Retail buyer vs senior merchandise buyer

The differences between retail buyers and senior merchandise 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 senior merchandise buyer. Additionally, a senior merchandise buyer has an average salary of $55,140, 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 senior merchandise buyer are market trends, trade shows, and product development.

Retail buyer vs senior merchandise buyer overview

	Retail Buyer	Senior Merchandise Buyer
Yearly salary	$52,720	$55,140
Hourly rate	$25.35	$26.51
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	74,254	15,693
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Retail buyer vs senior merchandise buyer salary

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

	Retail Buyer	Senior Merchandise Buyer
Average salary	$52,720	$55,140
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $72,000	Between $39,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Edison, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	VF	-
Best paying industry	Start-up	-

Differences between retail buyer and senior merchandise buyer education

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

	Retail Buyer	Senior Merchandise Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Akron	University of Akron

Retail buyer vs senior merchandise buyer demographics

Here are the differences between retail buyers' and senior merchandise buyers' demographics:

	Retail Buyer	Senior Merchandise Buyer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%	Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between retail buyer and senior merchandise 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.

Senior merchandise buyer example responsibilities.

Coordinate and provide direction to inventory teams by managing product placement, open-to-buy, and logistics.
Work closely with the logistics department and internal warehouse to coordinate just in time deliveries and maintain daily inventory reconciliation.
Manage business relationship with Japanese OEM of wide-format printer engines.

Retail buyer vs senior merchandise 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 senior merchandise buyer skills

Market Trends, 24%
Trade Shows, 23%
Product Development, 12%
Drive Sales, 8%
Direct Reports, 7%
Gross Profit, 7%

Retail Buyer vs. similar jobs

Retail Buyer related careers

Retail Buyer related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Retail Buyer
Retail Buyer vs Senior Merchandise Buyer

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs