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Visual merchandiser hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring visual merchandisers in the United States:
Here's a step-by-step visual merchandiser hiring guide:
A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans. They must also be knowledgeable on product information to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. Visual merchandisers should be creative in setting up the uniformity of the store's visuals within the budget goals. The designs must be appealing enough to drive the customers around the premises, potentially generating revenues and increasing profitability.
Before you start hiring a visual merchandiser, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.
Hiring the perfect visual merchandiser also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.
This list presents visual merchandiser salaries for various positions.
| Type of Visual Merchandiser | Description | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Merchandiser | A Visual Merchandiser creates attractive visual displays and strategies to promote retail brands, products, and services. They conduct research on current and future trends in design and lifestyle, as well as revise and present design ideas with assistant merchandisers. | $12-25 |
| Production Artist | A production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts... Show more | $19-45 |
| Graphic Artist | A graphic artist is either an illustrator or an animator who creates art work that will be used in graphic projects such as advertisements, posters, or even book covers. Although a graphic artist has his/her own style of artwork, he/she may be often commissioned to create art specifically for a particular project... Show more | $16-40 |
Including a salary range in your visual merchandiser job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A visual merchandiser salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.
For example, the average salary for a visual merchandiser in Georgia may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level visual merchandiser usually earns less than a senior-level visual merchandiser. Additionally, a visual merchandiser with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $51,334 | $25 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $49,005 | $24 |
| 3 | California | $48,447 | $23 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $45,522 | $22 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $44,615 | $21 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $43,860 | $21 |
| 7 | Nevada | $43,393 | $21 |
| 8 | Arizona | $41,921 | $20 |
| 9 | Washington | $41,534 | $20 |
| 10 | Ohio | $39,982 | $19 |
| 11 | Illinois | $38,655 | $19 |
| 12 | Oregon | $37,983 | $18 |
| 13 | Florida | $37,255 | $18 |
| 14 | Utah | $37,216 | $18 |
| 15 | Colorado | $36,832 | $18 |
| 16 | Missouri | $36,449 | $18 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $36,129 | $17 |
| 18 | Texas | $35,807 | $17 |
| 19 | Iowa | $35,190 | $17 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $34,939 | $17 |
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RH | $71,994 | $34.61 | 86 |
| 2 | Tiffany & Co. | $56,977 | $27.39 | 2 |
| 3 | Forever 21 | $54,867 | $26.38 | |
| 4 | Value City Furniture | $49,970 | $24.02 | 6 |
| 5 | The Donna Karan Company LLC | $47,696 | $22.93 | |
| 6 | Burberry | $46,926 | $22.56 | |
| 7 | Bassett Furniture Industries | $46,859 | $22.53 | 21 |
| 8 | Frognet | $44,616 | $21.45 | |
| 9 | Crocs | $43,788 | $21.05 | |
| 10 | H&M International | $42,509 | $20.44 | |
| 11 | Marlo Furniture | $42,071 | $20.23 | |
| 12 | Louis Vuitton | $41,710 | $20.05 | |
| 13 | Tory Burch | $41,470 | $19.94 | |
| 14 | IKEA North America Services, LLC | $41,434 | $19.92 | 1 |
| 15 | ThirdChannel | $41,364 | $19.89 | 49 |
| 16 | Kering Americas Inc | $41,349 | $19.88 | 4 |
| 17 | Furniture Mart USA | $41,234 | $19.82 | 7 |
| 18 | Retail | $41,154 | $19.79 | |
| 19 | LoLa Travel | $41,028 | $19.73 | |
| 20 | HM Holding Company | $40,959 | $19.69 |
A visual merchandiser job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a visual merchandiser job description:
There are a few common ways to find visual merchandisers for your business:
Your first interview with visual merchandiser candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.
You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Once you've decided on a perfect visual merchandiser candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.
It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new visual merchandiser. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Before you start to hire visual merchandisers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire visual merchandisers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.
You can expect to pay around $38,037 per year for a visual merchandiser, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for visual merchandisers in the US typically range between $12 and $25 an hour.