Reference Number: ST0683

Details of standard

Occupation 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.

Typical job titles

Typical job titles include buying assistant, merchandising assistant.

Core occupation duties

Duty	Criteria for measuring performance	KSBs
Duty 1 Monitor the critical path to ensure products are delivered on time.	Recommendations made for new and existing products to agreed timescales.	K1 K2 K3 K5 S3 S4 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S21 B4 B6
Duty 2 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.	Issues that affect other internal and external functions identified promptly and resolved No KPIs missed through poor communication or failure to collaborate.	K2 K5 K6 K8 K9 K12 K13 K14 K15 K17 K18 K19 K21 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S12 S20 S21 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 3 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.	Recommendations for improvements made to senior team members.	K1 K4 K8 K12 K13 K14 K19 K21 S1 S2 S7 S10 S11 S12 S14 S15 S16 S17 S19 S21 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6
Duty 4 Coach and mentor new colleagues to drive development	Individual and team development recorded.	K9 K13 K15 K16 K17 S19 S23 B2 B6 B7
Duty 5 Develop and maintain a stakeholder network, to facilitate negotiations to maximise opportunities	Professional relationships developed, issues identified and resolved promptly. KPIs met	K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K13 K17 K18 K19 K21 S5 S8 S10 S15 S18 S20 B2 B3 B6 B7
Duty 6 Receive and resolve queries and questions from stakeholders (suppliers, designers, packagers, customers) regarding products, process, services, critical path deliverables etc.	Internal and external functions briefed on critical path.	K2 K6 K8 K9 K14 K18 S3 S5 S6 S10 B1 B2 B3 B6 B7

Option duties

Duty

Criteria for measuring performance

KSBs

Duty 7: Manage the ordering, delivery, testing and showcasing of samples, to support the final selection of products