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The differences between visual merchandisers and merchandising specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a visual merchandiser has an average salary of $38,037, which is higher than the $32,920 average annual salary of a merchandising specialist.
The top three skills for a visual merchandiser include customer service, ladders and sales floor. The most important skills for a merchandising specialist are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.
| Visual Merchandiser | Merchandising Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $38,037 | $32,920 |
| Hourly rate | $18.29 | $15.83 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 74,351 | 49,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A merchandising specialist is responsible for managing the promotion of the business' products, arranging creative displays both on the physical store and company website to attract consumers on purchasing the products to generate revenues and increase profitability. Merchandising specialists assist in the development of marketing campaigns, as well as facilitating promotional offers on different communication channels. They also monitor stock inventories, analyze pricing structures, and adjust selling strategies by researching the current market trends, identifying business opportunities to meet customers' demands, and improve the negotiation process.
Visual merchandisers and merchandising specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Visual Merchandiser | Merchandising Specialist | |
| Average salary | $38,037 | $32,920 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $53,000 | Between $22,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | RH | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a visual merchandiser and a merchandising specialist in terms of educational background:
| Visual Merchandiser | Merchandising Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between visual merchandisers' and merchandising specialists' demographics:
| Visual Merchandiser | Merchandising Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7% | Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 17% | 17% |