Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wholesale Merchandiser

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires an experienced Wholesale Merchandiser to own assortment planning, inventory optimization, vendor relationships, pricing execution and promotional planning across wholesale channels. The Wholesale Merchandiser drives margin and sell-through through data-driven category management, demand forecasting, purchase order execution and field merchandising support. This role interfaces with sales, supply chain, marketing and finance to ensure product availability, competitive pricing and an excellent wholesale customer experience.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Merchandiser / Merchandising Assistant
Sales Support / Account Coordinator (wholesale channel)
Inventory Planner / Demand Planner (entry-level)

Advancement To:

Senior Wholesale Merchandiser
Category Manager / Senior Category Manager
Wholesale Channel Manager / Head of Wholesale

Lateral Moves:

Key Account Manager (Wholesale)
Trade Marketing Manager
Supply Chain Planner / Demand Planning Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute category and assortment plans for wholesale customers that maximize sales, margin and turns; analyze category performance and recommend SKU rationalization and new product introductions tailored to wholesale channel needs.
Build and maintain detailed inventory forecasts and multi-week/month replenishment plans using historical sales, seasonality, lead times and promotional calendars to minimize stockouts and excess inventory.
Create, approve and manage purchase orders (POs) end-to-end, ensuring PO accuracy, on-time vendor shipments and alignment to forecasted demand and distribution schedules within SAP/ERP or order management systems.
Negotiate terms, pricing, payment terms and promotional funding with vendors and distributors to achieve target landed cost, improved margins and cooperative promotional support for wholesale partners.
Lead pricing strategy execution for wholesale accounts, including list pricing, contract pricing, MAP, trade discounts and promotional price mechanics to protect margin and win shelf placement.
Design and implement promotional plans and trade marketing programs for wholesale customers, coordinating with marketing and sales to set targets, measure ROI and optimize promotional cadence.
Monitor weekly and monthly sales performance versus plan, produce actionable insights from sales analytics and present recommendations to commercial leadership to drive improvements in sell-through and gross margin.
Maintain and optimize planograms, shelf space and display strategies for wholesale channels; provide detailed planogram directives, visual merchandising guidelines and field support to drive in-store execution.
Manage distributor and wholesaler relationships, including onboarding, performance reviews, dispute resolution, delivery and returns processes to maintain high service levels and compliance to agreements.
Conduct margin and contribution analysis by SKU and channel; identify opportunities to improve gross margin through price optimization, cost reduction and promotional efficiency.
Oversee allocation and replenishment logic across DCs and wholesale partners during product launches, seasonal peaks and promotional windows to ensure prioritized fulfillment and fair distribution.
Coordinate new product launches across wholesale networks: create launch calendars, manage sample distribution, educate sales teams and track initial sell-in/sell-through performance.
Maintain accurate merchandising standards and compliance documents, including POS material distribution, shelf tags and promotional signage across wholesale customers.
Use ERP, BI/analytics tools and Excel models to build demand models, scenario planning and what-if analyses to support assortment decisions, purchase cadence and inventory policies.
Partner with Sales and Key Account Managers to convert customer insights into actionable merchandising plans, joint business plans (JBPs) and annual account strategies for targeted growth.
Conduct regular wholesale channel audits and field visits to assess shelf placement, compliance to planograms, pricing execution and promotional display performance; correct execution gaps with field or distributor teams.
Manage product lifecycle for wholesale SKUs: monitor end-of-life, slow movers and long tail items; recommend markdown strategies or buy-back incentives to reduce aging inventory.
Ensure regulatory and label compliance on pack sizes, barcodes and wholesale product documentation; coordinate with legal and supply chain to resolve compliance issues affecting distribution.
Track and report on key merchandising KPIs (sell-through, inventory turns, OTB, fill rate, days of supply, margin %) and develop dashboards for senior stakeholders.
Implement continuous improvement initiatives across merchandising processes (order-to-fulfillment, vendor scorecards, promotional reconciliation) to reduce lead times and improve forecast accuracy.
Manage price change cycles and contract renewals for wholesale accounts, ensuring timely system updates and clear communication to sales and operations.
Maintain and validate EDI and data feeds with wholesale partners to ensure clean, timely sales and inventory data for accurate forecasting and reconciliations.
Work with finance to reconcile invoices, promotional accruals and trade spend; support month-end close for merchandising-related accounts and P&L variances.
Coach and mentor junior merchandisers and cross-functional colleagues on category strategy, merchandising best practices and analytics interpretation.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc sales and inventory data requests; prepare tailored reports for key accounts and leadership.
Assist commercial teams with joint business planning, account reviews and quarterly performance presentations.
Support supplier onboarding by coordinating samples, commercial terms, and required documentation for wholesale distribution.
Collaborate with supply chain to expedite critical shipments, resolve logistics exceptions and improve fill rates during promotions or out-of-stock scenarios.
Participate in cross-functional projects such as ERP enhancements, merchandising system roll-outs, or promotional ROI pilots.
Train distributor field teams on planogram execution, promotional display setup and pricing compliance.
Maintain competitive market intelligence by monitoring competitor assortments, pricing and promotional activity in wholesale channels.
Coordinate with marketing to ensure delivery and tracking of POS materials and campaign assets for wholesale activations.
Conduct periodic customer satisfaction checks and gather feedback to improve wholesale service levels and merchandising approaches.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, advanced formulas) for merchandising analytics and forecasting.
Experience with ERP/order management systems (SAP, NetSuite, Oracle or similar) for PO management and inventory control.
Familiarity with demand planning and forecasting tools (Forecast Pro, Anaplan, Blue Yonder) and building statistical forecasts.
Strong knowledge of category management and assortment planning frameworks; ability to develop space/assortment strategies.
Hands-on experience with planogram software and visual merchandising standards.
Commercial negotiation skills for vendor terms, pricing, trade allowances and promotional funding.
Experience with EDI, UPC/GTIN management and retail/sales data feeds for accurate wholesale reporting.
Competence in BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker) to build dashboards and translate data into action.
Pricing and margin analysis capabilities, including elasticity and promo ROI analysis.
Familiarity with inventory optimization techniques (safety stock, days of supply, replenishment logic) and allocation rules.
Basic understanding of supply chain operations (lead times, DC allocation, freight, customs) affecting merchandising decisions.
Experience creating and managing joint business plans (JBPs) and trade promotion agreements.

Soft Skills

Strong commercial acumen with a results-oriented mindset focused on margin, sell-through and customer satisfaction.
Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills for effective vendor, distributor and internal stakeholder management.
Clear, concise communication and presentation skills for senior leadership and customer-facing interactions.
Analytical thinker with the ability to synthesize data into actionable merchandising strategies and recommendations.
Excellent negotiation and influencing skills to secure terms and drive account priorities.
Problem-solving orientation and ability to manage ambiguity and fast-paced change.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple accounts and projects concurrently.
Collaborative team player who can work cross-functionally with sales, supply chain, finance and marketing.
Time management and prioritization skills to meet tight promotional and markdown deadlines.
Coaching and mentoring aptitude to develop junior team members and share merchandising best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent (many employers accept relevant experience in lieu of formal degree).

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Supply Chain, Retail Management or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management
Business Administration / Commerce
Marketing or Retail Management
Data Analytics / Applied Statistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of merchandising, wholesale account support, or inventory planning experience in a consumer goods, retail or distribution environment.

Preferred:

3–7+ years of wholesale merchandising or category management experience with demonstrable success in vendor negotiation, forecast-driven PO management, trade promotion management and cross-functional execution.
Experience working with national distributors, brokers or large wholesale customers and familiarity with ERP/BI tools used for merchandising and forecasting.