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The differences between product specialists and research specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a product specialist and a research specialist. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, which is higher than the $52,662 average annual salary of a research specialist.
The top three skills for a product specialist include customer service, product knowledge and sales floor. The most important skills for a research specialist are data collection, patients, and research projects.
| Product Specialist | Research Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $85,932 | $52,662 |
| Hourly rate | $41.31 | $25.32 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 103,863 | 79,341 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
In a laboratory setting, a research specialist's responsibilities primarily revolve around conducting thorough research and analysis, producing extensive detailed reports, reviewing results, and coordinating with senior researchers and other laboratory personnel to ensure the accuracy of results. Furthermore, a research specialist may contribute their expertise to other publications and articles, train or supervise new researchers, and implement all laboratory guidelines and safety regulations at all times.
Product specialists and research specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Specialist | Research Specialist | |
| Average salary | $85,932 | $52,662 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $130,000 | Between $35,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | Novartis |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product specialist and a research specialist in terms of educational background:
| Product Specialist | Research Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product specialists' and research specialists' demographics:
| Product Specialist | Research Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% | Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.1% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |