Career Research Report on Marketing Profession and Retail Sector

This report discusses the current and future trends that may affect the marketing profession and retail sector. It also highlights the required skills, experience, and knowledge for becoming a successful marketing manager or assistant. The report includes primary research evidence and a relevant job advertisement.

Career Viewpoint
CW1 – Career Research Report
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Contents
Contents.................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................3
General trends influencing the chosen industry or profession.........................................................4
The required skills, experience and knowledge.................................................................................6
Evaluation............................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................9
Reference list......................................................................................................................................10
Appendices.........................................................................................................................................11
Appendix 1: Primary Research Evidence....................................................................................11
Appendix 2: Relevant job advertisement.....................................................................................11
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Introduction
Marketing refers an action of promoting of products and services by market research and
advertising as well (Morgan and et.al., 2019). In this study, I am going to discuss marketing
profession and the reason of selecting this profession. This reflective study will discuss some
current and future trends that may affect marketing profession and can make me able in
developing my career in this field. Further, I will discuss some skills as well as expertise that
is important for being an effective marketing manager and assistant and helping out business
in accomplishing their goals. There are number of opportunities that we all can adapt by
entering in this profession and this study will discuss all those opportunities.
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General trends influencing the chosen industry or profession
As selected profession and sector is marketing and retail. In regard to retail sector, it can be
said that HR as well as marketing play a vital role as they are known as the main key of
success of organizations. Retail sector is contributing to economic growth as it is developing
to the great extent.
Online stores: One of the current as well as future trends that might affect this selected
profession in retail sector is: online stores in offline spaces. Technological advancement has
changed societies’ needs and their behavior (Kim and Adhikari, 2020). Nowadays, people
spend a lot of time on social media and due to busy schedule, they prefer online shopping. So,
due to these current changing needs of people, retailers are focusing on providing groceries
and consumers produces online to customers. It has made marketers work easier as they need
to promote products through online channels. They can communicate with customers any
time as they do not require going in market and meeting with customers face to face. It saves
their time and cost as well.
Globalization: Globalization is other main factor and current trend that can affect marketing
profession in retail sector. Due to globalization and increasing trade across borders,
marketing managers are facing problems in communicating with customers. Due to this trend,
they have to approach and communicate with global customers. It increases pressure on them
and as per the different cultures, they have to adapt their values, and they need to interact
with them in preferred languages. It increases frustration and sometimes they find difficulties
in adapting languages of other countries and it may create barriers in promotion of products
of companies (Gao and et.al., 2021).
Interviewer: According to you what is the current trend that can affect marketing profession
of retail sector in a critical manner.
Interviewee: Current trend is competition and advanced technology.
On the basis of outcomes of interviewee, it can be said that advanced technology and
globalization are current trend that can affect marketing profession in retail sector. In this
context, it can be said that advanced technology such as: using social media for promotion,
software like customers' satisfaction can help out marketers in promoting organizations'
products in an effective manner. By making use of social media platforms and customers'
satisfaction software, marketing managers and assistants can measure effectiveness of their
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marketing functions, and they can satisfy customers' needs by knowing their reviews on
social media channels. In addition, it can be said that globalization can have both positive and
negative impact on overall performance of marketing manager and assistant (Sokhetska,
2020). As per this trend, marketing manager needs to adapt different cultures and languages
for communicating with global customers and it may create challenges for them. On the other
hand, it can increase knowledge of marketers as they can learn different ways of promoting
products as per the different cultural requirements.
Overall, it can be said that there are number of factors that may affect marketing profession
and retail sector as well.
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The required skills, experience and knowledge
There are number of skills that are required for being professional in marketing field and
performing functions in an effective manner and helping out retailers in accomplishing goals.
Some personal skills that marketers need to possess include:
Communication: Communication is the main skill that marketers require for becoming
profession and performing their functions in an effective manner (Di Gregorio and et.al.,
2019). An active listening and oral communication skill, marketers can interact with
customers and can motivate them for buying products and accomplishing goals.
Collaboration: In regard to marketing profession it can be said that, marketer needs to
collaborate with other departments such as purchasing, sales, HR, finance and others, They
need to collect information regarding customers and for performing marketing functions they
need financial help. So, for this purpose, they need to have skill of collaboration so that they
can gather information in an effective manner.
Research: Success of marketing relies on information that they gather and for gathering
customers' related information, they need to have ability to research and development. They
need to identify effective sources and by using their ability of research, they can gather
reliable information and accordingly they can make decision (Persaud, 2020).
Along with these skills, marketer needs to have en expertise in some areas such as: creativity
and adaptability.
Creativity: This is an ability to create something new by using imaginative or original ideas.
From the above discussed current trends, it is known that changing needs of customers are
increasing pressure on marketers. Customers are more likely to buy products when company
provides unique features of products. For attracting and influencing customers, marketers
need to have creativity so that they can use attractive ways of promoting products, and they
can suggest innovative products. By making products attractive and using effective ways of
promoting products, marketers can increase sales of their company and can develop their
career as well.
Adaptability: It is an ability to adapt changing situations and performing functions
accordingly. There are number of factors that get changed and these changes affect
companies to the great extent. Covid-19 is the best example of changing situation and due to
this change, marketers and companies changed their ways of performing functions (Tan and
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Laswad, 2018). Marketers need to have this ability so that they can satisfy changing needs of
customers and can help their company out in accomplishing goals.
Interviewer: According to you what is the main skill that marketers need to have for
becoming successful in this career?
Interviewee: An ability to explain things and telling story is the main skill.
On the basis of outcomes of primary data, it can be said that storytelling is one of the main
skill that can make marketers able in developing career and attracting customers. Marketers
can use this skill for explaining their brand and show people who you are as a business. Story
related to brand and product should be interesting and relatable. There are number of people
who buy products by knowing story and their reviews. It is one of the main skills and area od
expertise by which marketer can attract new customers.
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Evaluation
This job advertisement for marketing executive is better for me as it is being advertised by
well-known as reputed retailer and I wanted to show my capabilities and potential in this field
(Liang, Gao and Ding, 2018). I believe that retail sector is the one that is contributing to
economic improvement. This sector has to adapt changing needs of customers and I want to
face challenges. I believe that I can do a better job in this retail sector and skills that this retail
sector is asking for, I have. I am good in communication, adaptability, decision making and
problem solving skill. So, on the basis of skills, I can say that it is better job advertisement for
me and it can boost my confidence if I got selected in this company.
In regard to marketing assistant, I can say that it is not a new role but marketing assistant is
the one on which success of companies rely. Marketing assistant has to perform number of
functions and by performing all important functions; I can help this retail sector in
accomplishing goals. It will boost my confidence and will help me out in career development.
I believe that by making use of communication and decision making skill, I can attract
customers for buying products and I can promote goods of this retail sector in an effective
manner (DiPalo, 2020). Marketing assistants need to collaborate and work closely with other
departments and I believe that by using oral communication and an active listening skill, I
can perform this role in an effective manner.
This retail sector is asking for at least 1 year of experience in sales and marketing field and I
have 2 years of experience in the same field. On this basis, I feel that this job advertisement is
suitable for me and I can show my potential. Overall, I can say that this job role is suitable
and would help me out in increasing my knowledge as well as performance (Yunus and et.al.,
2019).
.
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Conclusion
It has been summarized from the above study that marketing plays a vital role as it
enables employers in accomplishing organizational goals. This study has discussed current
social and other trends that can affect marketing profession and retail sector. Some current
trends that have been discussed above include: technology, globalization and social changing
needs of customers. Further, it has shown some skills and expertise areas that marketers need
to have for becoming successful in their career and helping out retail sector in taking
competitive advantages.
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Reference list
Morgan, N.A. and et.al., 2019. Research in marketing strategy. Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science, 47(1), pp.4-29.
Kim, J. and Adhikari, K., 2020. Current trends in kombucha: Marketing perspectives and the
need for improved sensory research. Beverages, 6(1), p.15.
Gao, P. and et.al., 2021. Trends and future research in electronic marketing: A bibliometric
analysis of twenty years. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce
Research, 16(5), pp.1667-1679.
Sokhetska, A.V., 2020. The Current Trends in Marketing Research. Бизнес информ, (7),
pp.346-352.
Di Gregorio, A. and et.al., 2019. Employability skills for future marketing
professionals. European management journal, 37(3), pp.251-258.
Persaud, A., 2020. Key competencies for big data analytics professions: a multimethod
study. Information Technology & People.
Tan, L.M. and Laswad, F., 2018. Professional skills required of accountants: what do job
advertisements tell us?. Accounting Education,
Liang, X., Gao, Y. and Ding, Q.S., 2018. “What you measure is what you will get”?:
Exploring the effectiveness of marketing performance measurement practices. Cogent
Business & Management, 5(1), p.1503221.
DiPalo, M., 2020. Treatment Innovations Research Assistant.
Yunus, E. and et.al.,2019. The effectiveness marketing strategy for ride-sharing
transportation: Intersecting social media, technology, and
innovation. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 7(2), p.1424.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Primary Research Evidence
Name of contact John
Company unknown
Job title Marketing manager
Date of contact 7 March 2022
How did you contact them? Online
Questions asked &
summary of their answers
Skills required for becoming successful in marketing
profession
Current trends in marketing and retail sector
Appendix 2: Relevant job advertisement
Walk-in-interview
A reputed, well-known retailer based in UK
Require marketing executive who can work closely and effectively with other functional
departments like: advertising, distribution and sales.
Marketing executive
Required key skills:
 Excellent communication and presentation skill
 An ability to review sales performance and present ideas
 Creativity and innovation
 Research and development
 Problem solving and decision-making
 Self-motivated
Experience
 Work experience in media environment and marketing agency
 Hold driving license
 Minimum 1-2 years of experience in the sales and marketing field
Education
 Degree level education
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Interested candidate can send their CV to XYZ. [e-mail]
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