Julianne Rah: Associate Buyer - Footwear in Seattle, WA

• Being in charge of multi-million dollar vendor portfolio of over 30 brands, forecasting trends, negotiating with vendors, and meeting demand and margin goals. • Creating, pivoting, and managing a calendar of events, with 2-4 multiple events going live online daily to provide the best assortment and offerings to customers. • Navigating through inventory losses and delays caused by covid-related supply chain issues and finding innovative ways to secure key inventory, including negotiating and launching exclusive special makeup products with key vendors. • Working closely with vendor representatives and operations contacts to secure key inventory and ensuring timely delivery of purchase orders. • Collaborating cross functionally with Marketing and Creative teams on email marketing and influencer programs to highlight products in charge. • Working with other divisions' merchandising teams and participating in their events, introducing footwear to different sets of customers and creating new opportunities for additional sales. • Resolving product quality control issues, ranging from updating product copy and images to sending defective products back to vendors. • Analyzing item, category and event sales to evaluate vendor performance and brand strategies. • Helping to train new assistant buyers.

• Supported Buyer by curating a compelling product selection that stands out from competition and excites customers. • Negotiated buying terms with vendors, including price, quantity, delivery and payment terms. • Collaborated with Buyer on product evaluation and selection. • Established and maintained relationships with vendors before, during, and post events. • Helped Creative Team complete photo shoots on time by delivering creative assets from the vendor, including images, press kits, reel assets, and product samples. • Audited the website to improve accuracy and increase sales. • Onboarded and managed new vendor business. • Participated in new content curation tool development project as merchandising team’s representative, advocating for merchandising team’s interests ?and inputs during development and serving as subject matter expert post launch.

• Supported Buyer by curating a compelling product selection that stands out from competition and excites customers. • Negotiated buying terms with vendors, including price, quantity, delivery and payment terms. • Collaborated with Buyer on product evaluation and selection. • Established and maintained relationships with vendors before, during, and post events. • Helped Creative Team complete photo shoots on time by delivering creative assets from the vendor, including images, press kits, reel assets, and product samples. • Audited the website to improve accuracy and increase sales. • Onboarded and managed new vendor business. • Participated in new content curation tool development project as merchandising team’s representative, advocating for merchandising team’s interests ?and inputs during development and serving as subject matter expert post launch.

• Worked as Merchandising Team’s main point of contact to optimize overstock and obsolete product liquidation process and provided ongoing support to Accounting, Fulfillment Center, Buying and Planning teams.? • Investigated and resolved all company-wide domestic warehouse inventory issues, including product data inquiries and inventory inconsistencies, and provided Buyers with product troubleshooting resolutions. • Created online product and brand management standards for new brands and divisions caused by mergers, authoring Standard Operating Procedures on how to handle brand changes. • Developed and maintained strong partnerships with cross-functional team members, e.g. Merchandising, Drop Ship, Fulfillment Center, Customer Service, Marketing, Database and E-commerce Application teams. • Supported buying team by executing price changes, Return to Vendor and resolving purchase order exceptions, in addition to duties as Site Coordinator (see below). ?

• Managed vendor relationships with over 100 men’s, women’s, children’s brands and private labels, and led up launching up to 3,000 products per season, and coordinating with buyers. ? • Took full ownership of the production life cycle from creation to publication. ? • Oversaw product content, including UPC acquisition, management of samples, product images, brand images and product details. ? • Resolved product and brand issues, including coordinating with Customer Service and cross-functional departments. ? • Assigned merchandising categories and performed product quality assurance before setting products live online. • Worked closely with Buyers to onboard and launch 20 new brand, including Cole Haan, Sam Edelman, Bearpaw and Stride Rite.

• Automated and standardized image processing procedures to speed up production. • Executed merchandise prioritization out of up to 2,000 new products each week and managed photo studio workflow. • Developed and maintained strong partnerships with all cross-functional team members, including Merchandising, Marketing, IT, Web Development and Operations teams. • Reviewed vendor-supplied images and enforced image requirements and guidelines. • Developed standard operating procedures on image quality control, image processing, and vendor compliance guides. ?

• Redefined and maintained brand design strategies to improve the company's corporate image. • Consulted with internal clients to create ongoing marketing efforts, leveraged for sales increase and customer retention. • Designed and maintained a library of product brochures and case study flyers. • Managed production of internal communications, online and print marketing campaigns • Negotiated with external vendors to reduce marketing expenses by eliminating redundancies. • Executed search engine optimization and ongoing website updates.