Have You Considered Ecommerce? Here’s Why You Should

Nowadays you can browse through the latest collections in your pjs and from the comfort of your own bed. Thanks to the pop of the internet, everyone (especially fashion) has pretty much transitioned to digital, which means new roles to consider when looking to break into the industry. Ecommerce is is essential for brands when it comes to merchandising and online shopping. Read to see why the need for speed is so crucial for ecomm, and how to balance a personal brand along with merchandising for a big-name luxury store like Saks:

Tell us a little bit about yourself! What sparked your interest in fashion?

My name is Armoni (like the designer coincidentally-lol) and I'm an E-commerce merchandiser, wardrobe stylist (for advertising, commercial, and tv/film), and business owner of a women's online shop- Shop at Merge. My interest in fashion started at a young age around the time I was in the second or third grade. I loved reading/writing so my mom got monthly issues of TeenVogue sent to our house before I even really knew what it was or anything about "fashion". At the time I think she was just trying to do something cute/fun for me but it impacted my life in a big way!  

Did you go to school for fashion/merchandising? How did you land your role at Saks?

I did attend school for  fashion merchandising, and graduated in 2016 from Clark Atlanta University! I landed my role at Saks through a staffing agency in New York. Prior to that though, I did quite a bit of interning and freelancing in showroom sales and merchandising to build my experience. I did an internship for Rick Owens and after that more opportunities started opening up for me with brands like Marc Jacobs and Christian Louboutin. It definitely wasn't an easy internship but well worth it!

We know no two days are the same, but walk us through a typical week for you.

Not at all! Because I do a few different things it really depends on what I have going on. But typically my work week starts on Sunday, so I'll sit down and plan out my days so that I'm organized and can do my best work for clients and my job. Monday when I get into the office the first thing I do is load new arrivals and best sellers to the site (this has to be done before 10 a.m.). Next I view the buyers report from our analyst and complete an inventory report (this is done daily) to upload or remove items based on stock or approvals to ensure vendors are also keeping up with inventory on their end. The rest of my day/week just depends on projects that need to be completed.

For example right now I'm working on a really big up-selling project with about 4,000 items that need to be merchandised on the site. In between projects like this, I also spend my day "building" (adding) items to the site that vendors send, researching trends and new items to suggest to our buyers, and communicating with vendors. Somewhere in between all of this (before/after work or weekends) I find time to also work on my business whether it's visiting a showroom, doing returns from a shoot, or sourcing clothes/costumes for a production job. 

What’s one thing that would surprise us about your job?

Being an e-commerce merchandiser isn't easy and it's not as glamorous as it seems (like most jobs in fashion). While it helps to know brands/products, you have to be a great problem solver and able to analyze and handle large amounts of data. It's a lot of responsibility and can make or break a site on ALL ends from the business, to the customer, to vendors. 

What's your favorite part about e-commerce merchandising? What's your least favorite?

My favorite part about e-commerce merchandising is learning about new products/brands, attending markets with buyers, and growth opportunities. It also gives me a different perspective even when I'm out shopping or shop online. My least favorite part is when systems are slow or messed up and having to start over on things because it's so much that has to be done!

What advice would you give to fashionistas interested in this career path?

Advice I would give is intern, intern, INTERN. Also to freelance a little, especially while you're still in school. I made the mistake of not doing this and had to bust my ass after graduation  just to get internships so I could start building experience (retail isn't enough). This will also help you learn about different companies and their processes as no two are the same. Also make sure you're comfortable with using different systems and excel (graphs, tables, v-lookup). I've seen a couple instances where someone got into the role and it was a disaster because they lied about their computer and excel skills. You don't have to be a pro but be comfortable enough to where you can be taught and catch on pretty quickly.