Senior Merchandiser
Alyasra Fashion
Total years of experience :17 years, 11 Months
ONTIME I www.ontime.com
•Lead core E-commerce Business functions - Content Management, CRO, UI/UX, Digital Marketing support, Merchandising & Promotion Planning for the online portal of region’s most loved Watches retailer ONTIME.
•To stimulate interest for making a purchase & giving a delightful online shopping experience to all our valued customers thru www.ONTIME.com is the core aim of my Job Profile.
•Managing overall Merchandising strategy for 30+ Watches Brands across the online portal.
•Plan and support execution of Marketing campaigns with landing pages & Brand page update.
•To always strive for maximizing sales and profits whilst also ensuring the Customer experience is optimized.
•Stays current on all competitive & industry site merchandising, promotional execution and tactics that enhance the U/X.
•Plan Seasonal/Continuity product selection, range planning and online launch scheduling ensuring it ties up with the Company‘s strategy.
•Partners closely with Buying/Merchandising Managers on new product releases, promotions, partner funded initiatives and product refreshes.
•Responsible for all available Watches Brands & Product placement on the website. To ensure the Website Content been well displayed along with Images, Descriptions & Pricing, Promotions are accurate.
•Identify unique, emerging/new - brand/products based on statistical analysis, competitive landscape, customer feedback & web analytics. Well versed with Magento functioning & Google Analytics analysis.
functioning & Google Analytics analysis.
Souq.com is the largest e-commerce site in the Arab world. Every month, Souq.com attracts more than 35 million visits to its catalogue of more than 500, 000 unique products in 20 different categories, including consumer electronics, household goods, fashion, watches, perfumes, toys, and baby products. Established in 2005, Souq.com today operates both as an award-winning retail business and an online marketplace that allows SMEs, merchants, brands and distributors to distribute their products online.
•Ensuring the Marketplace module escalation thru out the region by targeting every single Seller (Retailer/Wholesaler) to be a part of this innovative MP platform in which they too can have their own virtual 24*7 e-shop at SOUQ.com.
•Defining the Category's tactical and strategic direction of online product lines within the operating markets. Also assigned to assess and manage the product business mix to achieve financial and business objectives.
•Driving the success of given online categories through the effective merchandising and trading of online product catalogue for the Category. Delivering world-class product presentation and merchandising of products within their specified categories. Supporting the development and provision of KPI reporting.
•Leverage the use of commercial and web analytic data to drive decision making to improve on site customer experience and conversion.
•Challenged to stay up-to-date with regional competitors and global business trends, reviewing critical information and deriving solutions which will help shape the e-commerce in the region.
•Providing guidance, coaching and management to the e-commerce Product Merchandising team.
Coming to ‘ON TIME’ the Watches Retail chain being the only of it's kind concept for Fashion Watches having the franchisee of leading International brands like ADIDAS, EMPORIO ARMANI, ARMANI EXCHANGE, BURBERRY, DKNY, DIESEL, FOSSIL, Michael Kors, MARC by Marc Jacobs, SKAGEN, Karl Lagerfeld & KATE SPADE initially in Kuwait & the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and more recently in UAE, Iraq & soon to be throughout Middle East.
The foremost Job Responsibilities being a Merchandise Buyer is as follows:
•Making sure through out the year for Stock Availability in order to maintain a consistency in Trading.
•Negotiate positioning of brand, including product ranges, development, pricing & competitiveness.
Ensure the brand delivers Business plan profit through delivery of both volume & cash margin.
•Coordinating with suppliers and managing the distribution of stock, by negotiating cost prices, ordering stock, agreeing timescales and delivery dates, and completing the necessary paperwork.
•Directly impact on product planning / selection & on trading through team direction, pricing & margin strategy & Partner negotiation terms & conditions.
•Decide buying plans, phasing, allocation, replenishment & promotional stock needs.
•Planning product ranges and preparing sales and stock plans in conjunction with buyers. Liaise with Buyers, Analysts, Stores, Suppliers & Distributors.
•Maintaining a comprehensive library of appropriate data by using most of the advanced Retail Software’s like SAP Business Object & Microsoft AX Dynamics.
•Controlling stock levels based on forecasts for the season. Reforecast on a continuous basis through the plan period.
•Plan (including OTB), ordering, allocation & subsequent replenishment based on receipt & distribution of merchandise, building stock for peak trading periods, & mitigating terminal stock.
•Analyzing every aspect of bestsellers and monitoring slow sellers, and taking action to reduce prices or set promotions as necessary.
•Working as a Merchandiser at 'ONTIME', the foremost deliverable is assisting in formulating business plan for Retailing activities & Checking the Stock flow/Stock Merchandising for ONTIME stores across middle east.
•Effectively handled FOSSIL Grp Watches brands for 35 ONTIME Stores in terms of Stock Allocation, replenishment, consolidating & making price revision of slow sellers to ensure timely liquidation of aged stocks.
•Assisting Buying Manager in terms of giving various Reports & making a strategic solution for any given problem.
•Acting as an Asst Buyer and working closely with Buying Manager in the execution of product selection, replenishment, invoice processing, assortment planning & vendor communication.
•Leading, mentoring & monitoring the performance of team members to ensure efficiency in process operations and meeting of individual & group targets.
•As working for Planning & Supply Chain Dpt at Debenhams, the foremost deliverable is assisting in formulating business plan for Retailing activities & providing administrative, organizational & technical assistance to the Brand Team. Sending various Business Reports to UK in weekly & monthly basis.
•Effectively handled Home Dpt of 17 Debenhams Stores in terms of Stock Allocation, replenishment, consolidating & making price revision of slow sellers to ensure timely liquidation of aged stocks.
•Assisting Senior Merchandiser in terms of giving various Reports & making a strategic solution for any given problem.
•Acting as an Asst Buyer and working closely with Senior Merchandiser in the execution of product selection, replenishment, invoice processing, assortment planning & vendor communication.
•Developing the existing network & managing the supply chain, ensuring timely and cost effective delivery of products.
•Driving initiatives to achieve business goals & managing the secondary sales team to achieve the projected targets.
•Leading, mentoring & monitoring the performance of team members to ensure efficiency in process operations and meeting of individual & group targets.
•Checking the Stock flow & Stock Merchandising for DEBENHAMS across middle east.
As a Merchandise Analyst at "JUNIORS Concept" at Centrepoint Kuwait, My role playing a key role in monitoring daily, weekly & monthly sales. Analyzing Positive & Negative growth store wise.
•Regularly visit Stores in person & ensure team members subsequently visit for follow-up, monitoring & communication purposes.
•Analyzing every aspect of bestsellers (for example, the bestselling price points, colors or styles) and ensuring that bestsellers reach the Store with Full Volume. Monitoring slow sellers, and taking action to reduce prices or set promotions as necessary.
•Controlling stock levels based on forecasts for the season. Planning budgets and presenting sales forecasts and figures for new ranges. Reforecast on a continuous basis through the plan period.
•Ensure pricing of new product reflects both local Market & host brand positioning to ensure maximum competitiveness. Decide buying plans, phasing, allocation, replenishment & promotional stock needs.
•Consulting with Dept. Managers for Local Purchase Order (LPO), analyzing sales & communicating to stores.
•Activating timely Promotions & Events by coordinating with IT Dpt.
•Running various analysis Reports for Concept Manager.
Masters Program in Business Administration in Marketing & Retail Sales Operation from AIMS (Asian Institute of Management Studies), Hyderabad.
2004 Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Sikkim Manipal University, Orissa.