How did you get to where you are now?
When I was at school, I never intended retail to be my industry of choice - far from it. When I finished Year 12 I went on to begin a psychology major at UWA. I needed a job with enough hours to support myself while studying full-time, and I found that with Target at the Perth CBD store. While working there as a team member, I discovered that I was enjoying it a lot more than I was enjoying my degree, so, in 2009, I made the decision to quit uni and move to the Fremantle store in pursuit of a full-time contract.
What keeps you motivated?
Learning. There is nothing worse than being stuck in the same role for longer than it takes you to learn what you need to learn from it.
You were promoted from management trainee to business manager in five months. What was your strategy?
Doing a business degree, you learn in your first units that there are certain skills called “employability skills”. They include things like being a team player, being dependable, being able to work without supervision and so on. My strategy for success was simple: don’t leave these skills at the door of your interview.
What are your responsibilities at your current post at Target?
I am currently a business manager, a position which reports to the merchandise manager, who in turn reports to the store manager. My current areas of accountability are entertainment; toys, books & leisure; stationery and promotional. I am responsible for ensuring that sales and growth are maximised in these areas; controlling inventory; managing asset protection; and managing people and safety while ensuring we always put our customer first. To effectively measure progress in these areas, we use key performance indicator data specific to our store.
Where would you like to be in two years?
I am currently completing an operations manager program within the company. The operations position encompasses aspects of administration, health and safety management, and HR management. I am also studying a Bachelor of Business with ECU at the moment, majoring in strategic human resource management. Within two years I hope to both attain the operations position and develop my skills in this area.
What advice would you give to those who want a career in retail?
First of all, to look past what is obvious. Don’t be discouraged by retail’s ostensible lack of glamour or reputation as a career. Retail is much more than stacking shelves or operating a checkout. Retail encompasses a plethora of career paths.
Secondly, don’t adhere to the common saying “work smart, not hard” or any variable of this. Success is about working smartly, yes, but you won’t get anywhere if you don’t work hard as well.
Are you at all concerned about the future of retail?
No, and I can’t stress this enough. The advent of online purchasing has been far from a threat to the industry – on the contrary, it has provided a great opportunity. It has forced retailers to become more efficient, which is a textbook economic concept. In doing this, it has highlighted areas in which retailers had perhaps been falling down, and provided great opportunities to fix this up. All of this adds value to goods purchased by the consumer, which is the overall goal.
In perhaps an answer to global retailers competing for the attentions of the Australian market, the era of creative customer experience design is burgeoning. In the near future, the old retail recipe of stock, shelf, checkout will be rare. The customer experience will be about inspiring the consumer, tapping into their emotional responses and above all elevating shopping from a task to a recreational activity. Retail as we know it is on its last legs.
The only people who should be concerned about their future are individual retailers who resist change, or who can’t keep up with dynamic competition, which comes either from within or from overseas.
PROFILE
Name: Katherine Powell |
