Are you a people person? If you enjoy working with others and meeting new people, have a natural sales ability and thrive in a customer service environment, you should consider a career in Retail.
The Retail industry is one of Australia’s largest employers and provides an excellent opportunity for those entering or re-entering the workforce, as jobs are plentiful. This industry is also one of few that offers flexibility in working hours with part-time, weekend and night work available.
Careers in Retail
Retail professionals often have overlapping roles and enjoy a variety of career paths, from managing a large department store to visual merchandising and purchasing – the options are almost limitless.
- Store Manager
- Sales Assistant
- Fashion Buyer
- Store Buyer
- Visual Merchandiser
- Night Fill Replenishment
- Display Designer
- Assistant Sales Manager
- Team Leader
- Department Manager
What Qualities Do Retail Workers Need?
Many qualities make a great retail professional. Having these qualities and personality traits demonstrates that you’ll likely enjoy job-satisfaction as well as future success in the Retail industry.
- High Level of Interpersonal Skills
If you want to be successful in the Retail industry, you’ll need to be a people person, and that means having a genuine desire to engage with customers and fulfil a need. Being able to communicate and relate well with team members and other staff is also crucial in Retail.
- Communication
In almost all Retail roles, you’ll need excellent communication skills, from being able to speak to customers helpfully and courteously to conferring with buyers, team members, and employers.
- Teamwork and Leadership
Working as part of a team is common in Retail, so you should have an ability to get along well with others and enjoy achieving targets as part of a cohesive team.In a management role, you’ll also need to demonstrate strong leadership skills to lead teams to ensure the smooth operation of a Retail business and to achieve sales targets.
- Flexibility
When friends and family are on holiday, you may be busiest in a Retail role. So, you’ll need the ability and desire to work flexible hours, which may include nights, weekends and public holidays.
- Customer-Service Oriented
Customer service will be integral to your success in the Retail industry, so you need a strong commitment to being customer-service oriented. This means going over and above what’s required to ensure customer satisfaction.
- Sales-Oriented
It may seem obvious, but the ability to sell products and/or services is crucial in the Retail industry. As a Retail professional, you’ll need to be persuasive to convince customers that certain products and/or services are worth investing in to make a sale.
- Numeracy
Numeracy skills are essential in a Retail role to calculate prices, work out discounts, and provide correct change to customers if technology fails (or you’re second-guessed by a customer at point-of-sale).
Where Do Retail Professionals Work?
Retail professionals are employed in a variety of environments, from large supermarket chains to independent fashion boutiques.
- Supermarket Chains
- Department Stores
- Discount Stores
- Specialty Boutiques
- Factory Outlets
- Catalogue Retailers
- Online Retailers
Professional Development in Retail.
If working in Retail appeals to you, there are many professional development courses to help you in entering or progressing in this exciting industry.
When you study with Australian Online Courses, you have access to an eLearning platform that allows you to study where and when you choose. This self-paced learning environment will enable you to plan your study around work, life and family commitments.
So, what are you waiting for? If you’ve been considering a career in Retail, or want to add to your existing qualifications, check out the many professional development courses on offer in today.
