
- Strategic Planning: Takes a strategic approach to driving their department forward through Strategy and Framework plans.
- Supplier Relations: Continues to work closely with QC, Design, and builds on Supplier Relations.
- Team Mentorship: Mentoring and coaching junior members of the team.
- Business Awareness: Fully aware of the principles and contribution to the overall Business Strategy.
- Relationship Building: Communication and relationship building.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Builds effective and open relationships with all members of the buying and merchandising team, based on reliable, accurate, and relevant data.
- Interdepartmental Coordination: Ensures a productive relationship between the merchandising function and all other business areas to ensure goals are achieved, specifically the design and accounts teams.
- Information Delivery: Delivers key information at the right time, to the right people, and presents at high-level meetings by the Director.
10. Junior Merchandiser Tasks
- Range Planning: Support in developing annual/seasonal range plans based on sell-in/out, channel-specific needs, evolving trends, price architecture, target RRP, and IMU.
- Sales Analysis: Analyze sell-out information, provide relevant recommendations, and identify key opportunities.
- Competitive Benchmarking: Conduct seasonal competitive benchmarking and other relevant ad-hoc product analysis.
- Buy Execution: Support with the execution of the buy plan post-market roll-up.
- Sample Management: Manage samples from factories to showrooms, liaising with DC for timely SRS dispatch.
- Photoshoot Coordination: Coordinate photoshoot, liaising with vendors, and ensuring a smooth process.
- Catalogue Management: Set up and maintain catalogue/line lists.
- Data Maintenance: Maintain the style master, line sheet, and imagery portal, cascading info to the wholesale team.
- Training Support: Support with creating engaging training materials and comprehensive selling tools.
- Subdivision Ownership: Own specific subdivision of WRTW from line plan to final buy.
- Trend Analysis: Provide relevant recommendations on sell-in/out, trends, and product opportunities.
- Team Liaison: Act as liaison between the Sales team and global merchandising for the sub-division.
11. Junior Merchandiser Roles
- Department Planning: Working with the Merchandiser and Buying team to create the departmental plan and strategy, and executing to deliver sales, total stocks, GSM, markdown, and availability targets, and option count.
- Product Planning: Assisting the Merchandiser and Buying Team to formulate a detailed plan on the products to be offered each month across all channels.
- Forecast Management: Accountable for creating accurate long-term and short-term department or range forecasts.
- Product Booking: Booking quantities of products to meet launch and respond to in-season variables for all channels.
- Stakeholder Coordination: Working closely with key stakeholders, such as retail, to successfully execute a brand's launch.
- Sales Monitoring: Constantly monitor sales and range offering to ensure commercial and customer aspirations are potentialised, liaising with brands to react and amend accordingly.
- Documentation Management: Managing departmental documentation relating to all sales periods, including markdown plans.
- Retail Communication: Maintaining strong communication links to retail.
- Brand Relations: Building strong relationships with the brands.
- Business Review: Preparing and presenting regular business reviews, alongside the Merchandiser, BRM, and JB, to successfully drive performance.
- Process Implementation: Implementing and exploiting new systems and processes.
- Merchandising Support: Acting as deputy to the Merchandiser across the wider scope of their role on a day-to-day basis, in addition to leading cyclical meetings such as trade, sign off, and run rate.
12. Junior Merchandiser Additional Details
- Supplier Engagement: Engage proactively with both Global Suppliers and regional Colleagues to ensure that Superdry orders are placed effectively and that products are produced to meet seasonal business requirements.
- Risk Management: Identify and mitigate the risk of late deliveries through a clear critical path management and escalation process.
- Order Management: Manage the PO book for the given area with the support of the team, placing orders with suppliers to agreed deadlines and capacity, updating dates within the order management system, holding suppliers to account whilst maintaining supplier relations.
- Stakeholder Coordination: Liaise with Key stakeholders, e.g., Sustainability, Sourcing, and Q&T, to ensure all critical path milestones are consistently monitored and delivered.
- Wholesale Fulfilment: Liaise with Key Wholesale colleagues to ensure that all parts of the Wholesale order book are fulfilled.
- Team Support: Provide support to the Production Administrators and ensure that they are clear on the priorities set by the Lead Production Merchandiser.
- Shipment Monitoring: Monitor weekly shipments from factories and manage Supplier Bookings with Freight Forwarding partners.
- Sustainability Oversight: Oversee all Sustainability programs relevant to the area, and that all necessary administration is completed promptly to provide a clear and accurate audit trail.
- Process Improvement: Take on projects that drive efficiencies in process alignment and system optimization outside of my day-to-day role.
13. Junior Merchandiser Essential Functions
- Brand Strategy: Work with Buying/Design teams to implement a focused Brand strategy, incorporating the Company Strategy, establishing a clear Brand position in the market.
- Range Development: Deliver a customer-led range for the Brand.
- Stock Management: Management of stock to achieve plans, whilst supporting operational efficiency with clear management of the critical path to maximise sales and reduce terminal stock.
- WSSI Management: Stock Management through robust use of the WSSI, reacting to change in a timely fashion to ensure sales are maximised and markdown costs are reduced.
- Promotional Planning: Develop promotional events, trading, and markdown plans to deliver strategy and KPI’s ensuring alignment with the Host Plan.
- Assortment Planning: Manage the Assortment Plan, establishing a clear option/buy quantity plan to maximise sales, profit, and density in all stores and digital.
- Margin Management: Awareness of Intake and Trading margin targets, actively taking actions to increase opportunities and resolve risks, increasing sales and profit.
- Opportunity Identification: Identify risks and opportunities within the Brand and cascade to wider Business, driving growth in sales and profit.
- Trading Management: Lead weekly trading to increase profitability, taking actions to minimise risks and continuously improve Brand efficiency.
- Market Adaptation: Adapt trading events in response to Market Changes to ensure delivery of the Business Plan.
- Team Leadership: Manage team, work collaboratively across the Group, ensuring achievement of KPIs, and contribute to creating a positive working environment for all colleagues, inspiring the team positively and professionally to work to the best of their abilities.
- Relationship Management: Build and maintain Internal and External Business Relationships to build relationships, ensure all communication is clear and meets expectations, to improve efficiency and minimise disruption within the Business.
- Visual Merchandising: Work with VM and Retail Teams to create a clear and accurate stock representation with relevant visual delivery for the Brand, to meet and exceed Customer and Host needs.
- System Accuracy: Ensure administration and systems are accurate and updated promptly to achieve clear and consistent communication.
14. Junior Merchandiser Role Purpose
- Trend Analysis: Use knowledge of both internal and external trends and factors to ensure all financial targets and objectives are understood and met on time, and the critical path is followed.
- Stock Management: Review and manage stock and financials on a rolling basis and flag or action any concerns immediately, and in weekly trade.
- Budget Planning: Prepare a budget plan for the seasonal buys and see the process all the way through to size scaling, post-buy review, and extra budget requests.
- Inventory Coordination: Ensure stock is set within its correct inventories and work with the Outlet counterparts to allow for a smooth transition.
- Data Accuracy: Ensure all stock has the correct attributes attached to it.
- Error Management: Work with IT and Production to correct any errors and amendments.
- Sales Management: Ensure the sale runs smoothly and stock is effectively liquidated whilst maintaining margin.
- Report Management: Ensure all relevant reporting is run and kept up to date.
15. Junior Merchandiser General Responsibilities
- Forecast Contribution: Contribute to EMEA Forecast/Ordering performance.
- Planning Support: Participate in the preparation of the seasonal planning guidelines and toolkit.
- Tool Support: Provide daily support solutions, tool training to the shareholders, and propose B2B tool improvements.
- Forecast Coordination: Coordinate the sales forecasts for all product categories and for all channels across the region.
- Territory Management: Manage the relationship with EMEA territories, ordering, and forecasting.
- Order Validation: Ensure all orders are validated and integrated into the main ERP.
- Delivery Monitoring: Weekly monitoring with production teams to ensure On-time delivery compliance.
- Process Improvement: Propose initiatives to improve the overall process.
- Merchandising Support: Support EMEA Merchandising execution.
- Data Management: Update the EMEA Master Data and assortments for the B2B platform, centralize and arbitrate any assortment modification.
- Tool Development: Helps build tools and assortment visualizations.
- Sales Monitoring: Helps in the follow-up and monitoring of the sales campaign.
16. Junior Merchandiser Key Accountabilities
- Supplier Relations: Developing positive working relationships with all suppliers, ensuring full consistency with all orders passing through the system, and working closely with the buying team to ensure an awareness of all orders being proposed.
- Risk Management: Identifying any opportunities and risks in the supply base, and proposing suggestions to the Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser.
- Store Insights: Conducting store visits to view stock and obtain direct feedback from customers and store colleagues, highlighting any issues and proposing any ideas to enhance sales at the store and company level.
- Customer Analysis: Ensuring a knowledge of the customer profile and trends, and relating to relevant size analysis.
- Range Development: Ensuring that a competitive and commercial range is delivered to the customer with strong availability.
- Critical Path Management: Working cross-functionally, take the lead in ensuring the critical path is being accurately kept up to date and adhered to, dealing with any issues accordingly.
- Team Leadership: Being a role model to all and motivating junior members of the team to maximize their talent through effective management, and helping them to progress forward in their careers.
- Task Delegation: Effectively manage and delegate tasks in the Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser's absence.
- Strategic Planning: Proactively be involved in the department strategy, helping to plan and build a commercial product range that reflects the General Merchandise strategy, being able to utilise all information from analysis, historical data, market data, and future trends.
- Range Delivery: Delivering a commercial and competitive range for the given category whilst ensuring that the brand standards in both quality and value are maintained and sales and profit targets are met.
17. Junior Merchandiser Roles and Details
- Merchandising Strategy: Presenting to Merchandise/Senior Merchandiser a clearly defined merchandising plan and strategy for the given category, supported by clear and sound reasoning.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Establishing key working relationships with the buying team, stores team, technical team, and suppliers, and effectively communicating across the team and suppliers on any issues, proposing solutions and updates accordingly.
- Report Preparation: Accurately and comprehensively prepare any reports for weekly, monthly, and seasonal trading meetings.
- Range Planning: Raising and preparing range plans for the department with guidance from Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser, ensuring all updates are done promptly and inputted correctly.
- Meeting Preparation: Attending and preparing any additional reports for any meetings, ensuring fully prepared.
- Sign-Off Coordination: Assisting the Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser in working alongside the buying team in operating an effective and timely sign-off process in line with the merchandising planning cycle.
- Performance Monitoring: Weekly monitoring and evaluation, working with the buying team on the performance of the given category against forecasted/targeted figures, constantly reviewing sales, stock levels, and intake, seeking guidance from the Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser.
- Sales Review: Reviewing weekly, monthly, and seasonal sales performance and stock volumes for the department, and identifying any opportunities and highlighting any issues.
- Sales Maximisation: Maximising sales and profit for a given category through aggressive trading of the area, ensuring a clean stock position at the end of the season, whilst staying within markdown budget.
18. Junior Merchandiser Responsibilities and Key Tasks
- SKU Management: Set up and publish all SKUs to TheWorks.co.uk website, ensuring that each critical element, including title, image, description, and attributes, is completed and optimised in a timely and consistent manner.
- Priority Management: Ensure all priority SKUs are identified, set up, and published to maximise sales opportunities.
- Content Optimisation: Continually enhance and optimise product copy and content to maintain relevant data if product specifications are tweaked and to improve upon existing details.
- Sales Monitoring: Monitor sales information at the product and category level, and make data-driven decisions to promote the relevant products and campaigns throughout the year as efficiently.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build strong relationships with Distribution, Buying, and Stock teams to collate and send back all product samples required for photography and product setup.
- Image Management: Ensure the best selection of images is processed throughout the day.
- Photo Editing Coordination: Clearly communicate any retouching requirements on product photography.
- Site Review: Conduct regular site walks and provide feedback on all related site issues to the relevant parties.
- Search Optimisation: Review and action the weekly 'zero search’ report and ensure search results are fully optimised.
- Customer Feedback: Check customer product reviews and take action to optimise all products where feedback is negative.
- DSV Management: Optimise all new DSV SKUs to TheWorks.co.uk website, ensuring that each critical element, such as title, image, description, and attributes, is completed in a timely and consistent manner.
19. Junior Merchandiser Duties and Roles
- KPI Management: Be responsible for negotiating, planning, and delivering departmental KPI's.
- Budget Control: Work with the buying team to ensure adequate tracking and controls are in place to meet budget and targets.
- Supplier Relations: Develop strong supplier relationships, commercially planning trading opportunities through profitability modelling.
- Business Representation: Represent the business in key strategic meetings with suppliers and brands.
- Strategic Communication: Communicate with senior management teams and across departments the strategy for their ranges, trading plans, and execution.
- Department Management: Assist in the management and day-to-day running of the department, managing priorities and workload of the team.
- Reporting Coordination: Coordinate cross-category roll-ups in order to present back concisely to senior management.
- Merchandising Support: Deputise for the Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser.
- Commercial Planning: Create and manage commercial plans through WSSI, ensuring opportunities and risks are identified and planned for, creating forecasts and intake requirements.
- Team Management: Line management responsibility for one or multiple merchandising assistants/assistant merchandisers.
20. Junior Merchandiser Details
- Merchandising Strategy: Develop new products or merchandising strategies that balance customers' expectations and the company's objectives.
- Strategic Sourcing: Strategic sourcing and negotiating trading terms and price.
- Supplier Relations: Maintain good relationships with suppliers.
- Pricing Management: Get updated on the latest prices, discounts, and promos from suppliers.
- Promotional Planning: Develop promotional and other marketing strategies to help achieve sales goals.
- Market Research: Perform market research, understand market trends, and buying behavior.
- Cross-Functional Coordination: Provide exceptional coordination with other departments and suppliers.
- Stock Management: Maintain a good stock level and stock availability at all times.
21. Junior Merchandiser Job Summary
- Sales Optimisation: Use data to optimise the sales volume and profitability of all designated product areas.
- Budget Planning: Plan budgets by category, option count, and depth of buy based on the overall business and financial goals of the company.
- Stock Control: Control stock levels based on weekly sales and stock intakes (WSSI).
- Forecast Management: Review sales forecasts based on performance, and take actions regarding re-forecasts.
- Sales Analysis: Analyse and monitor best and worst sellers and make informed recommendations for action.
- Promotion Planning: Recommend promotions and re-buys.
- Margin Management: Monitor and maintain buying margin and gross profit margins.
- Product Maximisation: Ensure that best sellers reach their full potential.
- Data Reporting: Supply the Head of Merchandising and the buying team with the necessary data to enable informed decisions and planning.
- Strategic Collaboration: Work closely with the Merchandising Director at a strategic level within buying and merchandising and translate strategy to implementation.
22. Junior Merchandiser Accountabilities
- Trading Reporting: Produce Weekly Trading reports for analysis and presentation at weekly trading meetings.
- Performance Review: Produce Monthly trading packs and end-of-season lessons learned.
- Sales Analysis: Analyze trading performance and provide recommendations for required trading activity.
- Promotion Planning: Plan promotions, markdowns, and terminal stock management.
- Category Analysis: Analyze category and channel performance.
- Ecommerce Collaboration: Work with the ecom team to understand online performance.
- Stock Management: Ensure the right level of stock in the right location to support trading performance.
- Range Planning: Be responsible for planning the Accessories range.
- Buy Planning: Manage options and channel ROS, weeks on sale, store ranging, and agreed buy levels.
- Presentation Preparation: Present category plans at sign-off meetings.
- Team Development: Support training and development of junior members of the Merchandising team.
23. Junior Merchandiser Functions
- Category Trading: Trade the sales and stock performance at the category level to meet and exceed sales and KPI targets.
- Sales Management: Manage and react to sales in the season by maximizing sales and profit with correct rebuys, ratios, etc.
- Forecast Planning: Predict sales forecasts, trends, and maximize profits while controlling stock cover and commitment, for minimal markdown.
- Performance Analysis: Collate and present in-depth analysis in season, building towards seasonal strategy, framework, and buy plan presentations.
- Strategy Collaboration: Work with the buyers to drive strategy and framework plans forward.
- Range Evaluation: Assess sales performance of ranges and TV campaigns.
- Competitor Analysis: Maintain awareness of competitor performance and provide in-depth weekly/monthly competitor shop analysis.
- Ecommerce Analysis: Together with the ecomms and marketing team, understand the department’s performance around conversion, visits, bounce rate, search terms, etc, in relation to the sales.
- Sales Optimization: Suggest ways to improve via maximum search variety, exposure via position on site, splashes, promotions, and email content, etc, resulting in maximum sales.
24. Junior Merchandiser Overview
- Commodity Trading: Purchase and sell agricultural commodities (grain products, livestock, renewable fuels).
- Market Analysis: Assess risk, manage databases, communicate information, and conduct research on assigned markets.
- Performance Modelling: Assist Merchandisers with the preparation of various models for performance projections.
- Supply Chain Learning: Learn logistically and supply chain management of agricultural commodities.
- Trade Presentation: Confident in preparing and presenting weekly trade, clearly communicating top-line trends, and giving considered direction.
- KPI Analysis: Analyze key KPIs and trends week on week.
- Strategic Trading: Innovative and pro-active trading in a fast-paced, new-model environment.
- Retail Alignment: Work closely with retail to align on strategy and actions.
- Promotional Management: Manage store promotional strategy across regions.
25. Junior Merchandiser Details and Accountabilities
- Collection Coordination: Coordinate with local buying teams on building coherent collections that respect the company directive, whilst ensuring commercial viability.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Develop strong internal relationships with cross-functional partners, including country merchandisers, visual merchandising, store design, retail operations, planning, and internal design divisions.
- Sales Monitoring: Monitor and report on sales performance.
- Report Preparation: Produce weekly, seasonal, and ad hoc selling reports with a high level of accuracy and in a timely fashion.
- Performance Communication: Frequent communication with the region and HQ regarding sales and sell-thru performance to ensure achievement of targets/objectives.
- Market Research: Research trends and perform market research that aligns with the brand strategy.
- Training Support: Liaise with HQ in preparation of seasonal product training materials to be distributed to the markets.
- Strategic Contribution: Contribute to department strategy, demonstrating an ability to recognise innovative ideas and solutions, which have a commercial gain.
- Team Development: Develop the team through their development programme by identifying and setting measurable objectives and developing a flexible management style to meet their needs.
26. Junior Merchandiser Tasks
- Stock Management: Working to tight restrictions to ensure stock is maintained throughout the year at the correct levels, particularly through peak periods, i.e., new product range launches, Christmas, promotion periods, etc.
- Order Management: Assisting the Merchandiser with the creation of weekly core stock orders, which are the mainstay of the department, and managing these orders in the business efficiently.
- Data Analysis: Analysing data from the previous year and current trends to make the right decisions and identify “gaps“ in the current market.
- Supplier Relations: Cultivating close working relationships with key suppliers to ensure the business is supported by them.
- Report Preparation: Assisting in the preparation of weekly WSSI and trade meeting reports.
- Forecast Planning: Working with calendars, which involve forecasting crucial lines for long periods.
- Target Alignment: Working closely with the Buyer to ensure targets for the departments are met.
- Intake Management: Be responsible for ensuring intake targets are achieved and ensuring the launch product is delivered promptly.
- Performance Analysis: Developing a strong understanding of product performance across the various channels and understanding how to impact performance.
27. Junior Merchandiser Additional Details
- Sales Optimization: Support with the delivery of the planned sales and profitability of the department by managing and optimizing the department through effective planning and in-season trading.
- Performance Analysis: Regular analysis of department performance to maximise commercial opportunities.
- Range Management: Ensure a commercial range is offered to the customer whilst ensuring both ASOS’ and the department's strategy are adhered to.
- Stock Planning: Help manage the intake and OTB to deliver the stock requirements of the business.
- Supplier Relations: Develop and build strong relationships with suppliers.
- Team Management: Manage and develop a team, including Assistant Merchandisers and Merchandising Administrators.
- Product Analysis: Monitor product and range performance against sales, margin, stock, and availability targets, making recommendations and generating analysis to support buying decisions.
- Range Forecasting: Range forecasting in accordance with agreed parameters and managing store and DC stock levels, providing accurate forecasting of markdown spend and end-of-line stock forecasts.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work collaboratively with the Buying and Supply Chain teams, developing commercial ranges, establishing stock intake plans, and setting core KPI’s, ensuring on-time delivery from the supply base and stock range plans are kept within targeted levels.
- Marketing Coordination: Liaise with the Marketing department to ensure that all points of sale, price tickets, and promotional material are correct.
- Strategy Implementation: Assist in implementing all aspects of the department strategy to deliver sales and profit targets and keep systems updated and maintained with any changes.
- Price Management: Create and effectively manage the price book, related systems, and documentation for all trading events.
28. Junior Merchandiser Essential Functions
- Order Monitoring: Monitor and follow up on the daily online orders from the customers.
- Customer Communication: Maintain good quality communication with customers and provide proper tools and solutions to resolve customer needs.
- Department Coordination: Work closely with the Finance, Sales, Production, and Logistics Departments.
- Operational Support: Assist and coordinate with satellite print shops in the daily routine.
- Stock Management: Assist with PO Stock Management.
- CRM Reporting: Report and provide recommendations on customer relationship management.
- Range Planning: Liaise with the Buying team to establish the product range and stock plans.
- Sales Analysis: Analyse the categories' best sellers to ensure stock continuity.
- Replenishment Analysis: Analyse key lines to ensure correct replenishment levels and that stock and sales are maintained.
- Promotion Planning: Analyse the rate of sale and identify lines to be marked down/included in promotions.
- Budget Control: Control stock levels within budgets using a WSSI.
- Supplier Management: Manage supplier relationships and ensure data integrity in the catalogue planning spreadsheets.
29. Junior Merchandiser General Responsibilities
- Category Planning: Report to the Buyer/Merchandise Planner.
- Range Development: Create and implement the category plan for the delegated category product range that meets the commercial performance requirements.
- Decision Support: Provide accurate information to inform and challenge the Buyers' decisions, using category management tools, on purchasing, stock management, and trading of the delegated category product range.
- Team Coordination: Work with Merchandise Assistants and Merchandise Administrators to deliver with confidence and competence.
- Stock Management: Manage the operational stock position for the delegated category product range.
- Stakeholder Relations: Build and maintain key internal and external stakeholder relationships to deliver the right stock cover at all times for the delegated category range.
- Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate activities across functions to ensure goals and targets are met in sales and operations.
- Process Management: Coordinate long-term processes such as the seasonal lifecycle, campaign support, and short-term attention to detail to chase opportunities to maximise trade and identify issues.
- Operational Leadership: Act as a champion internally for the business model and be the primary point of contact internally and for marketplace partner operational teams.
- Performance Reporting: Share successes and keep management and teams up to date on the performance of the sites.
30. Junior Merchandiser Roles and Details
- Site Merchandising: Management of all Site Merchandising activities.
- Category Promotion: Effective promotion of seasonal categories month by month, management of the visibility of top brands for the qualification of the showcase, and alignment with external trends.
- Content Management: Update of commercial content on different desktop platforms, m-site, and app.
- Commercial Strategy: Definition of the strategy and commercial planning, proposing effective creative initiatives from the commercial point of view for the promotion of products.
- Data Analysis: Interpretation of sales and traffic data with the consequent planning of strategies to increase sales.
- Market Monitoring: Constant updating and benchmarking of competitors and monitoring of events, trends, and products in the Fashion world to guarantee a selection of products always in line with customer trends and expectations.
- Sample Management: Handle sample development and send out sample shipments on time.
- Process Support: Assist the whole merchandising process from PO, product development, to production.
- Performance Reporting: Report of the webshop performance, based on e-commerce metrics and data.
- Documentation Preparation: Prepare product-related documents and reports.
- Factory Communication: Communicate with factories and internal parties.
Relevant Information