Merchandise planner vs fashion buyer

The differences between merchandise planners and fashion 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 merchandise planner and a fashion buyer. Additionally, a merchandise planner has an average salary of $69,460, which is higher than the $56,120 average annual salary of a fashion buyer.

The top three skills for a merchandise planner include gross margin, strong analytical and math. The most important skills for a fashion buyer are vendor relations, gross margin, and market trends.

Merchandise planner vs fashion buyer overview

	Merchandise Planner	Fashion Buyer
Yearly salary	$69,460	$56,120
Hourly rate	$33.39	$26.98
Growth rate	19%	-
Number of jobs	32,301	15,688
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Merchandise planner vs fashion buyer salary

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

	Merchandise Planner	Fashion Buyer
Average salary	$69,460	$56,120
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $102,000	Between $40,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Pandora	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between merchandise planner and fashion buyer education

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

	Merchandise Planner	Fashion Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Specialized Sales And Merchandising
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Merchandise planner vs fashion buyer demographics

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

	Merchandise Planner	Fashion Buyer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.1% Female, 62.9%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
Race ratio	Black 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, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between merchandise planner and fashion buyer 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.

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.

Merchandise planner vs fashion buyer skills

Common merchandise planner skills

Gross Margin, 8%
Strong Analytical, 7%
Math, 7%
Historical Data, 7%
Open-To-Buy, 6%
Apparel, 6%

Common fashion buyer skills

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