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.
Merchandise planner responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real merchandise planner resumes:
- 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.
- Produce maps in ArcGIS using demographic data for analysis.
- Analyze KPI sales trends to fulfill quarterly goals and projections.
- Provide store support for inventory, POS and office supplies.
- Assist in the creation of maps and graphics using AutoCad and GIS.
- Utilize ArcGIS Online and Collecter to create custom webmaps and field applications.
- Prevent numerous stock outages by finding inconsistencies to ERP data using reasoning.
- Used SQL queries to create reports and perform statistical analysis of sales information.
- Save 60K in three months by analyzing and correcting inventory levels in the ERP system.
- Used analytical, math and negotiating skills to make inform decisions in the buying process.
Merchandise planner skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Merchandise Planners are proficient in Gross Margin, Strong Analytical, and Math. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Merchandise Planners that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Gross Margin, 8%
Recommended and executed different pricing strategies based on inventory position to liquidate inventory with the highest gross margin return.
- Strong Analytical, 7%
Utilized strong analytical skills to develop seasonal financial strategies and inventory turn opportunities.
- Math, 7%
Train incoming assistant buyers on retail math and MS excel
- Historical Data, 7%
Monitor store capacity and analyze historical data and current trends to mitigate risks and identify opportunities for profitable growth.
- Open-To-Buy, 6%
Maximized sales by identifying top sellers and initiating reorders to support the trend within open-to-buy parameters while optimizing inventory position.
- Apparel, 6%
Managed product flow in apparel category; determining order quantities and generating purchase orders for new and replenishment orders.
Most merchandise planners use their skills in "gross margin," "strong analytical," and "math" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential merchandise planner responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a merchandise planner to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what merchandise planners do because "market research analysts must evaluate large amounts of data and information related to market conditions." Additionally, a merchandise planner resume shows how merchandise planners use analytical skills: "perform post-season analysis to assess vendor profitability, channel performance and inventory productivity. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform merchandise planner duties is communication skills. Merchandise planners responsibilities require that "market research analysts must be able to clearly convey information when gathering material, interpreting data, and presenting results to clients." Merchandise planners also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "manage vendor performance through effective negotiation and communication to maximize profitability and achieve financial objectives. "
Detail oriented. merchandise planners are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to merchandise planner responsibilities, because "market research analysts must pay attention to minutiae to evaluate data." A merchandise planner resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "created seasonal plan books, which detailed financial strategies. "
The three companies that hire the most merchandise planners are:
- Academy Sports + Outdoors7 merchandise planners jobs
- URBN6 merchandise planners jobs
- Newegg6 merchandise planners jobs
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Compare different merchandise planners
Merchandise planner vs. Assistant buyer
An assistant buyer participates and assists in the procurement procedures in a retail company. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around selecting products according to company guidelines, handling and organizing purchase orders, and monitoring the budget. An assistant buyer may also have administrative support tasks such as responding to calls and correspondence, preparing paperwork and progress reports, arranging schedules, keeping records of invoices and inventory, and staying updated with trends. Furthermore, an assistant buyer must reach out to new suppliers and engage with vendors to maintain and establish a positive business relationship.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, merchandise planner responsibilities require skills like "strong analytical," "identify risks," "recap," and "financial objectives." Meanwhile a typical assistant buyer has skills in areas such as "purchase orders," "vendor relations," "customer service," and "product knowledge." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Assistant buyers earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $43,235. On the other hand, merchandise planners are paid more in the retail industry with an average salary of $66,788.On average, assistant buyers reach similar levels of education than merchandise planners. Assistant buyers are 4.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Merchandise planner vs. Associate buyer
An Associate Buyer maintains and keeps records of the inventory and disburses the different materials as required by the departments or personnel. The Associate Buyer reports to the Buyer or Senior Buyer.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, merchandise planner responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "identify risks," "recap," "financial objectives," and "inventory productivity." Meanwhile, an associate buyer has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "purchase orders," "vendor relations," and "logistics." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Associate buyers earn a lower average salary than merchandise planners. But associate buyers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $52,342. Additionally, merchandise planners earn the highest salaries in the retail with average pay of $66,788 annually.In general, associate buyers achieve similar levels of education than merchandise planners. They're 2.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Merchandise planner vs. Wholesale buyer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from merchandise planner resumes include skills like "gross margin," "strong analytical," "math," and "historical data," whereas a wholesale buyer is more likely to list skills in "wholesale purchase," "international business," "retail sales," and "vehicle inventory. "
Wholesale buyers make a very good living in the hospitality industry with an average annual salary of $51,048. On the other hand, merchandise planners are paid the highest salary in the retail industry, with average annual pay of $66,788.Most wholesale buyers achieve a lower degree level compared to merchandise planners. For example, they're 6.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Merchandise planner vs. Fashion buyer
Types of merchandise planner
Updated January 8, 2025
