Fashion Merchandising Study Guide

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering basic fashion terminology, marketing concepts, fashion movement theories, major global fashion centers, influential designers, and retail segments.

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Goods

Tangible items that are made, manufactured, or grown.

Services

Intangible things that people do, such as tasks performed for customers.

Marketing

The process of developing, promoting, and distributing products to satisfy customers’ needs and wants through a series of activities.

Marketing Concept

The idea that businesses must satisfy customers’ needs and wants in order to make a profit.

Target Market

The specific group of people that a business is trying to reach.

Market Segmentation

A way of analyzing a market by identifying a group of consumers and categorizing specific characteristics.

Fashion Merchandising

The planning, buying, and selling of fashion apparel and accessories to offer the right merchandise blend to meet consumer demand.

Product

What a company is offering for sale to customers to satisfy their needs and wants, including goods and services.

Price

The amount of money consumers will pay for a product.

Place

The way products are distributed and displayed.

Promotion

Any form of communication used to inform, persuade, or remind people to buy a product, such as advertising or personal selling.

Demographics

Personal characteristics such as age, gender, income, ethnic background, education, religion, occupation, and lifestyle.

Geographic

Statistics about where people live, including region, city, county, and climate.

Psychographics

Social and psychological characteristics such as attitudes, interests, and opinions.

Behavioral

Analyzing customers based on sales generated, shopping patterns, and purchase decision-making processes like brand loyalty.

Market Planning

Understanding concepts and strategies used to develop and target specific marketing strategies to a select audience.

Marketing Information Management

The gathering of information through marketing research to determine customer preferences, consisting of input, storage, analysis, output, and decision making.

Product/Service Management

The development, maintenance, and improvement of products in response to customer demands.

Pricing

Determining how much to charge for goods and services in order to maximize profits based on what customers are willing to pay.

Channel Management

Identifying, selecting, monitoring, and evaluating the paths or routes that goods and services take from the producer to the consumer.

Selling

The function involving direct personal contact to communicate the benefits and features of items to customers.

Fashion Movement

The ongoing motion of fashions moving through the fashion cycle.

Fashion Leaders

Trendsetters or individuals who are the first to wear new styles before they are adopted by the general public.

Introduction Stage

The phase of the fashion cycle where a style is first seen.

Rise Stage

The phase where a style is purchased, worn, and seen by many fashion leaders.

Peak Stage

The phase where a style is at the height of popularity and is copied by manufacturers.

Decline Stage

The phase where a style is undervalued and demand decreases among fashion laggers.

Obsolescence Stage

The final phase where a style is rejected in favor of new looks.

Trickle Down Theory

Fashion theory stating that trends start at the top with higher socioeconomic consumers and move down to the general public.

Trickle Up Theory

Fashion theory stating that trends start with lower-income levels or younger consumers and move to consumers with higher incomes.

Trickle Across Theory

Fashion theory stating that fashion acceptance begins among several socioeconomic classes at the same time.

New York Fashion District

The largest fashion district in the world, hosting Fashion Week every February and September.

Paris

The first fashion capital and the birthplace of haute couture, home to the French Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.

Tokyo Fashion

Known for luxury brands and street fashion such as Harajuku, Gyaru, Ganguro, Kogal, Visual Kei, and Mori Girl.

Giorgio Armani

Designer known for Men’s Wear, most notably suits.

Coco Chanel

Designer responsible for the Little Black Dress.

Christian Dior

Designer who created "The New Look."

Alexander McQueen

Designer known for elaborate fashion shows and bumsters.

Yves St Laurent

Designer known for women’s pants suits.

Vivian Westwood

Designer known as the Queen of Punk.

Department Stores

Establishments carrying different kinds of merchandise housed in separate sections or departments.

Flagship Stores

The original store that provides merchandise and operational direction to its branch stores.

Boutiques

Specialty stores that offer a limited selection of items that tend to be more trendy.

Outlets

Off-price retailers that sell overruns or damaged items (seconds) from a prior season.

E-Commerce

Services or products offered online for $24/7$ access.

Advertising

A paid promotional message by an identified sponsor about its fashion products or ideas.

Publicity

Nonpaid messages to the public about a company’s merchandise, activities, or services.

Visual Merchandising

The integrated look of a store, including storefront and interior displays, designed to promote store image and sell goods.

Primary Market

Businesses that grow and produce the raw materials that become fashion apparel or accessories.

Secondary Market

Businesses that transform raw materials into fashion in the merchandise phase; the link to the retail world.

Tertiary Market

Businesses that sell goods and services to the consumer.