The Art and Science of Buying and Merchandising
Susanne Tide-Frater , Chief Consultant Augmented Retail, Farfetch
Learn how to take the next step in your buying and merchandising career and what it takes to succeed in today's competitive job market.
Susanne Tide-Frater
Chief Consultant Augmented Retail, Farfetch
Your Tutor - Susanne Tide-Frater
Testimonials
It was the starting point for my career in fashion. It helped me prepare for my applications and job interview. I got a job as a merchandising assistant!– Course graduate
It gave me awareness of the very specific vocabulary of this field and an understanding of what I could expect in my future career.– Course graduate
I feel I really learnt something that I use daily at work. The course puts a theoretical and practical framework around working in fashion.– Course graduate
Course Overview
Who the course is for:
- Professionals starting out in the industry or looking to change roles.
- Entrepreneurs looking to understand the core skills needed to grow a business.
- Students who want to strengthen their education with an industry-specific course and real life examples.
What you will learn:
- Gain a general understanding of the core Buying & Merchandising functions.
- Receive invaluable advice on how best to balance big data and gut instinct.
- Understand how Buying & Merchandising is executed in best-in-class companies.
How you will learn:
- 7.5 hours of exclusive content, including 24 video tutorials from Susanne Tide-Frater.
- Downloadable learning materials enable you to revisit key theories and concepts.
- Engaging activities and tests to put your learning into practice.
Curriculum Summary
Course Overview 20 minutes
Understand the goals of the course and be introduced to your tutor Susanne Tide-Frater.
1. Art vs Science – Buying and Merchandising 1.3 hour
What does art vs science mean? Learn how buyers and merchandisers mix instinct with hard data to build product selections that customers actually want to buy. Understand how the roles of the buyer and merchandiser differ, and how they work together.
2. Future vs Past – Trend Prediction and Planning 1.3 hour
Understand why the buying cycle dictates that buyers and merchandisers work on multiple seasons at once, highlighting the importance of trend forecasting and customer profiling.
3. Gut vs Numbers – Sourcing and Selection 1.3 hour
Understand the influence of trade shows and fashion weeks within the sourcing and selection process. Consider how best to plan your range, develop product and negotiate to get the best result.
4. Depth vs Breadth – Allocation and Analysis 1 hour
Get to grips with the thorough analysis required within a merchandiser’s role to allocate product correctly across points of sale. Understand the significance of the critical path.
5. Inside vs Outside – Internal and External Challenges 1 hour
New internal and external forces are challenging the status quo at all stages of the buying cycle, from sourcing to delivery. Understand some of the key areas including CSR and data-driven decision making.
6. Summary 20 minutes
Solidify the key learnings from each chapter and gain invaluable career advice from Susanne Tide-Frater.
Glossary 30 minutes
Become fluent in Buying & Merchandising vocabulary. Fashion acronyms explained and technical terms decoded.
References 20 minutes
An appendix of further reading to augment your learning.
BoF Certification
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FAQs
Do you have a question about BoF Education? If so, please refer to our FAQs below. If you need further support, please contact us at education@businessoffashion.com.
1. Eligibility, Enrolment and Registration
You can gain access to all courses and learning materials with a BoF Professional Membership.
Yes, you do have to be a BoF Professional Member to access all online courses and learning materials from BoF Education as part of your subscription.
There is no age limit. BoF Education online courses and learning materials are self-directed and can be taken at any stage of your career.
Courses cannot be purchased individually, but a BoF Professional membership grants you unlimited access to all courses and learning materials.
If you are a BoF Professional Member, all courses and learning materials are available to you at any time by pressing ‘Enrol Now’ to access. Please email professional@businessoffashion.com if you have any problems.
As a BoF Professional Member accessing the courses, you have access for as long as your subscription is active.
The courses and learning materials are entirely online so you can learn at your own pace and around your own schedule. You are able to start immediately after becoming a BoF Professional member or at your next convenience and there is no deadline to complete.
If you are a BoF Professional Member, you will have access to the course material for as long as your subscription is active.
2. Courses and Certification
You will learn through video tutorials, academic presentations, essential readings and learning activities.
You are able to download any written course materials, including all academic presentations and extra reading. The video tutorials are not available to download.
There is no time limit to complete, you can progress at your own pace and you will retain access to the material while the course is available on BoF and your subscription is active.
You will receive a BoF digital certificate upon completion of BoF courses. This certificate can be automatically added to LinkedIn or other social media, and can be listed on your CV or resume. You are also able to download and print your certificate if you would like to.
Certificates are not granted for accessing other BoF Learning Materials, such as Playbooks.
No, BoF courses are not accredited at the moment.
There are no exams in any of the courses. Throughout the courses there are short quizzes which help reinforce your learning.
3. Payment
As a BoF Professional Member, your access to courses and learning materials is part of your subscription.
You can cancel your BoF Professional membership at any point throughout your subscription. In case of BoF Professional annual subscriptions, annual payment for the first year will be taken at point of purchase and you will retain access until this expires.
Please refer to our T&C’s for more information on annual subscriber cancellation.
In case of BoF Professional quarterly subscriptions, quarterly payments for the quarter will be taken at point of purchase and you will retain access until this expires. Please refer to our T&C’s for more information on quarterly subscriber cancellation.
All major credit and debit cards are accepted.
If you are within the UK or EU and require a VAT receipt, please contact education@businessoffashion.com.