Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Merchandising Specialist

💰 $55,000 - $85,000

RetailMerchandisingE-commerceMarketingSales

🎯 Role Definition

The Merchandising Specialist is the creative and analytical force behind a compelling product story. This role is a custodian of the customer's shopping experience, responsible for translating brand vision and sales data into visually appealing and commercially successful product presentations, both in physical stores and on digital platforms. It's a dynamic blend of art and science, requiring a keen eye for trends and a sharp mind for numbers. The specialist ensures the right products are in the right place, at the right time, and at the right price, directly influencing customer perception, driving conversion, and maximizing profitability. They are a critical link between the buying, marketing, and sales teams, ensuring a cohesive and powerful go-to-market strategy.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Merchandising Assistant
  • Assistant Buyer
  • Retail Store Manager or Department Lead
  • Marketing Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Senior Merchandising Specialist
  • Merchandising Manager or Category Manager
  • Buyer or Senior Buyer
  • E-commerce Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Visual Merchandising Manager
  • Brand Specialist
  • Product Marketing Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, execute, and maintain strategic merchandising plans for assigned product categories to maximize sales, margin, and customer satisfaction.
  • Create and distribute detailed planograms and visual merchandising directives that ensure a consistent, brand-right presentation across all retail channels.
  • Analyze sales performance, customer behavior data, and market trends to identify key insights and formulate data-driven recommendations for assortment adjustments and pricing strategies.
  • Manage the entire product lifecycle, from initial product setup and onboarding to planning and executing end-of-season clearance and markdown strategies.
  • Collaborate closely with buying and inventory planning teams to influence product selection, ensuring the assortment aligns with brand identity and meets consumer demand.
  • Conduct regular store visits and digital site audits to evaluate merchandising execution, ensure compliance with brand standards, and gather real-time feedback from the field.
  • Partner with marketing and creative teams to align on promotional calendars and develop impactful in-store signage, online banners, and campaign assets that support key product narratives.
  • Meticulously monitor inventory health, including sell-through rates, stock levels, and turnover, to proactively address potential out-of-stocks or overstock situations.
  • Perform continuous competitive analysis by researching competitor assortments, pricing structures, and merchandising tactics to identify opportunities and maintain a competitive edge.
  • Build and foster strong, productive relationships with external vendors to manage product samples, confirm product details, and ensure timely product delivery.
  • Forecast product performance and sales trends for upcoming seasons, providing critical data to guide purchasing volumes and allocation strategies.
  • Lead the execution of new product launches and seasonal floor sets, coordinating with store operations, logistics, and marketing for a seamless and impactful rollout.
  • For e-commerce, optimize on-site search functionality, category navigation, and product filtering options to create a frictionless user experience and improve conversion.
  • Curate compelling product collections, landing pages, and shoppable edits for digital platforms based on seasonal themes, marketing campaigns, and customer segmentation.
  • Generate and present regular, comprehensive performance reports to leadership, highlighting key merchandising KPIs, sales results, and strategic recommendations.

Secondary Functions

  • Develop and deliver training materials to educate store-level associates and cross-functional partners on new product features, merchandising standards, and selling techniques.
  • Participate in the selection and implementation of new merchandising software, tools, and reporting dashboards to enhance team efficiency and analytical capabilities.
  • Support the planning and execution of pop-up shops, trade shows, and other special retail events to drive brand awareness and customer engagement.
  • Stay consistently informed on emerging industry trends, consumer behaviors, and innovative technologies within the retail and e-commerce landscape.
  • Assist in the creation and management of the departmental budget, tracking expenses related to fixtures, visual elements, and travel.
  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Planogram Software Proficiency: Experience using professional planogramming tools (e.g., JDA Space Planning, Blue Yonder, Apollo, DotActiv).
  • Advanced Excel Skills: Mastery of Excel for data manipulation and analysis, including pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, conditional formatting, and creating dashboards.
  • Retail & Inventory Systems: Hands-on experience with retail ERP and inventory management systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle Retail, NetSuite, Lightspeed).
  • Data Analysis & Reporting: Strong ability to extract, analyze, and interpret large datasets from multiple sources to generate actionable business insights.
  • E-commerce Platform Knowledge: For digital roles, familiarity with e-commerce platforms (e.g., Shopify Plus, Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud) and their merchandising capabilities.
  • Business Intelligence Tools: Experience with data visualization tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Google Analytics to track KPIs and communicate findings.

Soft Skills

  • Visual Acuity & Creativity: A strong aesthetic sense and a keen eye for detail, color, and spatial arrangement to create visually compelling product presentations.
  • Collaborative Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a natural ability to build relationships and work effectively with diverse, cross-functional teams.
  • Exceptional Organization: Superior project management and organizational skills, with the capacity to manage multiple complex projects and tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Commercial Acumen: A deep understanding of the retail business, consumer psychology, and market dynamics, with a constant focus on driving commercial results.
  • Proactive Problem-Solving: A resourceful and results-oriented mindset, capable of anticipating challenges and developing creative, effective solutions.
  • Influence and Negotiation: The ability to present ideas persuasively and influence decisions across various levels of the organization and with external partners.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree with a concentration in a relevant discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Marketing
  • Fashion Merchandising
  • Retail Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3-5 years of direct experience in retail merchandising, buying, category management, or a closely related role.

Preferred:

  • Experience within a multi-store retail company or a high-volume e-commerce business is highly desirable. A proven track record of driving sales growth through merchandising strategies is a significant plus.
Explore More Careers