Manager - Buying & Merchandising - Women's Ethnic Wear

Job Description: Manager – Buying & Merchandising (Women's Ethnic Wear)

SUMMARY

To support the growth and profitability of the Women's Ethnic Wear category by ensuring the right assortment of products is available at the right time, aligned with customer preferences and market trends. The role focuses on executing product planning, managing vendor relationships, and supporting commercial objectives while ensuring smooth coordination across Design, planning, retail, and marketing teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Planning

• Support the achievement of category targets (sales, margin, stock turn, and sell-through) by assisting in developing a customer-relevant product assortment.
• Assist in planning seasonal launches and ensure product availability.
• Work closely with the planning team to ensure assortments reflect market requirements and customer feedback.
• Incorporate inputs from retail operations, planning, and customer feedback to continuously refine the assortment.
• Ensure execution of buying activities as per the calendar, adhering to timelines and approvals.
• Assist in selecting products across designs, fabrics, prints, embroideries, colors, price points, and styling trends.
• Support the identification of new product lines or designs based on customer trends and competitor activity.

Market Focus and Strategy

• Understand customer behavior, style preference considerations specific to Women's Ethnic Wear.
• Assist in competitor benchmarking, ensuring awareness of pricing strategies, assortment gaps, and emerging styles.
• Translate customer needs into actionable buying briefs for designers and suppliers.
• Assist in post-launch analysis, identifying gaps and providing recommendations for assortment adjustments.
• Work with marketing teams to promote specific collections and campaigns through visual merchandising and communication plans.
• Participate in market visits to gather competitor insights and customer expectations.

Vendor Management

• Build and maintain relationships with existing vendors while supporting onboarding of new suppliers aligned with product requirements.
• Assist in vendor evaluation by providing feedback on quality, delivery timelines, and cost.
• Support order placement, ensuring alignment on materials, samples, and production timelines.
• Track vendor performance and assist in resolving escalations related to product quality, delivery, or costing.
• Help vendors understand business expectations related to designs, price points, and compliance.
• Support order consolidation efforts to optimize supply and reduce lead times.

Financial Planning

• Assist in the optimal utilization of the allocated budget (OTB), ensuring alignment with category goals.
• Support pricing strategies by analyzing costing, margin trends, and competitor positioning.
• Help in negotiating with vendors and finalizing cost structures under guidance from the Category Lead.

Product Presentation

• Work with the visual merchandising and marketing teams to ensure displays meet brand and seasonal requirements.
• Support the retail team in new product launches, space allocation, and promotional activities.
• Assist Visual merchandising team in preparation of Planograms to ensure product presentation is aligned with customer expectations.
• Help improve in-store presentation standards, ensuring consistency and appeal across outlets.

People Management

• Provide guidance and support to junior team members on product details, category-specific nuances, and execution.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless execution of launches and merchandising plans.
• Share learnings and mentor team members to build product knowledge and category expertise.