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Who is a buyer and what does he do. Interview with a buyer: the secrets of the profession

Summer course "Purchasing fashion collections" in Istituto Marangoni. In the classroom, students get acquainted with the features of the procurement process, learn to work with different store formats, determine the company's policy, and explore the audience by geographical and demographic principle. At the apparel buyer courses, students will master the tools of communication and branding, learn how to develop a strategic profitability model and build pricing. The participants of the program will consolidate the acquired knowledge in practice - students will visit outlets and showrooms to learn how to interact with fashion industry professionals.

Cities: Milan and Florence
Teaching languages: English, Italian, Portuguese
Course duration: 3 weeks

Master's course "Fashion Buying" in Istituto Marangoni. This program is designed for bachelors in marketing, economics, fashion design and professionals with experience in the field of procurement. During the year, students will learn how to analyze the fashion industry, develop purchasing strategies, control finance and manage supply chains. The curriculum includes strategic marketing and visual merchandising. The course lasts 1 academic year, and the program in Paris and London additionally includes an internship (12 weeks) and the preparation of a dissertation (12 weeks).

Cities: Milan, Paris, London
Teaching languages: English, Italian
Course duration: in Milan - 1 academic year, in Paris and London - 1 year and 4 months

Postgraduate program "Fashion Buying & Merchandising" in Istituto Marangoni. The first part of the course is devoted to the development of the buyer's personal qualities. Students will also learn about the influence of factors such as design, purchasing, technical subtleties and merchandising on the volume of profit. The second part of the course is occupied by practical work - students independently collect and analyze data to develop a procurement plan and forecast profits. This program helps to develop managerial skills and provides extensive knowledge in the field of retail, import/export, pricing strategy.

City: Florence
Teaching language: English
Course duration: 1 semester (20 weeks)

Are there many professions related to fashion and the Fashion industry that you can name? Designer, fashion designer, model, stylist - this is, perhaps, the whole list that a person far from the world of fashion can voice. But a specialist in this field will definitely supplement this list with another profession, new to Russia, but very much in demand in Europe - bayer. Moreover, he will remember the buyer even earlier than the designer, since the fashion trends and profits of many clothing manufacturers depend on the representatives of this profession to a greater extent.

Who is hiding behind such an incomprehensible word "bayer", what is the peculiarity of this profession, how and where you can get it, you can find out from this article

Who is a Bayer?

Name professions bayer comes from the English "buyer" (buyer), and this word fully characterizes the specifics of the activities of these specialists. In other words, a buyer is a specialist responsible for purchasing goods for a particular store (regardless of whether the store is branded clothing, expensive accessories or inexpensive analog watches) that meets the needs of the target audience of a particular outlet.

The prototype of this profession can be considered peddler merchants, who often went to overseas countries in search of rare goods, and merchandisers, more familiar to the Russian layman, who are responsible for the supply and sale of goods in Soviet stores.

Buyer is a "young" profession not only in Russia, where it appeared only a few years ago, but also in Europe, where buyers have been working for several decades. The first buyer can be considered the famous Armani, who began his career as an ordinary clothes salesman in a Milan department store.

The list of the main responsibilities of the buyer includes: analysis of sales data from the previous season, forecasting customer preferences, assessing the quality of goods, selecting and purchasing a range of goods, establishing contacts with suppliers, as well as visiting showrooms, various shows and presentations.

What personal qualities should a buyer have?

The professional success of a buyer depends almost entirely on such personal qualities as:

initiative;
innate sense of style;
craving for beauty;
good taste;
sociability;
developed intuition;
sociability;
creativity;
punctuality;
stress resistance;
teamwork skills;
pragmatism;
organizational skills;
developed spatial thinking.

In addition, the buyer must understand fashion trends, thoroughly know the features of the group of goods that he purchases (for example, if this fashion buyer, then he must know the brands of clothing, the properties of fabrics, understand the quality of cutting and sewing, be able to select the size range and color combinations, etc.), have the makings of a psychologist and stylist. The knowledge of at least one foreign language, the basics of management, economics, marketing, as well as a good command of modern information technologies will not interfere with the work of the buyer.

The advantages of the profession of a buyer

Become a buyer almost all fashionistas and fashionistas dream of it, since this profession is inextricably linked with visiting fashion shows and viewing the latest collections. In addition, the profession of a buyer has such advantages as:

almost complete lack of competition in the labor market - in Russia this segment is empty, so young professionals have great prospects for development and self-realization;

a high level of income - since in our country professional buyers very little, and the demand for their services is quite large, boutique owners are ready to pay impressive fees for a well-chosen assortment;

the opportunity to dress fashionably and, most importantly, cheaply - even if the buyer is not buying clothes, but, for example, watches, he always has the opportunity to pick up a fashionable wardrobe at affordable prices during business trips abroad.

The disadvantages of the profession of a buyer

You shouldn't think that bayer's work- a continuous holiday and a lot of fun. First of all, this is a rather complicated, very nervous and responsible work, the results of which determine the profitability of the outlet. In addition, the work of the buyer has such disadvantages as:

irregular working hours (it would even be more correct to say that such a specialist works 24 hours a day);
regular business trips that take up most of the working time;
great financial risks, especially if the buyer's own funds were invested in the purchase of an assortment for stores.

Where can you get a profession of a bayer?

Unfortunately, standard programs for the preparation of buyers have not yet been presented in Russian universities. Therefore, you will have to master this profession on your own, both in theory and in practice. Good start Bayer's career can become a sales assistant in a boutique. If you certainly want to get a professional education, then you can turn your attention to universities that teach the basics of marketing, economics and management (for example, the Faculty of Economics of the Higher School of Economics).

You can get specialized education only in such foreign educational institutions as:

(Fashion Business program)
School of Fashion and Design "Istituto Marangoni" (program fashion business & brand management)
London College of Fashion (Buying and Merchandising program)

Greetings dear friends!

Cycle 1.

Duties:

Participation in orders;

Formation of collections;

Assortment planning within the regulated budget;

Analysis of current sales of collections;

Carrying out seasonal orders;

Now let's look at it in order. As for the age, according to the current legislation of our country (Labor Code of the Russian Federation), the employer company does not have the right to indicate the age for its candidates in the description of vacancies. In my opinion, this concept has more disadvantages than advantages. Age for an employee is proportional to his professional experience. With the exception of young talents and rare talents in this field. And practical experience for a buyer is simply necessary. Learning to anticipate demand and meet it with a proposal is not easy in professions that especially require the candidate to have an artistic taste. Therefore, either you have such experience, or you automatically become not a buyer, but an assistant buyer, or a junior buyer. Whoever likes it. Hence the conclusion - any buyer needs practice. Artistic taste can be developed in various ways. Start with the elementary - look at how people in your city are dressed. Start dressing your friends and family, try working as a stylist or photographer. A sufficient number of books have been written on this topic and entertainment programs have been filmed on TV. Dare! But, do not overdo it, do not chase the idea of dressing everyone with your collection, combine your own style and consumer demand. Let your vision align with the buyer's. The balance here is simply necessary, even if you are an innovator at your core. Going further: the company considers 2 years of experience in this field acceptable. Let's see if this is the case. If a buyer is your calling, then this experience is suitable. But here, for the employer, what matters is HOW this experience was. Imagine that you are the owner or mistress of a boutique, will you entrust the assortment of your store into the hands of another person? Difficult, isn't it? Therefore, first of all, you must be sure that you will be able to sell your collection. If you doubt your own abilities, then believe me, the employer will see these doubts first. And you won't see a job. It is important here not to confuse “I know that I will sell because I have already done it” and “I know that I will sell because I really want to try” or “I know that I will sell, but I didn’t succeed last time, maybe it will work now." Simply put, when applying for a job as a buyer, you REALLY need a positive previous experience in this field. Or, start your career in less responsible positions, such as an assistant or assistant to a senior buyer. There is no need to be ashamed of a lower position or salary, it is much worse if you make mistakes to the detriment of the company's financial resources.

The gender of the employee is also omitted in the job description, all because of the new legislation. Well, this item can really be skipped. The fact is that the buyer profession is versatile, and from my own experience I will say that I know people, both female and male, who have proven themselves to be real professionals. The fact that there are clothes, shoes and accessories for women, men and children gives us options to choose the direction that you like the most. There are no criteria here: a man can be an ideal buyer for a women's collection or shoes, and a woman for men's or children's.

At the end of the first article about the bayer profession, I will add on my own behalf that all the facts listed above really take place. The fact that the profession is not easy enough, I think you have already seen. Therefore, if you think that a buyer is your calling, go for it and just go ahead! But be prepared for the fact that you will have to constantly look for a balance, be able to prove your case, not be afraid to take risks, constantly control the situation and keep your finger on the pulse. Moreover, the feeling when you meet people wearing your collection on the street can only be compared with the feeling of a designer at a show of his brand! Pride and satisfaction from a job well done.

The decision is yours, dear friends. Stay with me in order to learn more about the specifics of this profession and avoid mistakes in your work! Follow the news.

Bayer is a person who replenishes collections in boutiques and stores.

He buys collections of clothes, shoes and accessories and then sells them to fashion boutiques.

Attending shows is one of the main tasks of a buyer. After the shows, there are showrooms where, in addition to seeing new collections, you can also feel them, try them on, see what kind of fabrics and quality, find new contacts, and get new ideas. To form a successful collection, it is necessary to summarize information about new trends and how they are implemented in the collections of Russian and even European designers, because. modern Russian fashion largely follows the Western one. Things are selected, first of all, with strong energy, interesting. Much attention is paid to fabrics, since one of the latest trends is that it is fabrics that dictate fashion.

Specific items from the collections are selected for specific clients. Often, the buyer even acts as a stylist, helping the buyer to complement the newly purchased dress with the necessary accessories. Similar close relationships are established with aspiring fashion designers. Bayer turns into a teacher telling what clothes sell best. New ideas should be wearable and dressed in good fabric and quality. Designers are invited to make the same model, but in a different size or from a different fabric, more interesting or better quality. Working with accessories is another important part of the profession. They are selected in accordance with the selected items for purchase.

In Russia, the profession of a buyer appeared not so long ago, less than ten years ago. If in the Western fashion industry this is a fairly developed infrastructure, in which specially trained professionals work, then Russian buyers are still learning this interesting profession by trial and error.

Personal qualities: responsibility, initiative, sociability, stress resistance, commitment, punctuality, creativity.

It is impossible to study for a buyer at a university. Modern Russian education does not offer such specialties. You have to study while you work. Of course, a certain reserve is needed: the ability to understand fashion, your own excellent taste, the ability to communicate and, of course, more desire to do this business.

Companies are looking for experienced professionals who are well versed in the preferences of potential buyers.

How to become a buyer? The most common is to get a job as a sales assistant in a boutique. You will have the opportunity to communicate with visitors, to explore their tastes. After some time, you can become an assistant to the buyer, and then the buyer himself.