Basic requirements for the profession of buyer. Management courses: profession "buyer". About how buyers of independent projects work

Professional buyers purchase goods and inventory for stores or businesses. Typically they work for small companies, focusing on a specific line, such as clothing or accessories for women. Bayer is a profession that is designed to improve the performance of a company to generate greater profits.

Buyer is a profession

The buyer (from the English buy - buy) must constantly evaluate suppliers and enter into contracts with them. You also need to network and periodically learn about new trends in a given industry by attending exhibitions and conferences. This means that travel both within and outside the country will be mandatory. Bayer is a profession for those who do not like to sit in one place. Many of these workers may also be required to work overtime.

Who is a buyer?

This is a specialist who is responsible for purchasing a certain type of product for an organization, for example, a store of branded clothing, accessories, children's toys, and so on. As you know, consumer demand is not constant, so it is important to regularly analyze it and focus on needs target audience. A long time ago, something similar was done by merchant peddlers who traveled the world in search of rare goods. Bayer is a profession that can also be compared to a merchandiser, responsible for the supply and sale of goods.

Buyer career: requirements

Need to higher education. Responsibilities include distribution and business administration.

Key skills are the ability to negotiate, make the right decisions, communicate, and business acumen.

Take part in an internship. It can provide useful experience in a particular field. Interns often work under the supervision of experienced buyers and learn about supply and demand, strategic negotiations and inventory management.

You can start with a temporary job (contract) to gain the necessary experience and eventually become a professional buyer. Job responsibilities often include searching for new suppliers, purchasing products at negotiated prices, analyzing business trends and developing business plans. This type of work provides opportunities to develop essential skills and negotiation skills.

Select your purchasing specialization. Employers often look for candidates who have years of experience in specific areas, e.g. food products, cars, children's toys or men's clothing. Choosing a specialization early on can lead to higher-level positions in the future.

Bayer is a profession where after 2-4 years you can become experienced enough to achieve more prestigious professional positions with additional responsibilities.

Get a certificate. This demonstrates the capabilities of a professional buyer and can help you stand out in the job market. Some employers even require certification, the big benefit of which is increased pay.

Main responsibilities

The main responsibilities of a professional buyer include:

• analysis of last season's sales data;
• forecasting customer wishes;
• assessment of product quality;
• search and purchase of the required assortment;
• establishing relationships with suppliers;
• advanced training by attending various events, shows and presentations.

Buyer personality requirements

Here is a list of qualities:

• activity;
• initiative;
• sense of style;
• desire for self-improvement;
• love of beauty;
• sociability;
• well-developed intuition;
• creative thinking;
• mastery of time management;
• resistance to stress;
• ability to work in a group of like-minded people;
• determination;
• common sense;
• manager's abilities;
• high level of knowledge in a specific area;
• Foreign language skills;
• Proficiency in computers and other latest information technologies.

What advantages does a buyer have?

The profession (you saw a photo of what such specialists can look like above) in the fashion world looks very attractive. Many people want to work in this industry, especially those who are crazy about shows, catwalks, and new collections of famous designers. What are the advantages of being a buyer? Firstly, there is almost no competition in this market segment, so young professionals have decent prospects for developing and realizing their potential.

Secondly, a large salary can be considered a plus, since there are not many advanced specialists, but the demand for their services is quite high. In the modern age of consumerism, store owners are ready to part with decent amounts of fees for a well-chosen assortment. Thirdly, the buyer always has the opportunity to dress stylishly and inexpensively himself, for example, during trips abroad.

Difficult and responsible work

Despite its visible advantages, gloss, gloss and many beautiful things, the work of a professional buyer has its dark sides, such as overtime work, constant travel (for some this can be a real problem), certain financial risks, especially when investing from your own pocket.

Fashion related profession

How can you work in the fashion industry? Designer, fashion designer, model, stylist. What else? Bayer is a profession that has long been in demand in European countries, but is still new and little known for Russia and the CIS countries. But it is precisely on the representatives of this specialty that fashion trends and the profitability of many clothing manufacturers largely depend. What features does the buyer profession have? Where to study to become a professional buyer?

Unfortunately, in domestic higher education educational institutions Standardized buyer training programs have not yet been developed. In this regard, you will have to master the basics of the profession on your own or abroad (British Higher School of Design, Istituto Marangoni School of Fashion and Design, London College of Fashion), where you can get an education in your field.

Where can a Russian buyer start? A profession for which training is currently problematic has much in common with the work of a sales consultant in a fashion boutique. As for education, you can consider specialties related to the basics of marketing, economics and management.

Buyers are not only in fashion

Every year more and more new professions appear, the labor market begins to gradually adapt to the needs of the time. In the world, almost everything is bought and sold; those who know how to do it best make the most money.

Do you know who a media buyer is? Professions related to advertising and media planning are also popular in today's young and rapidly growing companies. The main task is the purchase of advertising platforms and airtime on radio and television. After all, in order to sell something, you must first advertise it correctly.

Sasha prepared for this position for almost two years - she went to shows of fashion brands, got acquainted with how collections are purchased in BOSCO DI CILIEGI stores. And now she herself is the buyer and manager of the youth multi-brand BOSCO Pi. Sasha decides which brands will be presented in the new season and selects the most interesting models from the collections. Not only women's, but also men's brands! Everything that happens in the store - from choosing a strategy to merchandising and the work schedule of sellers - is under her control.

Alexandra Varchuk found time in her busy schedule to chat with readers of the site in our group and answer all questions via online conference.

— On the Internet and various articles, very complex, extensive and often almost opposite definitions of the buyer’s profession are given. Could you tell us in a nutshell what kind of profession this is? Did you purposefully apply for it or was it just a matter of chance?
- In a nutshell, a buyer is a person who purchases collections for the store for which he works. What we see in stores is not the entire collection that designers produce. This is the choice that the buyer makes when coming to the showroom. This choice was conscious and supported by a lot of analytical work carried out throughout the season: what was sold in the store, what was not, what are the client’s needs, how quickly the collection was sold, and how the consumer perceived it, what fabrics were successful or not, and a lot of others aspects. Therefore, the process of selecting a collection is only a small, perhaps the most enjoyable part of the work process, behind which there are many months of numbers.

When I started working for the company, I could only dream of the position I occupy now. But circumstances developed in such a way that they chose me for the youth project. For my management, there was a certain risk in this step, because I had never worked in trade. In order to take up the position, I trained for more than a year.

— This kind of work is my dream! How to achieve this goal? How to become a successful buyer? I'm 18 and I'm interested in fashion, I'm studying to become an art critic, I'm constantly trying to develop my taste and follow trends. Where to begin? Who to learn from?
- In my opinion, the successful components of this profession are: instinct, good taste, healthy pragmatism, the ability to work with numbers, analyze, communicate and defend your point of view. To my great regret, we do not yet have vocational education in the field of buying, this is not taught anywhere, because... the profession appeared relatively recently. While doing my internship, I started as a salesperson, because... the whole process must be known from the inside, from the basics. You must know who your client is, be able to communicate with him and understand what he needs in order to bring it. I had the best teacher and leader you could imagine. She, a high-class professional, took it upon herself to teach me everything, simply because she saw in me shoots that could be developed. She supports and helps me still, and is for me best example not only in the professional field, but also in life.

— Where do you need to study for this and where do you go to get a job as a buyer?
- Unfortunately, we do not yet have professional education in the field of buying. This area of ​​activity arose relatively recently and the specialists actively working in it now come from different fields - some received a financial education, some received an artistic education. You learn best by doing, because... Each company has its own subtleties. As for where you can get a job, I would advise choosing large companies with a good reputation that are involved in retail.

- What and what colors of clothing will be fashionable in 2013?
- If speak about winter 2013, then the most popular palette is the muted colors of precious stones: emerald, ruby, sapphire. After the riot of colors in the summer of 2012, black, which had been out of favor for several seasons, returned and took the main position. Keeps up with black and Blue colour in various interpretations. By the way, most of the models from the Stella McCartney winter collection are based on the combination of blue and black. Main trends: baroque, men's style and leather.

Summer collections 2013 have already been purchased and fashion weeks have passed, so we can safely say that the main color of summer 2013 will be yellow, which flashed on the catwalk more often than others. An equally active trend will be black and white graphics, on which the entire Louis Vuitton summer collection is built. From past summer season The theme of sporty chic and cropped tops will move on. Those who love romance will be delighted by the number of frills and floral prints appearing in summer collections.

— My height is 158 cm, what will suit me to visually look taller?
- I’ll start with the fact that, in my opinion, you are lucky, because being miniature has forever made you feminine and beautiful. I won’t list here any basic rules, such as “don’t wear horizontal stripes or skirts below the knee,” all this has been written a million times before me and is actually not entirely relevant. My advice: open your legs, wear heels and you will always look great.

— There will be sales in stores soon: what things to buy? I want to make purchases that you will carry for years. And what clothes should you not pay attention to? After all, it happens: you buy something, but never wear it.
- In my opinion, there is such a basic set of things that can be worn for more than one season and on which you should not skimp. These are the ones you can look for at sales, because our Moscow prices are often worthless. So, these are: high-quality jeans (it’s better to buy brands that specialize in denim), cashmere sweater, white shirt, shoes, bag, coat. These are the things that simply must be of high quality. Everything else is up to your taste. The main thing: remember that the thing you buy needs to be worn with something, quickly come up with several sets and imagine that you will wear them over the next few days. If you have scored at least 3, feel free to buy. Practice shows that if you buy a thing in the hope of later finding something to go with it, it will lie in your closet waiting in the wings for more than one day. Although there are exceptions.

- They say that style begins with the little things. Tell me, what “little things” will be relevant this winter?
- I would focus on several details:
1. Detachable collar. Nowadays you can find a great variety of them. Embroidered with pearls or stones will give a completely new look to an ordinary dress; plastic can be worn with a denim or plaid shirt.
2. Gloves. And forget about the bag-belt-gloves-shoes rule of the same color. Check out Tommy Ton's street style photography of Fashion Week guests. He knows how to highlight the beauty of details.
3. Shoes and bags. This season, many designers have decorated shoes and bags with fur. Pay attention to models in colors that are trending this season: deep blue, cherry, emerald, as well as small bags stylized as military tablets.
4. As for shoes, you can forget about heels for a while. It is better to give preference to boots in a men's style, as in the collection of Marc Jacobs or Burberry Prorsum
5. Large decorations are required. Chandelier earrings, voluminous multi-row necklaces with large stones, large rings and bracelets.

— Fashion and style are different things, but they are closely intertwined. Where is the golden mean in order to always look relevant?
— Coco Chanel answered this question best: “First of all, it’s style. Fashion goes out of fashion. Style - never! I can add on my own behalf - never wear something that doesn’t suit you, even if it is very fashionable. You still look your best in clothes you feel comfortable in.

— What shoes are in fashion this winter?
— In my opinion, preference should be given to men's style boots. Pay attention to the loafers. Such models may have a heel, but, as a rule, it is stable and low. These boots will serve as an excellent addition to the men's style that is trendy this season. If you prefer heels, pay attention to richly decorated shoes in the Baroque style, as in the collection of Alexandr McQueen and Dolce&Gabbana. But the general trend is that this winter the heel is becoming more stable and wider.

— What shoes will be in fashion next spring?
“I can say with confidence that the pointed toe is coming back.” This is an almost obligatory detail of shoes, ankle boots and heeled sandals. Ballet flats and sandals still have a rounded toe. The most current color is metallic. From winter comes a stable heel, which in summer is often made of transparent plastic. One of the main trends will remain “men’s” shoes, but, naturally, in a lightweight version: moccasins, loafers with thin leather soles in bright colors. Architectural shoes with lots of details will be more relevant than ever. I advise you to pay attention to shoes with platforms: it is advisable that the platform be decorated with appliqués or prints.

Photo from the personal archive of Alexandra Varchuk.

Why will everyone be selling snake print items next season? Is it true that in many stores Are collections from past seasons presented?

Buyers—intermediaries between designers and buyers—know the answers to these questions.

Bayer, also known as a purchasing manager, is responsible for the rational use of his company's budget, market research and the purchase of goods that will bring guaranteed profit. From the outside, this work looks like a holiday - attending fashion shows, meeting designers and celebrities, travel around the globe.

Bayer and founder of online retailer Net-A-Porter Nathalie Massenet at Paris Fashion Week

In reality a worker the process begins with an analysis of the sales results of previous seasons, finding errors in calculations and drawing up a procurement plan for new season. The buyer must predict in advance the buyer's preferences in the future - after all, the order is being made six months before going on sale.

Victoria Beckham analyzes the cut at a fashion show.

Because of mass market retailers are not ready to take risks, In most stores, each season you will find basic collections of jeans, cardigans, plain T-shirts and shirts. This is the backbone that brings guaranteed profit, and can only be modified in detail depending on the season - buttons, color scheme, sleeve length. Trendy collections are usually presented in limited quantities to minimize possible losses.

In multi-brand boutiques the situation is different. Buyers try to surprise their clients and bring trendy new items, which just yesterday were on the catwalk or on the pages of glossy magazines. Regular customers They also have the opportunity to order the item they like to order. Basic collections are practically never found in stores of this type, except perhaps items that are characteristic of the brand, for example, a Ralph Lauren polo or a Burberry trench coat.

Buyer mytheresa.com Justin O'Shea on the way to a fashion show. Find the top list of purchases for the new season according to Justin in the September issue of ELLE Ukraine

If you want to master the profession of a buyer, unfortunately, you will not be able to do this in Ukraine. You can get a diploma at one of the fashion universities abroad: for example, at the London College of Fashion, Instituto Europeo di Design, or even in the course “Management and Theory of Fashion” at the Faculty of Sociology of Moscow State University. Second option: start understanding the retail industry from the very bottom: the position of a seller, then a manager, and finally a buyer in a fashion chain. will play in your favor brand knowledge and a good understanding of the buyer profile. To achieve success in this profession, you need to constantly monitor all current events in the world of fashion, art, cinema; analyze sales and customer reviews, always be ready for changes and innovations.

And then your place at prêt-a-porter shows is guaranteed!

Bayer is the one every sane designer wants to be friends with. Not only do they influence what people wear, but they also dictate what items to add to a brand's next collection based on sales. Bayer is not always a person with some kind of impeccable taste (although you can’t live without it), rather, he is well versed in numbers and has a commercial sense. A salesperson can also become a clothing buyer: it’s enough to show the store that you know what the buyer needs. Look At Me talked about the profession with people who are involved in buying and retail in Russia to understand where to study, what to read and who to follow in order to master the necessary skills.

About why good taste is nothing
without knowledge of economics

Bernardo Paoli

Teacher of British
high school design

The Fashion Business program is specially created for those who want to understand how the fashion industry works and how to correctly calculate all the economic indicators of successful business in this area. Much attention is paid to analytics and studying market demand, since they are the fundamental factors of a successful business. These are key skills for a buyer's job.

Of course, buying can be learned. What cannot be learned is the love of fashion and beautiful things, which should be in the blood. The ability to analyze sales data from previous seasons, knowledge of textiles and trends, the ability to feel the needs and wishes of the brand’s target audience - all these skills are easy to acquire. Experience is also important: all your knowledge needs to be tested empirically, by repeatedly traveling to the West for purchases. There will be mistakes at first, but they will decrease over time. You cannot be a good buyer without knowledge of economics, but with good taste. Procurement is the result of accurate calculations. Bad procurement is bad business. Buyers “based on sensations” are capable of ruining any business, even the most successful one. The most important recommendation: do not use the criterion in purchasing: “I like it, so buyers will like it too.” Bayer works on the basis of accurate data.

Bayer - very responsible work, since the success of a fashion business depends primarily on the range of goods in the boutique. If a buyer enters your boutique and does not find what he expected to find, this is primarily a buyer’s mistake. Bayer is always the last one. This is why there is such a boring assortment in boutiques in Moscow: buyers are afraid of mistakes and buy the same thing every new season, mostly basic things.

How buyers work
independent projects

Anonymous buyer

"Kuznetsky Most 20"

In buying you need to know not only and not so much fashion trends, but everything that is happening in the world around you, in politics, art and even in livestock farming. We conduct constant research on the Internet, also books, the press, friends, blogs. In addition, Kuznetsky Most 20 has already developed a good image on the world market - every day we receive dozens of offers from brands, including very worthy ones.

We often choose key, strong models from the runway. Customers may be hesitant to buy such items at first, but fashionistas are hunting for them at discounts. We always believe 100% in the things we purchase and deliver. If a purchase is unsuccessful, the next one will be more successful!

The schedule varies greatly depending on the time of year. During the periods of preparation for the purchase and the buying sessions itself, the schedule is very busy, literally 24/7. Around the middle of the season, there is time to take a little break, meditate, and look for new interesting things. But I have no right to relax - I analyze sales, maintain contacts with designers and suppliers and monitor customs affairs.

First of all, clarity, responsibility and logical thinking. Also excellent taste and ability to understand the needs of the audience. Intuition is also an excellent quality for a buyer. People who are not good with tables, mathematics and statistics, but simply love fashion, should not go to buying.

About how to become a sales consultant
grow into a luxury account buyer
and not die at fashion weeks

Sergei Ezhov

Bayer Aizel Moscow

I often see trainings and courses for buyers (I even attended some), but most often these are lectures about nothing and with very subjective information, but at the same time they cost quite a lot of money. You can become a buyer through long and productive work in this industry. I started 10 years ago, like many in the profession, as a sales consultant. Within a year, I was able to build up a good client base and asked for a promotion to VIP client manager. Then there was a rather long period of direct sales and high performance. I wanted to further develop in this area and it was interesting for me to participate in the selection of collections and in planning the assortment of the boutique (at that time I was working in a large multi-brand store). And they gave me this opportunity. Over the course of eight years, I worked in several projects - from mono-brand boutiques to departmens stores.

I can’t tell you exactly how to develop commercial sense - it seems that you can teach to develop infrared vision with the same success. I am sure that this only comes with experience. Any new brand is a risk! And not only for aesthetic reasons. All famous and historically established brands already have their own production base, factories, clear logistics and delivery systems. And young and new designers place their orders at other people’s factories and sometimes don’t even understand how they can produce and deliver the order accurately and on time.

If you turn back the clock five years ago, the process of searching for new brands was much more difficult. Back then there weren’t so many fashion portals, websites, blogs, magazines, etc. And you could only look for new brands at exhibitions or on the recommendations of familiar buyers, and by visiting a huge number of showrooms. Now, when the fashion industry is becoming more and more globalized, the search is becoming more comfortable. On the Internet, you can see the collection of a designer you like, or they talk about him as a beginner and promising, and you can make an appointment with the designer to see his clothes and ideas in person.

People who formed their opinions based on magazine articles, they think that the buyer - this is such a celestial

The number of myths about buyers is huge! People who have not worked in this position or formed their opinion on the basis of magazine articles think that a buyer is such a celestial being who flies from New York to Milan, from there to Paris, goes to shows, attends various parties, and in between finds time to run into the showroom and select a collection for the boutique. To be honest, when I first started purchasing, this is how I imagined it. Once I tried to combine visiting shows with visiting showrooms, and on the fifth day I realized that I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning from fatigue, so I had long forgotten about the shows! And the working day during the buying session starts from 9–10 am and ends at 19–21 pm. We've had business trips where there were 10-12 meetings every day, it's very difficult. By the end of the day, it’s already difficult for you to distinguish one designer from another and you don’t even understand what’s going on around you. But then you pull yourself together and get involved, because the sales and work of the boutique depend on our choice. But there are no less advantages in this profession. Travel abroad four times a year; acquaintance with a huge amount people who, like you, work in or near this field; see and select what they will wear in a year; Well, first of all, it’s a colossal experience!

When I return from purchasing during the Weeks, I begin to coordinate the purchase with management. We reconsider or make changes. And then the most routine work begins - letters. Every day about 100 letters with changes, confirmations, etc. pass through my mail. Communication with suppliers and our partners is one of my main responsibilities. In addition to this, there is also work with clients in the hall - this helps to feel feedback from customers, their desires and needs.

What should a buyer have? A clear feeling of what your client wants! Feel the trends and bestsellers for the season ahead! Never think that you know everything about everything in this profession! Be aware of your mistakes and victories!

10 things you need to know
O fashion business in Russia,
according to Denis Erkhov, director of ITEMS

For whom?

“From the very beginning, the buyer must use his imagination. The choice of each brand, item, color and material should be addressed to the buyer. You should always imagine who will wear it and how they will use it from start to finish. Will it be convenient to travel in the subway or by car, will it not be hot at work, will they even let you into the office wearing this, will it be easy to clean after the party. Many companies spend millions to understand who their target customers are. The more you know, the better. You shouldn’t focus on yourself, at least only on yourself.”

“Stories are sold, not rags. The concept is perhaps the only thing that now distinguishes one thing from another. There are a million brands, but not all of them have their own USP. This could be a story about belonging to a particular culture, about some special production and manufacturing. Each store carries a certain message, and the more clearly it formulates it, the more likely it is to attract customers.”

Dimensions

“All brands have their target markets. Many Asian brands are incompatible with life outside of Asia. Often their L-sizes barely fit on Russian S, or even XS. Australian and northern brands are often designed for taller and larger people, which also causes some problems. By the way, the craze for sports and a healthy lifestyle also greatly affects the sizes purchased; one might say, people are losing weight. Small sizes are becoming increasingly popular. Clothes should always be measured to order and everything taken into account physical features potential buyers."

Prices

“In Russia, unlike Europe, prices for the same brands and even the same things are almost everywhere different! Constant price monitoring is important. If you can find lower prices somewhere, this does not necessarily mean that they are more honest, perhaps someone is simply dumping, selling brands at a reduced cost, but this is rare.”

Everything has
its own price

“It often happens that you get acquainted with a brand: the concept is okay, the items are wearable, and now it seems like you’re ready to write an order. You take a linesheet, and all desire disappears. A white basic T-shirt cannot cost 90 euros. T-shirts in general should not cost more than 100 euros in retail! So don’t go too far - your customer is unlikely to want to buy a simple cotton sweatshirt for 20,000 rubles.”

Who's worth behind the brand

“Math is math, but what really matters is who is behind the brand. The attitude in the team is really important. The most valuable brands are those that maintain a balance between commerce and concept. One cannot exist without the other. Brands, as a rule, set their own conditions for payments, delivery times, and places of sale, but we must not forget that at the heart of everything are not things, but human factor, which means you need to be able to negotiate.”

Where taken

“The “made in…” label will always have a significant role. Although a product of excellent quality can be produced anywhere, there is a huge range production capacity in China often spoils the image of this region. Often things produced there are better than European production, due to developed technologies. But non-Asian origin will always remain one of the final advantages when choosing this or that item at the checkout. However, the whole world is made in China.”

Total bow

“As a rule, in order to convey the spirit of a brand, one T-shirt or one beautiful printed trousers is not enough. The attitude towards the brand is built from the overall picture! Buyers love to mix different brands, but each subconsciously relies on the aesthetics that the brand carries. Of course, you shouldn’t include all brands here. Often brands can only make one thing, for example, sweatshirts, but they don’t need anything else.”

Russian path and borrowing

“Never listen to what other countries advise. When you start working with a brand, the presentation of the collection always begins with both in and out. The likelihood that European or Asian bestsellers will coincide with ours is minimal, unless, of course, we are talking about Kenzo tiger sweatshirts. It's not about who thinks what is beautiful. Banal climatic conditions and mental characteristics come to the fore. In Denmark, leather jackets and light WOOD WOOD robe-robes are selling like hot cakes, we, of course, sell them too, but they can only be worn for three weeks a year, or even less. By the way, the more fun the shirt, the more likely it is to be bought. With us, a shirt should remain a shirt, white or gray, the main thing is comfortable and simple, otherwise you never know.”

Shoes

“Unlike Europe, we have a cult of heels. This gives girls femininity, tenderness and a sense of celebration. It's a mentality, it's beautiful. It doesn't matter whether he is tall or short. Heels will always weigh here. There is an opinion that clothing brands make shoes much worse than highly specialized shoe brands - one cannot but agree with this. It’s too complicated a process to make high-quality, durable shoes.”

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