The success of globalisation in the modern world can be seen through the availability of countless retail brands. From fashion garments and beauty products to everyday household items, you can choose from a wide variety of brands available in retail stores near you.

Retail stores have rapidly increased across the world in response to the growth of commercialisation. According to Satistica.com, the global retail market was worth $24 trillion by 2019. This boom has called for effective retail management practices and professionals who can deliver customer satisfaction. There is an immense demand for retail management graduates in the market and career prospects are enticing.

If you fancy an exciting retail job where you can interact with a variety of people, you ought to learn more about this fast-paced profession. This blog discusses five essential skills that can help you establish a successful career in the retail management industry.

Communication skills

Practical communication skills are required at every point of retail management. Most potential customers at a store are impressed by the courteousness and verbal charm of retail managers rather than flashy advertisements. Your responsibility as a retail manager might include looking after customers, providing them with your insight and understanding their priorities; all of these duties require excellent verbal skills.

As a retail manager, you might also need to work with other employees at your store and communicate with senior management, both of which are a breeze if you’re well-versed in verbal and written communication. Possessing good written communication skills can also help you avoid any ambiguity in your emails to internal and external stakeholders.

Flexibility and adaptability

While the role of a retail manager might look easy, the job involves several challenges like unexpected crowds, temperamental visitors, shoplifters, sudden employee absences or even having to work with personal problems on your mind. Hence, a retail manager needs to develop a certain amount of resilience, flexibility and mental toughness when it comes to dealing with their staff or at times, difficult customers. 

Managers should also be open to rescheduling important events at a moment’s notice and display flexibility when it comes to new organisational changes. They should also be adept in thinking on their feet as you’ll have to deal with new challenges and unforeseeable circumstances.

Organisational skills

A retail store is often the centre of multiple activities from the moment it’s opened to when it’s closed. As a retail manager, you can expect a full schedule with countless responsibilities like hiring and interviewing new workers, finalising store promotions or deciding work schedules for the week ahead. All these duties can only be achieved successfully with good organisational skills. Retail managers must possess good coordination, a habit of documentation, attention to the minutest details, great spatial memory and the ability to enforce rules and prioritise issues. Excellent organisational skills will allow you to run a tight ship and fulfil all your responsibilities with utmost efficiency and accuracy.

Previous sales experience

While this attribute is not absolutely necessary, it can be a massive bonus if you have previous work experience in sales as experience can teach you how to interact with customers, their priorities and how to effectively cater to their needs. Previous experience of customer interactions can help retail managers retain new customers in the store and achieve sales targets. 

Leadership skills

Successful retail managers are often good leaders. Other than the managerial duties of the job such as delegating tasks, creating a budget and ensuring completion of targets, retail managers also have to ensure that all employees are on the same page. Furthermore, it’s their job to look out for their team, maintain coordination among team members and motivate them to give their best every day. Possessing leadership skills can also make you relatable to subordinates who look up to you for inspiration.

There are many ways to acquire relevant retail management skills. While some people prefer to learn on the job by internships or part-time experience in small stores, others prefer to gain a thorough understanding through retail business management courses.

A noteworthy advantage of formal retail management courses over informal training is that courses can provide a comprehensive view of different retail setups which might be challenging to obtain through practical experience.

The London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA) offers a BA (Hons) Retail and Experience Management programme, which can be the right introduction to the dynamic industry of retail management. This undergraduate degree in retail management is taught by experienced professionals and can boost your employability in many fields. The USP of this course at LCCA is the customised combination of theory and practical experience, which allows students to remain up to date with the latest trends in the global retail industry. Click here to learn more about the BA Retail Management course at LCCA.