Careers in Fashion Business: Analyst, Merchandise Planner and Buyer Roles
Articles on analytics careers in fashion retail: what brand analysts, merchandise planners and buyers do, which skills and tools they need and how people typically start in these roles. They describe the professions as they work in practice, from the analytics side of a fashion business.
Brand Analyst vs Business Analyst in Fashion: Responsibilities and Skills Compared
What brand analysts, business analysts, merchandise planners and allocation analysts do in a fashion company, and the skills each role needs.
Merchandise Planner Career in Fashion: Skills, Path and How to Start
What a merchandise planner does, how the role differs from a fashion buyer, the skills it needs and the usual path from allocation to head of planning.
Careers in Fashion Business FAQ
A merchandise planner sets the financial plan for a range: sales, margin, stock and open-to-buy by month and category. During the season they track performance against the plan and recommend re-orders, transfers or markdowns. They work closely with buyers, who choose the products.
Most fashion buyers start as buying or merchandising assistants or allocators and move up to assistant buyer and buyer. A degree in fashion business, economics or a related field helps, but strong numeracy, Excel skills and product sense matter just as much. Experience in a store or e-commerce team is also valued.
A retail analyst needs strong Excel, a BI tool such as Power BI, and often some SQL. Equally important are knowing retail KPIs like sell-through, stock cover and margin, and being able to explain what the numbers mean for buying and pricing decisions.