Purchase Order & Inventory Management

• Purchase order management involves raising orders and sharing with brands promptly
• PO dates should accurately reflect bookings and potential changes

Role at Circle Collective

• Worked as a sales assistant in a small team
• Manager was responsible for the whole business's activities, including merchandising
• Took ownership of merchandising activities in-store and on the e-commerce site

Inventory Process

• The process begins by syncing each product's details, including barcodes, descriptions, and initial quantities into Lightspeed Retail
• New inventory is scanned with a barcode scanner
• Lightspeed Retail automatically updates unit numbers for each item
• This process repeats for new product lines

Stock Management

• Stock takes occur for high selling items across brands leading up to Christmas
• Sales numbers are displayed on the LightSpeed retail platform for e-commerce and store items
• Sales are recorded during transactions in store and online
• Ensured 30% more stock than the quantity sold for high selling items for each brand
• Filled out PO forms for items that fell under this number, then submitted them to the manager

Actions taken

• Logged high-selling items with brand-wise splits into a spreadsheet
• Recorded the number of each item sold, stockroom quantity, re-order amount, brand, and price
• Verified supplier details for all products in each brand
• Filled out PO forms with Circle Collective's guidelines
• Meetings were held with brand suppliers and the manager
• Updated purchase order forms when there were sudden changes in sales data or demand
• Contacted brand suppliers immediately when changes occurred

Results

• 98% of purchase orders were submitted without errors
• Purchase order processing time was reduced from 3 days to 1 day
• 100% of replenishment targets were achieved for high-selling items before the required date
• Consistent availability of top-selling items was maintained, leading to no lost sales opportunities during the peak Christmas season

Seraphine Application

• High-demand items must always be available to meet customer needs
• This aligns with Seraphine's commitment to high-quality, stylish, and functional maternity wear

Maintaining Accurate Supplier Stock Reporting

• Reporting used Navision and Excel to feed availability reporting and review with brands on back-in-stock dates

Responsibilities at Circle Collective

• Responsible for managing stock and ensuring the availability of high-demand items online and in-store, especially during busy periods like Christmas
• Optimized peak selling periods to maximize sales
• Used the LightSpeed retail platform for notifications on low stock units, according to its stock-to-sales ratio, and best sellers

Tasks

• Ensured out-of-stock situations were flagged early
• Raised purchase orders accurately
• Maintained communication with suppliers

Actions

• Excel was used to monitor stock levels of high-demand products
• Raised purchase orders and checked in with suppliers to confirm back-in-stock dates and delivery timelines when stock was low and in demand
• Manager was kept updated on the status of orders
• Proactively followed up with suppliers to ensure any delays or issues were promptly addressed

More results

• Communication was strengthened between suppliers and the internal team
• No high-demand items remained out of stock for long periods
• Stock levels were consistently updated
• All purchase orders were processed without delay, avoiding missed sales opportunities

More Seraphine Application

• Apply a proactive stock management approach to monitor high-demand products and ensure timely replenishment
• Build strong supplier relationships to foster a collaborative work culture

Intake Management

• Accurate management of the delivery schedule was managed
• Ensured delivery dates are met by brands
• Understood the impact on the business by communicating any short shipments, late deliveries, and cancellations to the Merchandising team

Ed Hardy Delivery Issue

• A new Ed Hardy collection delivery for the start of autumn was delayed by 2 days
• The delivery was meant to arrive on a Friday for Monday's store launch which would allow time over the weekend for store setup, merchandising, and social media shoots

Actions Taken

• Contacted brand suppliers to understand the reason for the late delivery
• Identified solutions to maintain customer anticipation and keep up sales momentum

Supplier Communication

• Immediately called the brand suppliers and confirmed the late delivery
• Shortage was due to a peak season with many brands and stores launching new autumn collections, leading to low supplier stock
• A visual merchandising and layout plan was created while space was prepared with the products currently on the shop floor
• Social media channels were updated with the new launch date
• Customers had the option to pre-order
• Collaborated with the marketing team to create targeted email campaigns and social media ads, highlighting the new collection and pre-order options

More Results

• Uncertainty was reduced for the store and customers
• Collection launched with minimal setup time
• Customers remained engaged and excited about the launch
• Targeted marketing efforts resulted in a 20% increase in pre-orders
• Overall sales saw a 15% boost during the launch week

More Seraphine Application

• Internal teams implemented backup plans and adjusted merchandising layouts if delivery timelines changed
• Proactively managed delivery schedules and intake, ensuring on-time arrival of key collections for Seraphine's high-profile launches

Merchandising Under Assistant Merchandiser

• Under the guidance of the Assistant Merchandiser new line ranging and allocations are actioned accurately and promptly in line with agreed launch dates

Regular Review of Store Planograms

• Regular reviews to ensure correct products are ranged
• Displays in-store should align with visual merchandising layouts
• Regularly reviewed displays and product placements to ensure they matched the planned layout
• Stock levels were checked to ensure expected quantities of products were available
• Manager was notified if specific items were unavailable or running low

Results of above

• A seamless shopping experience for customers
• Maximized product visibility
• Sales improved by 20% during the week

More Seraphine Application

• Product placement should align with Seraphine's premium and stylish brand image
• High-quality maternity wear must be reflected in a way that reflects elegance and functionality
• Be sure to reflect current product offerings consistently across stores and e-commerce

Reporting

• Monday trade reports were created to check accuracy and highlight anomalies for the Assistant Merchandiser

LightSpeed Retail Platform

• Used it to look at sales-to-stock ratio brand-wise from store and e-commerce sales, including sizes and styles
• Tasked with compiling a weekly trade report for the beginning of each week
• A Comparison across product categories was done week-by-week
• Sales data was extracted week by week, in a sales spreadsheet and cross referenced with other departments

Example Action

• A discrepancy was exchanged when items of the same price were done without going through the transaction system
• This led to inaccurate stock being displayed
• Quantities for shop floor and inventory numbers were checked
• Stock levels were updated on the inventory system and verified with my manager who does the merchandising
• An in-store walk through discovered discrepancies

Results

• Accuracy of inventory records
• Proper stock management and reporting was maintained
• Proactively minimize the risk of future stock-related issues and discrepancies

Seaphine Application

• Collaborate with team members to ensure data is consistent and accurate across all branches and the e-commerce platform
• Informed analytical decision making and a premium customer experience

Store Recalls

• When receiving new inventory, sync each product’s details into Lightspeed Retail
• Optimize the stock to sales ratio across each store for each brand
• Completed a stock check on the LightSpeed retail platform
• Compared the sales data of those, ensuring a 30% more than current sold numbers stock rate
• Packed up excess stock and identified stock needed

Result

• Stock was optimized in each store location
• Increased sales opportunities because of better product availability

More Seraphine Application

• Ensuring that stock levels are consistently managed and products are available across stores is what contributes to Seraphine's premium service offering

Accurate Input of Markdowns and Promotions

• Working with the team to identify markdowns for clearance for end of summer sales, identifying off-season clothing from the store rails and product displays on the online store
• The markdown update was recorded onto the LightSpeed stock inventory system

Process

• End of summer stock was separated from the store
• Compiled a list of the product codes for the end-of-summer stock on the e-commerce site.
• The inventory system was updated by deleting all the summer stock items other than what was staying as clearance.
• Prices were changed to marked-down prices.

More details

• The data was accurate so I separated the marked-down items brand-wise on a spreadsheet to stay organized
• Product category styles were separated so markdowns could be logged all at once
• This was cross-checked with the weekly sales trade report the following week, to see if the markdown details matched
• Manager was regularly checked in with to see if aligns with the markdown strategy
• Sales performance was observed with the markdown

Result

• Sales increased 30% in September
• Accurate prices were displayed on the platform
• Consistent data across all systems

Important skills

• Excellent working knowledge of all Merchandising systems, QlikView, Navision, and AGR

Excel Profiecency

• Already proficient in Excel,
• Holder of a BTEC Level 3 IT diploma, with practical creation of a spreadsheet for data recording, data analysis, and being able to perform Excel functions such as VLOOKUP, COUNTIF, sort and filter, and pivot tables
• Efficient and accurate merchandising operations skills

Navision Action

• A very quick learner with minimal training on LightSpeed retail and merchandising system but performance was efficient and accurate
• This resulted in seamless store operations, customer experiences, and an exceeding of sales targets by at least 10% every week

Results

• Excel and LightSpeed skills were successfully used for merchandising tasks
• Weekly sales targets were exceeded due to efficient system use

Still More Seraphine Application

• Strong knowledge of systems directly supports the data-driven approach to inventory management and operational efficiency and premium customer experience

Accurate Sales

• Assisted with sales forecasting, as management was about to buy new stock for the upcoming AW24 season
• Action: Analyzed AW23 sales data to understand demand
• Combined with trend research for the streetwear and vintage fashion market for AW24
• Created recommendations for each brand based on this
• Recommended to add in new styles as well as classics
• limited additions were order to measure customer behavior

Still More Results

• The first launch was successful with the new additions being sold out in the first week.
• More stock was ordered with 30% more than sold ratio.

More Seraphine Application

• Perfectly aligned with Seraphine's commitment to being ahead of trends, while maintaining timeless fashion offerings
• Can showcase Seraphine's ability to offer premium products that respond to customer demands, reinforcing their luxury/premium, practical, and versatile brand identity

Seraphine's competitors, and solutions

• JoJo Maman Bebe is the core competitor due to similar price point, celebrity endorsement, and e-commerce focus
• However, Seraphine has a narrower product range, it would be challenging to expand its product range to compete with Jojo due to the financial strain from 2022

Solution

• Expand the product line to include baby and children's clothing to attract a wider customer base and boost appeal

Way to expand product line

• Use current manufacturing resources and distribution channels to minimize costs
• Start with a limited range to analyze market response
• Focus on high-margin products with brand identity and icons Crowd fund pre-orders to generate initial capital and assess interest to avoid financial risks

Other important points

• Previously worked in high street and luxury retail experiences
• Experience with stock intake and management and timely stock replenishment
• Versatile approach to different markets across a broad spectrum of consumer preferences, price points, and product positioning
• Commitment to sustainability and responsible production evidenced by their uses of natural fibres and ethical manufacturing standards
• Desire to drive commercial success with a customer centric approach

Seraphine Specifics

• A maternity wear fashion brand that suits style and comfort, is functional, ranges for all sorts of lifestyles and activities from work wear to occasion wear to everyday essentials
• Inclusive, diverse, sustainable and takes place in responsible sourcing
• The most recent collection was AW24 Second Nature, examples include 'Addena Long Maternity and baby wearing Puffer Coa'