Senior merchandising manager vs brand manager

The differences between senior merchandising managers and brand managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a senior merchandising manager and a brand manager. Additionally, a senior merchandising manager has an average salary of $111,266, which is higher than the $97,789 average annual salary of a brand manager.

The top three skills for a senior merchandising manager include direct reports, digital marketing and SR. The most important skills for a brand manager are brand management, digital marketing, and customer service.

Senior merchandising manager vs brand manager overview

	Senior Merchandising Manager	Brand Manager
Yearly salary	$111,266	$97,789
Hourly rate	$53.49	$47.01
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	66,332	127,429
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	10	10

What does a senior merchandising manager do?

The primary job of a senior merchandising manager is to monitor market trends for product design, levels, and pricing identification. Senior merchandising managers source, manage and curate the products and/or services and promotional materials of a company. They oversee the purchasing process of corporations. It is part of their job to negotiate with the company's suppliers. Their duties also include predicting the trends and demands of corporate inventory.

What does a brand manager do?

A brand manager is an individual responsible for adapting a brand strategy that targets the potential market for a company's product while maintaining its integrity. Brand managers assist in developing products while managing budgets for the advertising and promotion of their new products. They usually work under the supervision of marketing managers or chief marketing officers (CMOs) to implement and execute their marketing initiatives. Brand managers also provide an analysis of sales forecasts and create reports on product sales.

Senior merchandising manager vs brand manager salary

Senior merchandising managers and brand managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Merchandising Manager	Brand Manager
Average salary	$111,266	$97,789
Salary range	Between $79,000 And $155,000	Between $72,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	San Bruno, CA	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Chewy	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between senior merchandising manager and brand manager education

There are a few differences between a senior merchandising manager and a brand manager in terms of educational background:

	Senior Merchandising Manager	Brand Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Georgia	University of Georgia

Senior merchandising manager vs brand manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior merchandising managers' and brand managers' demographics:

	Senior Merchandising Manager	Brand Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%
Race ratio	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%	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 Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between senior merchandising manager and brand manager duties and responsibilities

Senior merchandising manager example responsibilities.

Implement and manage new POS server system at the store and district level.
Maintain effective vendor partnerships to achieve high service levels, meet IMU and MMU goals.
Complete comprehensive training program and manage cosmetics, jewelry, women's accessories, women's fashions and men's apparel.
Manage indirect purchasing of commodities and services during mergers and acquisitions; measure supplier / category integration savings.
Manage relationships with primary suppliers including monitoring and purchasing commodities, forecasting, marketing initiatives and quality control.
Review sales projections, POS, & competition at retail to recommend assortment updates.

Brand manager example responsibilities.

Direct and coordinate photo shoots; conduct live training sessions; manage marketing asset library; CRM strategy.
Manage paid search campaigns including keyword generation, ad copy testing, landing page optimization, PPC and SEM.
Manage global product development teams with cross-functional oversight for manufacturing, sourcing, finance, design and supply chain management.
Manage POS merchandising and distribution of promotional items.
Develop and manage new health brand strategy including creation of healthcare professional/dietitian program.
Obtain certification through a cheese and wine class.

Senior merchandising manager vs brand manager skills

Common senior merchandising manager skills

Direct Reports, 7%
Digital Marketing, 6%
SR, 6%
Sales Floor, 6%
Product Knowledge, 6%
Productivity Standards, 5%

Common brand manager skills

Brand Management, 8%
Digital Marketing, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Project Management, 5%
Brand Marketing, 5%
Product Development, 4%

Senior Merchandising Manager vs. similar jobs

Senior Merchandising Manager related careers

Senior Merchandising Manager related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Senior Merchandising Manager
Senior Merchandising Manager vs Brand Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs