An Associate Buyer helps and assists buyers in all buying and assortment activities. This position is the level before becoming a buyer in the fashion industry. This job position requires you to have an eye product assortment, trend, and color. An associate buyer manages the assistant buyers and buying interns while partnering with all cross-functional teams including designers, financial planners, operations, and allocators. The Associate Buyer identifies seasonal trend, areas of opportunity, and recommends new products or concepts to drive sales and represent the best the brand has to offer to customers.
The Associate Buyer takes ownership of a portion of the buyer's overall business and manages the processes to achieve sales, margin and inventory turnover. They assist the Buyer in execution of processes and functions for the Buyer’s merchandise area. The Associate Buyer is responsible for assortment planning, product selection, vendor negotiation, and marketing of specific lines. This position reports directly to the Buyer and closely with the buyer, buying management team, merchandise planning team, promotional planning team, merchandise placement team and the merchandising support team to significantly improve the profitability and maximize shareholder value.
The Associate Buyer monitors and responds to issues and opportunities resulting from deviations in plan variances. They maintain relationships with vendors and interacts with the vendor community. Associate Buyers partner extensively with the Planner to complete accurate forecasts, evaluating sales, markdowns and receipts. They provide correct information and inputs for point of sale signage and maintains integrity of quality of signage for ease of store execution level.
If you are considering an Associate Buyer position, make sure that your resume is tailored to both the job description and the qualifications necessary to the role. Your resume should be clear, concise, and speak to how your background makes you the perfect candidate. Your cover letter should match your resume by highlighting some of your strengths, career successes, and new processes you may have implemented at prior positions.
When creating your resume for the Associate Buyer position, use the following resume building templates or power words to make your resume "pop" to potential employers:
Associate Buyer Resume Builder Power Words: excel experience, creative, buying experience, organized, detail-oriented, driven, eye to detail, retail experience, merchandising, management, retail, visual merchandising, cross-functional teams, innovative, trendy, business oriented, promotions, forecasting, powerpoint experience, Microsoft Office experience
Associate Buyer Resume Sample
- Analyzed reports and draw conclusions/recommendations
- Assorted the product line to optimize sales and achieve financial targets.
- Changed strategies, as business needs dictate
- Completed reports and special project
- Coordinated and reconciled vendor return issues with the Quality and Marketing departments.
- Created style, color, SKU strategy by classification (by month, price point, bucket, etc.) to adopt
- Demonstrated a point of view about product assortment and business opportunities
- Developed financial plan for vendors (profitability targets, markup and receipt flow)
- Drove any inventory strategies: markdowns, chase,re-orders, pull forward, push out, on hold, etc
- Embraced the brand, design aesthetic, and culture
- Established and maintained vendor relationships and attended buying trips
- Established cross-functional relationships in order to effectively grow and maintain business and financial expectations
- Influenced assortment and style direction with Design and Merchandising
- Led and develop other members of the merchandising team
- Led team effectively
- Maintained inventory levels and performed inventory analysis on product
- Managed inventory levels with input from Financial Planning team
- Motivated, challenged and led direct reports including Assistant and Associate Buyers.
- Participated in OTB meetings with planning.
- Participated in assortment monthly floor sets: ensure key looks, big product messages, and design concepts are intact.
- Participated in seasonal field team meetings downloading key ideas and concepts, along with business strategies.
- Researched and explored new trends in marketplace and category
- Strategized and implemented seasonal and quarterly plans in alignment with planning team
- Work with assistant and associate to manage purchase orders including PO build, maintenance, delivery information,etc