MKTG 2080 - Retailing Principles and Practices

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture None Lab None
Course Description: This course introduces students to retail strategies for contemporary retailing environments, including traditional “brick-and-mortar” retail stores, online retailers, and non-traditional retail settings. Topics include retail strategies, locations, consumer behavior, store organization, retail trends, merchandising, atmospherics, human relations and store management, technological advancements for logistics, inventory control, and customer relationship management.
MnTC Goals
None

Prerequisite(s): None
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: Course placement into college-level English and Reading OR completion of ENGL 0950  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of RDNG 0940  with a grade of C or higher and qualifying English Placement Exam OR completion of RDNG 0950  with a grade of C or higher and ENGL 0090  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of ESOL 0051  with a grade of C or higher and ESOL 0052  with a grade of C or higher.

Major Content

1. Retail Strategy
2. Owning or managing a retail business
3. Evolving retail environments
4. Types of retailers
5. Customer buying behavior
6. Information systems and supply chain management
7. Human resource and store management
8. Merchandise management
9. Customer relationship management
10. Establishing and maintaining a retail brand image
11. Store layout, design, atmospherics, and visual merchandising
12. Planning for the future - trend analysis and forecasting

 
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students will be able to:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the current scope of retailing - local, regional, national and international.
2. discuss the strategic planning process related to successful retail operation.
3. discuss the scope and significance of decision making as a small business owner and/or manager.
4. identify the process retailers use to group customers into market segments.
5. identify sources for marketing information and trends for retail decision-making.
6. explain the process of consumer decision making.
7. describe successful retail strategies.
8. explain how retailing information systems support decision making.
9. discuss the components of managing a retail business: the retail management structure, human resource management, and operations management.
10. describe methods of communicating with customers that focus on store brand image, atmospheric elements, and promotion techniques.
11. analyze types of retail locations.
12. analyze the consumer relationship process.

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