A True Merchant

Merchants are born, not made, says Jennifer Anderson Benevides, merchandising manager at Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, a Portland, ME-based catalog of country-inspired home furnishings. A former apparel buyer for a retailer, Benevides is new to cataloging and is thriving on its multi-faceted challenges. She recently spoke with Alicia Orr Suman, freelance writer and the former editor in chief of Catalog Success.

Catalog Success: How did you get involved in catalog merchandising?

Benevides: I started at a retailer called Anderson-Little in Massachusetts right out of college. Though it’s no longer in business, it was a great training ground. It was a national company that sold men’s and women’s apparel, and I got to travel overseas as a buyer. Everything was private label in our stores, so it was a great place to learn product development.

I was working as an apparel buyer when I got the call from Sturbridge Yankee. I was intrigued to try something outside of the apparel industry. I had 15 years of merchandise experience and was ready for something new. A catalog seemed like a great place for me to go next. I really feel that merchandising is a calling, and it’s something I can do whether it’s at a retailer or a cataloger.

CS: What’s your role at Sturbridge Yankee Workshop?

Benevides: I’m the lead merchant here, so my role is really determining what merchandise is appropriate for our brand. I’ve always worked for brands. It’s important to know who your customer is and what he or she wants from you. As merchants, we’re responsible for setting the vision and then sticking to that concept.

We stay true to the look, but at the same time continue to update our assortment. We have to maintain a balance between fresh and traditional merchandise. We update our looks to reflect current trends in home fashion, while maintaining our brand identity.

In my job, I always think of myself as the team leader for the merchants and as the personal shopper for the customer. I have a buyer, an assistant buyer, a reorder buyer and inventory personnel. We have local manufacturing here in New England where we product-develop and source.

CS: What are the biggest challenges you face in your day-to-day job as a merchandise manager?

Benevides: The job here is so multifaceted! We interface with every department in our company — from the warehouse to creative to customer service. And it can be a daily challenge to get through issues with everyone staying positive.

This is a 51-year-old company, and we have some great employees who’ve been here a long time, and I think that’s really important for everyone to feel a part of the same team and to communicate; but it also can be a challenge on a daily basis.

CS: What do you see as the keys to catalog merchandising success?

Benevides: Merchants are born, not made. It’s imperative to have the right merchandising staff. To be a good merchant, you need to have good analytical skills plus a solid knowledge of your customers.

Realize that numbers can only take you so far. A lot of the job is interpreting those numbers such as, why our customer is purchasing a certain item. Our typical customer is 40-plus years old, she’s middle income and pretty much the average American woman who likes the country décor style.

CS: Where do you turn for ideas and inspiration?

Benevides: The best merchants are always reaching for the next great product. It’s important to stay current for your customer. Our merchandise has changed since I’ve been here, but it’s still country décor. We continue to update the concept of country, and now our assortment reflects a more current look.

I read the return comments from customers for ideas. Most people compliment an item, even when they’re returning it! But they’ll give us clues as to why it wasn’t what they wanted or expected.

While we haven’t added anything really outside of our realm, we’ve added some more unique things we didn’t think we could sell a few years ago, like dog products and handmade items.