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Merchandise planner vs demand planner

The differences between merchandise planners and demand planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a merchandise planner, becoming a demand planner takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a demand planner has an average salary of $82,287, which is higher than the $69,460 average annual salary of a merchandise planner.

The top three skills for a merchandise planner include gross margin, strong analytical and math. The most important skills for a demand planner are supply chain, customer service, and logistics.

Merchandise planner vs demand planner overview

Merchandise PlannerDemand Planner
Yearly salary$69,460$82,287
Hourly rate$33.39$39.56
Growth rate19%28%
Number of jobs32,30127,351
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4441
Years of experience46

What does a merchandise planner do?

A merchandise planner is responsible for monitoring the adequacy of stock inventories and requesting purchase orders by researching current market trends to meet customer demands. Merchandise planners assist with marketing campaigns and promotional offers of the business, selling goods and services to the customers based on their needs and budget requirements. They also write sales reports, inspect the validity of merchandise, and maintain an attractive visual display of items. A merchandise planner resolves and escalates customer complaints timely, processes replacements, and issues refunds as needed.

What does a demand planner do?

A demand planner specializes in conducting research and analysis to develop forecast models that will help determine a supply chain's demands. They are also responsible for monitoring the inventory of products, maintaining knowledge and awareness on the latest trends, producing progress reports and presentations, establishing demand plans, and detecting any changes in the forecast, reporting them to management right away. Furthermore, as a demand planner, it is essential to coordinate with everyone in the team, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.

Merchandise planner vs demand planner salary

Merchandise planners and demand planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Merchandise PlannerDemand Planner
Average salary$69,460$82,287
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $102,000Between $61,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companyPandoraMeta
Best paying industryRetailTechnology

Differences between merchandise planner and demand planner education

There are a few differences between a merchandise planner and a demand planner in terms of educational background:

Merchandise PlannerDemand Planner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Merchandise planner vs demand planner demographics

Here are the differences between merchandise planners' and demand planners' demographics:

Merchandise PlannerDemand Planner
Average age4441
Gender ratioMale, 37.1% Female, 62.9%Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.1% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 11.1% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between merchandise planner and demand planner duties and responsibilities

Merchandise planner example responsibilities.

  • Monitor and analyze planned assortments by door in order to achieve plan turn goals and ROI.
  • Manage purchase order logs to ensure plan receipts and IMU requirements are maintained in the department.
  • Complete training on the JDA planning and forecasting system to effectively manage the financial aspects of each department.
  • Implement and manage the E3 auto-replenishment system to optimize inventory levels of width-size shoes, core shoes and shoe accessories.
  • Manage product flow in apparel category; determining order quantities and generating purchase orders for new and replenishment orders.
  • Manage and maintain the OTB for specific departments by preparing forecasts, evaluating performance, and maximizing profitability while minimizing liabilities.
    • Show more

Demand planner example responsibilities.

  • Manage WIP production for the co packers.
  • Structure and lead quarterly internal quality audits for government DoD programs.
  • Develop and monitor appropriate KPIs to drive performance and achieve corporate goals.
  • Manage 700,000 store/DC-SKU combinations across 10 DC's and two restaurant chains using JDA Demand/Fulfill.
  • Lead cross-functional team that automate ERP planning process to provide near real-time visibility to the stakeholders.
  • Manage JIT inventory for bottle and can lines along with staying in constant contact with the vendors.
    • Show more

Merchandise planner vs demand planner skills

Common merchandise planner skills
  • Gross Margin, 8%
  • Strong Analytical, 7%
  • Math, 7%
  • Historical Data, 7%
  • Open-To-Buy, 6%
  • Apparel, 6%
Common demand planner skills
  • Supply Chain, 15%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Strong Analytical, 5%
  • Continuous Improvement, 5%
  • Demand Forecasts, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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