What is management?

Management refers to the process of bringing people together on a common platform and make them work as a single unit to achieve the goals and objectives of an organization. Management is required in all aspects of life and forms an integral part of all businesses.

Retail management                          

The various processes which help the customers to procure the desired merchandise from the retail stores for their end use refer to retail management. Retail management includes all the steps required to bring the customers into the store and fulfill their buying needs.

Retail management makes shopping a pleasurable experience and ensures the customers leave the store with a smile. In simpler words, retail management helps customers shop without any difficulty.

 Need for Retail Management – Why retail management ?

Peter wanted to gift his wife a nice watch on her birthday. He went to the nearby store to check out few options. The retailer took almost an hour to find the watches. This irritated Peter and he vowed not to visit the store again.-An example of poor management.

You just can’t afford to make the customer wait for long. The merchandise needs to be well organized to avoid unnecessary searching. Such situations are common in mom and pop stores (kirana stores). One can never enjoy shopping at such stores.

Retail management saves time and ensures the customers easily locate their desired merchandise and return home satisfied.

An effective management avoids unnecessary chaos at the store.

Effective Management controls shopliftings to a large extent.

• The retailer must keep a record of all the products coming into the store.
• The products must be well arranged on the assigned shelves according to size, colour, gender, patterns etc.
• Plan the store layout well.
• The range of products available at the store must be divided into small groups comprising of similar products. Such groups are called categories. A customer can simply walk up to a particular category and look for products without much assistance.
• A unique SKU code must be assigned to each and every product for easy tracking.
• Necessary labels must be put on the shelves for the customers to locate the merchandise on their own.
• Don’t keep the customers waiting.
• Make sure the sales representatives attend the customers well. Assist them in their shopping. Greet them with a smile
• The retailer must ensure enough stock is available at the store.
• Make sure the store is kept clean. Don’t stock unnecessary furniture as it gives a cluttered look to the store. The customers must be able to move freely.
• The store manager, department managers, cashier and all other employees should be trained from time to time to extract the best out of them. They should be well aware of their roles and responsibilities and customer oriented. They should be experts in their respective areas.
• The store manager must make daily sales reports to keep a track of the cash flow. Use softwares or maintain registers for the same.
• Remove the unsold merchandise from the shelves. Keep them somewhere else.
• Create an attractive display.
• Plan things well in advance to avoid confusions later on.
• Ask the customers to produce bills in case of exchange. Assign fixed timings for the same. Don’t entertain customers after a week.