The research report elaborates on responsibilities of Fashion buyer, who was recently appointed in a Paris based Children’s wear retail organization. The organization deals with three product lines: Children’s Wear, Swimwear and Nightwear. The introduction part of the paper discusses a little bit about the Paris fashion apparel industry and outlines three selling methods that can be used to maximize the profitability of the organization. Then, the paper goes on explaining how these three selling methods can be used and what kind of strategies to be implemented by keeping textile legislations and international currency implications in mind for each method to increase the profitability. This paper also provides an in depth information on key functional areas or key responsibility areas of fashion buyer in apparel retail sector.
As we are looking to maximize the sales of children’s wear in the first season, the paper emphasized more on what a fashion buyer should do in the first 100 days of his new post to secure maximum profitability. The paper also provided information on strategies to be used to effectively promote the children’s wear products for second season also.
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France is one of the leading countries in manufacturing high quality fabrics and fashionable apparels. In this technology driven world, the percent of transactions happen through retail outlets have been getting down day-by-day. Nearly 35 percent of transactions happen through retail outlets where as 25 percent of transactions happen through online. With the increased awareness levels and secure payment gateways, the internet retailing industry has been reporting record levels of growth rates for past 2 to 3 years.
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Online Sales Method to Increase Profitability
4. Maximizing the Profitability by Mail Order Method
5. Retail High Street to Maximize Profitability
6. Key functions of Fashion Buyer
6.1 Liaising with Suppliers
6.2 Understanding Market Trends
6.3 Negotiation
6.4 Liaising with Internal Departments
7. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This report examines the core responsibilities and strategic approaches required by a fashion buyer within a Paris-based children's wear retail organization. The primary objective is to define effective methodologies—specifically online sales, mail order, and physical retail—to maximize profitability and ensure successful growth across product lines.
- Analysis of multi-channel sales strategies (Online, Mail Order, High Street).
- Implementation of textile legislation and international currency considerations.
- Optimization of web analytics and SEO for e-commerce growth.
- Development of customer-centric promotional and marketing techniques.
- Examination of core fashion buyer functions including supplier liaison and trend forecasting.
Excerpt from the Book
Online Sales Method to Increase Profitability
Internet has become a major part of daily life for most of the people in developed and developing countries. With increasing awareness of e-commerce and secure payment gateways, online transactions have increased to an extent wherein people are depending internet to purchase any small item (Miller, 2002). Apparel business is one among the best e-commerce businesses in the world. In fact, most of the top apparel companies purely depend on the online sales to increase the profitability. Online sales always carry good margins on products.
As a fashion buyer at the outset, I would like to carry out the website analytics to know traffic flows, unique visitors, broken links, site navigation issues, security issues and content issues (Plaza, 2009). The web analytics would definitely help in getting deeper understanding on the online sales percentage out of total sales of the organization. This also helps me to understand from which geography, more number of hits coming to the website. Depends on the number of hits from particular region, I can implement different strategies for different locations. My first task towards online sales strategy is providing right and easy navigations. As we offer three products; nightwear, swimwear and character children-wear, it is important to provide easy navigations that help customers can directly go to desired product.
Summary of Chapters
Executive Summary: Provides an overview of the fashion buyer's role in a Paris-based children's wear company and outlines three key sales methods to maximize profitability.
Introduction: Contextualizes the importance of the French fashion industry and the shift in consumer transactions from physical stores to online platforms.
Online Sales Method to Increase Profitability: Discusses the necessity of web analytics, SEO, and secure payment systems to boost e-commerce growth.
Maximizing the Profitability by Mail Order Method: Explains the utility of mail order systems as a customer-friendly alternative to pure e-commerce, focusing on database management and customer care.
Retail High Street to Maximize Profitability: Highlights the continued relevance of physical high street stores for the tactile evaluation of goods and the importance of target-specific promotions.
Key functions of Fashion Buyer: Breaks down the professional responsibilities of a fashion buyer, focusing on supply chain management, trend analysis, and negotiation.
Conclusion: Summarizes the necessity of integrating multi-channel selling and robust marketing strategies to secure long-term profitability.
Keywords
Fashion Buying, Apparel Industry, Online Retailing, Mail Order, Retail High Street, Profitability, Consumer Behavior, Textile Legislation, E-commerce, Supply Chain, Market Trends, Negotiation, Customer Relationship, Children's Wear, Web Analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this report?
The report outlines the responsibilities of a fashion buyer in a children's wear retail organization and identifies strategies to maximize profitability across different sales channels.
What are the three main sales methods discussed?
The three methods are online retailing (e-commerce), mail order services, and physical Retail High Street operations.
What is the central objective of the fashion buyer?
The central objective is to maximize the profitability of the retail store by understanding fashion trends and developments while maintaining efficient relationships with suppliers.
Which scientific or business methods are applied?
The author uses web analytics for e-commerce, consumer behavior analysis for targeted promotions, and standard supply chain and negotiation frameworks.
What does the main body of the text cover?
It covers sales channel strategies, the impact of textile legislation on business, the role of a fashion buyer in supplier relations, and the importance of market trend forecasting.
How would you characterize this work using keywords?
Key terms include Fashion Buying, E-commerce, Profitability, Consumer Behavior, and Multi-channel Retailing.
Why is the "first 100 days" mentioned in the report?
The first 100 days are highlighted as a critical period for a fashion buyer to analyze past customer data, evaluate performance, and implement strategies to secure profitability for the first season.
How does the author suggest managing the "High Street" vs "Online" conflict?
The author suggests that instead of choosing one, the retailer should leverage the unique strengths of both: high street for physical product experience and online for ease of access and broader reach.
What is the role of the "opt-in list" in the mail order strategy?
The opt-in list is used to capture data from customers who have inquired about prices and arrivals, allowing for targeted follow-up to boost sales in both seasons.
- Quote paper
- Maureen Ndavi (Author), 2011, Fashion Buying in the Children's Wear sector, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/271476
