What Does a Visual Merchandiser Do?

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.

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Visual Merchandiser Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real visual merchandiser resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Manage backroom/stock room inventory by organizing pallets, stacking and storing product inventory.
Provide support to all meeting and VTC rooms.
Merchandise mens, ladies, kids, and accessories departments.
Operate audio board, PowerPoint, camera, and video switcher.
Assist outside vendor merchandisers (NIKE) with execution of planograms.
Assist with prop development and production for the 5 NYC flagship stores.
Monitor and review KPI's (key performance indicators) to forecast monthly.
Work with POG's according to company standards & handle all visual merchandising displays.
Demonstrate creative eye and social media skills by styling outfits for Instagram and Facebook posts.
Experience with the proper safety usage of manual and power tools, lifting, and ladders.
Garner hands on experience in the business operations of cosmetic and smart phone accessories e-commerce business.
Maintain and build customer relations via social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Work with marketing department as POS liaison to distribute seasonal POS to national and international sales force.
Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrop, and other accessories, as shown in prepare sketch.
Sketch detail drawings of apparel and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, and material types.

Visual Merchandiser Job Description

Perhaps the hardest question to answer when deciding on a career as a visual merchandiser is "should I become a visual merchandiser?" You might find this info to be helpful. When compared to other jobs, visual merchandiser careers are projected to have a growth rate described as "faster than average" at 8% from 2018 through 2028. This is in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What's more, is that the projected number of opportunities that are predicted to become available for a visual merchandiser by 2028 is 11,500.

On average, the visual merchandiser annual salary is $38,037 per year, which translates to $18.29 an hour. Generally speaking, visual merchandisers earn anywhere from $27,000 to $53,000 a year, which means that the top-earning visual merchandisers make $40,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

It's hard work to become a visual merchandiser, but even the most dedicated employees consider switching careers from time to time. Whether you're interested in a more challenging position or just looking for a fresh start, we've compiled extensive information on becoming a production artist, design specialist, graphic artist, and artist.

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12 Visual Merchandiser Resume Examples

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Daniel Lee Visual Merchandiser Contact Information Philadelphia, PA (410) 555-6833 dlee@example.com Skills Store Management Sales Reports Line Sheets Database Corporate Standards Sample Inventory Sample Library Sample Room Payroll Sales Goals Employment History Visual Merchandiser 2014 - Present Gap Philadelphia, PA Maintain sales floors appeal by creating stimulating visual displays and styling mannequins to drive sales. Process incoming inventory, merchandise sales floor, markdown execution, maintain clothing displays. Managed merchandising process for new store openings. Fulfilled administrative tasks including managing inventory, distributing marketing materials, designing store merchandise displays and making decisions about product placement. Visual Merchandising Manager 2010 - 2014 Old Navy Philadelphia, PA Assisted in remodels and new store openings, working with stores of all sizes using flexing and condensing. Traveled throughout the district to open new stores and trained new managers in the company. Marketed product, maintained individual sales goals, and managed profit. Worked with field visual team and store management to create floor sets for the chain. Showroom Assistant 2004 - 2010 Marriott International Omaha, NE Planned travel arrangements for our Director of Sales. Coordinate payroll files and Paid Time Off (PTO) submission Provide administrative and customer support for assigned managers Identified and qualified credible business opportunities for the group sales team, drafted client contracts, and facilitated VIP amenities. Prepare sales-related documents throughout the sales process. Prepared presentation documents for customer annual reviews; using Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Organized wholesale and track sheets Attended tradeshows with designer Hosted showroom for clients Education High School Diploma 2004 - 2004


Jack Ramirez Visual Merchandiser Contact Info San Diego, CA (240) 555-1922 jramirez@example.com Skills Customer ServicePowerpointDelivery DatesCADAssistant MerchandiserRetail SalesSales FloorStore ManagementVideo EquipmentFinal Cut Pro Employment History Visual Merchandiser 2020 - Present Fry's Electronics San Diego, CA Cashier, back room stock, sales floor help and excellent customer service. Key player in the New Store Opening of the Houston Galleria Replenished and maintained the sales floors and stockrooms. set up new stores with fixtures and signage, merchandise cards and products Receive, store and issue sales floor merchandise. Fashion Merchandiser 2012 - 2020 Pepsi Bottling Ventures San Diego, CA Provide customer service for both store management and customers. Merchandised Pepsi product at various grocery outlets. Rotate product on shelves and back room. Stock shelves at local grocery stores with Pepsi products. Assistant Merchandise Buyer 2011 - 2012 Qualcomm San Diego, CA Executed and expedited Order Requisitions, Purchase Orders, Sourcing requests and invoices in excess of 250 requests per week. Joint venture with Sony Electronics Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. * Analyzed purchase requisitions in MRP and issued purchase orders. Managed ordering consumable raw materials including hazardous materials through inventory min/max level reordering using blanket purchase agreements. Reorganized the sales floor to meet company demands. Education Some College Courses Business 2011 - 2011 Ashford University San Diego, CA


Deborah Holmes Visual Merchandiser Marion, IN (940) 555-0453 dholmes@example.com Experience Visual Merchandiser2019 - Present J. C. Penney•Marion, IN Unloaded new shipments of merchandise to the sales floor in a quick and efficient manner. Stock and merchandise sales floor if needed. Partner with store management to continually analyze and respond accordingly to business and selling trends and guest feedback. Audio Visual Coordinator2011 - 2019 Red Gold•Marion, IN Merchandised, restocked and maintained sales floor. Assisted in opening a new store; led the stockroom team to a successful opening. Cleaned and maintained the sales floor. Showroom Assistant2008 - 2011 Red Gold•Marion, IN Completed proposals, contracts, and purchase orders of travel expenses for National Sales Managers. Traveled and visually merchandised showroom areas in various states at tradeshows. Designed PowerPoint presentations used as a marketing tool to promote the Resort to prospective clients. Developed and maintained a database to issue and track Customer Satisfaction Survey Results. Skills Store ManagementSample RoomExternal CustomersAudio VisualUnityVisual SupportWebexShowroomBanquet FunctionsApple Education Associate's Degree Business2006 - 2008 Indiana Wesleyan University•Marion, IN

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Visual Merchandiser Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 25% of Visual Merchandisers are proficient in Customer Service, Ladders, and Sales Floor. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Manual dexterity, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Visual Merchandisers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Customer Service, 25%
Maintained impeccable standards of customer service to hundreds of customers per day while strategically and visually displaying merchandise.
Ladders, 17%
Climbed ladders daily to switch out the graphics.
Sales Floor, 10%
Developed and maintained store merchandising including mannequin design and sales floor displays.
Store Management, 6%
Established and cultivated strong relationships with store management and staff to drive business initiatives and communicate regularly regarding store information.
Drive Sales, 6%
Provided the ultimate guest in-store experience through excellent visual merchandising and presentation execution in order to drive sales and maximize profitability.
Kids, 5%
Launched e-commerce, UNIQLO Kids, 100 plus designer collaborations, and United States market expansion from 3 to 17 stores.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Visual Merchandiser Resume templates

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Most visual merchandisers list "customer service," "ladders," and "sales floor" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important visual merchandiser responsibilities here:

Computer skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a visual merchandiser to have. According to a visual merchandiser resume, "technicians use computer systems to program equipment and edit audio and video recordings." Visual merchandisers are able to use computer skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "prepared invoices and daily sales reports using various computer software. "

Another trait important for fulfilling visual merchandiser duties is manual dexterity. According to a visual merchandiser resume, "some technicians set up audio and visual equipment and cables, a job that requires a steady hand and good hand-eye coordination." Here's an example of how visual merchandisers are able to utilize manual dexterity: "designed a zone coordinated stockroom and sales manual for maximum efficiency to increase store sales. "

Another skill that is quite popular among visual merchandisers is problem-solving skills. This skill is very critical to fulfilling every day responsibilities as is shown in this example from a visual merchandiser resume: "technicians need to recognize equipment problems and propose possible solutions to them" This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "communicated successes, opportunities and solutions to the store management team and district team maintains an organized and safe visual stockroom. "

In order for certain visual merchandiser responsibilities to be completed, the job requires the skill "communication skills." According to a visual merchandiser resume, "technicians need to communicate with supervisors and coworkers to ensure that clients’ needs are met and that equipment is set up properly before broadcasts, live performances, and presentations." As an example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies: "point of communication between market visual merchandising manager and in-store management team. "

See the full list of visual merchandiser skills.

Before becoming a visual merchandiser, 57.0% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 2.5% visual merchandisers went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most visual merchandisers have a college degree. But about one out of every six visual merchandisers didn't attend college at all.

Those visual merchandisers who do attend college, typically earn either specialized sales and merchandising degrees or graphic design degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for visual merchandisers include business degrees or marketing degrees.

When you're ready to become a visual merchandiser, you might wonder which companies hire visual merchandisers. According to our research through visual merchandiser resumes, visual merchandisers are mostly hired by Target, Ocean State Job Lot, and H&M; International. Now is a good time to apply as Target has 251 visual merchandisers job openings, and there are 151 at Ocean State Job Lot and 131 at H&M; International.

But if you're interested in companies where you might earn a high salary, visual merchandisers tend to earn the biggest salaries at RH, Tiffany & Co., and Forever 21. Take RH for example. The median visual merchandiser salary is $71,994. At Tiffany & Co., visual merchandisers earn an average of $56,977, while the average at Forever 21 is $54,867. You should take into consideration how difficult it might be to secure a job with one of these companies.

View more details on visual merchandiser salaries across the United States.

Some other companies you might be interested in as a visual merchandiser include The Coca-Cola Company, Macy's, and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. These three companies were found to hire the most visual merchandisers from the top 100 U.S. educational institutions.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious visual merchandisers are:

Target251 Visual Merchandisers Jobs
Ocean State Job Lot151 Visual Merchandisers Jobs
H&M International131 Visual Merchandisers Jobs

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What Production Artists Do

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. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take production artist for example. On average, the production artists annual salary is $23,833 higher than what visual merchandisers make on average every year.

There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a visual merchandiser responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "ladders," "sales floor," and "store management." Meanwhile a typical production artist has skills in areas such as "graphic design," "adobe photoshop," "adobe creative suite," and "adobe illustrator." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

On average, production artists reach similar levels of education than visual merchandisers. Production artists are 0.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Design Specialist?

A design specialist is responsible for creating engaging visual images and digital content to improve customers' brand awareness about the organization's products and services. Design specialists may also work for media production, creating graphic animations for viewers depending on production requirements and media demands. A design specialist must have excellent knowledge of utilizing various software tools and programs, coordinating with the whole design team on adjusting plans, improving layouts according to budget limitations, and submitting deliverables within the set deadlines.

Next up, we have the design specialist profession to look over. This career brings along a higher average salary when compared to a visual merchandiser annual salary. In fact, design specialists salary difference is $18,880 higher than the salary of visual merchandisers per year.

A similarity between the two careers of visual merchandisers and design specialists are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "customer service," "sales floor," and "product knowledge. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, visual merchandiser responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "ladders," "store management," "drive sales," and "kids." Meanwhile, a design specialist might be skilled in areas such as "sketch," "cad," "adobe creative suite," and "graphic design." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On the topic of education, design specialists earn similar levels of education than visual merchandisers. In general, they're 4.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Graphic Artist Compares

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. A graphic artist may work with a graphic designer in order to convey the overall message of a project. The portfolio of a graphic artist includes cartoons, illustrations, and graphic novels.

The third profession we take a look at is graphic artist. On an average scale, these workers bring in higher salaries than visual merchandisers. In fact, they make a $16,863 higher salary per year.

Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from visual merchandiser resumes include skills like "customer service," "ladders," "sales floor," and "store management," whereas a graphic artist might be skilled in "graphic design," "adobe photoshop," "adobe illustrator," and "art direction. "

Additionally, graphic artists earn a higher salary in the non profits industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $68,382. Additionally, visual merchandisers earn an average salary of $37,869 in the retail industry.

Graphic artists typically study at similar levels compared with visual merchandisers. For example, they're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of an Artist

An Artist specializes in creating various artworks or prose; the audience can vary from individuals or the general public. An artist's responsibility depends on the industry, company, or position where they are assigned. However, most of the time, Artists are expected to work under specific guidelines, deliver materials in a required format within an allotted time and perform revisions according to what is preferred by an editor or client. Furthermore, independent artists may work freelance and receive commissions for their craft.

Artists tend to earn a higher pay than visual merchandisers by about $30,653 per year.

Each job requires different skills like "ladders," "sales floor," "store management," and "drive sales," which might show up on a visual merchandiser resume. Whereas artist might include skills like "good time management," "maya," "adobe photoshop," and "graphic design."

Artists earn a higher salary in the technology industry with an average of $80,623. Whereas, visual merchandisers earn the highest salary in the retail industry.

Artists reach similar levels of education when compared to visual merchandisers. The difference is that they're 4.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree more, and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What a Visual Merchandiser Does FAQs

How Much Money Does A Visual Merchandiser Make?

A visual merchandiser makes about $55,000 yearly (about $4,629 monthly or $27 hourly). In general, as most jobs go, factors like location, company, and experience can determine your exact pay.

Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.

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Updated October 2, 2020