The world of merchandising might be for you if you excel at logistics, planning, and are a great communicator with a keen eye for making attractive storefronts. Merchandisers use their ability to coordinate, plan, and market to provide products to customers.
Ultimately, the merchandiser’s job is to obtain and keep an adequate amount of product on the shelves. They also work with buyers and strive to make that product presentable to customers by working with display staff.
Having a solid understanding of logistics and supply and demand, along with being an excellent marketer is vital for thriving in this job.
Sample job description
[Your Company Name] didn’t become one of the best in the industry because we sell something different than everyone else. We’re in the lead because we sell the same things, but better. We’re searching for a seasoned merchandiser that can not only reliably keep our products on the shelves, but present them in a way that catches the customer’s eye. If you think you have what it takes to be a logistics guru, a communication expert, and a marketing wizard all in one, then we have an opportunity for you!
Typical duties and responsibilities
- Accurately forecast and manage product levels
- Communicate and maintain strong working relationships with purchasers/buyers
- Research and interpret market trends and data and translate that into a salesfront
- Work with display staff to arrange and present products to customers
- Have a strong understanding of customer service and anticipate the wants and needs of our customers.
Education and experience
- Bachelor’s degree
- Supply chain, marketing or retail experience: 1 year
Required skills and qualifications
- Excellent understanding of supply chain risk management
- The ability to accurately forecast and supply goods
- A good communicator that can work with a wide variety of personality types
- An excellent marketer with an eye for developing a sales strategy that works
- Unquestionable integrity
- Passion and dedication to the company’s mission
Preferred qualifications
- Bachelor’s in supply chain management
- Demonstrated supply chain, marketing, or retail success
- Experience maintaining and managing product stock
- Experience with market research data tools and analytics
- Experience in understanding and prioritizing company goals
- Experience creating compelling sales strategies
Average salary and compensation
The average salary for a merchandiser is $44,000 per year in the United States, with a potential for cash bonuses per year. Salary may depend on the level of experience, education, and geographical location.
| Location | Salary Low | Salary High |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, Arizona | $43,750 | $59,200 |
| Los Angeles, California | $49,350 | $66,800 |
| Denver, Colorado | $41,150 | $55,650 |
| Washington, DC | $50,100 | $67,800 |
| Miami, Florida | $40,950 | $55,400 |
| Orlando, Florida | $37,750 | $51,100 |
| Tampa, Florida | $38,150 | $51,600 |
| Atlanta, Georgia | $40,000 | $54,150 |
| Chicago, Illinois | $46,000 | $62,250 |
| Boston, Massachusetts | $49,750 | $67,300 |
| Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota | $39,650 | $53,650 |
| New York City, New York | $52,350 | $70,850 |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $42,650 | $57,700 |
| Dallas, Texas | $41,500 | $56,150 |
| Houston, Texas | $41,350 | $55,900 |
| Seattle, Washington | $47,850 | $64,750 |
| Overall | $37,400 | $50,600 |
Typical work environment
Your typical work environment will be spent largely traveling to various store locations. At each store, you will be responsible for selling, setting up product displays and stocking shelves. This job requires heavy lifting and spending most of your day on your feet.
Typical hours
The general hours of a merchandiser are inside typical store hours, from 9 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Occasionally, there may be special events that might require set-up and breakdown, but these are few and far between.
Available certifications
As a merchandiser, there’s always room to give yourself a competitive advantage.
- APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)
- APICS Certified in Planning and Inventory Management
- SCOR Professional (SCOR-P) Endorsement
- Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution (CLTD)
These certifications will set you apart as someone who has a solid understanding of the supply chain world, and anyone that hires you will know they can trust you with providing the proper amount of product, on time and within budget.
Career path
There is no direct path to becoming a merchandiser, since it’s composed of so many different aspects. One might find themselves in the logistics world and stepping into marketing, or vice-versa. Regardless of your background, whether it be in management, marketing, supply chain, sales, or otherwise, demonstrating your ability to reliably provide a product in an interesting way will provide you an opportunity to thrive in this position.
US, Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job outlook
SOC Code: 11-1011
| 2020 Employment | 513,400 |
| Projected Employment in 2030 | 546,350 |
| Projected 2020-2030 Percentage Shift | 7% increase |
| Projected 2020-2030 Numeric Shift | 35,938 Increase |
Position trends
As long as there are consumers, there will be a need to sell competitively. And if you’re trying to remain competitive, you’ll need experts on your side to sell better than everyone else. Merchandisers both provide a level of risk mitigation to guarantee a product will be on the shelves, while also making that product appetizing to customers. Moving into a digital sales front only changes the medium with which a merchandiser must work, but the work remains largely the same.
Sample interview questions
- What’s the most creative thing you’ve done in the past year?
- What do you consider to be the most vital component to successful merchandising?
- What makes you want to buy something?
- What changes would you make to our current store set-up?
- Do you have any customer service experience?
- Would you consider yourself an effective communicator?
- What do you know about our target audience?
- What measures do you take to stay updated on industry news?
- Would you consider yourself good with time management?
- What’s an example of alternative problem solving that you’ve had?
- How much experience do you have forecasting and maintaining a supply chain?
- What would you consider the most challenging part of supply chain management?
- How do you handle high pressure at work?
- Can you describe a time in which you had to effectively deal with two completely different personality types?
- Have you ever made a supply mistake? If so, how did you remedy it?
