Fashion merchandising
combines creativity with business sense.
The fashion merchandising business is centered around a deep understanding of the fashion industry. Merchandisers know what customers will be looking for before a season arrives, stocking stores with exciting displays to sell their fashion suggestions.
Education
A fashion merchandising degree helps candidates perfect their skills, and coursework in fashion design, business, public relations, computer skills and marketing is recommended.
Responsibilities
Duties as a fashion merchandiser vary, although some of the responsibilities include dressing store mannequins, advertising fashions, attending fashion shows, market analysis of the industry and managing stores.
Time Frames
In the business of fashion merchandising, time consideration is important, including thinking about prior sales of products, planning for sales ahead, comparing past performance with future projections and forecasting trends.
Skills
Fashion merchandising requires familiarity with what is currently popular and the ability to predict trends. It also requires knowledge of the economy and understanding of what customers are willing to spend. Communication skills and the ability to sell to customers are essential.
Salary
The average salary for those starting in the fashion merchandising business was $30,000 per year as of 2009, according to fashionmerchandising.net. People with experience made an average of $50,000, and people at the top of the field earned around $80,000.
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