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The differences between merchandising directors and planning directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a merchandising director and a planning director. Additionally, a merchandising director has an average salary of $145,282, which is higher than the $131,978 average annual salary of a planning director.
The top three skills for a merchandising director include apparel, gross margin and direct reports. The most important skills for a planning director are project management, financial analysis, and business planning.
| Merchandising Director | Planning Director | |
| Yearly salary | $145,282 | $131,978 |
| Hourly rate | $69.85 | $63.45 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 81,434 | 51,861 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A merchandising director is in charge of spearheading and streamlining merchandising strategies, including promotion and branding. Using their expertise and experience, they conceptualize plans with fellow directors and managers, perform extensive research and analysis, gather and analyze data, set goals and guidelines, establish budgets and schedules, and build positive relationships with external business partners. Moreover, as a merchandising director, they must lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Planning Directors are members of the executive team or the top management of a company. They oversee the company's plans and the strategies involved in reaching company goals. They manage the resources of the company by reviewing the budget and by overseeing human resources activities. They ensure that the company works toward its goals and that the company follows through with its plans. That being said, Planning Directors do not necessarily police the company's actions, especially if it deviates from the original plans. Instead, they steer the company towards the fulfillment of such plans. If the plan is no longer viable, they should be flexible enough to pursue new plans to achieve their goals still.
Merchandising directors and planning directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandising Director | Planning Director | |
| Average salary | $145,282 | $131,978 |
| Salary range | Between $103,000 And $203,000 | Between $90,000 And $192,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New York |
| Best paying company | Coty | Exelixis |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a merchandising director and a planning director in terms of educational background:
| Merchandising Director | Planning Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between merchandising directors' and planning directors' demographics:
| Merchandising Director | Planning Director | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |