Evolving To Stay Relevant

Two recent conversations stand out when it comes to how some in the housewares industry share a cynical view of the evolving role of retail buyers.

One chief housewares executive recalled the days when you were more likely to find junior sales people calling on seasoned buyers, and those buyers could be a helpful treasure trove of merchandising wisdom and instinct. Today, he said, you are more likely to find seasoned sales executives calling on junior buyers with little perspective on the business.

Carrying Weight

The other conversation struck a more pessimistic, if somewhat sarcastic, note. An industry observer predicted we’re heading toward an e-commerce-dependent scenario where the ability to list every product online could render retail buyers and the people that sell to them irrelevant.

Despite the defeatist undertone in such sentiment, few would refute that many corporate retail buyers today face more C-suite-mandated restrictions to instinctive and flexible assortment building. Open-to-buy seems like an outdated concept. The votes of retail planners and coordinators and product developers carry as much weight, if not more, than those of the front-line buyers.

The notion of the disempowered retail buyer, however, is more myth than absolute truth. Yes, many of today’s retail buyers have to sidestep a slew of operational and financial landmines to assemble assortments. The most accomplished, though, can stay within tighter confines outlined by management while imposing their merchandising free will. They are the buyers and merchandise managers who thrive on an innate ability to evaluate upside while taking the responsibility for reaching it.

Measured Risk

Buyers that crave so-called “newness” and differentiation but can’t bear the accountability that comes with measured risk are fostering, unwittingly or not, the homogenization of this business.

Even with the boundless planogram of digital retailing, listing everything doesn’t come with a long-term competitive guarantee. E-commerce platforms whose buyers have embraced the potential to curate unique selections backed by unique presentations and marketing themes are less likely to become trapped in a vortex of undifferentiated online selection and pricing.

Savvy Decision Makers

The buyers and merchandise managers profiled in the July 20, 2015, edition’s annual HomeWorld Business Impact Merchants report (page 12) prove that housewares retailing in all shapes and sizes still abounds with savvy decision makers. Despite the restrictions of the modern-day retail playbook, these standouts still play to win by studying the market, watching trends, listening to vendors, and, yes, even following their instincts.

They’re doing their part to quiet the cynics and keep the evolving role of retail buyers quite relevant.