ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the entire buying cycle that fashion buyers and merchandisers will follow in order to conduct their role and responsibilities. It discusses the purpose and importance of the buying cycle and provides a holistic overview of what occurs in each of the stages. The chapter also describes the nature of the critical path and analyses how essential it is as a tool used by buyers and merchandisers. The buying cycle includes everything from the design of a product to the production, shipping, allocation, delivery to store, and, finally, sale to the customer. Buyers and merchandisers are involved in all of the different stages of the buying cycle. The buying cycle is a fluid concept but is generally followed in some form by the majority of own-label fashion retailers, with some implementing it faster than others. The critical path document is available to be accessed and updated by all members of the buying and merchandising teams for transparency.
