11 Essential skills you need for Merchandising Jobs

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Are you considering a career in retail? Merchandising is definitely an aspect you could consider. Wikipedia defines merchandising as the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets. Take note that this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there are essential skills you need for merchandising jobs.

1. Good and healthy communication: Paying full attention to what people are saying and taking time to understand the points they make is crucial in merchandising. Asking appropriate questions in order to get feedback from people (while trying not to interrupt them) is also important. Communicating your findings and other information effectively verbally and in writing is also essential.


2. Time Management: Managing your time correctly so everything that you need to do gets done is very important. Like in many professions, you’ll be required to meet deadlines.


3. Judgment and Decision Making: Making decisions based on relative cost and benefits of your potential actions is important in merchandising. You can’t be indecisive.


4. Critical Thinking: Being able to use logic and reason to identify strengths and weaknesses of solutions, conclusions and approaches to problems you encounter is crucial.


5. Social Perceptiveness: You need to be aware of people’s reactions and to understand why they react the way they do.


6. Coordination: Adjusting actions / procedures so they relate or respond to others’ actions is part of the job.


7. Service orientation: Constantly looking at ways you can help people is also part of the job.


8. Complex Problem Solving: You will be required to identify problems and review information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.


READ: How to be A Swift Merchandiser


9. Active Learning: Learning from your triumphs and failures and understanding implications / effects new information has on current and future problem-solving and decision-making processes is a good skill for merchandising. This have really helped me in my career as a visual merchandiser,

the above picture shows an in-store training from The CEO, Mrs. Adenike Ogunlesi of Ruff 'n' Tumble with the staff.


10. Persuasion: You need to be good at persuading others to change their minds or behavior.


11. Negotiation: If you’re not good at bringing others together and reconciling differences, merchandising might not be for you.

Well, there you have it, my 11 essential skills you need for merchandising jobs. Are there others you can think of? Leave a comment and let me know, feedback is appreciated and welcome.



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