Retail Consultant Job Description
At Ascent Professional Services we connect businesses with the best Retail Consultants. If you want to progress your career as a retail consultant, you can learn more about what a retail consultant does, the qualifications and skills required to be one and how they have a positive impact on businesses they work for.
What is a Retail Consultant?
A retail consultant devises strategies for retail businesses in order for them to improve their services. They will work primarily with retailers and manufacturers in a variety of areas such as sales, marketing and customer service and suggest ways in they can make their businesses more efficient and cost effective.
Retail Consultant Salary Expectations
Retail consultant salaries are generous, due to the vast amount of knowledge and experience needed. Although most retail consultants tend to focus their expertise on a specific area of retail, general knowledge of the wider retail sphere is useful and can increase salary expectations. On average, retail consultants can expect to earn an average of $91,000, depending on experience.
Retail Consultant Job Overview
Retail consultants are very similar to management consultants in so far as they advise businesses and organisations how they can improve their performance. However, retail consultants primarily work with retailers, and usually in specific divisions within the business. This can range from e-commerce, sales, marketing and also specific sectors such as hospitality and clothing retail.
Responsibilities for Retail Consultants
Undertake a preliminary audit of the retailer
Ensure an in-depth understanding of the business
Determine the customer’s needs and ambitions
Suggest and monitor improvements which can be made
Develop a strategy to achieve required goals
Provide first-class customer service when liaising with clients
Maximise prospects for the client by attending external events
Qualifications for a Retail Consultant
A degree is usually required to become a retail consultant, but extensive experience within the sector may also be considered. A master’s degree is also beneficial, as is being officially recognized as a Certified Management Consultant. Most retail consultants start out their careers as management consultants, before specializing in a specific field or industry in the retail sphere.
For anyone looking to pursue a career in Retail Consulting, we recommend the following subjects:
Business and management
Accounting and finance
Merchandising/buying
Experience and skills for a Retail Consultant
Previous experience in a sales capacity
Evidence of hitting sales targets
Excellent organizational skills
Ability to communicate effectively with clients
Strong business acumen
Ability to succinctly explain subtleties of retail strategy
Great negotiation and persuasion skills
Lead teams to secure positive outcomes for organizations
Define problems and conceptualize solutions or recommend alternative strategies for improving performance
Outstanding improvisation, negotiation, and persuasion abilities.
Retail consultant interview questions
Tell me more about yourself. Are there any areas of your CV you would like to discuss?
What value can you add to our organization in addition to your knowledge and expertise?
Describe your most challenging project.
How would you improve performance in our business.
What is your most important leadership experience to date? What have you learned from that experience and how has it impacted your development as a leader?
How would you react if a business stakeholder told you they were unsure of your recommendations.
What is one of the first challenges you would like to tackle in this retail business? Why is that, and how would you address this?
Describe a time you overcame a challenging situation.
How would you make this business more profitable?
For more on information on Retail Consultant roles, read our blog on Consultancy CVs
View more Consultant Job Profiles from Ascent Professional Services
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More Retail Consultant Career Advice and Tips
Make sure to take a look at our wide range of informative blogs, such as How to Write a Good Resume, Online Video Tips For Management Consultants, Tips For Online Video Interviews For Management Consultants and How To Write A Management Consultant Cover Letter for great tips from leading industry experts.
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