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A good employee is the backbone of any organization. Especially in the labor-intensive fashion industry, the organization's human resource is its biggest asset.
The textile industry worldwide provides jobs to millions of workers in each category, every year. Statistics suggest that the Indian textile industry currently employs over 4.5 crore workers. This number will only increase with the global increase in the demand for Indian textiles.
Right from textile manufacturing to retail sectors, many job roles require people from different educational and technical backgrounds. However, specific managerial positions in the fashion retail industry have always been in great demand among job seekers due to high salaries and various perks.
Retail stores of fashion brands have many job roles that are important for the smooth functioning of the store. One such significant role is that of a Category Manager.
In a fashion retail business, a category manager is the one who takes care of the brand's various categories of products. He conducts market research to analyze which categories of products are fast-moving, more profitable, and simply creating losses for the firm. He is also responsible for pricing and promotion of products and changing the sales strategy based on changing consumer preferences. A category manager should also be able to source these products from various supply chains at the lowest cost.
A category manager is also responsible for analyzing consumers' buying patterns and ordering inventory accordingly, thereby using the organization's capital resources in the most efficient way.
Moreover, the essential functions of a category manager will be product range management of the brand and increasing the sales and profitability of the business to ensure sustainable growth.
The primary role of a category manager is to assess the sales and growth of an organization. Sales and growth are the two parameters that are crucial for a brand's success. Hence, a category manager will ensure the success and profitability of the brand.
A category manager also acts as a middle man between the organization and different suppliers. He must maintain cordial relationships with various suppliers and strike deals that turn out profitable to the brand in the long run.
A category manager will help the organization become efficient in its products. By assessing which brand of products are preferred by consumers, he can help avoid losses in terms of dead stock and divert the capital to stock up on products currently trending by customers.
Nowadays, every major retail brand has an in-house category manager that is responsible for a set of tasks. A category manager may have a team of assistant buyers that help him with the day-to-day tasks. Though a few responsibilities may differ for different brands, the general duties of a typical category manager include:
A category manager is an integral part of a retail store. He is responsible for planning and maintaining inventory, pricing products, keeping good connections with vendors, and helping lead the team to achieve the organization's goals. His work directly affects the smooth running of the retail store. For such an important job role, employers look for the below-mentioned qualifications.
Employers require a few additional skills for the role of the Category manager. Some of them are-
A resume is an important document for candidates to secure a good job offer. An impactful resume will not only increase one's chances of getting hired, but it may also result in better terms of the contract and salary negotiation as well.
Typically, a resume contains basic information about the candidate, such as name and address, educational qualifications, achievements, and skills. However, including specialized skills tailored to the job role applying for can help grab the hiring manager's attention quite quickly.
Here are the top 5 things to include in the Category Manager resume-
An interview is always nerve-wracking for a candidate. That is why it is essential to prepare well. A person should come across as confident and intelligent to get the right message across to the employer.
Here are a few commonly asked questions during an interview for a Category Manager-
This is quite a common question in Category manager interviews. Candidates should conduct sufficient research about the brand and its various categories before appearing for the interview. Including answers that include multiple categories of the products along with other details such as different pricing levels, leading competitors, future trends, seasonality, and latest innovation will help create a powerful impact on the interviewers.
The best strategy during any negotiations should be to get the best possible price, which is precisely what the interviewer wants to hear. Candidates can further elaborate by saying that it is equally important to build a long and cordial relationship with vendors to receive the maximum benefit out of it.
This is the most important job role of a category manager, and hence this question should be handled tactfully. Relying on historical data is a way to find trends. Candidates may also mention the reports prepared by the previous category manager, as those may prove to be quite helpful. Other methods such as talking to customers directly or taking polls and opinions can help chart customer trends. Spying on the competitors and studying their strategies and pricing can also help discover trends in the market.
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