Merchandise Planner

About CommentSoldCommentSold is the North American leader in live selling technology (ranked by G2), having enabled over 7,000 small to mid-sized retailers with live-selling tools, generating over 166 million items sold with $3.8B in lifetime GMV. CommentSold's technology continues to provide businesses and creators of all sizes with best-in-class solutions for delivering engaging live video commerce experiences across all of their sales channels simultaneously. CommentSold moved into direct-to-consumer commerce via the acquisition of assets of Popshoplive, a community-driven livestream shopping marketplace app at the intersection of social, e-commerce and entertainment. In 2022, CommentSold debuted its lightweight video commerce plugin technology, Videeo, which gives any retailer or brand the ability to embed and go live with engaging, branded live video commerce experiences within days by easily integrating into an existing e-commerce stack.Merchandise PlannerJoin America's largest live selling and video commerce platform, and help drive the next level of growth as our Merchandise Planner.Live Selling Starts at CommentSold.CommentSold offers retailers a complete live sales solution. From onboarding and strategy, superior go-live technology, and live selling best practices to backend solutions for inventory, invoicing, and fulfillment–our team is there to guide a top-notch customer experience every step of the way. And we're just getting started.In your role as Merchandise Planner, you will be responsible for strategic planning, controlling, and monitoring the purchasing, intake, and distribution of merchandise across the country, working across multi-seasons and assortments in order to maximize sales and margin. Working closely with the Marketplace Operations team, the core areas of focus are planning, reporting, and analytics. You will report to the Director, Marketplace & Dropship. This role is based out of Santa Monica, California.In this role, you will• Liaise with our suppliers based in Asia, building robust vendor relationships and owning communication between vendors and CS; You are fluent in Mandarin• Plan, control, and monitor the purchasing of merchandise, while looking for continuous improvement opportunities• Update the merchandise planning calendar, as necessary• Analyze, plan, and communicate promotions• Analyze sales data to create demand plans and strategies for specific Departments or Categories• Prepare for pre-season planning, present plans to CS leadership, build reports, and update systems in accordance with the plans and ensure full end-of-season departmental reviews are held within the teams• Prepare and action markdown proposals, ensuring they fall within the defined parameters of budget and margin targets• Inform demand forecasting and aid proper allocation of products, including but not limited to repeat and new orders using Excel or other tools• Take part in the weekly meetings in conjunction with the Marketplace Ops team to review sales performance on best-selling lines from the previous week for the assigned product Departments and determine which products to re-order/discontinue• Analyze historical selling to refine and improve seasonal selling models• Assess the assortment plan and architecture in conjunction with the sales plan, paying close attention to sell -through rates, end dates, and future sales• Review past sales performance against projections to understand the discrepancies and how to improve in the future• Review product pricing in combination with cost management to hit financial margins and targets provided by the business• Communicate effectively across all levels and via all channels, in particular with colleagues/suppliers• Monitor continuative and core monthly sales in order to avoid any missed opportunities and suggest any exceeding quantities to releaseIf you're right for this role, you• Have 3 years of experience in e-commerce merchandising, planning, or demand planning or business analysis of primary retail or fashion company• Speak Mandarin, required• Are proficient in Microsoft Excel• Are a detail-oriented individual who is excited by, and has a proven track record in developing, optimizing, and managing processes• Are experienced in conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis against KPIs and proactively suggesting corrective actions, if required• Are confident proactively communicating performance variances and/or changes with internal stakeholders, ensuring alignment with company vision and forecast• Are a collaborator with strong interpersonal skills who takes great pride and care in establishing and nurturing relationships• Are praised for excellent communication skills; you're confident talking on the phone and in virtual meetings• Bonus: Have used SQL queries to create reports and perform statistical analysis of sales information• Are energized by problem-solving, all day every day• Are low ego, high passion• Can work onsite in Santa Monica, CA; relocation not available for this positionBase Comp Range: $75,000 - $85,000 (Depending on experience and level) / Bonus PotentialWe love our valuesWe're building a community, our chosen circle, around a set of values that guide how we work and interact with the world around us. Our cultural norms at work can't be turned off when the computer's away - we live these in every part of our lives. Our team isn't for everyone, so if you're right for it, the following values should resonate strongly with how you live your life.Deliver for our customer COMMUNITY: We are committed to making our customers successful.Do it as a TEAM: We actively listen to diverse perspectives and respond empathetically.Help each other GROW: We are willing to get uncomfortable for the sake of our growth.OWN it: We do our part to reach the team's shared goals and hold ourselves and others accountable.DRIVE forward: We are determined to innovate for impact.