Merchandiser what to do. Summary and future work

The main goal Any trading business is represented by an increase in sales volume. To a large extent, this indicator is determined by the effectiveness of sales management tools that make it possible to turn an ordinary store visitor into a real buyer. Moreover, modern technologies of influencing the target audience not only prompt its representatives to think about making a purchase, but also force them to purchase products of a particular brand.

The need for a systematic approach to stimulating retail sales has led to the emergence of such a profession as a merchandiser: who it is and what it does is today rather vaguely understood not only by ordinary citizens, but also by some representatives of small businesses. Meanwhile, merchandising specialists play an important role in trading activities: without their help, it is difficult to create an attractive retail outlet for customers and withstand the competition with large chains.

What is merchandising?

Product placement based on the most common consumer behavior patterns increases store turnover by an average of 12%. A display that takes into account the peculiarities of visual perception adds 15% to revenue, and attracting attention to positions that are beneficial for the outlet - another 25%. In total, the correct design of an establishment allows you to earn 100–200% more in comparison with a store where products are arranged randomly on the shelves.

Business owners who want to achieve this kind of growth will have to learn what the words “merchandiser” and “merchandising” mean. In this case we're talking about about the direction of marketing, covering methods of passively attracting the attention of visitors to retail outlets to the desired brands or product groups without active participation store workers in this process. The need for merchandising events is confirmed by statistical data:

60% of customers make a decision to purchase a particular product spontaneously, standing directly in front of the display window;
70% of citizens who planned a purchase in advance also choose a specific brand while already at the retail outlet;
30% of consumers are ready to change their preferences if another product in the same price category seems more attractive to them.

To influence the choice of such doubtful buyers and stimulate the sale of certain products, you need to use advertising materials and visual design of points of sale:

Indicate to the store visitor the location of certain products;
Draw his attention to the necessary brands;
Provide the client with information about the benefits of this product;
Convince him of the advisability of making an immediate purchase;
Occupy maximum shelf space and push aside competitors;
Make the visitor purchase more products and increase the check amount.

The term “merchandising”, among others, is borrowed from English language, where it is a derivative of the verb to merchandise (trade). The debate about whether “merchandising” or “merchandising” is correct is caused by the lack of an official interpretation of the concept in the law, while search engines for relevant queries produce approximately the same number of results. It should be noted that the first option is more often found in the correspondence of ordinary users, while the second is preferred by book authors and representatives of specialized companies. Based on these studies, we can conclude that at the moment both ways of writing the term are equivalent.

Who is a merchandiser?

You can understand the meaning of the words “merchandiser” and “merchandising” by studying the tasks that representatives of this profession solve. A merchandiser (or merchandiser) is a specialist who promotes his company’s products directly at retail outlets and increases the attractiveness of a brand or an entire group of products for consumers by indirect methods, without the need to enter into direct contact with the latter.

This effect is achieved by correctly displaying and maintaining the presentation of products on the shelf, as well as attracting the buyer’s attention to ongoing promotions and new products in the manufacturer’s product range using posters, leaflets, advertising structures and other POS materials placed in the store. Also, the merchandiser must ensure the cleanliness and serviceability of corporate retail equipment and prevent competitors’ products from landing on their shelves.

Analyzing statistics on the use of merchandiser services in retail networks different sizes, you can notice that:

Owners of small shops or pavilions do not need to know what a merchandiser is. Sellers cope well with the responsibilities of displaying goods;
Supermarket workers trading floor study the basic rules of merchandising, and marketers use additional sales promotion techniques;
Suppliers are trying to increase sales for their product groups. That’s why they hire their own merchandisers to service partner stores.

In turn, it is profitable for owners of retail outlets to hire merchandisers provided by suppliers to decorate windows and display goods, which makes it possible to save on wages for their own specialists.

Types of merchandisers?

When studying what a “merchandiser” is, you should also consider possible options specializations of representatives of this profession. Of course, they all solve the problem of sales promotion, but they do it in different formats:

Dedicated merchandiser. Works with only one supplier. What a merchandiser does in stores: promotes his employer’s products and distinguishes them from competitors’ products;
Combined merchandiser. Such a specialist collaborates with several small suppliers at once, for whom it is not profitable to create their own merchandising departments and hire full-time employees for this;
Stationary merchandiser. A stationary merchandiser is an employee assigned to a specific retail outlet. He can display the products of one or more suppliers within his department;
Business merchandiser. Serves several stores that are located in the same area and cooperate with the merchandiser's employer. Visiting different areas in different days, such a specialist can cover the entire city;
Consultant. What does this type of merchandiser do: in addition to carrying out the main events (displaying goods, placing price tags and advertising), he convinces visitors to the department of the need to buy his product;
Merchandiser loader. Who is a “hands” type merchandiser: this is an employee, problem solver for quickly placing large quantities of goods on shelves. He does not need to study product characteristics or place advertising materials.

Responsibilities of a Merchandiser

Ordinary citizens, who only know approximately who a merchandiser is and what he does, often consider the duties of displaying goods to be primitive and accessible to any loader. However, the range of tasks of such specialists is much wider: it is the quality of their work that, to a certain extent, determines the profit of a retail outlet. So, according to his job description, the merchandiser is obliged:

With some regularity, visit the retail outlets located along your route with which the supplier works;
Conduct negotiations with store managers or owners on merchandising events;
Display goods on shelves according to the corporate planogram;
Design and allocate a place for selling your products in such a way as to gain an advantage over competitors;
Check the availability and relevance of price tags for your goods;
Rotate products according to expiration dates;
Supply retail outlets with advertising materials and place them at points of sale;
Monitor the serviceability and eliminate breakdowns of corporate retail equipment and advertising materials;
Explain to customers the consumer properties and advantages of your product;
Notify management of insufficient quantity or range of products;
Submit complaints to management regarding the quality and delivery times of goods;
Fill out reports on your retail outlets, make assortment and price cuts, take photographs of the display of goods.

Based on this list of responsibilities, you can already imagine who a merchandiser is. However, some companies use specialists not only to maintain order at points of sale, but also to solve marketing problems.

In this case, the merchandising department employee must:

Convince sellers of the advisability of selling your product, using its characteristics and advantages over analogues;
Negotiate greatness trade margin for your products;
Study the target audience and demand structure in a particular store;
Analyze the methods of product promotion used by competitors and take measures to prevent the weakening of their positions.

Merchandiser's work procedure

All major retail chains and suppliers conduct marketing research and create their own product promotion strategies, which they then use to develop standards regulating the activities of merchandisers. Such corporate standards include:

Algorithm for visiting a retail outlet. Describes step by step what a merchandiser should do in a store or supermarket;
Planograms. They are schemes for displaying goods in retail outlets of different categories and sizes developed by marketers;
Rules for placing advertising POS materials. They contain information on exactly how to hang price tags, put up posters and lay out leaflets.

By studying the order of actions of an employee when visiting a store, you can imagine what the job of a merchandiser is. So, he must:

Determine the main purposes of the visit to the store;
Prepare the necessary documents (price lists, client card), tools (markers, scissors, tape) and materials (posters, price tags, shelf talkers);
Visit the retail outlet on schedule or immediately after delivery of the goods;
Establish a responsible person in the store, notify him of the name of your company and the purpose of the visit. In the most difficult cases, you will have to additionally explain who the merchandiser is and what tasks he solves;
Listen to the complaints and wishes of the store employees regarding the quality and delivery time of products;
Study the outlet to expand the presence of your product there and stimulate sales. In this case, it is necessary to find out: which of the proposed methods the client considers acceptable, which of them will help maximize sales, which method is easiest to implement;
Coordinate with the client and carry out sales promotion activities (install sales equipment, arrange an additional sales location);
Fill the shelves with your products in accordance with the merchandiser’s rules for displaying goods and place advertising and information materials:
Study the range of products available in the warehouse and on the shelves, compare it with what is recommended for such outlets, note the missing items;
Deliver from the warehouse the quantity of goods necessary to fill the shelf;
Put the packaging in order and remove damaged boxes;
Remove expired goods and display the remaining items according to the rule “expiring - forward”;
Lay out the product in accordance with the planogram;
Expand shelf space by organizing additional points of sale or at the expense of competitors;
Check price tags for product compliance and make missing ones;
Replace damaged or outdated POS materials;
Take a photo of the display for subsequent presentation to the manager.
Collect information about pricing policy, representation and promotions of competitors;
Notify the client about the completion of work and leave the outlet;
Fill out the report form and route sheet.

Pros and cons of the profession

Merchandising is considered a popular employment option for young, inexperienced professionals just starting to build a career, as well as for students considering ways and women.

Why are young people interested in this profession:

No experience or special education is required for employment. Sometimes you don’t even need to know what “merchandiser” means - companies themselves train employees;
An employee should not constantly sit in the office, in front of his superiors;
Working hours are not standardized by hour. A merchandiser can easily set aside time to solve personal problems;
Work involves the absence of routine and constant communication with people;
With a lower workload, a specialist earns more than other unskilled workers - loaders, freight forwarders or sellers;
There is a real opportunity to build a career in trading;
With effort, the merchandiser can earn more through bonuses.

In fairness, it should be noted that there is no easy, unburdensome work for employees in entry-level positions in trade.

The disadvantages of the merchandiser profession are as follows:

The working day is not standardized. Sometimes you have to serve clients until the evening, then write reports at home, and go to training on the weekend;
The merchandiser must bypass stores on his route in any weather;
Constant work on your feet and carrying heavy goods causes fatigue;
Employers often use mobile devices to monitor employee movements and the time spent in the store;
Clients sometimes do not fully understand who merchandisers are, and therefore consider them powerless and attribute them to the lowest rung of the hierarchical ladder.

Requirements for applicants

When filling a vacancy in the merchandising department, employers present quite standard requirements to applicants: the candidate is expected to be responsible, active, and diligent. In addition, the specifics of the profession also determine what qualities a merchandiser should have:

Endurance is necessary to navigate the route on foot every day;
Physical strength will come in handy when delivering heavy packages of goods from a warehouse;
Sociability and friendliness allow you to effectively communicate with employees of retail outlets and achieve your goals;
Neatness in clothing and presentable appearance contribute to the formation of a positive image of both the employee and his company;
A condition for career growth is the desire to constantly improve oneself and study in more depth how a merchandiser works;
For analytical work and filling out reports, you need the ability to use computer technology;
Willingness to work early mornings, late evenings, or weekends is required to perform duties without interfering with customers;
Experience working with retail chains and knowledge of who a merchandiser is and what he does helps to find work with better conditions and high pay;
For operations with food, you will need a sanitary book;
When covering a large territory, the merchandiser must have driver license, and in some cases - a passenger car.

Depending on the type of product, the employer gives preference to men or women: the former traditionally work with alcohol, construction materials and tobacco products, and the second - with cosmetics, clothing and food. Sometimes high physical activity and the low status of the profession lead to age restrictions: it is quite difficult for a person over 30 to get a job as a merchandiser.

For efficient work and successfully build a career in a large company, a merchandising specialist must know:

Methods of sales promotion and demand generation;
Types of advertising materials and methods of their use;
Rules for designing points of sale, taking into account the psychology of buyers;
Technical and consumer characteristics of your product, its advantages in comparison with competitors’ analogues;
Prices for the most popular types of our own and competing products.

How to become a merchandiser?

A citizen who has found out what kind of profession a merchandiser is may have a desire to master it and try his hand at a new field. The implementation of such an idea is hampered by one problem: merchandising is not taught either in institutes or in technical schools. Fortunately, all that is most often required of a candidate for a position is good health and a desire to work: 75% of companies prefer to hire active young people who are free from established professional stereotypes.

For applicants who have passed the preliminary selection, short courses are held, where future merchandisers are told about the assortment matrix and characteristics of the company's products, explain the rules for conducting marketing campaigns, and teach communication skills with employees and store owners. However, the preparation is not limited to this: trading enterprises Regularly conduct seminars for employees on the exchange of practical experience and methods for promoting new products.

For a person who wants to find out for himself who merchandisers are and what they do, alternative options- from short trainings on product promotion and sales management to full-fledged courses on the basics of active sales, merchandising and trade marketing. Such preparation is quite sufficient for successful work in large supermarkets and national retail chains. However for further development With the prospect of taking the place of a manager or leading marketing specialist, you will need a diploma in psychology or management, and in some cases, designer skills.

How can a merchandiser find a job?

When starting to build a career in merchandising, you should think about... It is best to look for available vacancies for stationary merchandisers in large hypermarkets: here specialists work in the warmth, have a full lunch break and social package. It’s much harder for business merchandisers: in any weather, they must go out on the route and serve from five to ten points every day at an extremely intense pace.

Large companies look more attractive: here specialists can expect official employment with vacation and regular vocational training. Preference should be given to products with light weight and a long shelf life: they are much easier to work with than dairy or sausage products.

Fortunately, the merchandiser’s choice is almost unlimited: major cities the list of vacancies contains hundreds and thousands of options. In this case:

Successful employment most often does not require education. You just need to know;
The position of a full-time merchandiser is not suitable for students or people working part-time. For them, the visiting format is preferable;
It is advisable for a merchandiser to work as a promoter for some time. This way he will learn to communicate with inappropriate people and overcome objections.

The salary of a merchandiser is determined by several factors, including the region of work, type of employment, popularity of the brand and the manufacturer’s marketing budget. But even taking into account the fact that the most active specialists work simultaneously with two or three suppliers, merchandising cannot be included in the list: in advertisements published on websites, employers offer newcomers only 25–30 thousand rubles per month. A merchandiser with a personal car and significant work experience is in a more advantageous position: such employees are paid up to 50 thousand rubles.

Video on the topic

Career growth and prospects

The position of a merchandiser in trade is considered an entry-level position, so many citizens, as soon as they get a job, begin to think about career prospects. The most obvious ways of development are continuation labor activity in the marketing department or moving to the sales department as an agent. Sales representatives are part of the team for a reason: in addition to a decent salary, a specialist is given the opportunity to become a supervisor, territorial manager, and subsequently a director.

Analytical skills will allow the merchandiser to build a career as a marketer and engage in market demand research and identify needs target audience, developing brand promotion strategies: such specialists in large cities earn from 50 to 200 thousand rubles per month.

Finally, a person with a creative mind and artistic talents can complete special training courses and become a visual merchandiser. The tasks of this specialist are to develop a corporate concept for the internal and external design of retail outlets, create effective planograms for displaying goods and placing POS materials, designing display windows and visualizing retail areas. An additional bonus is the possibility of internship in foreign advertising agencies involved in the international promotion of this brand.

Conclusion

Modern young people prefer creative professions. For example, many would like to know how to make money from their blog or. But any form of self-employment has one drawback - the lack of a stable income: this problem is well known to all citizens who study what a freelancer is in simple words. At the same time, merchandising combines a guaranteed salary, relative freedom and the opportunity for creative self-realization. Finally, mastering basic work techniques does not require long training, and building successful career determined by personal rather than professional qualities employee.

This profession came to Russia not so long ago, a little over ten years ago. Promotion, sales planning - this is how “merchandising” is translated from English. The definition of this concept, accordingly, can be explained as planning the correct promotion of goods in the right quantity and at the right time at an adequate price. This is the essence of this direction. This means that the main task of a specialist in this field is to present the product to the buyer as correct and necessary.

Answering the question “merchandiser - who is this”, it must be said that the employee is selling the relevant product using

Properly organized activities. It includes smart advertising, self-serving display and much more. He must also understand how to remove the balances in the warehouse and calculate them so that there are no interruptions and overstocking. To be successful, he must know the temporary and seasonal fluctuations in demand and monitor expiration dates very carefully. If the store has a visual merchandiser, then he must have information about where there are hot zones, “golden” shelves. He must also be able to calculate customer flows and exactly how customers move around the store.

Answering the question “who is the merchandiser,” it must be said that he is a psychologist and a competent communicator.

Because to successfully carry out activities, he needs self-confidence, as well as knowledge about the product and the company.

Currently, this profession is being mastered by young people who are just beginning to comprehend the psychology of sales. This position allows you to gain excellent experience interacting with trade representatives and see all the nuances of the business from the inside. People who quickly understand the answer to the question “who is the merchandiser” quickly move up the career ladder and occupy more significant positions in the trade organization.

So, the main task of this specialist is to increase sales. His working day consists of constant travel around retail facilities. The merchandiser deals with a specific company that monitors compliance with concepts, places POS materials and monitors their use.

In addition, he must maintain a positive image of his organization, ensure favorable location of products and monitor their availability in sales. To ensure correct price adjustments, the specialist constantly monitors competitors and provides advice to sellers regarding size

Merchandiser - who is it? The requirements for candidates are directly related to the creation and maintenance of the company's image. Therefore, when selecting candidates for this position, the director pays attention to presentable appearance, communication skills, age, availability higher education. Preference is most often given to people who have a trade or economics diploma educational institution. In most cases, work experience does not play a significant role in the selection of candidates. But the age limit is often limited to 30 years.

Today, the list of vacancies often contains names of professions that most people had not even heard of a few years ago. The funny thing is that these professions turn out to be the most in demand among employers and are decently paid. One of them is a merchandiser.

Who hires merchandisers

“Merchandising” is translated from English as sales promotion. Accordingly, the merchandiser is the person who is engaged in this very stimulation. Its main function is to promote goods at points where retail sales are carried out.

Thus, the main task of a merchandiser is to increase sales in a particular store or retail chain by certain territory. All his activities are aimed at making the product stand out among competing brands.

Employers who recruit merchandisers are enterprises engaged in wholesale and retail trade. These can be representatives of brands in the region or the manufacturers themselves, as well as large stores and entire chains.

What is the process and how is the result evaluated?

Fans of freebies need to keep in mind that the result of a merchandiser’s work is assessed in monetary units as sales volume for a certain period at a specific point (or in a certain territory). Important indicator also – sales dynamics: if they grow with the arrival of a particular person, it means he is effective. If not, “Next!”

Here are the main responsibilities that a merchandiser performs

Displays “his” goods at retail outlets. Actually, this is the responsibility of store employees. But in order for your product to occupy the most advantageous places on the sales floor, you need to make friends with them and display the product yourself.
Keeping your shelf in perfect order, and this is difficult to achieve: buyers constantly mix different types of products. The merchandiser’s task is also to ensure that the product has an attractive appearance and the packaging is not damaged.
Essential part of the time is spent on analyzing demand, prices and promotions of competitors, control of product balances in the warehouse, placement of promotional materials (posters, leaflets, samples, etc.).
And where would we be without reporting?. Merchandiser reports can be current or unscheduled. Current ones include daily, weekly and monthly. Outside of the plan, you may be required to analyze a specific outlet for a certain time, a report on competitors, and a lot of other information that the marketing department urgently needs.

Specifics of work

If a merchandiser works for a wholesale company or brand, then his area of responsibility is up to several stores and up to two dozen. Ideally, each of them should be visited daily, in practice this is from 5 to 15 scheduled visits per day. In each specific case, the number of visits is determined by the standards of the employing company.

If a merchandiser works for one specific store, then there is no need to move from place to place, but he is immediately responsible for almost the entire assortment and can be additionally loaded with duties unusual for him.

Salary and prospects

Salaries depend not so much on the actual volume of work, but on how large the employer company is, whether it is domestic or with the participation of foreign capital. A novice merchandiser can receive per month from 200 to 400 dollars, an experienced and experienced employee can count on 500-800 dollars.

A career in a company can go two ways. The first is a transition to a better paid, but also more responsible position. The next level after the merchandiser is the supervisor. Essentially, this is the head of the trading team who sets tasks and monitors execution. Then you can achieve the position of regional representative and strive to grow to the level of a top manager of the company.

Another path involves the merchandiser moving from the field to office work in the marketing department of his own company. And there he already advances in accordance with his abilities.

Disadvantages of this type of work

You actually have an irregular work week. Sometimes you have to spend the whole day visiting clients, and when you return home, write reports until the night. Saturday or a holiday can be used for some training.
Many companies practice GPS monitoring of their employees. You seem to be free in your movements, but you are on a short leash. Attempts to deceive the GPS sensor with a cunning program (and such programs actually exist) lead to fines and dismissal.
A supervisor can check you at any time. And if, according to the plan, you are supposed to be in a specific store at 9.00, but at 9.05 he does not see you there, get ready to write an explanatory note.

Great start for beginners

TO positive aspects This profession includes constant corporate training, timely payment of wages, and real career prospects.

They are ready to hire you even without work experience; in just a month you will develop self-confidence and the ability to find common language with any person - from the director to the loader.

All this will give you a good start for your career or building your own small business.

The term - the name of this profession - comes from the English language. Merchandising refers to working with a consumer audience to promote a specific product. In the original, merchandiser means roughly “merchandise specialist” or “merchandise specialist”. In domestic conditions, the merchandiser not only promotes the product, but is concerned with increasing its sales by everyone accessible ways: from global to small tricks and tricks.

The goal of a modern merchandiser is to encourage customers to purchase specific products. The range of tasks of a representative of this profession can be outlined as follows:

analysis of consumer demand and supply at a specific point of sale, among competitors and in the market as a whole;
control and adjustment of the quantity and assortment of goods in the warehouse and at a certain point of sale;
design of the sales area and favorable location of products;
promoting products and building the company’s brand through promotions, discounts, sales and other attractive offers for customers.

Pros and cons of the profession

The main advantage of merchandising is that with some ingenuity and attentiveness, even a beginner, a student without work experience or experience of any kind, can join the profession. In addition, the field of activity is characterized by the following advantages:

Creative beginning. Merchandising, according to representatives of this profession, is something between science and art. There is an algorithm for action in specific situations, but often the problem requires an extraordinary approach.
Chance for discovery. The basic principles and techniques of working with consumers are revealed and described. But the needs of society change over time, so the approach to clients also changes. The merchandiser has the opportunity to come up with something new and successful in his business.
Opportunity for growth. There are not many good merchandisers: large companies are looking for and training them.

Among the disadvantages is irregular working hours. You may have to stay late and go on business trips. In addition, the working rhythm of the merchandiser is unstable. Periods of slow progress can give way to desperate time pressure. For a novice specialist, there is a lot of dirty and hard work in a store or warehouse: washing, putting, moving, unloading.

Attention! Often an additional requirement when applying for such a job is your own car.

Features of merchandising in trading companies of various types

The most popular place to work for merchandising is a self-service store: from a supermarket to a hypermarket. It is in such stores, where the buyer chooses the product himself, that in order to increase sales it is important to correctly direct it in the right direction, relying on the subconscious component. There are many techniques for this. For most of them, “legs” grow from psychology:

location of expensive goods at eye level;
“breaking shelves” effect;
arrangement of goods throughout the store according to a certain pattern, etc.

Attention! In mini-markets and small self-service stores, all this is much less significant. The same as in classic stores with a counter and a salesperson.

IN lately, With active development Internet sales, merchandiser vacancies are opening up and large ones. Although such specialists are more likely to perform the functions of marketers. They will serve not retail trade, but the global variability of the market for specific goods, study the desires of customers, offer strategic decisions for promotion. But this will not be work “in the field”.

Attention! If the company is large enough to have several retail outlets in different populated areas, she has a need to open a supervisor position. In fact, this is the head of merchandisers, an analyst who collects and systematizes information from retail outlets and market dynamics.

The profession of a merchandiser is quite interesting, fresh and conducive to internal development and improvement. This makes it attractive to young people who know how to think and love to act.

How to become a merchandiser: video

Merchandiser (merchandiser) (eng. merchandiser - trader) - a merchandiser or assistant merchandiser, a person representing a trading company in retail chains (most often super- and hypermarkets). Responsible for displaying goods, installing related necessary equipment(refrigerators, additional display cases, promotion trays), places POS materials. The main task is to control the availability of the company’s entire assortment on store shelves and its location in the most favorable places for purchase.

History of the profession

Planning and promotion of product sales, that is, the direct functions of a merchandiser, became a separate position only about 20 years ago. Then companies tried to come up with new moves in order to survive and gain a foothold in the market, stimulate buyers and not get lost among competitors. This is how the position of merchandiser appeared, who makes the product more visible and attractive to the buyer.

What exactly does a merchandiser do?

The main task of a merchandiser is to attract customers’ attention to products using:

decoration of trading floors;
favorable placement of products on store shelves;
ensuring constant availability of goods for sale.

The merchandiser is engaged in advertising support of the product at the point of sale. To do this, at least once a week he visits several stores and in a special document describes the sales situation for these products: demand, prices that competitors set for similar products, etc.

After the analysis, the merchandiser prepares a proposal for more profitable promotion of goods. Such an offer may include:

replacement of similar products;
alternative distribution of retail space;
increase (reduction) in the quantity of goods for a particular store.

The responsibilities of a merchandiser may also include:

drawing up orders for the supply of goods;
adjustment of retail prices for goods;
maintaining the presentation of packaging;
maintaining the image of the trademark (brand);
organization of various promotions.

Requirements for a merchandiser

Requirements are formed depending on the field of activity. Usually, there are no special requirements for the candidate, since it is assumed that the newcomer will learn while working in the company.

The basic requirements for a merchandiser are:

Age from 18 years.
PC knowledge at user level.
Citizenship of the Russian Federation (sometimes employers allow citizenship of Belarus).
Registration of a health certificate if you have to work with food.
Ready for physical activity, if you have to work with large and heavy goods.

If you plan to visit several retail outlets, companies require the ability to drive a car as the responsibility of the merchandiser and look for candidates with personal transport, since on public transport they have time to visit 6-8 stores a day and perform tasks there. necessary work simply unrealistic. In addition, the merchandiser often delivers goods to retail outlets in his car.

Merchandiser salary

Salary depends on region, employment (full or part-time) and company. The average salary is approximately 30,000 rubles, but it happens that wages merchandiser is 8,000-15,000 rubles for part-time employment. As a rule, such an employee works in 2-3 companies. Also, what salary a merchandiser has will depend on the availability of a car, education and additional skills - in this case it can be 35,000-70,000 rubles.

Demand for the profession

Representatives of the merchandiser profession are quite in demand on the labor market. Despite the fact that universities graduate large number specialists in this field, many companies and many enterprises require qualified merchandisers.

What kind of education is needed?

Initial vocational education(PTU, PU, PL). As the results of the survey show, it is not at all necessary to receive a special education at a university or college to become a merchandiser... Merchandisers undergo the necessary training directly when applying for a job or at the workplace during probationary period. To work as a merchandiser, all you need is desire, satisfactory health and the presence of the personal qualities recommended for this profession.

Features of career growth

The merchandiser profession is characterized by career growth. He can climb the career ladder in the marketing department or becoming a sales manager. In most cases, merchandisers begin their careers with the position of senior merchandiser. Next step career ladder This is the position of a supervisor. After a few years, the supervisor may advance to become a sales representative for the company in the area. Highest level – head of sales office international company in any country or group of countries. Career growth A merchandiser can also achieve in the field of advertising and marketing.

What should a merchandiser know?

The merchandiser must know:

basics of organizing work to create demand and increase sales volumes;
current legislation governing commercial activities;
basics of management and marketing, types of advertising and methods of organizing advertising activities;
principles of organizing retail space and sales, buyer psychology, methods for assessing the effectiveness of placing goods on shelves;
the main quality and consumer properties of the goods sold;
product prices, fundamentals of market economics, sociology of psychology, ethics of business communication.

In addition to the required knowledge, the merchandiser must have skills such as diligence, observation, creative thinking, communication skills, persuasiveness, and self-confidence. In many cases, these character traits can outweigh work experience and become decisive for an employer.

What does a merchandiser do in a supermarket?

Supermarket and hypermarket are the most popular and promising sales formats in the retail sector. Self-service stores, according to various sites that post advertisements for open vacancies and job searches, most often require merchandisers.

Everything is logical, since it is in such trading conditions that the work of a merchandiser (subject to high-quality performance) is one of the key guarantees of increasing sales volume and promoting specific products on the market.

For comparison: in smaller retail outlets that do not provide self-service (small shops, kiosks, pavilions), the method of displaying goods does not have special significance. This is due to the fact that the main goal of following a certain display technology is a psychological impact on the buyer (the location of more expensive goods at the visitor’s eye level, ensuring the effect of having an assortment, etc.), and with a different sales format, the costs of merchandiser services, as a rule, do not have an economic justification.

What is the job of a merchandiser in an online store?

Often on specialized sites you can find advertisements for an open vacancy for a merchandiser in an online store. A logical question arises: if a merchandiser is a specialist serving a retail area, then how can he be useful in the field of distance selling?

Based on the name of the profession, then nothing. In these cases, the employer simply substitutes concepts, declaring that he is looking for a merchandiser, although in fact he needs a marketer. The responsibilities of these specialists are generally similar - at least in terms of strategic interests.

Therefore, if you want to get a job as a merchandiser and study the relevant offers, you need to pay attention to the sales format declared by the employer.

Merchandiser supervisor: tasks and responsibilities

The profession of a supervisor seems even more exotic to the uninitiated than a merchandiser. But in fact, they have the most direct relation to each other, since the supervisor is none other than the head of merchandisers.

The work of a merchandiser supervisor (the correct job title is “merchandising supervisor”) is primarily analytical in nature. His tasks include collecting data on the dynamics of sales growth in the retail outlets under his control. Responsibilities for transmitting such information lie with the merchandisers serving the specified points.

However, despite the fact that the supervisor is a manager, he usually does not have the right to hire, fire, or impose disciplinary sanctions on his subordinates. Its functions are limited to systematizing the information received and transferring the analysis results to senior management with conclusions and recommendations for the further organization of sales promotion work.

Sometimes supervisors’ responsibilities include the development of a planogram—a diagram for displaying goods on store shelves. But this rarely happens and generally contradicts the essence of the position: this kind of action requires a professional approach and falls within the competence of marketing specialists.

Mobile and stationary merchandiser - what is the difference?

Based on the methods of performing duties, the content of the job description and place of work, merchandisers can be divided into two categories:

mobile merchandiser;
stationary merchandiser.

The differences between them are obvious and follow from the very title of the position. So, mobile merchandiser(aka business card) is not assigned to a specific outlet. His responsibilities include sequential visits to various stores of the network to alternately perform work functionality in each of them.

Stationary merchandiser, on the contrary, only serves one store on a permanent basis. Of course, it is possible to move an employee from one outlet to another, but this will also be permanent.

There is another type of merchandiser that combines the features of both categories - universal. It is characterized by a flexible work schedule, providing for the performance of the functions of both a mobile and stationary employee, depending on the task.

Communication tools in merchandising

The key merchandising tools are:

store design (both external and internal);
store planning (more precisely, planning customer flows):
advertising and other tools at the point of sale;
color blocking;
merchandise ranges:
comprehensive measures.

The importance of communication merchandising is this. that it helps to establish contact with the visitor. The atmosphere of the store, the psychological attitude and qualifications of the staff, the ability to communicate unobtrusively - all this determines the success of communication with the buyer.

Many studies show that 65-70% of purchasing decisions are made by visitors directly in the store. This means that the lion's share of retail profits comes from impulse ones, i.e. unplanned purchases. When making such purchases, buyers are guided not by reason and logic, but by feelings and emotions. It is these factors that formed the basis of the concept of communication merchandising.

In any communications that merchandising operates, one can distinguish image and information components.

What is visual merchandising?

Visual merchandising is the activities that retailers carry out to organize the retail space and present the product in such a way as to maximize sales.

Visual merchandising is about more than just eye-catching window displays. It includes so much more! Store layout and product display, lighting and music, advertising and navigation elements, color scheme of the sales area. All this together, if organized competently and harmoniously, creates that unique and friendly atmosphere in a retail outlet, which helps to increase sales.

Visual merchandising represents rules and laws that are applicable and work for any store, regardless of the type of goods it sells, groceries, clothing and shoes, medicines or office supplies. If you have a retail outlet, and you have opened the doors of the store and are waiting for customers, then you are already engaged in Visual Merchandising and the only question is how effectively.

The practice of visual merchandising requires creativity, inspiration, logic and organization. This is a mix of science and art. When a retail space acquires “visual meaning”, it begins to attract the attention of customers and make them want to enter the store, get acquainted with the assortment and, most importantly, make a purchase! This is what Visual Merchandising can do for a store.

What are visual merchandising specialists responsible for?

Organization of retail space. Using their knowledge and experience, attention to detail and imagination, they make the product “pleasant to the eye” and make visitors want to buy it!
Graphics. Graphics and large posters create an additional emotional background for the product, also performing a navigational and informational function.
Product display. To effectively present a product, a visual merchandising specialist works in conjunction with a retailer specialist (buyer, category manager, etc.). This is necessary to understand the strategy and target audience of the retail outlet.
Lighting. Proper lighting plays a big role in the visual perception of a product by the buyer. Adjusting the level and type of lighting is also part of the visual merchandiser’s arsenal.
Trade equipment. A visual merchandiser, in collaboration with a designer, helps select or develop retail equipment that in the best possible way will be suitable for a specific product.
Design of a trading floor. A visual merchandiser is always involved in the process of creating a new store or updating an existing store. Collaborating at this stage with the interior designer and the store opening project manager. It keeps the interests of both the retailer and customers focused.
Price tags and POS materials. A visual merchandiser works closely with the marketing department to deliver the marketing message accurately and in the right place to customers on the sales floor.