Retail buyer vs fashion buyer

The differences between retail buyers and fashion buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a retail buyer and a fashion buyer. Additionally, a fashion buyer has an average salary of $56,120, which is higher than the $52,720 average annual salary of a retail buyer.

The top three skills for a retail buyer include gross margin, vendor relations and customer service. The most important skills for a fashion buyer are vendor relations, gross margin, and market trends.

Retail buyer vs fashion buyer overview

	Retail Buyer	Fashion Buyer
Yearly salary	$52,720	$56,120
Hourly rate	$25.35	$26.98
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	74,254	15,688
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Retail buyer vs fashion buyer salary

Retail buyers and fashion buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Retail Buyer	Fashion Buyer
Average salary	$52,720	$56,120
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $72,000	Between $40,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	Edison, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	VF	-
Best paying industry	Start-up	-

Differences between retail buyer and fashion buyer education

There are a few differences between a retail buyer and a fashion buyer in terms of educational background:

	Retail Buyer	Fashion Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Specialized Sales And Merchandising
Most common college	University of Akron	University of Pennsylvania

Retail buyer vs fashion buyer demographics

Here are the differences between retail buyers' and fashion buyers' demographics:

	Retail Buyer	Fashion Buyer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between retail buyer and fashion buyer duties and responsibilities

Retail buyer example responsibilities.

Manage the open-to-buy (OTB) process by monitoring stock levels
Lead team of content support/merchandisers to achieve and consistently hit KPI goals.
Manage set up of new items as well as integration into POS system.
Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
Key member of development team that implement JDA MMS software.
Maintain inventory and displays for jewelry and bath/body products.

Fashion buyer example responsibilities.

Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
React to update OTB, markdowns and other financial markers on a regular basis.
Evaluate sales records and inventory levels to determine appropriate product requirements for a wide variety of automotive and industrial commodities.
Originate BOM structure for production operations.

Retail buyer vs fashion buyer skills

Common retail buyer skills

Gross Margin, 8%
Vendor Relations, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Retail Management, 7%
Retail Store, 6%
Market Trends, 6%

Common fashion buyer skills

Vendor Relations, 14%
Gross Margin, 11%
Market Trends, 11%
Vendor Communication, 10%
Product Selection, 9%
Payment Terms, 5%