What is a Merchandising Execution Associate?

The role of a Merchandising Execution Associate, also known as an MEA, is to manage in-store merchandising and projects closely related, such as merchandise storage and display organization and maintenance.

The MEAs work in teams and, depending on their position and the merchandise being handled, they may spend most of their time stocking and restock in the background, completing maintenance, and working on new organization and display projects, or they may be putting up new display cases, moving whole sections around, and working on specialized projects. Either way, they are also meant to spend some time making sure that all work done aligns with company plans and policies and, ultimately, delivers the best customer service and satisfaction possible.

A person hoping to work as an MEA should generally have excellent customer service and communication skills, as well as good organizational and problem-solving skills. It can be quite a physically-demanding position, and that is something to keep in mind. Training on-the-job is also often necessary.

What Does a Merchandising Execution Associate Do

There are certain skills that many merchandising execution associates have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed physical stamina, self-confidence and customer-service skills.

How To Become a Merchandising Execution Associate

If you're interested in becoming a merchandising execution associate, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 39.2% of merchandising execution associates have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.0% of merchandising execution associates have master's degrees. Even though some merchandising execution associates have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Top Merchandising Execution Associate Jobs Near You

Merchandising Execution Associate Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a merchandising execution associate can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as merchandiser, progress to a title such as specialist and then eventually end up with the title general manager.

Top Careers Before Merchandising Execution Associate

Sales Associate (579,849 Jobs)

19.9 %

Cashier (456,110 Jobs)

17.4 %

Customer Service Representative (209,515 Jobs)

10.4 %

Top Careers After Merchandising Execution Associate

Customer Service Representative (209,515 Jobs)

14.3 %

Sales Associate (579,849 Jobs)

12.1 %

Merchandiser (109,447 Jobs)

8.1 %

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Average Salary for a Merchandising Execution Associate

Merchandising Execution Associates in America make an average salary of $99,898 per year or $48 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $143,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $69,000 per year.

Average Merchandising Execution Associate Salary

$99,898 Yearly

$48.03 hourly

$69,00010%

$99,000Median

$143,00090%

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Merchandising Execution Associate

There are several types of merchandising execution associate, including:

Key Holder

Role:

Holding a key can be an extremely important job, depending on the key that you're holding. But that's not exactly your only duty as key holder. In fact, the position requires much more than just holding onto a key.

AS a key holder, you take on a lot of responsibility for making sure the office or store stays organized and clean. But you also have other administrative duties that require your focus. You're also in charge of making sure everyone shows up to work on time. (And then calling for backup when that person can't make their shift.)

Key holders are sometimes known as shift supervisors, so they have a bit more responsibility than an associate. Typically, they're the ones in charge. From making sure the opening of the store goes well and that the closing of the store is done correctly, you've got a lot riding on your shoulders. Good luck!

Average Salary: $31,779
Degree: High School Diploma

Management Trainee

Role:

A management trainee is someone who works under the supervision of managers and executives in an organization with the goal of acquiring the knowledge needed to become a future manager.

Management trainees may often rotate to different company departments (e.g., Finance, Sales, Marketing, etc.) to learn all company functions, policies, and staff duties. They contribute to strategic planning and help evaluate employee and department performance (e.g., analyzing, and writing reports).

Management trainees are responsible for helping management to develop and implement growth strategies. They need to be able to identify and apply important strategies and business processes. They also need to be able to understand the operations and functions of the company and the management team.

Soft skills that are important for a management trainee to have are communication skills, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking skills. It is also important to be organized and to be good with time management. The ability to be an active listener is also very important for a management trainee.

To be a management trainee, you need to have a minimum of a high school diploma; however, some companies may require their managers to have some sort of post-secondary education. A degree in business or management can be helpful when applying for a job as a management trainee.

Average Salary: $48,477
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Retail Merchandiser

Role:

You may also know retail merchandisers as stockers. But nonetheless, they're essential to your shopping experience. Because if they don't put it out on the shelves, then chances are you're probably not going home with it.

Retail merchandisers receive a lot of their training on-the-job, which is why there aren't any formal education requirements for the job. The day-to-day doesn't just include stocking shelves. In fact, as a retail merchandiser, you're in charge of making sure the product that your organization is selling is easy to find and placed in a way that's desirable to the consumer. In a way, you're like the marketer for the products you're selling. But instead of SEO keywords, you're marketing tangible products.

Average Salary: $28,678
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Merchandising Execution Associate Jobs

Number Of Merchandising Execution Associate Jobs By State

Rank	State	Number of Jobs	Average Salary
1	California	6,825	$102,184
2	Florida	5,243	$91,767
3	Texas	4,669	$104,018
4	Illinois	3,350	$105,250
5	Pennsylvania	3,174	$108,901
6	Georgia	2,974	$97,841
7	New York	2,958	$104,545
8	North Carolina	2,814	$91,255
9	Ohio	2,614	$81,882
10	Michigan	2,503	$113,116
11	Virginia	2,393	$95,589
12	Massachusetts	2,118	$108,659
13	New Jersey	1,959	$126,807
14	Indiana	1,823	$88,852
15	Maryland	1,674	$93,883
16	Tennessee	1,672	$101,022
17	Wisconsin	1,667	$108,972
18	Alabama	1,369	$100,918
19	Missouri	1,360	$105,092
20	South Carolina	1,348	$101,335
21	Arizona	1,319	$93,528
22	Kentucky	1,262	$96,861
23	Colorado	1,228	$136,925
24	Louisiana	1,208	$96,371
25	Minnesota	1,201	$113,611
26	Washington	1,130	$132,337
27	Connecticut	883	$106,745
28	Iowa	864	$102,884
29	Kansas	734	$104,042
30	Oklahoma	649	$108,328
31	Oregon	629	$117,403
32	Mississippi	621	$98,538
33	Utah	597	$89,444
34	Arkansas	587	$95,497
35	New Hampshire	584	$95,762
36	Maine	477	$93,787
37	West Virginia	412	$91,960
38	Nevada	339	$91,010
39	Delaware	333	$110,580
40	Nebraska	293	$100,673
41	Idaho	277	$109,522
42	New Mexico	267	$97,195
43	Rhode Island	222	$112,258
44	North Dakota	215	$108,855
45	Vermont	171	$109,424
46	South Dakota	150	$107,385
47	Hawaii	149	$95,076
48	Montana	135	$107,719
49	Wyoming	91	$110,787
50	Alaska	70	$102,434

Merchandising Execution Associate Education

Merchandising Execution Associate Majors

Business

29.9 %

Criminal Justice

8.8 %

General Studies

7.5 %

Merchandising Execution Associate Degrees

Admissions

Most Popular Majors

Liberal Arts

Psychology

Accounting

Criminal Justice

Marketing

Top Skills For a Merchandising Execution Associate

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 35.1% of merchandising execution associates listed sales floor on their resume, but soft skills such as physical stamina and self-confidence are important as well.

Sales Floor, 35.1%

Customer Service, 33.6%

Drive Sales, 27.6%

Store Management, 0.4%

Vendor Specifications, 0.4%

Other Skills, 2.9%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Merchandising Execution Associate Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Merchandising Execution Associate templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Merchandising Execution Associate resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Merchandising Execution Associate Demographics

Merchandising Execution Associate Gender Distribution

Male

68%

Female

32%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

Among merchandising execution associates, 32.2% of them are women, while 67.8% are men.

The most common race/ethnicity among merchandising execution associates is White, which makes up 61.2% of all merchandising execution associates.

The most common foreign language among merchandising execution associates is Spanish at 73.2%.

Online Courses For Merchandising Execution Associate That You May Like

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How Do Merchandising Execution Associate Rate Their Jobs?

Top Merchandising Execution Associate Employers

Most Common Employers For Merchandising Execution Associate

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	JCPenney	$127,485	$61.29	65
2	Macy's	$126,077	$60.61	3
3	Nike	$113,714	$54.67	2
4	The Home Depot	$113,008	$54.33	2,796
5	Sears Holdings	$108,419	$52.12	2
6	Homes.com	$108,379	$52.11	7
7	Accenture	$106,867	$51.38	1
8	David's Bridal	$104,762	$50.37	1
9	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$102,434	$49.25	18
10	Goldman Sachs	$97,626	$46.94	1

Updated February 6, 2023

What is a Merchandising Execution Associate?

What Does a Merchandising Execution Associate Do

How To Become a Merchandising Execution Associate

Merchandising Execution Associate Career Paths

Top Careers Before Merchandising Execution Associate

Top Careers After Merchandising Execution Associate

Recent Job Searches

Average Salary for a Merchandising Execution Associate

Roles and Types of Merchandising Execution Associate

Key Holder

Management Trainee

Retail Merchandiser

States With The Most Merchandising Execution Associate Jobs

Number Of Merchandising Execution Associate Jobs By State

Merchandising Execution Associate Education

Merchandising Execution Associate Majors

Merchandising Execution Associate Degrees

Top Colleges for Merchandising Execution Associates

1. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

2. SUNY Farmingdale

3. University of Pennsylvania

4. University of Georgia

5. Purdue University

6. Stanford University

7. Baylor University

8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

9. Syracuse University

10. Ball State University

Top Skills For a Merchandising Execution Associate

Choose From 10+ Customizable Merchandising Execution Associate Resume templates

Merchandising Execution Associate Demographics

Merchandising Execution Associate Gender Distribution

Online Courses For Merchandising Execution Associate That You May Like

How Do Merchandising Execution Associate Rate Their Jobs?

Top Merchandising Execution Associate Employers

Most Common Employers For Merchandising Execution Associate

Merchandising Execution Associate Related Careers

Merchandising Execution Associate Related Jobs

What Similar Roles Do

Resume For Related Jobs