Fashion buyer vs senior merchandise buyer

The differences between fashion buyers and senior merchandise buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a fashion buyer and a senior merchandise buyer. Additionally, a fashion buyer has an average salary of $56,120, which is higher than the $55,140 average annual salary of a senior merchandise buyer.

The top three skills for a fashion buyer include vendor relations, gross margin and market trends. The most important skills for a senior merchandise buyer are market trends, trade shows, and product development.

Fashion buyer vs senior merchandise buyer overview

	Fashion Buyer	Senior Merchandise Buyer
Yearly salary	$56,120	$55,140
Hourly rate	$26.98	$26.51
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	15,688	15,693
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Fashion buyer vs senior merchandise buyer salary

Fashion buyers and senior merchandise buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fashion Buyer	Senior Merchandise Buyer
Average salary	$56,120	$55,140
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $78,000	Between $39,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between fashion buyer and senior merchandise buyer education

There are a few differences between a fashion buyer and a senior merchandise buyer in terms of educational background:

	Fashion Buyer	Senior Merchandise Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Specialized Sales And Merchandising	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Akron

Fashion buyer vs senior merchandise buyer demographics

Here are the differences between fashion buyers' and senior merchandise buyers' demographics:

	Fashion Buyer	Senior Merchandise Buyer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%	Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between fashion buyer and senior merchandise buyer duties and responsibilities

Fashion buyer example responsibilities.

Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
React to update OTB, markdowns and other financial markers on a regular basis.
Evaluate sales records and inventory levels to determine appropriate product requirements for a wide variety of automotive and industrial commodities.
Originate BOM structure for production operations.

Senior merchandise buyer example responsibilities.

Coordinate and provide direction to inventory teams by managing product placement, open-to-buy, and logistics.
Work closely with the logistics department and internal warehouse to coordinate just in time deliveries and maintain daily inventory reconciliation.
Manage business relationship with Japanese OEM of wide-format printer engines.

Fashion buyer vs senior merchandise buyer skills

Common fashion buyer skills

Vendor Relations, 14%
Gross Margin, 11%
Market Trends, 11%
Vendor Communication, 10%
Product Selection, 9%
Payment Terms, 5%

Common senior merchandise buyer skills

Market Trends, 24%
Trade Shows, 23%
Product Development, 12%
Drive Sales, 8%
Direct Reports, 7%
Gross Profit, 7%

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Fashion Buyer
Fashion Buyer vs Senior Merchandise Buyer

Updated January 8, 2025

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