While the term merchandiser is common the actual job varies, not just among products but among roles as well. Examples of positions include retail merchandisers, production merchandisers and sourcing merchandisers. Some roles require university degrees, while others are more job-experience driven.
A retail merchandiser is the person who selects the goods to be sold by a particular company. This role is similar to that of a buyer.
Jonathan Li, consultant for sales and marketing at recruitment agency Ambition, said that retail merchandising had changed in Hong Kong. 'Buyers used to fly to their company's headquarters and buy all the products for the season. The trend now is to customise the range to meet the specific local market. To do this, the merchandising team works with an internal design team. Together, they come up with about 50 per cent of a company's goods. The remainder would be sourced, say at a company's headquarters.'
Mr Li said the job prospects for retail merchandisers in Hong Kong were stable, with more senior merchandisers predominantly working for their company in Hong Kong, while more junior staff might be sent to the mainland.
In describing the qualities required for retail merchandising, Mr Li said that staff needed to be analytical.
'The person needs to understand both the micro and macro environment of the industry, so they need to know what's going on around them. They also need to be well-organised and understand pricing and products.'