Assistant Merchant Responsibilities

An assistant merchant is generally a person who is involved in purchasing the wholesale goods and selling them in the retail stores to gain profits. They are mainly responsible for selecting the right merchandise and procurement of that merchandise. While doing so, they should take into account the past buying trends and compare them with current trends and at the same time should also be able to have a vision for the future trends. Anyone planning to take up a career as an assistant merchant should be well-versed with the assistant merchant responsibilities.

Main Responsibilities of an Assistant Merchant

To get a strong hold in your career as an assistant merchant let us study in detail the core responsibilities that need to be handled by an assistant merchant which are as follows:

1. To assist the merchant in the preparation plans
2. Keep a close eye on the competitors strategy and implement new plans to increase the profit margins
3. Maintain all the records related to the purchase, vendor and item data
4. Before placing the orders it is his duty to confirm the prices
5. To communicate effectively and discuss with the vendors the changing trends in the industry. It is obvious that he maintains professional relationship with the warehouse owner and the retailers.
6. Attend the vendor and staff meetings, generate and analyze reports accordingly
7. Try to understand the problems or issues faced by the vendors and record the products if needed and manage the product line

In addition, he may also design several promotional campaigns related to the changing trends. For this he will need to identify the changing trends. Once he places the orders it is his duty to coordinate the flow of the commodities to the stores. Before sending the orders he should make sure that the quantity and the quality of the samples is well-examined. A constant research is required to increase the sales thereby maximizing the profits.

Summary of Key Skills Required For an Assistant Merchant

The key skills to make an assistant merchant are as follows:

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills are a pre-requisite to understand the requirements and resolve the queries of the vendors
• Computer literacy with excellent Word and Excel skills.
• Excellent entrepreneurial skills to keep an updated knowledge about the current market trends
• Good researching skills and being inquisitive to learn about new products
• Strong analytical, organizational and time management skills
• Ability to work and take good decisions even under pressure and subsequently proceed to meet the deadlines
• Excellent networking ability with good follow up skills
• Should be comfortable working with numbers as he will need to maintain various kinds of records and documentation

Work Schedule

The work hours for an assistant merchant generally do not extend beyond the limit of forty hours per week. They may be required to travel at times. On some occasions, they may be required to work during the evenings and weekends.

Educational Requirements for an Assistant Merchant

The minimum educational qualification needed to make a powerful entry is a bachelor's degree in business, marketing or merchandising. Knowledge on product development is an added advantage. It will always help if you have relevant experience with an ability to understand and predict the future trends in the industry. You should be flexible, passionate with a drive to excel.

Career Opportunities for an Assistant Merchant

The career prospects are really bright for an assistant merchant. He can head on to become a merchant or may move on to an executive level or a managerial position. He will get promoted to the senior management level only if the assistant merchant responsibilities are shouldered well by him. Mostly the young college students are selected through campus which enables them to promise a rapid and a prospective career growth. If you are self-driven, committed and dedicated nobody can stop you from getting to the top most position.