Category Manager - Lifestyle (Indianwear)

Tata CLiQ Fashion; Mumbai; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Tata CLiQ Fashion is seeking a commercially driven Category Manager for Indian Wear to lead growth, partnerships, and assortments across ethnic and designer-led brands. You will shape category strategy, negotiate with partners, and drive GMV while ensuring a differentiated customer experience.

The role requires 7–10 years in Category Management within ecommerce/retail, with strong negotiation and analytics skills, and a passion for fashion.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in category management, buying, merchandising, or brand management within Indian wear, fashion, ethnic wear, or lifestyle categories.
• Proven track record of driving category growth, GMV, and margin improvement.
• Strong commercial acumen with excellent negotiation and partner management skills.
• Data-driven decision-making with strong analytical capabilities.
• Customer-centric mindset focused on delivering exceptional shopping experiences.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute category growth plans aligned with the Indian Wear business strategy and annual operating plan.
• Own category performance across GMV, gross margins, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction metrics.
• Drive assortment planning, pricing strategies, and commercial negotiations to grow sales and profitability.
• Build and strengthen relationships with ethnic wear, contemporary Indian fashion, and designer brands.
• Collaborate with marketing, site merchandising, and operations to optimize pricing, inventory, and customer experience.

Skills

Category management

Merchandising

Negotiation

Analytics

Customer experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA (Tier 1/2 preferred)

Job description

Job Descrioption – Category Manager (Lifestyle – Indianwear)

Role Overview

We are looking for a commercially driven and fashion-forward Category Manager – Indian Wear to lead category growth, brand partnerships, and assortment strategy across ethnic apparel, contemporary Indian fashion, and designer-led brands. The role will drive GMV, profitability, customer experience, and category expansion by curating compelling assortments, building strategic brand partnerships, and delivering differentiated customer experiences aligned with business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Business Ownership

• Define and execute category growth plans aligned with the overall Indian Wear business strategy and annual operating plan.
• Own category performance across GMV, gross margins, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction metrics.
• Drive sales growth and profitability through effective assortment planning, pricing strategies, and commercial negotiations.

Brand & Partner Management

• Build and strengthen relationships with leading ethnic wear, contemporary Indian fashion, and designer brands.
• Identify and onboard new brands to expand category selection, improve market coverage, and drive customer acquisition.
• Develop joint business plans with brand partners to drive sustainable growth and improve business performance.
• Curate a differentiated assortment across ethnic apparel, occasion wear, fusion wear, festive collections, and related categories.
• Drive assortment expansion by balancing seasonal trends, new launches, core bestsellers, and emerging fashion opportunities.
• Partner with brands and internal teams to optimize pricing, inventory availability, and inventory health.

Marketing & Growth Enablement

• Collaborate with Marketing and Site Merchandising teams to drive category visibility, customer engagement, and conversion.
• Plan and execute seasonal campaigns, festive events, designer launches, and key category initiatives in partnership with brands.
• Leverage customer insights and market trends to identify growth opportunities and improve category performance.

Customer Experience & Quality Governance

• Drive a seamless shopping experience by continuously improving product discovery, content quality, assortment relevance, and brand representation.
• Monitor customer feedback, NPS, return rates, and operational metrics to identify and address improvement opportunities.
• Partner with Customer Experience and Operations teams to resolve escalations and enhance customer satisfaction.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Cataloguing, and Operations teams to ensure seamless execution of category plans.
• Present category performance, key insights, and growth opportunities to senior stakeholders.
• Drive innovation, process improvements, and best practices to enhance category efficiency and business outcomes.

Must-Have Skills

• Strong experience in category management, buying, merchandising, or brand management within Indian wear, fashion, ethnic wear, or lifestyle categories.
• Proven track record of driving category growth, GMV, and margin improvement.
• Strong commercial acumen with excellent negotiation and partner management skills.
• Data-driven decision-making and strong analytical capabilities.
• Customer-centric mindset with a focus on delivering exceptional shopping experiences.

Good-to-Have Skills

• Experience working with ethnic wear, designer wear, occasion wear, or premium Indian fashion brands.
• Exposure to e-commerce, omnichannel retail, or marketplace business models.
• Strong understanding of Indian fashion trends, festive consumption patterns, and customer behavior.
• Experience managing large brand portfolios and strategic partnerships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Fashion Management, Design, Marketing, or a related field.
• MBA from a Tier 1/2 institute preferred.
• 7-10 years of experience in Category Management in ecommerce and/or retail roles within Indian Wear, Fashion, Lifestyle.
• Demonstrated success in managing and scaling category performance through strong brand and business partnerships.

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to shape and scale one of India's fastest-growing Indian Wear businesses.
• High ownership role with direct impact on category growth, customer experience, and business performance.
• Exposure to leading ethnic wear and designer fashion brands across India.
• Collaborative and entrepreneurial environment with opportunities to drive innovation and business transformation.
• Competitive compensation and strong career growth opportunities within Tata CLiQ.