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Merchant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical merchant skills. We ranked the top skills for merchants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 8.3% of merchant resumes contained product development as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a merchant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 merchant skills for your resume and career

1. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how merchants use product development:

Integrated future process mapping for optimization of product development and design in preparation for implementation of Flex PLM software.
Provided product expertise in assisting the origination and merchandising teams in new product development and line extensions.

2. Gross Margin

Here's how merchants use gross margin:

Review metrics and evaluate productivity to make assortment decisions on pricing, product placement in stores and gross margin maximizing strategy.
Result: Led all Ann Taylor Departments in performance to plan gross sales and highest gross margin for 4 consecutive quarters.

3. Market Trends

Here's how merchants use market trends:

Devised a compelling assortment to enhance the customer experience through analysis of sales history and key market trends.
Demonstrated the ability to recognize and translate key market trends for the EXPRESS Women's target customer.

4. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how merchants use customer service:

Assisted the Visual Merchandising Manager in training and developing merchandising associates on visual merchandising, product knowledge and customer service.
Assisted customers in identifying and quickly resolving business issues to increase efficiency, while simultaneously providing excellent customer service.

5. Strong Analytical

Here's how merchants use strong analytical:

Position requires strong analytical and communication skills, attention to quality standards and maintaining positive relations with merchants.

6. Math

Here's how merchants use math:

Improved the Math and Reading skills of children ages 4-10..
Skilled in multiple in house reporting systems and create seasonal tracking logs, daily use of retail math.

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7. PowerPoint

Here's how merchants use powerpoint:

Helped create presentations using PowerPoint.
Investigated copyright and trademark complaints, and documented best practices for the team in Word and PowerPoint.

8. Store Operations

Here's how merchants use store operations:

Develop and implement retail merchandising standards in collaboration with Visual Merchandising and Store Operations departments.
Streamlined store operations and met corporate expectations through managing team development, restructuring, and cost alignment processes.

9. Product Categories

Here's how merchants use product categories:

Manage the marketing and merchandising strategy for several product categories.
Increased standards of presentation in all product categories.

10. Product Assortment

Here's how merchants use product assortment:

Collaborated with vendors and spearheaded seminars to maximize profitability through higher level selling skills, execution, and product assortments.
Leveraged customer and store feedback to make informed decisions regarding seasonal product assortments with a data driven mindset.

11. Direct Reports

Here's how merchants use direct reports:

Designed training program and conducted targeting coaching, resulting in two direct reports managers promoted Store Team Lead.
Managed five-person team as the lead merchant, and promoted three direct reports based on outstanding performance.

12. POS

POS is an abbreviation of "Point of Sale" which is the time and place where a customer completes a transaction. It can either be a physical shop that consists of POS terminals or a virtual shop. A POS system helps simplify the retail functions and track important sales data.

Here's how merchants use pos:

Trained business owners on complete functionality of their credit card POS (point of sale) systems.
Presented the various payment processing products including POS, Mobile Pay, Apple Pay and E-commerce.

13. Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is the skill of having better information and knowledge about the product you are selling. Product knowledge is essential for the employees of the companies so they can communicate and inform the customers about the product. Having great product knowledge is essential for a better sales pitch and to give the customer a better and complete idea of the product that will influence him to buy the product eventually.

Here's how merchants use product knowledge:

Develop talent by executing seasonal district seminars that focused on merchandise execution, product knowledge training, and standards maintenance.
Facilitated associate selling skills providing product knowledge training across assigned region, achieving sales goals.

14. Assortment Planning

Here's how merchants use assortment planning:

Assisted buyer is assortment planning.
Supported buyer for Softlines with assortment planning focusing on item selection and performance.

15. Financial Transactions

The type of agreement held between two parties (buyer and seller) regarding an exchange of funds for an asset, is termed as a financial transaction. The financial transaction is the exchange of products, services, cash or credit, information, and other things of value among two separate entities for a common goal.

Here's how merchants use financial transactions:

Total accountability in financial transaction including, cash/check deposits and ensured endorsement and validity of personal/business checks.
Process financial transactions accurately and efficiently in accordance with established policies and procedures.

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What skills help Merchants find jobs?

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List of merchant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a merchant resume and required skills for a merchant to have include:

Product Development
Gross Margin
Market Trends
Customer Service
Strong Analytical
Math
PowerPoint
Store Operations
Product Categories
Product Assortment
Direct Reports
POS
Product Knowledge
Assortment Planning
Financial Transactions
Brand Development

Inventory Management
Vendor Relationships
IMU
Product Selection
ATM
Product Placement
Business Clients
Product Mix
Global Sourcing
Customer Inquiries
Sales Volume
Brand Positioning
Credit Card Processing
Sales Floor
Outbound Calls
Pricing Strategy

Bank Products
Arbitration
Inbound Calls
OTB
Business Transactions
Sales Growth
Loan Payments
Sketch
Bank Services
Business Accounts
Channel Marketing
Sales Plan
Gross Profit
Wire Transfers

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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