Urban Outfitters Assistant Buyer - Music & Books

The Assistant Buyer supports the Buying team in curating a customer-oriented product mix that drives growth and profitability. This role blends fashion awareness with analytical skills, helping to plan purchases, manage samples, analyze performance, and maintain accurate reporting. The Assistant Buyer acts as a liaison between internal teams and vendors, contributing to assortment strategy, product development, and operational execution while ensuring alignment with customer demand and business goals.

Assortment Strategy

• Support the Buyer in determining the mix of market and private label products using data-backed insights.
• Assist in tailoring assortments based on regional and demographic differences.
• Utilize customer feedback and market trends to help build a brand-appropriate and balanced assortment.
• Maintain Keep/Walk documentation for markdowns and replenishment direction.
• Track open-to-buy (OTB) budgets and update buy sheets for real-time information sharing.

Fashion & Trend Awareness

• Track global music, literary trends, and social media to identify emerging subcultures and 'must-have' physical media.
• Analyze cultural and societal shifts influencing music and customer preferences.
• Contribute to product selection with a strong sense of style and taste.
• Collaborate with merchandising on creative and marketing messages.

Product Development & Vendor Relations

• Attend external brand, partner, and vendor meetings.
• Drive outreach to labels, artists, and publishers to secure new partnerships and exclusive media releases.
• Negotiate cost improvements and validate timing with vendors.
• Manage vendor onboarding and outreach; collect vendor EOM sales reports and product activation notifications.
• Handle GTIN registration, HAZMAT forms, SDS forms, and determine shipping methods for customers.
• Manage dropship operations and submit branded asset and signage requests, including sign-off process.

Sample Management

• Obtain samples from vendors and organize them by classification and season.
• Maintain a tidy sample area and photo logs; ensure safe return of samples.
• Oversee weekly handover of new products and product information for merchandising, copy, and photography teams.

Data Management & Reporting

• Update and maintain assortment and buy sheets to provide real-time information to buying and planning teams.
• Use Island Pacific software to maintain order accuracy and perform basic analyses (e.g., style performance, key item flows).
• Report on sales by category, brand, or SKU; analyze sell-through rates and actual vs. forecasted sales.
• Evaluate the impact of promotions and markdown effectiveness.
• Build decks for team, division, and company alignment.

Collaboration & Communication

• Partner with the Buying Operations Coordinator to ensure timely and budget-compliant order receipt.
• Manage purchase order (PO) creation and reconciliation; confirm replenishment quantities with planning.
• Communicate professionally and effectively with peers, vendors, and cross-functional teams.
• Attend and actively participate in departmental and cross-functional meetings.
• Conduct web checks to ensure accuracy of product information.

#LI-MS5

Education & Experience Degree in Fashion, Merchandising, or related field preferred. 1+ years of experience in a clerical, retail, or merchandising role preferred.

Demographic Knowledge: Understand the target customer and select appropriate products and trends.

Analytical Understanding: Comfort with retail metrics (IMU%, MD%, GM%, sell-off, WOS, OTB).

Communication: Positive, professional, and timely communication across teams and vendors.

Time Management: Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines efficiently.

Detail Orientation: Strong attention to detail in managing samples, data, and documentation.

Ownership: Take accountability for work outcomes and decisions.

Inclusivity: Commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Key Attributes: Models behaviors that align with URBN’s values: 

Unite in communicating and collaborating with integrity.

Respect our planet, our world, and each other. 

Build lifestyle brands through creative entrepreneurship. 

  Nurture meaningful connections with customers and employees.

URBN offers comprehensive Perks & Benefits to employees. Availability and eligibility to specific benefits may be subject to your location and employment status. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, PTO, generous employee discounts, retirement savings and much more! For additional information visit www.urbn.com/work-with-us/benefits

URBN celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression), religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, service in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. We believe strongly in fostering a safe, fair and respectful work environment. To ensure compliance with our non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, we offer anti-harassment training to managers and employees.