Merchandising representative vs direct sales representative

The differences between merchandising representatives and direct sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a merchandising representative and a direct sales representative. Additionally, a direct sales representative has an average salary of $43,527, which is higher than the $32,303 average annual salary of a merchandising representative.

The top three skills for a merchandising representative include little supervision, store management and plan-o-grams. The most important skills for a direct sales representative are customer service, direct sales, and TV.

Merchandising representative vs direct sales representative overview

	Merchandising Representative	Direct Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$32,303	$43,527
Hourly rate	$15.53	$20.93
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	351,931	159,668
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a merchandising representative do?

Merchandising representatives are professionals who are responsible for providing point-of-purchase and shelf management services to produce sales. These representatives are required to plan and develop merchandising strategies so that they can balance the expectations of customers and the organization's objectives. They must maintain store shelves and display products appropriately so that they can maximize the interest of customers and sales levels. Merchandising representatives must also analyze sales figures, the reactions of customers, and market trends to anticipate their product needs and plan product stock.

What does a direct sales representative do?

As a direct sales representative, you are responsible for creating customer awareness of a company's products and services and closing sales. You will perform varied tasks that include assisting in developing and executing marketing and sales plans, conducting research on competing products, and identifying opportunities to improve sales. Additionally, you are expected to answer inquiries about product features, availability, benefits, and pricing. Other tasks that you are likely to perform include attending trade shows, preparing sales proposals for prospective buyers, and preparing sales reports.

Merchandising representative vs direct sales representative salary

Merchandising representatives and direct sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandising Representative	Direct Sales Representative
Average salary	$32,303	$43,527
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $27,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	Maine	Maine
Best paying company	ECMD	Google
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between merchandising representative and direct sales representative education

There are a few differences between a merchandising representative and a direct sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Merchandising Representative	Direct Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Merchandising representative vs direct sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between merchandising representatives' and direct sales representatives' demographics:

	Merchandising Representative	Direct Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8%	Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between merchandising representative and direct sales representative duties and responsibilities

Merchandising representative example responsibilities.

Manage Nintendo's promotional programs; secure and maintain point-of-purchase displays that alert customers to brand availability.
Update POS promotional materials such as cardboard temporary decorative displays.
Coordinate and administer jewelry entries for industry awards and advertisements in national fashion magazines.
Assist patients with Critical/Triage calls; document necessary symptoms for medical assistants to determine what medical intervention is necessary.
Place IRC on assign products for promotional sales.
Increase sales by installing displays and instant rebate coupons (IRC).

Direct sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage accounts and create invoices via QuickBooks.
Achieve and maintain high-volume sales output, for cell phones and broadband products to stay employ with company.
Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.
Canvass assigned sales territory and solicit orders for new or upgrade cable, broadband and digital phone services.
Generate revenue by selling and upselling services while developing client base throughout territory.
Prospect and generate sales revenue by adding new program residential customers and cross selling and upselling current residential customers.

Merchandising representative vs direct sales representative skills

Common merchandising representative skills

Little Supervision, 24%
Store Management, 23%
Plan-O-Grams, 13%
Customer Service, 9%
Product Knowledge, 6%
Working Independently, 5%

Common direct sales representative skills

Customer Service, 33%
Direct Sales, 20%
TV, 15%
Work Ethic, 4%
Technical Troubleshooting, 3%
Door-To-Door Sales, 3%

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Merchandising Representative
Merchandising Representative vs Direct Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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