Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Grocery Merchandising Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Grocery Merchandising Specialist is a hands‑on retail professional who executes store-level merchandising programs to maximize category sales, inventory turns, and shopper satisfaction. Working closely with store leadership, category managers, suppliers, and field teams, this role implements planograms and shelf sets, executes promotions and resets, conducts regular inventory and pricing audits, and provides in-field intelligence that informs assortment and pricing decisions. The ideal candidate balances strong visual merchandising and operational skills with analytical insight and excellent store communication.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Retail Merchandiser / Floor Stock Associate
Store Associate or Department Lead (Grocery/Deli)
Merchandising Coordinator or Merchandiser Apprentice

Advancement To:

Senior Merchandising Specialist
Field Merchandising Manager / District Merchandising Manager
Category Manager or Category Analyst (Grocery/CPG)
Store Operations Management

Lateral Moves:

Buyer / Assistant Buyer (Category)
Inventory Analyst or Pricing Analyst
Retail Operations Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Implement and maintain brand and category planograms across assigned stores, ensuring shelf layouts, facings, product adjacencies, and fixture placement exactly match corporate planogram specifications to maximize space productivity and impulse purchases.
Execute scheduled shelf resets and seasonal planogram changes from start to finish, coordinating with store management to minimize operational disruption and ensuring completion on deadline.
Manage in-store promotional set-ups and break-downs, including POS/tags, promotional islands, endcaps, and signage; verify promotional pricing and visibility for each promotion cycle.
Conduct daily or weekly store visits to audit on-shelf availability, out-of-stocks, planogram compliance, price integrity, and promotional compliance, then document findings and escalate issues with clear remediation plans.
Analyze sales, inventory, and shrink data at the store and category level to identify opportunities for SKU rationalization, reorder frequency adjustments, and display optimization that drive incremental sales.
Maintain accurate on-hand inventory records by performing cycle counts, resolving discrepancies with store teams, and coordinating with replenishment or DC personnel to reduce stockouts and overstocks.
Lead front-line fixture installations and adjustments (shelving, dividers, signage), ensuring safe, code-compliant, and visually consistent merchandising standards across the store network.
Serve as the in-store subject matter expert for new product launches and NPD rollouts — coordinating product placement, initial facings, trial displays, and post-launch performance monitoring.
Coordinate with vendors and brokers to schedule on-site support, secure promotional materials, and confirm planogram assets; ensure vendor activity adheres to store schedules and merchandising standards.
Capture high-quality in-store photos and detailed field notes after every visit; upload documentation promptly into the merchandising platform to support audits, retailer reporting, and remote review.
Track and enforce price integrity by verifying shelf tags, promotional Markdown execution, and POS programming; report pricing anomalies and work cross-functionally to correct pricing quickly.
Drive compliance with loss prevention procedures during merchandising activities, including safe use of ladders and equipment, proper handling of perishables, and secure management of high-value SKUs.
Partner with category managers and analysts to develop localized merchandising recommendations based on store demographics, seasonal trends, competitor activity, and sales history.
Provide constructive feedback to store management on labor allocation, backroom organization, and replenishment processes to improve on-shelf availability and reduce time-to-shelf.
Use merchandising software and store systems (planogram tools, handheld scanners, handheld POS, and store ERP) to collect data, execute tasks, and confirm task completion with timestamps and photos.
Prepare concise weekly and monthly field reports summarizing store conditions, merchandising program compliance, promotional ROI observations, and prioritized action items for district and category teams.
Facilitate store-level training sessions for associates on best practices for shelf execution, product rotation, and planogram adherence to foster consistent execution across shifts.
Monitor competitor shelf sets and pricing during visits and report actionable intelligence to category managers to inform pricing and promotional strategies.
Optimize shelf space by recommending and implementing SKU facings, spacing adjustments, cross-merchandising, and endcap concepts that elevate velocity and gross margin.
Coordinate end-to-end project execution for remodels, new store openings, and major resets including scheduling, material staging, cross-functional communication, and final sign-off.
Ensure compliance with all food safety, labeling, and regulatory requirements in the grocery environment, including date coding, temperature-sensitive item handling, and allergen signage.
Maintain a professional, customer-focused presence in stores, assist customers when needed, and act as an ambassador for merchandising standards and brand professionalism.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc reporting requests from category managers and district leadership by compiling field data, photos, and execution metrics into actionable summaries.
Assist in pilot tests for innovative merchandising concepts (shopper-flow, planogram variations, promotional formats) and measure impact against KPIs to inform rollouts.
Collaborate with supply chain and replenishment teams to escalate persistent stock or distribution issues, ensuring corrective actions are tracked and resolved.
Participate in cross-functional meetings and field reviews to align merchandising goals with marketing promotions, seasonal calendars, and vendor commitments.
Train and mentor junior merchandisers or temporary staff during peak seasons to ensure consistent program execution and knowledge transfer.
Maintain and manage merchandising tools and materials inventory (labels, shelf-talkers, clip strips) and coordinate reordering to support uninterrupted program delivery.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Expert knowledge of retail planogram implementation and execution; experience with planogram software such as Blue Yonder/Spaceman, JDA, Relex, or similar tools.
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel for merchandising analysis (VLOOKUP, pivot tables, basic macros) and experience exporting point-of-sale or category data for field review.
Experience with handheld merchandising devices, in-store scanners, mobile photo documentation, and uploading field data into centralized merchandising platforms.
Solid understanding of category management principles: space productivity, sales per square foot, gross margin, inventory turns, and SKU rationalization.
Demonstrated ability to execute pricing and promotional compliance, including markdown execution and POS/signage audits.
Familiarity with retail operations systems (POS, ERP, inventory management systems) and ability to read and interpret DC/replenishment reports.
Project management skills for coordinating resets, remodels, and promotional rollouts across multiple stores, including vendor coordination.
Knowledge of food safety and perishables handling, including date rotation (FIFO) and temperature-sensitive product protocol.
Basic retail analytics capability — able to interpret sales trends, promotional lift, and on-shelf availability metrics to inform recommendations.
Experience with visual merchandising tools and graphic placement for effective in-store marketing and impulse driving displays.

Soft Skills

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills—able to present findings to store managers, category teams, and vendor partners with clarity and diplomacy.
Strong attention to detail with a bias for accurate documentation, photo evidence, and follow-through on corrective actions.
Time management and route-planning skills to maximize productivity across multiple store visits in a field territory.
Problem-solving orientation with the ability to diagnose root causes (supply chain, store execution, pricing) and propose practical fixes.
Customer-focused mindset—able to balance corporate merchandising standards with the in-store customer experience and associate realities.
Collaborative team player who works well cross-functionally with category managers, operations, supply chain, and sales teams.
Adaptability and resilience working in fast-paced retail environments with changing priorities and last-minute promotional updates.
Professionalism and presentation skills as a brand representative in front of store leadership and vendor partners.
Coaching and mentoring ability to elevate store associate capability on merchandising best practices.
Ethical judgment and integrity—manages vendor interactions and merchandising assets professionally and in compliance with company policy.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED

Preferred Education:

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Retail Management, Supply Chain, or related field

Relevant Fields of Study:

Retail Management
Marketing
Supply Chain / Logistics
Business Administration
Merchandising / Visual Merchandising

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–5 years of retail merchandising, store operations, or grocery experience

Preferred: 3+ years merchandising experience in grocery, CPG, or large multi‑store retail environment with demonstrated planogram execution and promotional success