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Associate buyer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Associate buyer example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical associate buyer skills. We ranked the top skills for associate buyers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 16.3% of associate buyer resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an associate buyer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 associate buyer skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how associate buyers use customer service:
  • Fulfilled customer service information requests* Submitted Drop Ship Purchase orders with vendors* Distributed information to buyers regarding their Purchase orders* Product Development
  • Provided excellent customer service via active listening and professional communication, and identifying root causes of customer issues.

2. Purchase Orders

Here's how associate buyers use purchase orders:
  • Performed scheduled Admin on Duty rotation including disbursement of Remedy tickets to Buyer II staff and resolving emailed purchase order confirmations.
  • Facilitated the process of receiving requisitions and specifications to obtain competitive quotations from vendors to prepare and place purchase orders.

3. Math

Here's how associate buyers use math:
  • Demonstrate proficiency of retail math skills by identifying potential data discrepancies and challenging logic of calculation.
  • Utilize advanced math skills, geometry and trigonometric calculations for estimation purposes.

4. Vendor Relations

Here's how associate buyers use vendor relations:
  • Developed and executed strategies for merchandise assortments, vendor relations management, and marketing cadences management.
  • Established and maintained vendor relationships, ensured timely merchandise shipments and monitored vendor contracts for compliance.

5. Logistics

Logistics is a complete organization and implementation of a problem. Logistics are often considered in a complex business operation, as some works need detailed plannings. Logistics are also used in military action.

Here's how associate buyers use logistics:
  • Worked closely with the logistics department and internal warehouse to coordinate just in time deliveries and maintain daily inventory reconciliation.
  • Coordinated and provided direction to inventory teams by managing product placement, open-to-buy, and logistics.

6. Market Trends

Here's how associate buyers use market trends:
  • Reviewed product movement including seasonality, market trends, and probability of anticipated sales and managed inventory and service levels.
  • Studied market trends and participated in competitive market research as it related to current positioning.

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7. Strong Analytical

Here's how associate buyers use strong analytical:
  • Showcased strong analytical skills to resolve backlogged orders in SAP.
  • Developed reputation for exceptionally strong analytical abilities, keen product knowledge, customer intimacy, vendor relations and people development

8. Kids

Here's how associate buyers use kids:
  • Partner with New Era and production to development and executed the Kids Major League Baseball On Field Pro Baseball Cap.
  • Expanded Kids business through identifying new kids accessories brands that became Top 10 vendors in revenue.

9. Business Strategies

Here's how associate buyers use business strategies:
  • Involved in developing and executing business strategies, including product development, promotional strategies, and product presentation.
  • Determined personal and store profitability outcomes and analyzed monthly performance goals to analyze and create appropriate business strategies.

10. Open-To-Buy

Open-To-Buy (OTB) is an inventory management system that works in association with a retail business. OTB determines the amount of merchandise a retail store can buy during a stated period. It defines the amount of inventory that is needed to meet customer demand and which you can buy while still ensuring positive cash flow. Open-To-Buy planning is necessary to ensure adequate stock for the business. It is essentially the difference between how much inventory is available and how much inventory is needed to meet customer demand.

Here's how associate buyers use open-to-buy:
  • Collaborated with merchandise planner and senior buyer to report quarterly recaps and open-to-buy with divisional vice-president.
  • Analyze reports from planning team to determine markdown and promotional opportunities and maintain accurate open-to-buy information.

11. MRP

MRP is an abbreviation of Material Requirements Planning and refers to the control system which is implemented in the planning and management of the activities related to manufacturing. Through MRP, manufacturers can easily schedule the production and it can also be used for inventory. MRP systems are mostly software-based but the process can also be carried out manually.

Here's how associate buyers use mrp:
  • Provide Engineering and Manufacturing support to MRP material requirements with timely order placement and delivery of quality products and services.
  • Purchased direct materials in a fully-automated MRP environment.

12. Apparel

Apparel is anything worn especially formal clothes; outerwear; garments; attire; raiment worn on an important occasion to protect, wrap, adorn or beautify the body. Apparel also refers to clothing of a specific type that is sold in stores. Product categories include everything from basic items like underwear, badges, jewelry to luxury items. The general classification of clothing is as follows: men's wear, women's wear, children's wear, and others.

Here's how associate buyers use apparel:
  • Managed copy and photography for the Apparel division through direct collaboration with the advertising department.
  • Collaborated with apparel design team to ensure appropriate outfit completion merchandise was designed

13. Gross Margin

Here's how associate buyers use gross margin:
  • Increased margin profit by streamlining number of vendors utilized; successfully increased gross margin dollars in one department by 8.2%.
  • Planned and placed purchase programs to support $22 million business in sales and stock, gross margin and turnover goals.

14. Supplier Performance

Supplier performance refers to practices aimed at optimizing a supplier's performance and capabilities.

Here's how associate buyers use supplier performance:
  • Maintained current accurate records and files of all vendor agreements and related procurement records and communicate supplier performance.
  • Conducted supplier improvement through monthly scorecards, corrective action, and supplier performance analysis.

15. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how associate buyers use product development:
  • Maintained communications between product development, corporate office, distribution center, and store locations.
  • Facilitated product development through design, engineering, purchasing and merchandising departments.
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List of associate buyer skills to add to your resume

Associate buyer skills

The most important skills for an associate buyer resume and required skills for an associate buyer to have include:

  • Customer Service
  • Purchase Orders
  • Math
  • Vendor Relations
  • Logistics
  • Market Trends
  • Strong Analytical
  • Kids
  • Business Strategies
  • Open-To-Buy
  • MRP
  • Apparel
  • Gross Margin
  • Supplier Performance
  • Product Development
  • Delivery Dates
  • Product Selection
  • Inventory Management
  • ERP
  • Strategic Sourcing
  • Cost Savings
  • Trade Shows
  • E-Commerce
  • Product Line
  • Vendor Community
  • Store Operations
  • Merchandise Assortments
  • Product Assortment
  • ESourcing
  • IMU
  • POS
  • RFQ
  • OTB
  • Payment Terms
  • Retail Store
  • Promotional Strategies
  • Pricing Strategy
  • ISO
  • MRO
  • RFP
  • Inventory Control
  • Price Analysis
  • Business Trends
  • Gross Profit
  • Market Research
  • Receipt Flow
  • Sales Plan
  • Vendor Negotiations
  • DMM
  • Sales Performance

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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