We take a look at the journey of a year old premium youth casual wear brand SIN which is a mens apparel

brand but all set to expand its product portfolio to let women indulge in some SIN as well! Launched in 2013 by Clothing Culture, the textile and apparel company of Rs 3,500 crore conglomerate Balkrishna Industries, SIN is spearheaded by Vijaylaxmi Poddar and her daughter Pooja Dhoot, Vijaylaksmi Poddar shares about the brand:The DNA of the brand is a mlange of edgy creativity combined with modern lines and sleek fits. We have on board the best denim talent to create products of superior quality and uber cool styles.the brand has wode range of collection for men such as, The range includes jeans, trousers, shirts, t-shirts, and accessories." The Beginning A question strikes to almost everyone, why would someone opt for a name like SIN for their brand. Reasoning this out, Poddar says: The brand values of irreverence, innovativeness, confidence, daring, and dynamism are the defining characteristics of the youth. The word SIN encapsulates these values and hence the name. We were looking at a name which was easily pronounced and understood by large strata of population. It was after months of research with our T.G. (18 25 years) that we decided to go ahead with the brand name. It is a name which has given us a positive awareness, recall and preference. Spreading Out Sharing details on the distribution network, Poddar shares, We have worked on the strategic roadmap for the brand rollout in a phased manner. We initially targeted the Southern region, Goa and North East. In the second phase we have covered the east and central regions like West Bengal, Rajasthan and others. The brand shall be shortly launching in the west. This will be followed by the Northern states. We should be available Pan India by Mid 2014. She adds: In terms of our MBO and LFS (Large Format Store) partners, we have taken the most premium advertising options avai lable inside the store. This has ensured that the brand enjoys top of the mind recall right from the time the consumer reads the newspaper, steps out and finally ends up the outlet to make his purchase. Poddar continues: We have been extremely active on the social media platforms as the increasing importance of the medium makes it extremely critical. We have ensured that we build a very effective database of consumers and engage with them in an effective manner. We have not bombarded the medium with incessant ads just to build a database just for the sake of numbers. Our hashtag SinisterSanta trended at No.1 in India, which shows the kind of traction our activities have been able to build with the youth. Talking about various direct consumer connect initiatives undertaken, Poddar shares: We have done extensive research with our T.G. by incorporating their views right from the product, to the advertising and even on our social media initiatives. Our social media platforms have enabled us to connect with our consumers in an effective manner. To connect with the trade fraternity, we have decided on the association with the premiere fashion and apparel showcase Indian Fashion Forum. Standing Out With a plethora of brands in the market with each of them shouting out aloud on how niche and different they are, it becomes imperative for a brand to actually go out and do something different to stand out from the rest. Elaborating on why SIN indeed is ahead of i ts league, Poddar opines: Our designs are developed at one of the leading fashion houses Studio Moda Creativa based in the fashion capital of the world Milan, Italy. Our team in India ensures that all designs are suitable for the Indian preferences and body types. Our fits have been well appreciated, especially Lucifer which is our slim fit. While most brands try and cater to a wide audience, we have created products which are focused on our target audience. Our washes have been developed in Italy with a lot of research, undergoing the latest techniques used globally. This has ensured that the final product matches the best across the globe. The Brand Personality Post the brand manages to create a good presence across the country, they would go ahead and launch their EBO but they are not in a rush to do so at the moment. Poddar shares: Our focus is to consolidate our MBO and LFS presence at the moment. We would announce ou r EBO plans at a later date. It is extremely important to choose the locations wisely as they are a reflection of the brand. Apart from having an all India expansion, SIN also has ambitious plans to expand across select markets in Asia & the Middle East by 2015.

Why to Visiting Store-

Visit one of the retailer's stores if you can and get a feel for the ethos of the company, how its brand is being put across, its layout, its customer service etc. If you can, talk to employees. Its also a good idea to ask friends and family if they've sh opped there and what they think of the organisation. All of this will give you valuable insights to draw upon in your interview.

What merchandise planner do

Merchandise planners work with different areas in their stores to plan what items to order and how to arrange them. They closely follow how items are selling to make recommendations for future buys and help determine the timing of product placement within the stores.

1.Club Monaco concept that was bought out by Ralph Lauren 2.At one location, you get impulse buys

on

both

sides

(food

and

fashion)

3. Need to be in touch and anticipate what customer want to buy but this ability to sence market is just one skill needed to manage merchandise inventory effectivelyPerhaps even more important skill is the ability to analyze sales data continuly and make appropriate adjustment on inventory level 4. if the buying process is not organized in a systematic way then that will result

Req to Focus
1 denim / casual wear merchandising concepts Denim information How to increase denim sale How to arrive at gross margin How to arrive at base stock for new and existing How to achieve shelf fill rate What do you mean by sell thru What do you mean by OTB What do you mean by merchandise matrix What kind of analysis doing What is my day at zodiac What is shrinkage for apparel What is NWC for apparel What do you mean by outstanding About frazing chart

Who are our main competitors? How do they differ from us? What do you know about us? What changes would you make to our stores?

What challenges/issues do you think [the retailer] is facing?

A certain product is being sold at the same price, same quantity etc as it is at a competing retailer, but the product at our stores is not selling as well. Why do you think this is? What would you do about it? What skills can you bring to the retailer?
What kind of systems do you use to help buyers determine what products should be represented in your stores?" When you are reading a sales analysis report, how do you determine what merchandise is working in your store?" How did you help determine the best time to begin displaying holiday items in your previous stores?"

Do you have any questions for me? What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?

What are some long-range objectives that you developed in your last job? What did you do to achieve them? Controllable factor for a merchandiser- Opening and Closing of store, Pricing and Promotion of the prod and Placement of the prod Uncontrollable factor such as weather, special promotion and new launch of the product,

How to simplify process The chain is responsible for the success or failure of a category. Becoz its harder to identify the source of a problem and solve it without the help of the buyer Suppose, for instance, an ad is placed in a newspaper for a Diwali sale, but the store doesnt receive the merchandise. Who caused the problem? Was it because we didnt order the merchandise in time? Did the advertising manager fail to inform the buyer or the logistics manager that the ad was going to run? Did the distribution centre fail to get the merchandise to the stores? Importantly, without the emphasis of merchandiser management, the buyer doesnt have the power to solve the problem. we could see whether DSD Delivery available, we could take RE DA this could manage situation

But if we could asked upcoming stores before the season, we can asked if any stock take is going on so we could manage alternative, We could see avg lid time during season, we could take DA prior to diwali, we could take jumbo POs All we can manage with healthy relationship with buyer Brand Mango is very famous for their women outfit and also famous for their process it can move design from sketch pad to store in just 4 week

How to increase denim sale Need to be in touch and anticipate what customer want to buy but this ability to sense market is just one skill needed to manage merchandise inventory effectively. Perhaps even more important skill is the ability to analyze sales data continually Every Monday is the starter for us were we seen weekly sale figure and the same will contribute to sum % of total target achived also could identify and listed out top sku s that has to run thru out the week or sometimes to season Also can effectively place AD merchandise every week or every month will turn out the best result As I said Size wise analysis will show n different result store to store and region to region Focal Point to explaining about product,real benefits or About brand mango they sent New Items every week or even in zodiac we fraze a plan accordingly Also Zodiac has tie up with Courier in a way that they could sent merchandise from factory to store in 1 day thru air What kind of analysis doing It is the only analysis were we came to know using of dark colour of tie that could match pagadi are more in north than south What could be my avg ticket size and footfall how do I convert the same What could be by average sell thru What is size wise ratio to the particular store is their any need to change Is their need to have stock crunching
Denim / Casual Wear merchandising concepts

Is it compatible with a change in consumer lifestyles? Innovations that are consistent with lifestyles will endure. For example, denim jeans are an enduring fashion because they are comfortable to wear and can be worn on multiple occasions. Leather pants, on the other hand, can be hot, heavy, and are typically worn in the evening. They are a fad.
How to arrive at base stock for new and existing

Generally we consider store planogram which contains calculation of fixture Also known as Minimum Base Quantity (MBQ) refers to the minimum level of stock the retailer plans carry in a store. This includes the Minimum Display Quantity (MDQ) and the back up stock (if there is a storage section in the store). The Base stock figures are flexible and may change basis the season.

How to set target for the store Usually having sale period and non sale period to arrive at ASP

Dividing the same in to commitment figures with ssl we assign % differes to month on month to arrive at qty
What do you mean by sell thru Unit Sold/Unit Recieved

NWC = Sale/No. of Week