Merchandising jobs, entail working closely alongside retail buyers in order to plan what ranges of products will be sold, in addition to analyzing and forecasting sales figures and trends in order to maximize profits. Merchandising jobs of all types, including fashion-merchandising jobs, retail merchandising jobs and card merchandising jobs also entail setting prices and setting sales targets, planning budgets and meeting suppliers in order to negotiate lower prices. Everything relevant to products that relates to pricing, sales figures and inventory availability is up to the retail merchandiser and other merchandising jobs.
Qualifications and Experience
The qualifications and experience that most employers look for when filling merchandising jobs usually begin with a degree in a business related subject or an accounting subject where a proficiency in numbers is displayed. You should be able to demonstrate an understanding of fashion buying, marketing, merchandising, retail management, business, math, statistics, and economic subjects. Many universities do offer programs with access to this knowledge and experience, so your first step on the road to most merchandising jobs is going to begin with an education in these background categories.
If you lack real world experience, your first merchandising jobs will probably be allocate merchandising jobs, distributor merchandising jobs or merchandising administrator jobs. You will be able to work your way up over time to other merchandising jobs, including assistant merchandiser and top-level merchandiser in a variety of different fields and industries. You may also be able to enter into the retail industry for most fashion merchandising jobs and other retail merchandising jobs by entering into an internship or apprenticeship program, depending on the competition and the level of demand for these positions in your local region.
Training
Most of your skills will be learned on the job during your first couple of merchandising jobs, though you may also be required to attend in house, formal coursework to prove that you have the knowledge and experience required to do the duties required by most retail merchandising jobs and other merchandising jobs.
Salary Expectations
Starting salaries tend to range between $22,000 dollars and $27,000 dollars a year for most merchandising jobs. With experience, these salaries can easily go up from $22,000 dollars and $27,000 dollars a year to $30,000 to $60,000 depending on the industry and the job description. Top salaries for merchandising jobs in some of the larger retail companies can easily reach as high as $74,000.
Working Conditions and Skills Required
- Good sense of business,
- Understanding of what customers are looking for,
- Excellent organizational skills,
- Excellent planning skills,
- Good analytical skills,
- Excellent mathematical skills,
- Excellent decision-making ability,
- Excellent communication skills,
- Excellent negotiation skills,
- Creative flair,
- The ability to work in groups or teams,
- The ability to work under the pressure of deadlines,
- Excellent working knowledge of computer programs,
- Knowledge of working with spreadsheets.
Available Job Opportunities and Opportunities for Advancement within the Industry
Merchandising jobs entail that you can work within a variety of different industries and for all kinds of different retailers, including brick and mortar retailers and internet based retailers, wholesalers and even manufacturing companies, though the job description for each of these positions would be different depending on which job that you take.
You may be able to find job opportunities in the local and national newspapers, websites for employers, specialist agencies for recruitment and even in your standard job ads. There are different types of merchandising jobs that you can take depending on what industry you have the most interest in. For example, card-merchandising jobs, retail merchandising jobs and fashion retailing jobs will offer unique job descriptions and companies that you can work for. Depending on your interests, finding a merchandising job may be difficult or easy depending on the level of competition in that branch of the field. Merchandising jobs typically offer clear-cut standards for promotion, so coming into an entry level-merchandising job should give you a basic idea of what your career will be like.
