2019 Retail Salary Guide
Expected salary ranges in 2019 for Retail professionals in Shanghai.
Contents:
Store Management | Retail Operation Management | Store Expansion & Business Development | Franchise & Account Management | Planning | Merchandising & Buying | VM & Design | Retail Training
Commentary on Retail Roles and Remuneration in Shanghai for 2019
Basic Salary Per Month (¥)
Retail |
||
| Store Management | ||
| ROLE | Low | High |
| Store Manager | 15,000 | 35,000 |
| Flagship store GM | 30,000 | 50,000 |
| Retail Operation Management | ||
| ROLE | Low | High |
| Area Manager | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| Regional Manager | 35,000 | 60,000 |
| Retail Director | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Retail GM | 70,000 | 150,000 |
| Retail Operation Manager | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| Retail Operation Director | 45,000 | 75,000 |
| Store Expansion & Business Development | ||
| ROLE | Low | High |
| Store Expansion Manager | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| Store Expansion Director | 55,000 | 100,000 |
| Business Development Manager | 20,000 | 50,000 |
| Busines Development Manager | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Franchise & Account Management | ||
| ROLE | Low | High |
| KA Manager | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| KA Director | 40,000 | 100,000 |
| Wholesale Manager | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| Wholesale Director | 40,000 | 100,000 |
| Planning | ||
| ROLE | Low | High |
| Retail Planning Manager | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| Retail Planning Director | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Merchandising Planning Manager | 20,000 | 45,000 |
| Merchandising Planning Director | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| Inventory Planning Manager | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| Inventory Planning Director | 40,000 | 70,000 |
| Demand Planning Manager | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| Demand Planning Director | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Merchandising & Buying | ||
| ROLE | Low | High |
| Merchandiser | 15,000 | 30,000 |
| Merchandising Manager | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| Merchandising Director | 50,000 | 120,000 |
| Buyer | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| Buying Manager | 30,000 | 60,000 |
| Buying Director | 50,000 | 120,000 |
| VM & Design | ||
| ROLE | Low | High |
| Visual Merchandiser | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| VM Manager | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| VM Director | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| Graphic Designer | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| Graphic Design Manager | 30,000 | 50,000 |
| Graphic Design Director | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Fashion Designer | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| Fashion Design Manager | 30,000 | 50,000 |
| Fashion Design Director | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Retail Training | ||
| ROLE | Low | High |
| Sales Coach | 15,000 | 30,000 |
| In-store Trainer | 15,000 | 30,000 |
| Field Trainer | 20,000 | 35,000 |
| Training Manager | 30,000 | 50,000 |
| Training Director | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Trainer -Academy | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| Training Manager -Academy | 30,000 | 50,000 |
| Training Director -Academy | 50,000 | 100,000 |
Commentary on Retail Roles and Remuneration in Shanghai for 2019
2018 Trends in the Retail Recruitment in Greater China
China is home to the world’s largest e-commerce and retail market with sales continually increasing year-on-year. Recruitment in the sector experienced positive growth in 2018, powered by innovation, opportunities in e-commerce and the ongoing integration of online and offline retail. We saw both replacement hires and new roles emerging in 2018 with the market remaining active and dynamic in every quarter. The rapid growth of digital retailing in the past few years has led to the emergence of new omnichannel or O2O positions (online-to-offline), a hiring trend set to remain for the coming few years. As clients continue to merge online and offline retail in today’s omnichannel reality, new functions in e-commerce, business planning, buying and merchandising continue to materialise, presenting abundant opportunities for candidates. While it remains a job seekers market, we do see some discrepancy in pay rises between traditional and new retail functions. While traditional roles typically command salary increases of around 20-30 per cent, we see this jump to 40-50 per cent for adequately skilled omnichannel, e-commerce and other digital transformation-focused talent. Hiring managers are finding it more challenging to pin down expertise in these new retail categories, and candidates often have the luxury of comparing two or more offers before accepting a role.
In-demand Roles, Skills and Qualifications for Retail Professionals
In 2018, retail training talents were one of the most highly sought after experts in the market. As companies endeavour to improve the in-store experience they offer to customers and differentiate themselves from competitors, individuals that can provide sales, customer service and other employee training remained hot.
We saw continued demand for experienced buyers that can source new merchandise and review existing items to ensure products remain competitive for both e-commerce and offline. Retail planning roles also grew in number as organisations reviewed their brick-and-mortar retail strategies, set sales targets and managed new store expansion.
China retail employment is already focusing on the soft skills required to create an agile workforce and candidates with strong interpersonal, communications and presentation skills were highly sought after, as too were those of the right culture fit for an organisation.
Requirements for sales and product-related positions are placing less value in traditionally sought-after education and qualifications. However, organisations do expect talent in supply chain logistics, warehouse and distribution management and quality control to possess relevant industry certifications.
Workplace Trends Impacting Retail Professionals in Mainland China
When it comes to talent background, in 2018 the preference remained on domestically cultivated Chinese talent over foreign professionals. While three to five years ago expat professionals were highly sought after to bring expertise from more mature markets, the swift changes in China’s retail market have brought about more localisation in hiring trends.
A competitive labour market, new technology and the changing expectations of younger generations is galvanising flexible working trends. Previously candidates limited their considerations to the package and title offered, today they are paying closer attention to flexibility of working hours, opportunities to work remotely, work-life balance and company culture.
While the ongoing US-China trade war may cause some disruptions for MNCs, large retail and import-export companies, overall, the impact on China’s retail market is expected to be minimal.
In the past 12 months, social media has impacted recruitment and hiring from an organisation and candidate perspective. While information on the realities of working at an organisation is easier to come by, there have been adverse effects and we see organisations bolstering their employer branding efforts on social networks as a result. GDPR is impacting the processing of candidate data in the EU, and while this is not applicable to China, we expect new technology to play a role in both the protection and release of candidates’ personal details going forward.
What Does the Future Hold for Retail Professionals? Predictions for 2019 and Beyond
The future looks incredibly bright for China’s retail sector in 2019, and we remain confident that recruitment will experience strong growth as this booming industry continues to mature.
New technology will impact how customers shop in-store and online and we expect organisations to integrate innovations that transform the shopping journey. The traditional retail sector will continue its evolution throughout 2019, presenting challenges to be overcome and opportunities to be seized.
Advice for clients in 2019 is to keep an open mind when selecting talent. The e-commerce market, in particular, will be fiercely competitive and organisations should remain highly selective to ensure they find the right candidate. Advice for job seekers is to be patient; the market is hot and there are vast opportunities for those with the right skills and experience. Be sure to take a 360-degree perspective when selecting a role, taking into consideration your long-term career path and the likely development of the retail sector.
