If you’re looking for a position that will get your team out of the office and into the community to spread the word about your most exciting products, beauty merchandising jobs should probably be on your radar. If you’re a brand manager looking to make some new hires to take your business to the next level, some energetic beauty merchandisers might just do the trick. Because the exact details behind what it means to be a beauty merchandiser might be a little fuzzy, we’ll give you a crash course in this post.
- What is Beauty Merchandising?
- What Does a Beauty Merchandiser Do?
- Beauty Merchandiser Qualifications and Responsibilities
- Beauty Merchandiser Salary
- Key Characteristics of a Beauty Merchandiser
- Bonus Content
- Beauty Merchandiser Job Listings
What is Beauty Merchandising?
Beauty Merchandising is necessary to introduce your brand to consumers and present your products in the best way possible. Your beauty merchandising strategy should set your brand a level above your competitors, and should help make a positive impression on everyone that interacts with your team - consumers and retail management alike. Because it is so effective in this way, the idea of beauty merchandising is making waves in the cosmetics industry.
Beauty merchandising was recognized by Sephora as one of the focuses of their recent “startup accelerator” initiative alongside other buzzwords like technology and sustainability.
What Does a Beauty Merchandiser Do?
A beauty merchandiser works to keep products and displays relevant to consumers’ interests. It is important that merchandisers monitor the amount of product being sent out to retailers and keep an eye on the timing of product delivery (ensuring that shelf life is maximized and that colors and styles do not completely go out of fashion). In order to do all of these things, merchandisers live by trends, stock levels, and consumer feedback reports.
The merchandiser position can be tailored in many different ways to suit your brand. Some brands prefer a part-time merchandiser that focuses almost exclusively on the details of product distribution; these people are often people like college students who are happy to make some money, but not always fully invested in the brand itself. In other situations, a full-time merchandiser is necessary.
These individuals often do more than basic product placement, and are able to build and strengthen relationships between your cosmetics brand and specific retail locations.
Qualifications and Responsibilities of a Beauty Merchandiser
Part-time
For many companies, beauty merchandising positions are easily filled by college students, or part-time employees looking for some income on the side. This type of position, although it doesn’t seem to be too demanding in terms of daily responsibilities, is incredibly important to a brand overall. The benefit associated with having dedicated staff who regularly check in at retail locations and make sure every display is up-to-snuff cannot be overstated.
Qualifications
- No merchandising experience necessary
- High school education
- Driver's license required
Responsibilities
- Travel from store to store (record miles, log hours, etc.)
- Reorder merchandise (involves some product lifting)
- Ensure all product prices are correctly marked
- Remain flexible in the face of expanding/changing products
Full-time
Because of their expanded schedule and more hefty experiential requirements, full-time beauty merchandisers focus on more than just putting products on shelves. As a full-time merchandiser, your employee will be interacting with people in all levels of the retail and distribution chain to make your brand as appealing as possible.
Qualifications
- 2-4 years experience
- Bachelor's degree
- Retail experience is desirable
- Fashion/cosmetic display experience is required
- Driver's license required
Responsibilities
- Create unique in-store merchandise presentations
- ensure design for product displays is properly implemented at all assigned locations
- Educate retail staff regarding brand-specific information
- Evaluate current retail practices at each location and alter in order to drive sales
- Build and maintain retail partnerships
- Report back to cosmetic managers regarding retail management performance
- Develop and execute in-store events when applicable
Beauty Merchandiser Salary
The annual salary for a beauty merchandiser is extremely variable, and depends heavily on the part-time/full-time nature of the gig. The infographic below depicts the average beauty merchandiser salary by state (data provided by Glassdoor).
Key Characteristics of a Beauty Merchandiser
- Timeliness
- Ability to communicate with people working in all levels of retail
- Detail-oriented
- Able to recognize and produce an appealing product display; design-focused
Bonus Content
Beauty merchandising has a huge impact on the way retailers and customers view your brand. If you’re interested in gaining some insider info from a retailer with years of first hand experience with effective merchandising, check out our free podcast: Merchandising Like a Retailer's Favorite Brand with Brand Maven Loie Maxwell.
Beauty Merchandiser Job Listings
If you like what you see here and you’re feeling the pull of beauty merchandising, check out current job listings in your area at Indeed, Glassdoor, and Linkedin.
