Introduction
The retail industry consists of supermarkets, department stores, malls, small stores, and shops where customers can get any type of general items for their daily needs. It offers several products and services to different customers and they are focus on fulfilling all the customers’ wants and needs in a proper manner. On the other hand, retail is the process of selling consumer products and services to the final users with the use of different channels or networks to gain maximum profit and develop goodwill in the large market place. The report is based on analyzing the industry overview and which skills are required for a person in this sector, job positions, likable position, and challenges that may face by an individual in this industry are described.
Industry description and context
The retail industry is a type of industry that includes the processes of selling goods and services to the consumers by using various kinds of channels in the distribution chain and earns profit from these selling processes. The supply chain is the medium through which the retailers satisfy the demands of the consumers which are being identified. The retail industry is the industry in which there are department stores, supermarkets, specialty stores, chain stores, mail-order houses, franchise stores, door to door sellers and online merchants where one thing is common that is the process of earning profits(Pantano, et. al., 2019). The retail industry is connected with the wholesalers from where the retail companies and industries buy the goods from these wholesalers on lower rates and then resell them to the individual consumers in small quantities which will make them more profits. This is the working style of the retail industry in which the main focus and the most important part of the industry are the consumers who are the main reason for the earning of profits for the whole industry. The retail industry plays an important role in the providing of goods and services for the end-users at reasonable rates and makes them earn profits.
Your chosen industry and you
What skills does your industry require
In the retail sector, some various skills and abilities are required to get the job. It is important for a candidate is to analyze and examine job requirements and which skills are necessary for get the job position in this retail industry. There are different skills which help a candidate to get a job in this sector that includes:
- Customer service and excellent communication skills–It is the main ability that is necessary among any job position employee who is applying in this industry. They must have the capability to deal with customers with effective communication skills(Pandey, et. al., 2019). They should know how to gain the attention of new clients and retain them for a long time. Also, they are good at customer service where they need to focus on offering the best facilities to their clients and resolve their complaints.
- Working under pressure–For working in the retail industry, a candidate should know how to manage work under pressure and burden. This will help them to complete all work within a given time.
- Time management – This is another skill and competences that are necessary for the retail industry job. In this, they must have the ability to manage time and make a proper schedule which helps them to complete all the on-time work in a given period.
- Problem-solving skills–It is an important skill that is required for the retail industry where the candidate must know how to resolve any issue which arises and create conflicts and problem among employees and customers(Rodriguez, et. al., 2019).
- Responsibility management – It is a required skill in the retail industry where candidates need to understand their roles and duties. This is important for an employee is to manage tasks and working activities in a better manner. They must have the ability to focus on each worker’s roles that are required to be completed in a given time.
What positions are available
In the retail industry, different positions are available for candidates who are applying for a job. For this, they require some skills and abilities based on this they get an available job in a better manner. Different positions are described as under:
- Sales associate–In the retail industry, a sales associate is a great role to fill the scaling business. A sales associate makes sure that the customer is happy and satisfied with their company services(Hart, et. al., 2020). SA is also responsible and accountable for maintaining store cleaning and arranges appearances, restock the items, and check out customers. In other words, the sales associate will help in increasing sales of the retail sector.
- Cashier–It is another position which is available in the retail industry. A cashier might seem like a simple job but this position can provide great value in the retail business. They are responsible for all the transactions and statement which occurs in the business.
- Customer service representatives–CSR is responsible for answering and response all the customers’ problems and resolve their issues in a given time. They are doing damage control to improve customer experiences.
Discuss the position you would like to achieve, and what you need to do to obtain it
The position I would like to achieve in the retail industry will be the position of the sales associate. The position of the sales associate is very crucial for the retail industry as the sales associate ensures the customers with the help they are needed to buy any type of goods and services. This will help the consumers to get the help of the sales associate for buying the products they are needed. The sales associate is responsible for the maintenance of the store’s cleanliness and organizational appearance, checking out of the customers and the restocking of the products in the store. The job of a sales associate is something that will help in the increase of the sales of the company or the industry. To be a sales associate one needs to be clear and effective in communication with the consumers which will be very important for the company(Efstratiadi, et. al., 2019).
The sales associate should be a team player in the working field, should be fast in problem-solving skills with effectiveness, should be able to learn quickly from the surroundings and adapt to the environment. The organizational skills of the sales associate should be effective and their attention is required for the minute details. The sales associate should be able to do basic mathematics and should have the financial knowledge to improve sales promotion. The experience of the point of scale system is also necessary for the position of sales associate. These skills are required for the position of the sales associate in the retail industry which will enhance the level of sales of the company and will manage the store and consumers simultaneously with high efficiency and effectiveness.
What are some difficulties and challenges you may face
As a sales associate, I may face some challenges in the retail industry. The sales associate is not able to identify customers changing preferences and choices. It is important for SA is to focus on customers changing demand and needs that may create a problem for the retail sector. Another is maintaining customer loyalty in which they always kept eye on customers and fulfill their required demand in time. Otherwise, they lose the commitment and loyalty among buyers. Retail has difficult operations and managing its internal communication which is no easy task. This is the major challenge that is mainly faced by the large scale of the retail industry with different departments. The sales associate should focus on high turnover employees’ rates so they need to retain staff members for a long period by listening to their issues and resolve them correctly. Besides this, retaining staff is the biggest challenge in this sector; meanwhile, they are replacing employees which require a lot of costs and energy(Ahmed, et. al., 2020).
There are various kinds of difficulties that may occur in the path of the sales associate while working in the stores of the retail industry. The picky customers can create difficulties for the sales associate in which they are not sure of the products they want to buy from the store. The environment of the working style in the retail stores can also create some kinds of difficulties for the sales associate as per the messy structure and lack of organization in the retail store will affect the working criteria for the sales associate. The manager or the higher officials of the retail stores can create difficulties for the sales associate by not providing enough space for the sales associate to work for the increase of the sales chart for the store according to his strategies. These are some kinds of difficulties which occur in the path of the sales associate in the way of working in retail stores.
Conclusion
Based on the above described report, it can be concluded that the retail industry provides a variety of job positions which helps in increasing the skills and capabilities of an individual. In this, the sales associate position has been selected in this report in which SA’s main role is to maintaining store services and it helps in increasing sales ratio.
References
Ahmed, S., Bangassa, K. and Akbar, S., 2020. A study on trust restoration efforts in the UK retail banking industry. The British Accounting Review, 52(1), p.100871.
Efstratiadi, M., Acha, S., Shah, N. and Markides, C.N., 2019. Analysis of a closed-loop water-cooled refrigeration system in the food retail industry: A UK case study. Energy, 174, pp.1133-1144.
Hart, M., Austin, W., Acha, S., Le Brun, N., Markides, C.N. and Shah, N., 2020.A roadmap investment strategy to reduce carbon intensive refrigerants in the food retail industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, p.123039.
Pandey, P., Singh, S. and Pathak, P., 2019. Factors affecting turnover intentions in the Indian retail industry. International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 19(2), pp.166-182.
Pantano, E. and Vannucci, V., 2019. Who is innovating? An exploratory research of digital technologies diffusion in retail industry. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 49, pp.297-304.
Rodriguez, S.A.B., Hamann, H.F., Klein, L. and Van Kessel, T.G., International Business Machines Corp, 2019. Smart shelves for retail industry.U.S. Patent 10,318,919.