Retail Management as a Career Choice

Retail Management offers ample career opportunities. Those who have a dynamic personality and good at dealing with people, choose to make a career in retail management. Read on to know more.

Retail Management – an Overview

We regularly end up visiting the swanky shopping malls either in order to check out the latest collection of fashion apparels or buy our regular grocery items. Don’t we? But how often do we realize that these malls also need to be properly managed? Well, these huge supermarkets and retail stores also need to be managed and the process is termed as retail management. The retail industry is one such industry that completely abides by the term—“Customer is King”.

Those days are gone when we would visit the neighbourhood stores in order to buy regular items and wait for your turn to come. Today it’s no longer the scenario. The customer’s demand has to be met whenever he or she demands. So as a retail manager you will not only be looking after and managing the store but also attending your customers as and when required.

Pursuing Retail Management

In the present times, the pace at which the retail sector is booming, a career in retail management can actually be a very good option. Top educational institutes and management colleges are offering courses in retail management. Students willing to pursue an MBA can choose to specialize in retail management. A course in retail management ideally comprises the following modules:

·      Introduction to Retail Management

·      Trends in Retailing

·      Relationship Marketing in Retailing

·      Significance of Information Technology in Retail Marketing

·      Retail Pricing and Merchandising

·      Retail Market Segmentation

Candidates who are interested in direct marketing like dealing with FMCG and are well off while it comes to working with customers, for them retail management can be a good career option. As a career option, retail management offers ample scope of exploration and learning. If one is dynamic enough, the person is bound to succeed in the field and of course learn a lot. College graduates can begin as sales retail executives and then move on to a higher position to that of a retail manager. Nowadays, the job profile of a business developer has become quite popular. So, if you are the adventurous one, you can always consider starting your own business venture.

Things to Know About Retail Management

There are certain things that you should need to know about a Career in Retail Management

As mentioned earlier, for a career in retail management one has to have a dynamic personality along with a degree. This is because; the profession is such that one has to deal with customers directly. So, it’s better if you have the following traits. The below mentioned traits can help one succeed in the field.

Having the Right Kind of Personality

No matter how much degree or credits you have acquired in your semester, you have to have a dynamic personality. This is said because, dealing with customers implies talking to them directly. For this you must have a pleasing personality, so that people listen to you and you are able to convince them properly.

Excellent Communication Skills

Since a large part of the job description is all about interacting with customers, possessing communications skills is very essential.

Experience ensures Professional Growth

As you gather experience, the more helpful it is for you to ensure professional growth. With more experience you are bound to receive recognition in this field.

Several Specialties in Retail Management

If you are thinking that retail management are the one and only specialization, then you got to be incorrect? You can choose from sub-specializations like as Training, Operations, Pricing, Customer Service, Merchandising and Personnel.

Promotion often implies Physical Movement

Well, for those who do not know, promotion in the field might involve physical movement—from one city to another.

On a final note, understand that retail management is a demanding profession. A retail manager has to oversee several things at a time—from storage, sales floor and also storage behind the scenes. Hiring and training personnel is an important job description of a retail manager. Also examining market trends and understating consumer behaviour comprises a major part of your job.

A career in retail management is in vogue these days, at the same time continuing to be a somewhat niche segment. Individuals who are dedicated enough can make a promising career in the field.

Author Bio: Sampurna Majumder is a professional writer and a passionate blogger. Currently she is writing content for several websites such as Shiksha.com that cover latest trends related to education in India such as these as well as other fields. The above post throws light on the career choice in the field of retail management.