Merchandising manager vs department sales manager

The differences between merchandising managers and department sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a merchandising manager, becoming a department sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a merchandising manager has an average salary of $86,346, which is higher than the $57,136 average annual salary of a department sales manager.

The top three skills for a merchandising manager include sales floor, POS and apparel. The most important skills for a department sales manager are sales floor, strong customer service, and store operations.

Merchandising manager vs department sales manager overview

	Merchandising Manager	Department Sales Manager
Yearly salary	$86,346	$57,136
Hourly rate	$41.51	$27.47
Growth rate	10%	5%
Number of jobs	268,577	297,625
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	39	46
Years of experience	10	8

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 department sales manager do?

The department sales manager is a person in charge of working with a company's marketing, advertising, and sales department. The service's sales manager ensures that the company receives better marketing. This person works alongside the sales team to determine the right strategy to sustain a profit in the company's products or services. The service sales manager also monitors and evaluates product performance and provides suggestions on how the product or service can be improved and improved.

Merchandising manager vs department sales manager salary

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

	Merchandising Manager	Department Sales Manager
Average salary	$86,346	$57,136
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $116,000	Between $41,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	Woonsocket, RI	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	Roku	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between merchandising manager and department sales manager education

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

	Merchandising Manager	Department Sales Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Georgia	University of Southern California

Merchandising manager vs department sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between merchandising managers' and department sales managers' demographics:

	Merchandising Manager	Department Sales Manager
Average age	39	46
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7%
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, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between merchandising manager and department sales 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

Department sales manager example responsibilities.

Implement inventory management system to effectively manage on-hands, assist with correct replenishment and maintain an acceptable level of over-stock.
Take corrective actions for sales and inventory errors at all point of sales (POS) systems.
Process merchandise information through store computer system, POS register system and complete all associate paperwork according to company policy.
Utilize information technology expertise to develop and maintain web presence, create marketing opportunities, CRM management, and increase productivity.
Conduct geotechnical and geological investigations and mineral resource evaluations for commercial, industrial and governmental clients using the above-mentioned drilling techniques.

Merchandising manager vs department sales manager skills

Common merchandising manager skills

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

Common department sales manager skills

Sales Floor, 18%
Strong Customer Service, 11%
Store Operations, 10%
Retail Sales, 8%
Cycle Counts, 7%
Customer Service, 7%

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Merchandising Manager
Merchandising Manager vs Department Sales Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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