What is Receipt of an Order in Apparel Merchandising?

• Receipt of an order means final confirmation of the order from the buyer.
• Since, this is the final confirmation it is done by means of a legal document called a PO (Purchase Order) or an FC (Fabric Commitment).

• PO (Purchase Order) – this is a legal document stating the quantity, delivery, price, style no, buyer, vendor details. On receipt of a PO it is very important that the merchandiser checks all details and confirms that they are correct like – quantity, delivery date, price, style no, style description, color no & reference if mentioned, shipment mode, shipment port, vendor address, buyer address.

Receipt of an Order

• Fabric commitment– fabric commitment is a legal document confirming that the buyer will be buying the said quantity of a particular fabric. A garment style no need not be mentioned on this document as it is a commitment only for buying fabric. This kind of a legal document is used by the buyer when there are very probable chances of change in the style or the same fabric is being used in a number of styles and the buyer has still not decided on the quantity to be purchased in each of the styles. Hence in such a situation the buyer gives a block booking for fabric.
• Once the order is received four different activities are started off simultaneously. These activities are – preparing a detailed T&A ( time and action), Fabric Ordering, Trim Ordering, fit cycle and sample approvals.