Buying and merchandising assistant - Buying assistant
Sales, marketing and procurement
Level 4 -
Helping bring products to market for retailer buying or merchandising teams.
Reference: OCC0683A
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 3551/00 Buyers and procurement officers
- 3429/05 Visual merchandising managers and designers
- 3553/00 Merchandisers
- 7125/02 Visual merchandisers and window dressers
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Ocado, Steinhoff UK Ltd, Superdrug, Arcadia, M&S, Debenhams, JD Sports, John Lewis, Co-operative Group, Sainsburys, Mothercare, Travis Perkins
Summary
This occupation is typically found in the retail sector, across a range of different types of companies and employers such as those selling direct to the public/consumer and those selling to trade. It is also found across different types of retail operation, including those who trade from traditional stores, those who are exclusively on-line, and those who operate through a variety of channels.
Buying assistants will support new product selection and development and ensure that these new products are accurately added to the employer’s product portfolio in line with the supplier agreement. They will normally be responsible for the testing and delivery of product samples.
Merchandising assistants collate, distribute and analyse sales and performance reports, identifying trends, trading patterns and highlighting anomalies. They communicate and escalate findings appropriately, supported by a range of business solutions. They may also place supplier orders and maintain product availability across the business and for monitoring products to ensure on time delivery and availability to agreed locations.
Buying and merchandising assistants work collaboratively to contribute to the delivery of department/company sales and profit targets. They will normally report to a more senior member of the buying or merchandising team, this may vary with the size of the employer.
In this occupation, individuals would typically interact with a wide range of internal and external colleagues, including but not limited to, their wider buying and merchandising teams, designers, manufacturers, suppliers, distribution centres, stores, marketing, finance and IT departments. This is normally an office-based role, but may involve remote working, travel to stores, trade fairs, supplier meetings etc.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Ocado, Steinhoff UK Ltd, Superdrug, Arcadia, M&S, Debenhams, JD Sports, John Lewis, Co-operative Group, Sainsburys, Mothercare, Travis Perkins
Typical job titles include:
Keywords:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Monitor the critical path to ensure products are delivered on time
Duty D2
Engage with internal and external functions (such as marketing, PR, distribution, suppliers, supply chain, stores, on-line, sales teams, design teams, product technologists, customers) to deliver product ranges that meet business KPIs and customer needs
Duty D3
Contribute to the continuous improvement of the buying and merchandising processes, responding to sector trends and new ways of working to drive sales and profit
Duty D4
Coach and mentor new colleagues to drive development
Duty D5
Develop and maintain a stakeholder network, to facilitate negotiations to maximise opportunities
Duty D6
Receive and resolve queries and questions from stakeholders (suppliers, designers, packagers, customers) regarding products, process, services, critical path deliverables etc
Duty D7
Manage the ordering, delivery, testing and showcasing of samples, to support the final selection of products
Duty D8
Action all the required processes throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring trading and pricing policies are adhered to, meeting the requirements of the current business strategy
Duty D9
Input products into the database and carry out on-going maintenance. Coordinate the product content and imagery to support and maximise the sales of the product
Duty D10
Monitor competitor activities and update prices accordingly in line with legislation and organisation policies
Duty D11
Use competitor and market analysis to identify opportunities to improve/increase sales performance
Duty D12
Assist in the creation of future range building inputting into trend and competitor analysis
Occupational Progression
This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.
In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.
It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.
Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
Technical Occupations
Levels 2-3
Higher Technical Occupations
Levels 4-5
Professional Occupations
Levels 6-7
Business and administration
Sales, marketing and procurement