How to Become a Merchandising Analyst

Determining what will sell and what won't through careful analysis of inventory and sales history is what a career as a merchandising analyst is all about. Whether you are determining what seasonal merchandise will sell best your local pet store or how future technology will affect your company's peripheral IT product, your work as a merchandising analyst will require a strong business acumen accompanied by data extraction and analysis skills. Read on to learn more.

Things You'll Need

• Internship (optional)
• Bachelor's degree

Instructions

Work Towards a Career as a Merchandising Analyst

1. Start by pursuing a bachelor's degree in a field related to merchandising, marketing or business. If you have a particular industry that you are passionate about, it is best to combine studies in this field with course work in all of these, as well as economic science.

2. Get experience working with inventory database software by interning in a position with a company in your specific industry. As part of your role as a merchandising or management intern, you may have access to a database of this kind which you will use later on in your career to analyze past sales by pulling and sorting inventory data.

3. Become familiar your industry's standard in trend forecasting. This is particularly important for industries such as fashion, where buyers and merchandising analysts utilize the analysis of trend forecasters to shape their inventories for the coming season.

4. Look for work as a merchandiser upon leaving college. This entry-level position will provide you with experience at the product level and may expose you to necessary tools, such as trend forecasting and market data gathering.

5. Expect to spend at least 5 years working in a retail environment to get the kind of experience most employers are looking for in a merchandising analyst. This lower-level of experience is required to provide you with a firm understanding of how your particular market performs.

6. Become involved in a professional organization for merchandisers within your industry. Not only will you gain valuable contacts through organized networking events, but you will also have the opportunity to attend educational conferences where topics like trend forecasting may be covered.

7. Expect to travel to various stores for your work as a merchandising analyst. You must become familiar with the shopping and buying patterns of specific geographic regions in order to shape your company's merchandising decisions for these areas.

Tips & Warnings

• Since analytical skill is such an important part of a position as a merchandising analyst, strong math skills will be required. Expect to incorporate business math studies into your course work if you pursue this career.