Merchandising manager vs brand manager

The differences between merchandising managers and brand managers 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 manager and a brand manager. Additionally, a brand manager has an average salary of $97,789, which is higher than the $86,346 average annual salary of a merchandising manager.

The top three skills for a merchandising manager include sales floor, POS and apparel. The most important skills for a brand manager are brand management, digital marketing, and customer service.

Merchandising manager vs brand manager overview

	Merchandising Manager	Brand Manager
Yearly salary	$86,346	$97,789
Hourly rate	$41.51	$47.01
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	268,577	127,429
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	10	10

What does a merchandising manager do?

A merchandising manager is responsible for supervising stock inventories, retail pricing, and managing product displays by analyzing customer preferences through researching the current market trends that would improve the store's sales condition and achieve profitability goals. Merchandising managers negotiate with reliable third-party vendors, minimizing costs without compromising the quality of the products. They also assist with planning floor layouts for store visuals that would attract customers and marketing promotional offers and special discounts to increase more revenues.

What does a brand manager do?

A brand manager is an individual responsible for adapting a brand strategy that targets the potential market for a company's product while maintaining its integrity. Brand managers assist in developing products while managing budgets for the advertising and promotion of their new products. They usually work under the supervision of marketing managers or chief marketing officers (CMOs) to implement and execute their marketing initiatives. Brand managers also provide an analysis of sales forecasts and create reports on product sales.

Merchandising manager vs brand manager salary

Merchandising managers and brand managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandising Manager	Brand Manager
Average salary	$86,346	$97,789
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $116,000	Between $72,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	Woonsocket, RI	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Roku	Meta
Best paying industry	Retail	Manufacturing

Differences between merchandising manager and brand manager education

There are a few differences between a merchandising manager and a brand manager in terms of educational background:

	Merchandising Manager	Brand Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Georgia	University of Georgia

Merchandising manager vs brand manager demographics

Here are the differences between merchandising managers' and brand managers' demographics:

	Merchandising Manager	Brand Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%
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%

Differences between merchandising manager and brand manager duties and responsibilities

Merchandising manager example responsibilities.

Manage and plan ROI, CPC and bid management on external online shopping sites.
Manage hardware, plumbing, kitchen and bath, kitchen design, and night operations.
Create all marketing materials (paper/media), organize logistics of readings, manage financials.
Manage merchandising for lumber, building materials, paint, hardware, plumbing, electrical, and the garden department.
Lead website development committee, including RFP development, ROI analysis, marketing, brand-enhancement strategies, and back-end integration solutions.
Manage creative development and production of indirect channel POS fixtures creating brand consistency

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Brand manager example responsibilities.

Direct and coordinate photo shoots; conduct live training sessions; manage marketing asset library; CRM strategy.
Manage paid search campaigns including keyword generation, ad copy testing, landing page optimization, PPC and SEM.
Manage global product development teams with cross-functional oversight for manufacturing, sourcing, finance, design and supply chain management.
Manage POS merchandising and distribution of promotional items.
Develop and manage new health brand strategy including creation of healthcare professional/dietitian program.
Obtain certification through a cheese and wine class.

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Merchandising manager vs brand manager skills

Common merchandising manager skills

Sales Floor, 10%
POS, 9%
Apparel, 7%
Pallets, 6%
Merchandise Presentation, 5%
Drive Sales, 5%

Common brand manager skills

Brand Management, 8%
Digital Marketing, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Project Management, 5%
Brand Marketing, 5%
Product Development, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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