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The differences between product specialists and business analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a product specialist, becoming a business analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, which is higher than the $74,431 average annual salary of a business analyst.
The top three skills for a product specialist include customer service, product knowledge and sales floor. The most important skills for a business analyst are project management, data analysis, and business analysis.
| Product Specialist | Business Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $85,932 | $74,431 |
| Hourly rate | $41.31 | $35.78 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 103,863 | 170,514 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 37 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A product specialist is required to have excellent knowledge about a product and work with a business unit to ensure excellent product delivery. Product specialists perform product demonstrations to customers and other stakeholders and assist in their promotions and product releases. To gain increased revenue, product specialists must be able to identify new market opportunities. They are required to conduct product and sales training for the marketing team. They must also provide reports about their product-related activities to the management.
Business analysts are employees who are responsible for interpreting business data and coming up with business solutions. They are well-versed in whatever business the company is in, and they have strong business acumen. They collect data related to the business and then interpret and analyze the data. Business analysts should be able to conduct different levels of analyses and must also be able to create a sound study. Once the analysis is done, they provide recommendations or strategic direction to decision-makers that will help the business become sustainable and grow.
Product specialists and business analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Specialist | Business Analyst | |
| Average salary | $85,932 | $74,431 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $130,000 | Between $53,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a product specialist and a business analyst in terms of educational background:
| Product Specialist | Business Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between product specialists' and business analysts' demographics:
| Product Specialist | Business Analyst | |
| Average age | 37 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |