Merchandising representative vs field sales representative

The differences between merchandising representatives and field 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 field sales representative. Additionally, a field sales representative has an average salary of $48,460, 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 field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.

Merchandising representative vs field sales representative overview

	Merchandising Representative	Field Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$32,303	$48,460
Hourly rate	$15.53	$23.30
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	351,931	228,254
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
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 field sales representative do?

A field sales representative is an employee who is employed by business-to-business (B2B) and wholesale organizations to visit leads and sell products or services to their customers in person. Field sales representatives must attract new customers and win new accounts so that they can maximize profitability within their territory. They travel around their assigned territory and visit their customers regularly to educate them on how their products can benefit them. Field sales representatives must also maintain records of all sales leads and monitor the organization's competitor, new products, and market conditions.

Merchandising representative vs field sales representative salary

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

	Merchandising Representative	Field Sales Representative
Average salary	$32,303	$48,460
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	ECMD	VMware
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between merchandising representative and field sales representative education

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

	Merchandising Representative	Field Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Merchandising representative vs field sales representative demographics

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

	Merchandising Representative	Field Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8%	Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5%
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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between merchandising representative and field 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).

Field sales representative example responsibilities.

Train and manage new DSR's.
Lead seminars for the CPA community for CPE credits.
Develop and manage sales in major retail accounts in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Manage and assist a vast customer base in the market for new roofing needs after a large hail storm in Lubbock.
Manage merchandising and POS materials at the retail store level ensuring meticulous compliance with all current corporate initiative regulations.
Conduct effective group Medicare HMO/PPO presentations/seminars, as well as one-on-one field sales presentations.

Merchandising representative vs field 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 field sales representative skills

Excellent Time Management, 17%
Customer Service, 8%
PowerPoint, 6%
Medicare, 6%
Account Management, 6%
Sales Presentations, 5%

Merchandising Representative vs. similar jobs

Merchandising Representative related careers

Merchandising Representative related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Sales Industry
Merchandising Representative
Merchandising Representative vs Field Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse sales jobs