Understanding the Retail Product Cycle

  • Level: Entry
  • E-learning: 3 hours
  • Modules: 4
  • Quiz: Multiple choice
  • Certificate: Digital
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Course overview

There is a rhythm and routine to retail, which is largely generated by the product lifecycle. This course provides an overview of the key processes, tasks and decisions that Buying, Merchandising and Planning teams carry out across the product lifecycle. It introduces a wide range of essential commercial concepts such as merchandise planning, range and assortment planning, sourcing and supplier management, the WSSI, allocation and distribution and trading decisions.It also conveys the current and future retail trends that teams need to understand and embrace, as well as providing an overview of the most common retail commercial structures and roles.

In this course, you will learn how to:
  • Appreciate the retail industry and the critical decisions made by commercial teams
  • Talk knowledgeably about the retail landscape and retail structures
  • Show an understanding of the retail cycle, and the activities involved throughout
  • List the key considerations when planning and trading ranges
  • Consider components involved in buying, sourcing, and supply chain decisions
  • Identify key current and future retail trends

Modules in more detail

  1. The retail landscape - Identify global retailers, the changes the sector has seen in recent years, and the impact of online retailing
  2. Retail structures - Introduce common retail structures, the key roles and their responsibilities
  3. The retail cycle - As the main part of the course this module provides an overview of the six high-level steps that all retailers use to manage their business including the key activities at each sage
  4. Emerging trends - An opportunity to explore some of the topics which are re-shaping the retail landscape of today, and consider whether they will have a positive or negative impact on the future of retailing

Who is this course for?

  • Entry level roles within buying, merchandising and planning
  • Anybody applying for a job in buying, merchandising and planning
  • Roles within retail support functions e.g. HR, finance, IT
  • Suppliers of products or services to retailers

Course Modules

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