The Best Guide For Retail Merchandising

Do you love fashion and retail? If so, a career in retail merchandising may be perfect for you! This field is growing rapidly, and there are many opportunities available. In this blog post, we will discuss what you need to know about a career in retail merchandising. We will cover topics such as job duties, salaries, and education requirements. So if you are interested in learning more about this exciting career field, keep reading!

What is retail merchandising and what does a retail merchandiser do?

Retail merchandising is the process of planning and executing retail strategies to sell products or services. A retail merchandiser is responsible for tasks such as creating displays, setting up promotions, and pricing merchandise. They also work closely with buyers and managers to ensure that the products they are selling are in stock and meet customer demand.

Retail merchandiser jobs depend on a few things like sales trends and market trends and for most retail merchandisers, working closely with a retail buyer. Many retail merchandisers also have experience in customer service, as they often work closely with customers on the sales floor.

Aside from hitting the goals of retail sales, many retail merchandiser jobs require a different skill set than most retail careers in fashion merchandising.

The necessary skills for a retail merchandising career

In the fashion business, retail locations play a huge role when it comes to sales figures as well as the selling floor. Sales experience is an expectation but a customer needs retail merchandisers to do more than just sell.

Fashion retail merchandisers are the retail professionals who make sure that garments and other merchandise is displayed appealingly, easy to find, and correctly priced.

They also play a critical role in analyzing sales data to help determine what build displays should look like or how to keep proper stock levels. Customer satisfaction is important but so are the customers reactions to what they see when they first enter the store.

Many retail merchandisers move up into management positions because of their vast knowledge of retail merchandise and their ability to understand what sells well in different types of stores.

Their responsibilities would likely include hiring and training new retail employees, working with vendors, planning promotions, and more.

Some skills that retail merchandiser jobs ask for are:

• Problem-Solving Skills

• Mathematical Skills

• Interpersonal Skills

• Organizational Skills

• Communication Skills

• Creative Skills

If you are interested in a retail merchandising career, there are so many choices when it comes to a career path and most employers consider product knowledge as a relevant experience instead of a college degree.

The types of jobs in the field of retail merchandising like visual merchandising

There are many related jobs to department stores and most merchandising jobs visit stores or fashion shows. Merchandisers work with smaller companies to develop a good understanding of daily operations with store openings, financial presentations, and range planning. Some of the jobs for merchandising departments include:

Assistant Buyer:

An assistant buyer is someone responsible for finding the right price by helping to negotiate prices. Some other responsibilities are to monitor sales, shipments, and stocking shelves or doing an inventory of new merchandise. The best way to get started as an assistant buyer is to have a degree in business, retail management, or merchandising.

Skills: The skills of an assistant buyer are negotiation, organization, and retail software.

Education: A bachelor’s degree is the most common education for this job.

Salary: The median salary of an assistant buyer per year is $46,000.

Visual Merchandiser:

A visual merchandiser is responsible for the way products are displayed in stores. This includes the placement of products, signs, and displays. They also create window displays and in-store displays. The best way to get into visual merchandising is by working closely with store management.

Skills: The skills of a visual merchandiser are creativity, retail sales, and marketing.

Education: There is no specific education required to become a visual merchandiser, but many employers prefer candidates who have a degree in retail management or marketing.

Salary: The median salary of a visual merchandiser per year is $37,000.

Customer Service Representative:

A customer service representative is responsible for customer sales, processing customer orders, and handling customer inquiries. They also provide product information and resolve customer complaints. You can usually get a job in customer service for fashion merchandising at a new store or retail location pretty easily.

Skills: The skills of a customer service representative are active listening, organizational skills, problem-solving, and computer literacy.

Education: There is no specific education required to become a customer service representative, but many employers prefer candidates with a high school diploma.

Salary: The median salary for a customer service position per year is $23,000.

Senior Manager:

Senior managers help with hiring staff for the sales floor and often interview potential candidates. They also develop the fashion merchandising plan for the store and create displays. A retail merchandiser will work with store management on sales projections or sales forecasts and marketing for retail sales.

Skills: The skills of a senior manager are leadership, communication, organizational skills, and problem-solving.

Education: The education required to become a senior manager is typically a bachelor’s degree in business administration or retail management.

Salary: The median salary for a senior manager per year is $57,000.

Fashion Buyer:

A fashion buyer is someone responsible for working with the retail merchandiser on sales goals, retail sales, and marketing. Other responsibilities include the sales floor, working with store management, attending fashion shows, and setting fashion trends. Some buyers for merchandising look for fashion trends while others focus on the retail store’s needs.

Skills: The skills of a fashion buyer are retail merchandising, sales goals, retail sales, marketing, fashion trends, and store management.

Education: The education required to become a fashion buyer is typically a bachelor’s degree in business administration or retail management.

Salary: The median salary for a fashion buyer per year is $40,000.

Store Manager:

A store manager is responsible for also working with the retail merchandiser on the sales floor. They are in charge of hiring, training, and scheduling employees. Store management for any company or business can be stressful but business with merchandising sales and marketing can be even more challenging.

Skills: The skills of a store manager are adaptability, customer service, leadership, and problem-solving.

Education: The education required to become a store manager is typically a bachelor’s degree in business administration or retail management.

Salary: The median salary for a store manager per year is $54,000.

The retail merchandising career field offers many opportunities for those who are interested in a fast-paced environment with the potential to earn a good salary. If you have the skills and education required, a career in retail merchandising may be the right choice for you.

Retail Merchandising Job Listings In Your Area:

How to get started with retail merchandising in retail stores

You can get started with a company as a retail merchandiser by working in retail stores. You will be responsible for stocking shelves and displays, organizing merchandise, and keeping the store looking its best. Many retail merchandisers start their careers as retail sales associates or customer service representatives.

As a retail merchandiser, you will need to be able to work well with others and have excellent communication skills as mentioned above. You won’t need a master’s degree and it’s typical for a retail merchandiser to have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Network with customers at the company you work for now and build relationships with buyers from other retail stores. Get to know as much about retail merchandising as you can and stay updated on industry news and trends. The more you know, the better your chances will be of landing a great job in retail merchandising!

Salary and job outlook for retail merchandisers

Labor statistics for retail merchandisers differ by location but the employment outlook for retail sales is positive. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, retail sales jobs are expected to grow by about three percent between 2018 and 2028.

The median salary for retail merchandisers was $46,570 in 2019, according to the BLS.

Keep in mind that salaries will vary depending on experience, education, and location. The industry for retail looks bright as well, with retail e-commerce sales projected to grow between 12 and 24 percent annually through 2021.

We hope you enjoyed reading about retail merchandising and if you have any thoughts or comments be sure to leave them below! For more information about careers in retail check out our Retail Jobs category!