Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between merchandising representatives and outbound 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 an outbound sales representative. Additionally, an outbound sales representative has an average salary of $45,723, 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 an outbound sales representative are outbound sales, customer service, and excellent interpersonal.
| Merchandising Representative | Outbound Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $32,303 | $45,723 |
| Hourly rate | $15.53 | $21.98 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 351,931 | 240,781 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
An outbound sales representative focuses on securing sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, or face-to-face interactions. They primarily offer products and services, assisting customers every step of the way to ensure client satisfaction. To carry out their duties, they must perform research and analysis to identify business opportunities, develop sales strategies, generate leads, discuss product specifications with customers, introduce payment plans, and negotiate contracts. Moreover, an outbound sales representative must build positive relationships with clients while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Merchandising representatives and outbound sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandising Representative | Outbound Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $32,303 | $45,723 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $40,000 | Between $24,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Hoboken, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Maine | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | ECMD | Altice USA |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a merchandising representative and an outbound sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Merchandising Representative | Outbound Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between merchandising representatives' and outbound sales representatives' demographics:
| Merchandising Representative | Outbound Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% |
| 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% |