What is Apparel Export Merchandising?

From an exporter’s perspective, Apparel Export Merchandising can be broadly defined as – Making the Ordered Product available to the Customer in the Right Quality, Correct Quantity, at the Right Time and at the Right Price.

When Apparel Export Merchandising is done in an excellent manner, your customer would love to place orders with your factory. A satisfied customer could bring in more and more customers, and your factory would grow exponentially.

Many factory owners focus only on how well their Production department is functioning, how efficient and productive their factory is, and the financial aspects. Little attention is paid to how well their Merchandising department functions and whether the Sourcing Executives at the customer’s end are happy with the kind of service they are provided with. Excellent service includes simple things like responding promptly to emails or making available higher service levels like providing design support. Successful apparel factories are those that do Apparel Export Merchandising excellently.

Apparel Export Merchandising can be looked at as a function as well as the duties of one particular department in the factory. Those factories that look at it as a function, wherein all departments take the responsibility to satisfy the customer, are the ones that succeed in the longer term. They make sure that their systems & procedures, and rules & regulations align with the basic principles of Merchandising and Customer Satisfaction.

Apparel industry is a part of the ever-dynamic fashion industry. In this industry, change is the norm – Customers change, Moods change, Trends change, Styling changes, Seasons change, Colors change, Technologies change, Raw-Materials change, Quantities change, Delivery Dates change, Employees change….. Everything changes! For manufacturers and exporters of apparel, this brings in a whole lot of challenges, and it needs a highly stable, flexible and mature mind to deal with everyday-challenges. Merchandisers in apparel factories are the ones that are, almost always, directly in the line of fire. They are the people in factories who get to know first that ‘Change is coming’, and are usually responsible to convince and coerce all others around to accept changes! In order to face such challenges, a Merchandiser needs to plan things ahead (Remember, ‘When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail’) and be flexible to changes.

For an apparel factory to succeed in the longer term, the owners or all-powerful executives of the factory must understand the importance of Apparel Export Merchandising, and make sure that Systems and Procedures align with the basic principles of Merchandising and Customer Satisfaction.

What is Merchandising?

Merchandising can be broadly defined as – Making the right product available to the customer in the right quality, right quantity, at the right time and right place, at the right price.

When I used to teach my students, I used the following diagram to put my point across.

This definition is a very broad definition, and covers Retail Merchandising as well as Production Merchandising.

Purpose of this Blog on Apparel Export Merchandising

This blog intends to talk about Apparel Export Merchandising. With over 16 years of practical working experience in Apparel Export Merchandising, the author intends to share the knowledge he gained, and keeps gaining every day.

At the moment, North American and European countries are primarily apparel importing countries, and are always on the vigil, looking for cost-effective sourcing destinations. Majority of the apparel imported to these countries is made in countries, those with growing economies, like China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, etc. Let us call them Low Cost Countries. There are millions of factories churning out apparel every day in these Low Cost Countries. A vast majority of them are said to be unprofessionally managed, and clients (read Sourcing/Production Managers on the client's side) are always tense after placing orders with them. The management folks in most factories focus on Production alone, and leave the all important area of Merchandising unattended. Merchandisers, who generally handle clients in these factories, are unaware of what needs to be done. They are not formally educated either.

Although there are Textile/Apparel Educational Institutions in these Low Cost Countries, there are few which focus on Apparel Export Merchandising. The purpose of this blog is to talk about Apparel Export Merchandising - What is expected of a Merchandiser, How Merchandisers should perform, and all the nitty-gritties involved.

Hope readers will find it helpful.