As Marketing / Recruitment Coordinator I quite frequently receive phone calls and emails from newly graduated candidates trying to decipher the difference between a Merchandise Manager and a Buyer. A Buyer is usually for a vertical retail group and a Merchandise Manager is employed by an offshore production house providing the manufactured product to the retailer.

It's catwalk season and from New York to London and closer to home New Zealand models are starting to strut their stuff in creations that range from the exquisite to the extreme. The humble high street seems a million miles from this rarefied world. But the gap between catwalk and high street has in fact never been narrower. The latest trends are now researched, sought out, modified, manufactured and shipped en masse to the masses ever more quickly. This process - "fast fashion" - can be highly lucrative for retailers who get it right.

In the fast fashion revolution the key figures are the Buyer and the Merchandise Manager. A Buyer for a large retail chain will have a retail history through their employment, knowledge of the company's demographics and customer base and will trend research, product source, and sample purchase for in-house product. Should the retailer use an independent offshore production company to service production the buyer will work in conjunction with the Merchandise Manager employed by the offshore production house. This Merchandise Manager will travel overseas and here the similarity exists. The difference is that the Merchandise Manager sells back to the Buyer working in Retail.

In both cases, the buyer will have to marry a good eye for fashion with a keen business sense. People tend to think buyers are really design-led. While there is an element of creativity, the most important thing is to think commercially. Fashion merchandising is even more business-led. It's about having the right stock in the right place at the right time at the right price.

Would-be buyers and merchandisers ideally would start with a fashion degree enabling them to have a trend/design background.

Despite the attractions of attending catwalk shows and managing budgets, this is a tough business. The fashion industry can be perceived as a very glamorous industry, at times yes, but with glamour comes hard work and long hours with early morning international flights and collating all the pre planned research into providing an end result in a short space of time.

What you need to get a job

For graduates or juniors looking to step into or grow your careers in this area it can be difficult to get your first job, it helps to have a relevant degree. Candidates would never come directly into the role, they would have developed a fashion background and it does take years to work into a position of responsibility.

Buyer: Retail work experience is vital: look for degree courses that offer exposure to the fashion industry, either through a three-year programme or industry-based project work. Having this retail knowledge and background you are ideally positioned for advancement to Buyer.
Merchandise Manager: A tertiary education in apparel is essential and ideally you would be working as a Merchandise Assistant in effect training to be a Merchandise Manager.

For both of these jobs you'll need a wide range of business skills. Companies look for initiative, negotiating skills and an ability to work closely with suppliers and store managers. Buying and Merchandise Assisting roles are great graduate jobs, offering plenty of responsibility from quite a young age. There is quite a buzz about seeing the product you have helped develop flying out of stores.