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Merchandise lead vs sales supervisor

The differences between merchandise leads and sales supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a merchandise lead and a sales supervisor. Additionally, a sales supervisor has an average salary of $40,860, which is higher than the $35,572 average annual salary of a merchandise lead.

The top three skills for a merchandise lead include sales floor, customer service and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a sales supervisor are ladders, sales floor, and inventory control.

Merchandise lead vs sales supervisor overview

Merchandise LeadSales Supervisor
Yearly salary$35,572$40,860
Hourly rate$17.10$19.64
Growth rate6%-
Number of jobs72,605424,088
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age4343
Years of experience66

What does a merchandise lead do?

A merchandise lead is responsible for strategizing merchandise methods to reach sales performance targets. Merchandise leads assist the consumers in choosing the best products according to their needs and budget limitations. They evaluate the current market trends to generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability by negotiating with trusted suppliers and vendors. A merchandise lead must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in helping with marketing and promotional campaigns to attract consumers' interests and meet public demands.

What does a sales supervisor do?

A sales supervisor is an individual who is responsible for the daily activities of sales representatives in promoting and selling a product by phone or email. He/She needs to track the weekly and monthly performances of his/her sales representatives. The minimum requirement of being a sales supervisor is a high school diploma. However, he/she is required to have two years of working experience. One of the skills required of a sales supervisor is to have the ability to multitask and time management.

Merchandise lead vs sales supervisor salary

Merchandise leads and sales supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Merchandise LeadSales Supervisor
Average salary$35,572$40,860
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $45,000Between $31,000 And $53,000
Highest paying CityGreen Bay, WINew York, NY
Highest paying stateRhode IslandNew York
Best paying companyPepsiCoServiceNow
Best paying industryRetailManufacturing

Differences between merchandise lead and sales supervisor education

There are a few differences between a merchandise lead and a sales supervisor in terms of educational background:

Merchandise LeadSales Supervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY College of Technology at DelhiSUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Merchandise lead vs sales supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between merchandise leads' and sales supervisors' demographics:

Merchandise LeadSales Supervisor
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 42.5% Female, 57.5%Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between merchandise lead and sales supervisor duties and responsibilities

Merchandise lead example responsibilities.

  • Manage merchandising for lumber, building materials, paint, hardware, plumbing, electrical, and the garden department.
  • Facilitate price checks and pitch in to bag groceries as needed.
  • Coordinate all POS arrangements and merchandise as strategically design in floor plans.
  • Assist in all administrative responsibilities including opening and closing store, organization standards, scheduling and payroll processing.
  • Assist in CAO roll-out to other stores in district.
  • Coordinate production of sketch books for presentation of final dress line to sales force and top management of company.

Sales supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Create and lead staff development sessions on solution selling techniques/running effective promotions/POS execution/trade math.
  • Train new employees and insurance agents about Medicare and AlohaCare's procedures in promoting its senior plans.
  • Assist in visual merchandise, floor moves, inventory, stock, mark downs, POS transactions, online orders and delivery
  • Increase availability and visibility of brands on POS of assign territory.
  • Approve and reject billing documentation base on Medicare or payer qualifications.
  • Certify excellent overall cleanliness of the store to provide customers with exceptional visual presentations and easy-to-navigate store layouts.
  • Show more

Merchandise lead vs sales supervisor skills

Common merchandise lead skills
  • Sales Floor, 17%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 7%
  • Store Management, 7%
  • POS, 6%
  • Product Knowledge, 6%
Common sales supervisor skills
  • Ladders, 18%
  • Sales Floor, 10%
  • Inventory Control, 7%
  • Sales Training, 7%
  • Loss Prevention, 4%
  • Drive Sales, 4%