Marketing

Marketing is a dynamic and fast moving area within the retail industry, as it must keep up with and react to the ever-changing needs of consumers. The function of the marketing department is to promote the brand and react to customer needs.

This involves looking at buying trends and targeting the customer accordingly. For example, you might look at what a customer buys from data collected through loyalty card schemes so that you can send them relevant offers. You might also look at the buying habits in a particular location, in order to market certain products that would appeal to the local consumer.

Marketing departments liaise with advertising and media agencies when working on new campaigns. Initial ideas of what is needed from the campaign are given to the agency, which will then come up with a marketing concept. The marketing department then decides which ideas to go with and has final sign off on the project.

'Marketing is competitive and there can be over a thousand applications for just a handful of places on graduate marketing schemes. Related work experience could put you at an advantage.'

Marketing roles are predominantly desk based, but you will also spend time outside the office, particularly if you are working on local marketing campaigns. This will help you with marketing concepts and it gives variety to the role. If the pressure is on you might be required to work extra hours, but it’s typically a nine-to-five job with no weekend work involved.

Starting out as a graduate marketer in a retail organisation

Marketing is a competitive area to get into and there can be over a thousand applications for just a handful of places on specific graduate marketing schemes. This means any work experience that relates to marketing could put you at an advantage over the competition.

Once you have accepted a position most employers will support you through a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) qualification, as well as provide internal training.

As a trainee, you may be given your own projects to manage, which will give you a great deal of responsibility early on in your career.

Skills for graduate marketing jobs in retail

Good time management skills and the ability to manage projects are vital in this area. It also helps to be energetic, enthusiastic and unafraid to put forward your ideas.

Sheetal Solanki is a local marketing manager at Sainsbury’s. Sheetal has a degree in business studies from London Metropolitan University.