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Retail business manager vs category manager

The differences between retail business managers and category managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a retail business manager, becoming a category manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a category manager has an average salary of $102,035, which is higher than the $80,435 average annual salary of a retail business manager.

The top three skills for a retail business manager include quality customer service, pricing strategy and cash handling. The most important skills for a category manager are strategic sourcing, category strategy, and supplier performance.

Retail business manager vs category manager overview

Retail Business ManagerCategory Manager
Yearly salary$80,435$102,035
Hourly rate$38.67$49.06
Growth rate6%10%
Number of jobs414,203108,424
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4439
Years of experience610

Retail business manager vs category manager salary

Retail business managers and category managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Retail Business ManagerCategory Manager
Average salary$80,435$102,035
Salary rangeBetween $49,000 And $131,000Between $74,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-Nevada
Best paying company-McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between retail business manager and category manager education

There are a few differences between a retail business manager and a category manager in terms of educational background:

Retail Business ManagerCategory Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Georgia

Retail business manager vs category manager demographics

Here are the differences between retail business managers' and category managers' demographics:

Retail Business ManagerCategory Manager
Average age4439
Gender ratioMale, 57.5% Female, 42.5%Male, 55.7% Female, 44.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between retail business manager and category manager duties and responsibilities

Retail business manager example responsibilities.

  • Streamline the company's proposal preparation team are and routinely manage the logistics of preparation of multiple complex government contracting proposals.
  • Help design user interfaces and management reporting for a propose POS system.
  • Ensure POS material are displayed to maximize information for the retail customer.
  • Streamline the company's proposal preparation team are and routinely manage the logistics of preparation of multiple complex government contracting proposals.
  • Deliver evaluations with feedback base onobservations, KPI's and reporting.
  • Create an application that automate RFP data entry done by 10 agents, an annual productivity gain of $550K.

Category manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead team to manage predominantly seasonal fashion apparel by reacting to trends with appropriate buys and proactive exit strategies.
  • Manage and create purchase plans and OTB's.
  • Design and manage all BTL plans for the brands.
  • Manage multiple sources of data to mine for business voids and opportunities at both macro and micro levels.
  • Deliver profit and sales forecasts, manage merchandising budget, and used IRI data to produce optimal product mix.
  • Lead a high performance jewelry merchandising team in a digital commerce environment through television, e-commerce, and social media.
  • Show more

Retail business manager vs category manager skills

Common retail business manager skills
  • Quality Customer Service, 10%
  • Pricing Strategy, 10%
  • Cash Handling, 7%
  • Cash Management, 6%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • Retail Business, 6%
Common category manager skills
  • Strategic Sourcing, 8%
  • Category Strategy, 8%
  • Supplier Performance, 5%
  • Supplier Relationships, 4%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Cost Savings, 4%

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