Merchandise Planner

Merchandise Planners keep retail shelves stocked with the right products at the right time. They study past sales data and current inventory levels to forecast what customers are likely to buy across different store locations and seasons. From there, they build plans that specify how many units of each product a store should carry, how the range should be structured, and how stock should be distributed. When things go off-plan, such as a slow-selling line or a supply delay, they work with buyers and logistics teams to adjust. The role also involves identifying products that are not selling and recommending markdowns or clearance strategies before stock becomes a bigger problem.

On a typical day, a Merchandise Planner might open the retail management system to check overnight sales figures against planned targets, then flag any gaps to the buying team. They could spend part of the morning updating a seasonal merchandise plan ahead of a promotional period, making sure stock will arrive at stores before a key trading date. In the afternoon, they might run a sell-through report for a product category, calculate stock turn rates, and prepare a summary for the store manager. Liaising with the distribution centre to confirm delivery schedules is also a regular task. Competitor pricing checks may come up when planning recommendations need to be grounded in the broader market.

The qualification pathway for this role is a Certificate III or Certificate IV, according to JSA Occupation Profile data. Relevant study areas include retail management, business, or supply chain operations. Courses at this level may be available through free or subsidised TAFE programs depending on your state or territory. You can check current course funding options at yourcareer.gov.au or dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe. Practical experience in a retail environment, particularly in stock control or buying support, is commonly valued alongside formal qualifications. Familiarity with enterprise resource planning systems and spreadsheet tools is a practical advantage.

The hardest part of merchandise planning is that the data rarely tells a clean story. Sales patterns shift because of weather, competitor promotions, supply delays, or simply changing customer preferences, and a plan built on last season's numbers can quickly look out of date. Planners need to make calls on incomplete information and defend those calls to buyers and senior managers who may have different views. The role also carries real commercial consequences: over-ordering ties up cash in slow-moving stock, while under-ordering means missed sales. People moving into this role from other retail positions sometimes underestimate how much of the work involves negotiating with other teams rather than just running reports.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 6392, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• ERP and Inventory Systemscore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Invoice Matching and Reconciliationcore
• Microsoft Excel Data Managementcore
• Negotiationcore
• Purchase Order Processingcore
• Reporting and Analyticscore
• Research and Analysiscore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Stock Reconciliationcore
• Supplier Communicationcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Category specific expertise
• Goods Receipt Processing
• Problem Solving
• Process Improvement Identification
• Returns Processing
• Risk Identification
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Time Management and Prioritisation
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Merchandise Planner workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026