The role of fashion retail buyers in China and the buyer decision-making process

Abstract

PurposeThe Chinese fashion market is becoming increasingly important in terms of consumption volume and value. A critical aspect of the Chinese fashion market is the role of the fashion retail buyer; however, there exists little literature on their role and their decision-making process. This paper, therefore, explores the role of Chinese fashion retail buyers, their decision-making process as well as the key factors that influence the retail buyer's decision-making process.Design/methodology/approachInformed by the inductive approach within Sheth's (1981) framework, in-depth interviews with a number of retail buyers in nine leading fashion companies in China were carried out to explore fashion retail buyers' decision-making processes.FindingsThe results show that management mentality, type of merchandise and type of decision context were the most influencing factors regarding merchandise requirements (MRs). Fashion retail buyers in China are substantially restricted by the management style of the firm, which also influences the product mix choice. To evaluate merchandise, fashion buyers take into account consumer demand, company position, geographical differences and fashion trends. In regards to supplier selection, production stability coupled with quality and cost factors become paramount. The study also demonstrates that country of origin (COO) is a less significant factor in the fashion buyer's decision-making process.Originality/valueThis is the first study that explores the fashion retail buyer's decision-making processes in the Chinese market. The results show Chinese fashion buyers' decision-making processes differ significantly from other markets. This paper offers guidelines for an efficient and effective fashion retail buying process in China. The findings offer important avenues for further research and provide insights for fashion professionals in the Chinese and other emerging markets contexts.