As a Merchant Assistant, you will support the Merchant team in developing, executing and driving assortment strategies for a given product category. In this role you will work closely with the Merchant Category owners to execute on the strategic vision for a category. You will support in verifying ranges that become our “Wayfair Verified” items (Wayfair’s super set of products that capture our highest % of revenue). You will understand the category curation vision and work hands on with the product to ensure the quality, style and price point are representative of our strategy. You will influence how curated product ranges are quality checked and verified, surfacing our best items across all Wayfair marketing channels (print, digital and social), ensuring accurate product representation and appropriate shelf placement. 

 

What you'll do on any given day as a Merchant Assistant...

As a Merchant Assistant, you will be executing against our ambitious goals to shape our future curation strategy.  You will gain a deep understanding of the competitive market for your class. You will work alongside Merchants to bring the class and category vision to life on Wayfair. You will validate and audit our selected “Wayfair Verified” items to ensure they meet our rigorous quality standards. You will know our customer’s needs better than anyone else and apply your knowledge to ensure we are amplifying the correct products across the website and all marketing channels. You are working closely with senior merchants to understand the vision of what tomorrow’s best sellers will be to continue to surprise and delight our target market. Your success requires tenacity, agility, attention to detail, collaboration, and an excellent team spirit. 

 

What You’ll Do 

• Support in building and maintaining category assortment strategies, inclusive of developing a shelf space plan and actively selecting, developing and iterating on the product offering
• Audit our Wayfair verified items, but checking the product against a rigorous set of quality standards
• Determining if each product should be included within as “Wayfair Verified” item based on your findings in the audit process
• Communicate the auditing results with the wider Merchants team to amplify successful items and replace unsuccessful items / product gaps. 
• Partner closely with the Wayfair Verified Studio team to support with video scheduling
• Collaborate with PVP Sampling Team & WH Consolidation Team to ensure the smooth running of the sampling process through to assembly and audit of item.
• Identify opportunities for category growth, utilizing competitive analysis, trend research, and internal performance monitoring as data points
• Maintain a close pulse on trends and customer needs to identify new assortment opportunities alongside Senior Merchant teams.  
• International Travel [1-2x / year] Attend industry trade shows relevant to your categories to partner with strategic suppliers and further optimize our catalog    

 

Who You Are

• A recent graduate or entry level candidate, excited to enter a merchandising career path in a fast paced ecommerce environment
• Strong creative sense, elevated taste level, and love of product.  A genuine passion for industry trends, product design, and home decorating is a plus.
• Work experience in buying or merchandising categories, curating assortments and developing compelling assortment presentations are all highly preferred.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence internal stakeholders to align behind and execute against a common goal
• Capable of thriving in a high-growth environment in which defining clarity amidst ambiguity and operating in “scrappy start-up building mode” are everyday activities. 
• Self-starter motivated by the potential to define a creative and strategic vision and have an outsized impact within a team and company
• Ability to work from Wayfair’s Birmingham Office (Lutterworth) 5 days a week