A Merchandise analyst or merchandise planner is in charge of planning and monitoring a company inventory. Merchandize analysts also follow the charts of the sales, profits, or losses of the company or store they work for. Some of the responsibilities of a merchandise analyst include analyzing consumer patterns and presenting the data analyses to store managers, planners, and executives of a company for key decision making. Merchandize analysts often offer insights and help plan strategies that can help increase a company's revenue and minimize loss. You will also assist in planning implementation and reviewing a company's inventory allocation strategies, merchandise assortment, and other related strategies.
A bachelor's degree in business, supply chain management, finance, and other related fields is needed for this role. In addition to this, a merchandise analyst must have a good analytic ability, excellent problem-solving skills, and be good at making decisions. Good communication skill is also needed for this role as well as a good sense of time management, negotiation, and organization. Merchandize analysts are must be good with data entry and inventory reporting. The average yearly salary of a merchandise analyst is $72,280.
What is a Merchandise Analyst?
What Does a Merchandise Analyst Do
There are certain skills that many merchandise analysts have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, analytical skills and communication skills.
How To Become a Merchandise Analyst
If you're interested in becoming a merchandise analyst, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 83.2% of merchandise analysts have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.2% of merchandise analysts have master's degrees. Even though most merchandise analysts have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Merchandise Analyst Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a merchandise analyst can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as assistant buyer, progress to a title such as buyer and then eventually end up with the title supply chain manager.
Average Salary for a Merchandise Analyst
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Merchandise Analyst Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active merchandise analyst jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where merchandise analysts earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Merchandise Analyst Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,251 | $72,024 |
| 2 | New York | 843 | $73,375 |
| 3 | Texas | 708 | $67,731 |
| 4 | Virginia | 603 | $64,901 |
| 5 | Illinois | 559 | $67,537 |
| 6 | Florida | 559 | $51,011 |
| 7 | Maryland | 447 | $68,006 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 428 | $69,889 |
| 9 | Georgia | 395 | $67,158 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 389 | $74,353 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 387 | $70,718 |
| 12 | Ohio | 372 | $69,063 |
| 13 | New Jersey | 370 | $79,300 |
| 14 | Michigan | 333 | $74,469 |
| 15 | Colorado | 313 | $64,953 |
| 16 | Minnesota | 264 | $72,238 |
| 17 | Arizona | 251 | $59,340 |
| 18 | Missouri | 228 | $67,401 |
| 19 | Indiana | 225 | $60,151 |
| 20 | Washington | 190 | $101,734 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 185 | $52,348 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 184 | $69,013 |
| 23 | Alabama | 147 | $54,850 |
| 24 | Utah | 138 | $63,207 |
| 25 | Oregon | 133 | $76,345 |
| 26 | Iowa | 127 | $64,466 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 122 | $74,679 |
| 28 | South Carolina | 121 | $58,776 |
| 29 | Kentucky | 114 | $49,420 |
| 30 | Kansas | 106 | $57,844 |
| 31 | Nevada | 102 | $63,201 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 99 | $61,116 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | 91 | $68,267 |
| 34 | Nebraska | 79 | $62,864 |
| 35 | Louisiana | 73 | $60,744 |
| 36 | Idaho | 68 | $61,999 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 68 | $50,893 |
| 38 | New Mexico | 65 | $59,665 |
| 39 | Mississippi | 62 | $45,037 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | 55 | $63,929 |
| 41 | Hawaii | 48 | $61,030 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 48 | $54,655 |
| 43 | Delaware | 47 | $94,624 |
| 44 | Montana | 42 | $67,290 |
| 45 | North Dakota | 42 | $63,475 |
| 46 | Alaska | 40 | $73,102 |
| 47 | Maine | 36 | $66,768 |
| 48 | South Dakota | 36 | $63,278 |
| 49 | Vermont | 31 | $62,827 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 25 | $57,078 |
Top Colleges for Merchandise Analysts
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
3. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
4. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
5. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
8. University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE • Private
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
Top Skills For a Merchandise Analyst
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.1% of merchandise analysts listed powerpoint on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and analytical skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Merchandise Analyst Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Merchandise Analyst templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Merchandise Analyst resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Merchandise Analyst Demographics
Merchandise Analyst Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among merchandise analysts, 63.4% of them are women, while 36.6% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among merchandise analysts is White, which makes up 71.1% of all merchandise analysts.
- The most common foreign language among merchandise analysts is Spanish at 31.1%.
Work Experience Programs For Merchandise Analysts
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: JPMorgan Chase
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.5-6 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 4 hours
Company: JPMorgan Chase
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-5 hours
Company: JPMorgan Chase
Cost: Free
Duration: 8-12 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Online Courses For Merchandise Analyst That You May Like
1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...
Sales Hacking: Essential sales skills, sales strategies and sales techniques to sell just about anything!...
The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...
Best States For a Merchandise Analyst
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a merchandise analyst. The best states for people in this position are Washington, Delaware, New Jersey, and Oregon. Merchandise analysts make the most in Washington with an average salary of $101,734. Whereas in Delaware and New Jersey, they would average $94,624 and $79,300, respectively. While merchandise analysts would only make an average of $76,345 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New Jersey
$79,300
Avg. Salary
2. Delaware
$94,624
Avg. Salary
3. Michigan
$74,469
Avg. Salary
How Do Merchandise Analyst Rate Their Jobs?
Top Merchandise Analyst Employers
Most Common Employers For Merchandise Analyst
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michaels Stores | $91,570 | $44.02 | 11 |
| 2 | Nordstrom | $82,500 | $39.66 | 10 |
| 3 | Walgreens | $81,102 | $38.99 | 15 |
| 4 | Barnes & Noble | $80,503 | $38.70 | 6 |
| 5 | The TJX Companies | $79,081 | $38.02 | 11 |
| 6 | Spencer's | $78,709 | $37.84 | 12 |
| 7 | Kohl's | $76,125 | $36.60 | 67 |
| 8 | Goodies Etc. | $75,342 | $36.22 | 7 |
| 9 | Target | $73,610 | $35.39 | 41 |
| 10 | The Home Depot | $72,783 | $34.99 | 18 |
Merchandise Analyst Videos
