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What does a merchandising representative do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
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.

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Merchandising representative responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real merchandising representative resumes:

  • 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).
  • Manage Nintendo's promotional programs; secure and maintain point-of-purchase displays that alert customers to brand availability.

Merchandising representative skills and personality traits

We calculated that 24% of Merchandising Representatives are proficient in Little Supervision, Store Management, and Plan-O-Grams. They’re also known for soft skills such as Physical stamina, Self-confidence, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Merchandising Representatives that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Little Supervision, 24%

    Worked independently with little supervision.

  • Store Management, 23%

    Develop and maintains working relationship with store management, associates and other merchandising companies to effectively achieve client and company goals.

  • Plan-O-Grams, 13%

    Implemented and maintained merchandising plan-o-grams* Assisted with in-store demonstrations of equipment* Assisted in training of new in-store associates and merchandising representatives.

  • Customer Service, 9%

    Develop mutually beneficial relationships with key account managers and others to exceed customer service expectations through ongoing communication and problem solving.

  • Product Knowledge, 6%

    Educated store associates and management during product knowledge sessions on selling points and competitive advantages to maximize sales opportunities.

  • Working Independently, 5%

    Stock shelves, working independently, and use of company provided tablet.

Most merchandising representatives use their skills in "little supervision," "store management," and "plan-o-grams" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential merchandising representative responsibilities here:

Physical stamina. One of the key soft skills for a merchandising representative to have is physical stamina. You can see how this relates to what merchandising representatives do because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products." Additionally, a merchandising representative resume shows how merchandising representatives use physical stamina: "maintain the automated inventory management system to ensure that actual physical inventory matches the database logical inventory. "

Self-confidence. Another essential skill to perform merchandising representative duties is self-confidence. Merchandising representatives responsibilities require that "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations." Merchandising representatives also use self-confidence in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicate extensively with store management to build confidence and generate increased volume. "

Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of merchandising representatives is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday merchandising representative duties, as "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to work well with many types of people." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "developed excellent customer service and interpersonal skills, managing customer request and high expectations"

Customer-service skills. A big part of what merchandising representatives do relies on "customer-service skills." You can see how essential it is to merchandising representative responsibilities because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical merchandising representative tasks: "maintain excellent customer service with store management, associates and other merchandising companies to effectively meet company and client objectives"

Most common merchandising representative skills

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Merchandising Representative Resume
Merchandising Representative Resume
Merchandising Representative Resume
Merchandising Representative Resume
Merchandising Representative Resume
Merchandising Representative Resume

Compare different merchandising representatives

Merchandising representative vs. Merchandiser, sales

Merchandiser sales representatives are responsible for maintaining the flow of products and managing shelves in retail stores or similar establishments. They are also responsible for devising strategies and promotional plans to increase brand awareness and boost product sales. Aside from this, they must remain updated with the latest marketing trends, monitor sales, and set the budget while maintaining inventory. Moreover, it is vital to reach out to customers and build rapport, all while implementing the policies and regulations of the company.

If we compare the average merchandising representative annual salary with that of a merchandiser, sales, we find that merchandisers, sales typically earn a $641 lower salary than merchandising representatives make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both merchandising representative and merchandiser, sales positions are skilled in store management, customer service, and product knowledge.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between merchandising representatives and merchandiser, sales. For instance, merchandising representative responsibilities require skills such as "little supervision," "plan-o-grams," "working independently," and "brand awareness." Whereas a merchandiser, sales is skilled in "excellent planning," "wine," "pallet jack," and "cleanliness." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Merchandisers, sales tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,538. In contrast, merchandising representatives make the biggest average salary, $32,143, in the manufacturing industry.On average, merchandisers, sales reach similar levels of education than merchandising representatives. Merchandisers, sales are 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Merchandising representative vs. Sales development representative

A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.

A career as a sales development representative brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a merchandising representative. In fact, sales development representatives salary is $19,201 higher than the salary of merchandising representatives per year.A few skills overlap for merchandising representatives and sales development representatives. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "store management," "customer service," and "product knowledge. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that merchandising representative responsibilities requires skills like "little supervision," "plan-o-grams," "working independently," and "product sales." But a sales development representative might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "sdr," "lead generation," "account executives," and "linkedin."

Sales development representatives earn a higher average salary than merchandising representatives. But sales development representatives earn the highest pay in the start-up industry, with an average salary of $54,512. Additionally, merchandising representatives earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $32,143 annually.In general, sales development representatives achieve similar levels of education than merchandising representatives. They're 0.3% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Merchandising representative vs. National account representative

A national account representative plays a pivotal role in managing client relationships. These professionals manage relationships for high-value customers, especially those who invest vast amounts in the company or those who have stayed in the organization for an extended period. In general, the national account representative's primary goal is to foster trust. National account representatives identify new business opportunities and make sales calls. To qualify as a national account representative, you must possess a bachelor's degree in this field, primarily in business administration.

An average national account representative eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of merchandising representatives. The difference in salaries amounts to national account representatives earning a $12,523 higher average salary than merchandising representatives.Using the responsibilities included on merchandising representatives and national account representatives resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "customer service," "product knowledge," and "retail store.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from merchandising representative resumes include skills like "little supervision," "store management," "plan-o-grams," and "working independently," whereas a national account representative is more likely to list skills in "national accounts," "account management," "sales growth," and "trade shows. "

Most national account representatives achieve a similar degree level compared to merchandising representatives. For example, they're 3.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Merchandising representative vs. Sales representative internship

In a sales representative internship, an intern's duties depend on the directives of a supervising staff or manager. Typically, they are responsible for gaining industry insights while performing clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documents, greeting visitors, disseminating and organizing files, and running errands as needed. They may also participate in communicating with clients through calls and appointments to offer products and services, ensuring client satisfaction. Furthermore, as an intern, it is essential to familiarize and abide by the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.

Sales representative interns average a higher salary than the annual salary of merchandising representatives. The difference is about $2,253 per year.While both merchandising representatives and sales representative interns complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, product knowledge, and customer relations, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A merchandising representative uses "little supervision," "store management," "plan-o-grams," and "working independently." Sales representative interns are more likely to have duties that require skills in "kids," "sales presentations," "powerpoint," and "sales process. "In general, sales representative interns hold similar degree levels compared to merchandising representatives. Sales representative interns are 1.7% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of merchandising representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.