Fashion Merchandising

Fashion merchandising involves the production of fashion designs and distribution of final products to the end consumer. Fashion merchandisers work with designers to ensure that designs will be affordable and desired by the target market. Fashion merchandising involves apparel, accessories, beauty, and housewares. The end goal of fashion merchandising in any of these departments is to earn a profit. Fashion merchandisers' decisions can considerably impact the success of the manufacturer, designer, or retailer for which they work.

During ancient times, individuals shopped in markets for goods. The ancients were attracted to rare fashions that brought variation and excitement into their lives. These markets have transformed into today's department, specialty, and discount retailers. For many years, business people in the fashion industry were convinced that they could persuade consumers to desire their particular products. Fashion executives had no interest in the needs and wants of consumers. However, fashion personnel realized that they would have to adapt fashion items to the demands of consumers. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, understanding traits, motives, and desires of target markets became an essential method to fashion entrepreneurial success.

Fashion merchandisers follow the five rights of merchandising, or 5Rs, to ensure that they properly meet the needs of consumers; thus, turning a profit.

The five rights of merchandising include:

By researching and answering the five rights of merchandising, fashion merchandisers can gain an understanding of what products consumers want, when and where they wish to make purchases, and what prices will have the highest demand. Both fashion retailers and manufacturers utilize the 5Rs.

Clothing manufacturers practice fashion merchandising differently than retailers. Manufacturer merchandisers forecast consumers' preferences for silhouettes, sizes, colors, quantities, and costs each season. When making decisions, manufacturer merchandisers must keep retailers and end consumers in mind. Following the forecasting stage, manufacturer merchandisers meet with designers to develop products that consumers will purchase most. By referring to the five rights of merchandising, manufacturer merchandisers determine the best fabric, notions, product methods, and promotions for products. These decisions all contribute to final retail costs, which must be affordable to end consumers.

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