HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT BUYER FOR YOUR LINGERIE STORE

Have you considered hiring a buyer or purchasing manager for your lingerie store?

As your company expands, it may be time to start delegating tasks which were once yours. Having a fashion expert on hand could be just what your brand needs to develop and start taking large strides into the future.

Here’s what you should know:  

 

1.  Set a reasonable salary

Before you do anything else, it’s crucial that you understand how much a fashion buyer expects to make. Be aware that this is a skilled role in which you expect your candidates to be college educated and have a wealth of experience. For those reasons, you need to make sure that the salary reflects all of the above.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a well-experienced fashion buyer or purchasing manager can expect to make in the region of $66,000 per year. If that salary is outside of your budget, you may want to think of this as an entry-level position.

Hiring someone who is a recent graduate means that they won’t have experience but will take a lower salary. You could start someone on around $30,000 per year or even hire them as a part-time buyer for your lingerie store. Before you put out an advert, make sure that you’re clear on how much your budget allows.  

 

2.  Outline your expectations

Now that you know what you can offer, it’s time to talk about what you expect from your fashion buyer. Of course, there will be some baseline requirements for this role that you want to consider when looking for the right person. Here are some of the qualities that you might want to look for in your purchasing manager:

 

DEGREE-LEVEL EDUCATED

You should make sure that your new buyer has a degree in the right field. Choosing the right stock for your lingerie store is no small feat. You need someone who has learned the ropes and can organize themselves accordingly.

 

CREATIVE FLAIR

Needless to say, creativity will be a major part of this role. When you hire a buyer, you have to be certain that they are the right person who can lead your store to new places. With that in mind, you should look for someone who obviously has an eye for fashion and someone who understands the lingerie world.

 

SECTOR-SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

If you’re looking for someone who already has experience, you should make sure that it’s sector specific. You need a person who has not only been a buyer in a store, but one who has specifically worked with lingerie brands. It may be a tall order, but this candidate has to be the right fit for the position.

 

PROVEN TRACK RECORD

Should the candidate have experience in any given area, you should also make sure that they have a track record. What results have they yielded in previous roles? You will need to specify that you want examples from their workplaces.

 

UNDERSTANDS THE BRAND

Of course, one of the most important qualities that you want this candidate to have is an understanding of your store and brand. You need to make sure that they see your vision as clearly as you do and that they understand what your aims are. It’s that simple.

 

3.  Prepare your interview questions

When you’ve gone through the application process and found some candidates that look promising, it’s time to take things to the next level. You need to make sure that you ask all of the right questions when interviewing potential buyers for your store. Take a little time to consider what you need to find out. This interview is your only chance to see what these people are made of. Be clear about your objectives and the insights you need.

 

4.  Offer a probation period

Think you’ve found the right fashion buyer for your store? There’s one more thing that you should do. Rather than hiring them right away and committing to a long-term contract, you should offer a short probation period. You may want to offer a month or six-week trial to the most promising candidate. This amount of time will help you decide whether you’ve made the right choice and allow for some flexibility if you have not.