Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Merchandise Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Merchandise Coordinator is the operational backbone of a successful merchandising team. This role serves as the central hub for product information and process execution, acting as the critical link between the buying, planning, allocation, and marketing departments. A great Merchandise Coordinator ensures the product journey—from initial purchase order to its arrival in-store or online—is smooth, accurate, and timely. You're not just managing data; you're safeguarding the integrity of the product lifecycle and empowering the entire merchandising division to make smart, data-driven decisions. This position is perfect for a highly organized, detail-obsessed individual who thrives in a fast-paced retail environment and is eager to build a foundational career in merchandising.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Retail Sales Associate / Key Holder
Merchandising or Buying Intern
Administrative Assistant (in a corporate retail/fashion setting)
Stockroom or Inventory Associate

Advancement To:

Assistant Buyer or Associate Buyer
Assistant Merchandise Planner
E-commerce Merchandiser
Allocation Analyst

Lateral Moves:

Marketing Coordinator
Product Development Coordinator
E-commerce Content Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Manage the entire purchase order (PO) lifecycle, from initial creation, meticulous data entry, and system validation to tracking revisions and issuing final confirmations to vendors.
Serve as the primary operational point of contact for external vendors, proactively communicating about PO status, shipping updates, and compliance requirements to foster strong supplier relationships.
Maintain impeccable accuracy of all product information within the company's ERP or merchandising systems, including style numbers, costs, retail prices, delivery windows, and product attributes.
Coordinate the timely flow of merchandise samples, meticulously tracking their movement from vendors to the buying, marketing, and creative teams for key meetings, photoshoots, and reviews.
Generate and analyze weekly and monthly sales and inventory reports, identifying top-selling and slow-moving items to provide actionable insights to the buying and planning teams.
Collaborate closely with the planning and allocation teams to ensure inventory levels are aligned with sales forecasts, promotional calendars, and new store opening requirements.
Prepare and organize key materials, product samples, and reporting for crucial line reviews, style-outs, and seasonal strategy meetings with senior merchandising leadership.
Diligently monitor inbound product shipments, working cross-functionally with logistics and warehouse teams to proactively identify and resolve any shipping discrepancies, delays, or quality control issues.
Execute all price changes, markdowns, and promotional updates in the system with a high degree of accuracy and according to the established promotional calendar.
Partner with e-commerce merchandising teams to ensure all necessary product attributes, images, and descriptive copy are delivered and accurate for a timely and successful online product launch.
Assist buyers in preparing detailed product assortments and comprehensive line sheets for seasonal market appointments and crucial vendor buying trips.
Manage the complete onboarding process for new vendors, ensuring all necessary documentation, contracts, and system setups are completed efficiently and correctly.
Track and manage the advertising and marketing sample process from end to end, guaranteeing that the right products are available for all photoshoots and campaign deadlines.
Conduct regular and thorough competitive analysis, actively monitoring competitor pricing strategies, promotional cadences, and product assortments to inform our own business strategy.
Reconcile vendor invoices against purchase orders and receiving documents to troubleshoot discrepancies and ensure accurate, timely payment processing by the finance department.
Maintain and distribute critical merchandising reports and calendars to all cross-functional partners, ensuring the entire organization is aligned on key dates and deliverables.
Own the product setup process for new items, gathering and validating all necessary data points such as UPCs, dimensions, country of origin, and fabric composition.
Clearly communicate all assortment changes, delivery updates, and promotional activities to the store operations or field teams to ensure flawless and consistent in-store execution.
Monitor inventory flow and on-order to support the allocation team in making strategic decisions for initial and replenishment distributions.
Support the creation and maintenance of assortment tools and visual merchandising guides used by the buying team and field leadership.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer specific business questions from the merchandising team.
Contribute to process improvement initiatives within the merchandising department, helping to identify and implement strategies that enhance efficiency and accuracy.
Collaborate with business units, particularly e-commerce and marketing, to translate data and product needs into actionable system requirements.
Participate in team meetings and planning sessions, providing operational insights and updates that contribute to the department's overall success.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Microsoft Excel Proficiency: Advanced command of Excel is non-negotiable. You should be a power user of VLOOKUPs, HLOOKUPs, pivot tables, and complex formulas for effective data manipulation and reporting.
Retail Math Acumen: A solid understanding of key retail metrics such as initial markup (IMU), margin, sell-through percentage, inventory turn, and weeks of supply is essential.
ERP/Merchandising Systems: Hands-on experience with enterprise-level systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) or specific merchandising software (e.g., Blue Yonder, Aptos) is highly valued.
Purchase Order (PO) Management: Demonstrated ability to create, track, revise, and manage the full lifecycle of purchase orders with precision.
Data Entry & Integrity: A proven track record of fast and highly accurate data entry and a commitment to maintaining data integrity across multiple systems.
Business Reporting: The ability to pull data from various sources and synthesize it into clear, easy-to-understand, and actionable reports for the team.

Soft Skills

Extreme Attention to Detail: You must be meticulous and thorough, with an almost obsessive ability to catch discrepancies and ensure accuracy in a sea of data.
Superior Organizational & Time Management: Exceptional ability to juggle and prioritize multiple high-priority tasks, manage competing deadlines, and maintain a sense of order in a fast-paced environment.
Proactive & Clear Communication: A clear, concise, and proactive communication style, both written and verbal, is crucial for effective collaboration with internal teams and external vendors.
Resourceful Problem-Solving: You are adept at identifying issues (like a shipping delay or data mismatch), investigating the root cause, and proposing viable solutions independently.
Adaptability & Resilience: You thrive in a dynamic, ever-changing retail environment and can pivot quickly in response to shifting priorities and business needs without getting flustered.
Collaborative Spirit: A true team player who genuinely enjoys working cross-functionally, building positive relationships, and contributing to a shared goal.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and work experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's Degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Fashion Merchandising
Business Administration
Retail Management
Supply Chain Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
1-3 years of experience in a corporate retail environment, merchandising, buying, or planning role.

Preferred:
Direct experience in a merchandise coordinator role or a highly relevant internship in a corporate buying or merchandising office is strongly preferred.