What does a merchandiser do?
Merchandisers are employees working for a retail company. Merchandisers are mainly responsible for the store's products. They curate products that are in line with the store's branding. Merchandisers create purchase requisitions and, upon receipt of the products, create displays that would attract the customers. They also ensure that the inventory of the store is well-stocked. Merchandisers should be up to date with current market trends. They should also be familiar with what customers need and want. It is important for merchandisers to know their company's branding by heart. Merchandisers should be able to create good relationships with vendors as well so that their store may be chosen for special promotions.
Merchandiser responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real merchandiser resumes:
- Consult customers on Scotts products and educate them concerning the advantage and benefits over competitive products.
- Manage jewelry stock and inventory balances accurately.
- Manage backroom/stock room inventory by organizing pallets, stacking and storing product inventory.
- Google Adwords, SEO, etc.
- Carry items up and down ladders.
- Climb and work on ladders frequently.
- Stalk shelves and do intake management on delivery of groceries
- Assist customers at checkout and bag groceries as needed.
- Deliver and merchandise beverage, operate cdl class a truck
- Work in baby depot and youth department providing customer service and sales.
- Update SEO terms, meta data and page titles to improve organic web presence.
- Complete pre-trip and post-trip inspections, as well as verify load and seal numbers.
- Finalize purchase orders of women's accessories, including jewelry, hats, gloves, scarves.
- Home depot reset of stanley products, tear down beams and reset shelves and new price tags.
- Work with vendors, order merchandise, planograms, place displays with signage, and stock shelves.
Merchandiser skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Merchandisers are proficient in Customer Service, PET, and Pallets. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Communication skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Merchandisers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 20%
Provided customer service to Consumers and Store personnel regarding questions about merchandise and advised customers on merchandise selection.
- PET, 8%
Managed entire pet food recycling facility converting 9,000 tons per year from pet food to swine and poultry feed.
- Pallets, 5%
Warehouse Position Perform on pallet rider adapted to picking ordered items needed.
- Back Room, 5%
Maintained organized back room and organized breakage and damaged product to company standards.
- POS, 5%
Build Kraft product displays for effective POS merchandising in customer retail environment
- Sales Floor, 4%
Maximized company sales and profitability by maintaining the sales floor and ensuring inventory accuracy.
Most merchandisers use their skills in "customer service," "pet," and "pallets" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential merchandiser responsibilities here:
Detail oriented. One of the key soft skills for a merchandiser to have is detail oriented. You can see how this relates to what merchandisers do because "material and product inspecting clerks check items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." Additionally, a merchandiser resume shows how merchandisers use detail oriented: "work closely with store management transform stores and assemble displays based on elaborate and detailed instructions from the companies and corporate"
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform merchandiser duties is communication skills. Merchandisers responsibilities require that "production, planning, and expediting clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, and production managers and need to communicate the firm’s scheduling needs effectively." Merchandisers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "maintained communications with store management that included giving presentations to sell additional product from the suppliers to each location. "
Math skills. This is an important skill for merchandisers to perform their duties. For an example of how merchandiser responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "some material recording clerks use math to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a merchandiser: "possess basic mathematical skills, alphabetical skills, and working knowledge of computerized cash register and pos system. ".
Customer-service skills. merchandiser responsibilities often require "customer-service skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "stock clerks sometimes interact with customers in retail stores and may have to get the item the customer is looking for from the storeroom." This resume example shows what merchandisers do with customer-service skills on a typical day: "merchandised products on designated routes in a continuous effort to provide superior customer service and maintain strong customer relationships. "
The three companies that hire the most merchandisers are:
- The Home Depot3,030 merchandisers jobs
- Acosta2,133 merchandisers jobs
- American Greetings676 merchandisers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable merchandiser resume templates
Build a professional merchandiser resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your merchandiser resume.
Compare different merchandisers
Merchandiser vs. In-stock associate
An In-Stock Associate is responsible for ensuring that the shelves of a retail store or warehouse are stocked with up to standard items and merchandise. They follow a supervising staff or manager's instructions while adhering to the company's policies and regulations, reporting problems should there be any. An In-Stock Associate's tasks will also revolve around loading and unloading shipments or deliveries, monitoring the quality and quantity of items, and operating devices such as scanners and forklifts, communicate and assist customers, and cleaning up stockrooms and shelves.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, merchandiser responsibilities require skills like "pet," "pallets," "back room," and "sales floor." Meanwhile a typical in-stock associate has skills in areas such as "food handling," "stock room," "ladders," and "loss prevention." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
In-stock associates earn the highest salaries when working in the retail industry, with an average yearly salary of $31,433. On the other hand, merchandisers are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $35,386.On average, in-stock associates reach similar levels of education than merchandisers. In-stock associates are 1.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Merchandiser vs. Produce clerk
Produce clerks are responsible for ensuring that the grocery store's fruits and vegetables are displayed orderly and pleasantly to the customers. They check to produce to guarantee that it is fresh and has no defects. Their tasks include stocking of products, providing services like answering customers' queries, handling food, maintaining equipment, and providing general help to the other store employees in need. They must have relevant experience in stocking grocery stores and handling product presentation and should have concrete knowledge in the rotation and maintenance of the store's produce.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, merchandiser responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pet," "pallets," "pos," and "work ethic." Meanwhile, a produce clerk has duties that require skills in areas such as "math," "food handling," "cleanliness," and "good communication." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Produce clerks earn a higher average salary than merchandisers. But produce clerks earn the highest pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $31,675. Additionally, merchandisers earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $35,386 annually.In general, produce clerks achieve similar levels of education than merchandisers. They're 0.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Merchandiser vs. Dairy clerk
Stock clerks are store employees who handle the display of goods. They ensure that store shelves are well-stocked at all times. They manage the inventory of stocks by providing that records are always updated. They work the display of supplies and log the number of products they will be removing from the warehouse to display these in the store. Store clerks are responsible for managing stocks' inventory and ensuring that all products shown are in good condition. Stock clerks should have good organizational skills, be trustworthy, and have great decision-making skills.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from merchandiser resumes include skills like "pet," "pos," "work ethic," and "strong work ethic," whereas a dairy clerk is more likely to list skills in "math," "qa," "cleanliness," and "unload trucks. "
When it comes to education, dairy clerks tend to earn similar degree levels compared to merchandisers. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Merchandiser vs. Stock clerk
Types of merchandiser
Updated January 8, 2025
