Merchandising supervisor vs merchandise lead

The differences between merchandising supervisors and merchandise leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a merchandising supervisor and a merchandise lead. Additionally, a merchandise lead has an average salary of $35,572, which is higher than the $34,175 average annual salary of a merchandising supervisor.

The top three skills for a merchandising supervisor include customer service, HR and drive sales. The most important skills for a merchandise lead are sales floor, customer service, and customer satisfaction.

Merchandising supervisor vs merchandise lead overview

	Merchandising Supervisor	Merchandise Lead
Yearly salary	$34,175	$35,572
Hourly rate	$16.43	$17.10
Growth rate	10%	6%
Number of jobs	179,796	72,605
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a merchandising supervisor do?

Merchandising supervisors are professionals who create a pleasing shopping environment to entice customers to purchase additional products and gain maximum profit. These supervisors are required to identify trends and make sales predictions based on product popularity, past sales data, and information gained by attending product shows. They are required to make attractive point-of-sales displays so that the customers can easily locate the merchandise. Merchandising supervisors must also handle inventory levels by keeping track and submitting order requests to the purchasing department.

What does a merchandise lead do?

A merchandise lead is responsible for strategizing merchandise methods to reach sales performance targets. Merchandise leads assist the consumers in choosing the best products according to their needs and budget limitations. They evaluate the current market trends to generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability by negotiating with trusted suppliers and vendors. A merchandise lead must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in helping with marketing and promotional campaigns to attract consumers' interests and meet public demands.

Merchandising supervisor vs merchandise lead salary

Merchandising supervisors and merchandise leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandising Supervisor	Merchandise Lead
Average salary	$34,175	$35,572
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Green Bay, WI
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	PepsiCo
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between merchandising supervisor and merchandise lead education

There are a few differences between a merchandising supervisor and a merchandise lead in terms of educational background:

	Merchandising Supervisor	Merchandise Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Merchandising supervisor vs merchandise lead demographics

Here are the differences between merchandising supervisors' and merchandise leads' demographics:

	Merchandising Supervisor	Merchandise Lead
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%	Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.7% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between merchandising supervisor and merchandise lead duties and responsibilities

Merchandising supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage a group of supervisors and hold weekly SWAS meetings.
Assist store leadership in effectively leading, managing and developing store and/or department operations and associates to maximize sales and profitability.
Co-Manage the firearms and hunting departments with hardlines management team.
Handle SWAS meetings for all merchandise specializing in top merchandise.
Supervise merchandising and associate relations for the hardlines area of the store.
Lead IMS team ensuring trucks are unloaded and perpetual inventory are accurate.

Merchandise lead example responsibilities.

Manage merchandising for lumber, building materials, paint, hardware, plumbing, electrical, and the garden department.
Facilitate price checks and pitch in to bag groceries as needed.
Coordinate all POS arrangements and merchandise as strategically design in floor plans.
Assist in all administrative responsibilities including opening and closing store, organization standards, scheduling and payroll processing.
Assist in CAO roll-out to other stores in district.
Coordinate production of sketch books for presentation of final dress line to sales force and top management of company.

Merchandising supervisor vs merchandise lead skills

Common merchandising supervisor skills

Customer Service, 24%
HR, 20%
Drive Sales, 18%
Store Operations, 15%
Sales Floor, 5%
Store Management, 2%

Common merchandise lead skills

Sales Floor, 17%
Customer Service, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Store Management, 7%
POS, 6%
Product Knowledge, 6%

Merchandising Supervisor vs. similar jobs

Merchandising Supervisor related careers

Merchandising Supervisor related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Sales Industry
Merchandising Supervisor
Merchandising Supervisor vs Merchandise Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse sales jobs