Merchandiser duties centre on how product appears on the shelf and whether it is there at all. The role sits between the supplier and the store, and it is measured on availability, presentation and compliance with an agreed plan. This page sets out what a merchandiser does day to day, how the role differs depending on who employs you, the skills employers expect, and how to phrase these duties on a CV.
What Does a Merchandiser Do?
A merchandiser ensures that products are on the shelf, correctly displayed, correctly priced and presented according to an agreed layout. The work involves replenishing stock, building and maintaining displays, checking pricing and promotional material, monitoring stock levels and reporting on what is happening in store.
The job is physical and largely self-directed. Merchandisers frequently work alone across several stores, arriving, doing the work, reporting and moving on, which places real weight on reliability and honest reporting.
Who Employs You Changes the Job
This distinction matters when reading adverts, because the same title covers two different working lives.
- Supplier or agency merchandisers represent a brand across multiple stores, travel between them, and are focused on that brand’s products, share of shelf and promotional compliance.
- In-store merchandisers work for the retailer in one store, cover the whole range rather than one brand, and are usually part of the store team.
Supplier roles usually require a driver licence and your own transport, and involve a daily route. In-store roles are fixed to one site. For the retail floor role see retail assistant duties.
Key Merchandiser Duties and Responsibilities
Stock and Availability
- Replenishing shelves from the stockroom to maintain full availability.
- Checking stock levels and identifying gaps before they become out-of-stocks.
- Rotating stock so shorter-dated items sell first.
- Removing expired, damaged or unsaleable product from the shelf.
- Reporting stock shortages to the store or the supplier.
- Assisting with stock counts and ordering where the role includes it.
Display and Presentation
- Implementing planograms and agreed shelf layouts accurately.
- Building and maintaining promotional displays, gondola ends and floor stands.
- Facing up product so shelves look full and tidy.
- Ensuring products are in the correct location and correctly grouped.
- Maintaining cleanliness of shelves, fixtures and display units.
- Installing point of sale material, shelf talkers and promotional signage.
Pricing and Promotions
- Checking that shelf pricing matches the current price file.
- Applying and removing promotional labelling to the correct dates.
- Verifying that promotional stock is displayed for the full promotional period.
- Reporting pricing discrepancies to store management.
Reporting and Relationships
- Recording store visits, stock levels and compliance on a reporting app or form.
- Photographing displays as evidence of execution where required.
- Reporting competitor activity, pricing and new listings.
- Building working relationships with store managers and receiving staff.
- Negotiating additional display space where the role permits.
- Escalating persistent availability or compliance problems.
What the Role Is Actually Measured On
Understanding this helps at interview and on a CV, because merchandising has clear measures that most candidates never mention.
- On-shelf availability, meaning the product is there when a customer looks.
- Planogram compliance, meaning the shelf matches the agreed layout.
- Share of shelf, for supplier merchandisers competing for space.
- Promotional execution, meaning the display went up on time and stayed up.
- Store call rate and adherence to the visit schedule.
- Quality and timeliness of reporting.
Daily Tasks of a Merchandiser
- Planning the day’s store route and confirming the call schedule.
- Reporting to store management on arrival according to store protocol.
- Checking shelf availability and replenishing from the stockroom.
- Implementing planograms and correcting misplaced product.
- Building or refreshing promotional displays.
- Checking pricing and promotional labelling against the current file.
- Rotating stock and removing expired or damaged items.
- Capturing the store report with photographs where required.
- Travelling to the next store on the route.
Merchandiser Skills and Competencies
- Matric or equivalent, commonly required.
- Physical fitness for lifting, carrying and standing throughout the day.
- A valid driver licence and reliable transport for supplier and agency roles.
- Attention to detail in implementing layouts and checking pricing.
- Ability to work alone and manage your own day without supervision.
- Reliability and honest reporting, since much of the work is unwitnessed.
- Basic numeracy for stock counts and pricing checks.
- Comfort using a smartphone reporting application.
- Interpersonal skills for building relationships with store staff.
- Willingness to travel between stores, sometimes over long distances.
- Availability for early starts, since much merchandising happens before peak trading.
Merchandiser Duties by Workplace or Industry
Merchandising duties differ mainly by who employs the merchandiser and how many stores they cover.
In-Store Merchandising
Based in one store, duties cover replenishment, facing and rotation, price and label accuracy, and building displays to the planogram.
Field Merchandising for a Supplier
Covering a route of stores, duties add call cycles, negotiating shelf space with store managers, competitor and out-of-stock reporting, and photographic proof of execution.
Promotional and Seasonal Work
Duties centre on building and dismantling promotional displays to a campaign timetable, ensuring stock and point-of-sale material arrive together.
Wholesale and Cash-and-Carry
Larger pack sizes and bulk displays, with duties weighted towards stock rotation, date checking and keeping high-turnover lines available.
Merchandiser Duties for a CV
- Merchandised [twelve] stores across [the East Rand] on a weekly call cycle.
- Maintained on-shelf availability above [95] percent across the assigned portfolio.
- Implemented planograms and promotional displays to agreed layouts and timelines.
- Built promotional gondola ends and floor displays for seasonal campaigns.
- Checked and corrected shelf pricing against the current price file.
- Rotated stock and removed expired product, reducing write-offs.
- Reported store visits, stock levels and competitor activity via [the reporting app].
- Negotiated additional display space with store management on [several] occasions.
- Maintained a full call rate with no missed store visits over [twelve] months.
Related Job Roles and Responsibilities
These guides cover the roles and next steps most closely related to this one.
- Retail Sales Customer Service duties and responsibilities
- job duties
- job description duties and responsibilities
- Cashier duties and responsibilities
- Sales Consultant duties and responsibilities
- Sales Assistant duties and responsibilities
Frequently Asked Questions About Merchandiser Duties
What are the main merchandiser duties?
Replenishing shelves to maintain availability, implementing planograms and agreed layouts, building and maintaining promotional displays, checking pricing and promotional labelling, rotating stock and removing expired product, and reporting store visits, stock levels and competitor activity.
What is the difference between a supplier and an in-store merchandiser?
A supplier or agency merchandiser represents one brand across several stores, travels a route and focuses on that brand’s availability and share of shelf. An in-store merchandiser works for the retailer at one site and covers the whole range as part of the store team.
Do I need a driver licence to be a merchandiser?
For supplier and agency roles, almost always, along with reliable transport, since the job involves a daily route between stores. In-store merchandising roles at a single site generally do not require one.
What is a planogram?
An agreed layout showing exactly where each product should sit on the shelf, in what quantity and in what arrangement. Implementing it accurately is a core merchandiser duty, and compliance with it is one of the main things the role is measured on.
How should merchandiser duties be written on a CV?
Give the number of stores and the geographic area covered, any availability or compliance figures, the reporting app used, and your call rate. Merchandising has clear measures that most candidates never mention, so including them is an easy differentiator.
Last reviewed: 2 September 2026