Associate buyer vs fashion buyer

The differences between associate buyers and fashion buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an associate buyer and a fashion buyer. Additionally, a fashion buyer has an average salary of $56,120, which is higher than the $49,963 average annual salary of an associate buyer.

The top three skills for an associate buyer include customer service, purchase orders and math. The most important skills for a fashion buyer are vendor relations, gross margin, and market trends.

Associate buyer vs fashion buyer overview

	Associate Buyer	Fashion Buyer
Yearly salary	$49,963	$56,120
Hourly rate	$24.02	$26.98
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	14,942	15,688
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Associate buyer vs fashion buyer salary

Associate buyers and fashion buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Associate Buyer	Fashion Buyer
Average salary	$49,963	$56,120
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $68,000	Between $40,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	VF	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between associate buyer and fashion buyer education

There are a few differences between an associate buyer and a fashion buyer in terms of educational background:

	Associate Buyer	Fashion Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Specialized Sales And Merchandising
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Associate buyer vs fashion buyer demographics

Here are the differences between associate buyers' and fashion buyers' demographics:

	Associate Buyer	Fashion Buyer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 6.0% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between associate buyer and fashion buyer duties and responsibilities

Associate buyer example responsibilities.

Define and manage sales, markdowns, inventories (OTB plans) achieving financial objectives for all years in position.
Manage numerous RFP processes for the non-technology services.
Support include identifying and qualifying vendors, manage process for select RFP's and assist with bid assessments.
Work closely with planner and buyer to manage OTB and determine when to maximize business and when to protect liabilities.
Manage and develop successful relationships with top luxury watch and jewelry brands.
Coordinate and provide direction to inventory teams by managing product placement, open-to-buy, and logistics.

Fashion buyer example responsibilities.

Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
React to update OTB, markdowns and other financial markers on a regular basis.
Evaluate sales records and inventory levels to determine appropriate product requirements for a wide variety of automotive and industrial commodities.
Originate BOM structure for production operations.

Associate buyer vs fashion buyer skills

Common associate buyer skills

Customer Service, 16%
Purchase Orders, 15%
Math, 5%
Vendor Relations, 5%
Logistics, 3%
Market Trends, 3%

Common fashion buyer skills

Vendor Relations, 14%
Gross Margin, 11%
Market Trends, 11%
Vendor Communication, 10%
Product Selection, 9%
Payment Terms, 5%