Discover the retail jobs that suit you best: Visual Merchandising

Finding the perfect job is not necessarily easy. Ideally, the work should be fun, match your skills and offer career opportunities. With the sheer number of options, however, it is quite normal to lose track and find it difficult to decide on the right career.

In this series of articles about working in fashion, we present different careers that are ideal for different personalities. In this first post, we introduce the world of “Visual Merchandising”. Visual merchandisers play a crucial role in representing and presenting the brand image.

Immerse yourself in a profession that blends creativity and the latest trends, transforming stores to attract customers, and conveying a brand message through design and craftsmanship that sets you apart from the competition.

What does the job of a visual merchandiser look like?

Good visual merchandisers should be a combination of creative artists, business strategists and aesthetes. The goal is to create an engaging and satisfying shopping experience for customers, which in turn drives fashion retail success.

In an increasingly competitive business world, fashion companies face even greater challenges. This is where visual merchandising plays a key role, as it allows brands to stand out from the competition.

You’ve probably heard of this profession or seen it on job boards, but you may not be aware of its functions and importance in the fashion industry, or if this is a job position that you could fit into.

What do you need for a job as a visual merchandiser?

Are you…

…able to design and implement compelling visual concepts that highlight both the products and the essence of the brand?

…equipped with the ability to recognise, understand and innovatively apply current trends and market preferences when presenting fashion collections?

… communicative and can convey the core of the collections you are involved in to the rest of the team?

… gifted in design and visual composition and can blend tonalities, silhouettes, textures and graphic elements into a harmony that makes a visual impact?

… able to understand the target clientele and adapt the visual presentation to their needs and desires.

… someone who perfectly understands the target clientele and adapts the visual presentation to their needs and desires?

…able to evaluate the performance of visual presentations and make adjustments supported by data and observations?

… able to plan and execute multiple projects and presentations within tight deadlines?

Then a position in visual merchandising is perfect for you!

What do visual merchandisers do?

The following activities are normally part of the regular duties:

• Design creative concepts
• Design of the shelves in the shop.
• Decoration of shop windows, displays or showrooms.
• Optimization of routes in the store.
• Customer advice.
• Stay up to date on trends and developments.
• Optimizing the routes in the store.

How Much Does a Visual Merchandising Make?

According to the job platform Indeed, visual merchandisers earn an average of 3,071 euros per month in Germany, according to Glassdoor it is even 4,569 euros.

According to the website content.de, the average starting salary is around 38,000 euros per year. With nine years of professional experience, visual merchandisers earn an average of 45,500 euros.

While it is not essential to have a specific degree to work in this profession, communication skills, innovative and creative skills, and an interest in business are highly valued. Prospects coming from professions related to communication, marketing, advertising and even design are particularly valued in this field.

ESIC Business & Marketing School University Center says those with an average of five years of experience or education in the field are in positions of greater responsibility, where the salary ranges from €30,000 to €50,000 per year.

At the training level, there are numerous examples ranging from specialized courses in visual merchandising to master’s degrees in marketing management and fashion communication. But typically, companies also offer in-house training for members of their teams who want to transition or advance into visual merchandising.

Prospects and professional development

The job in visual merchandising opens up many opportunities for you to develop yourself further. As you gain experience, you may aspire to a coordination or management role, or focus on online visual merchandising.

In summary, visual merchandisers play an important role in fashion retail, combining creativity and trend knowledge to create engaging shopping experiences and represent the brand image in a distinctive way.

This article was published on FashionUnited.es. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ