These 10 free online courses for retail marketing (all with built-in assessments) can help retailers train their employees in branding, advertising, merchandising, promotion, and other aspects of retailing. The best part is that your employees don’t need to block off a week’s worth of time to learn retail brand management and retail marketing management. Each course takes less than an hour to complete and is accessible on mobile devices. Get high-quality training courses for free.
1. Social Media and Online Platform Functions for Retail Businesses Course
If your retail brand doesn’t have social media and online platforms in your marketing mix, then you might be missing out on industry trends, e-commerce opportunities, and more. If you don’t know where to start when it comes to using social media and online platforms for retail, then this free course is a great solution. It’s ideal for those who are interested in social media and online platforms, but don’t know how they would be applicable in retail.
Scope:
- The Significance of Social Media and Online Platforms in Retail
- Types of Social Media and Online Platforms Used in Retail
- Key Platform Functions for Organisations
- Benefits and Costs of Platform Functions
Best for: Retail marketing professionals who want to know more about using social media and online platforms
Cost: Free
2. Evaluating Social Media and Online Platforms for Your Retail Business Course
So you know the general benefits of using social media and online platforms for retail, but you’re overwhelmed by the number of platforms to choose from. With this free course, you’ll know what factors to consider when adding platforms to your selection list. Discover how to get customer input so that you don’t waste your time and resources on the wrong platform. This free course will help you match your customers’ preferences and your organisational requirements to the right social media and online platforms.
Scope:
- Understanding Key Customer Groups
- Evaluating Social Media and Online Site Popularity
- Assessing Platform Functions to Meet Requirements
- Identifying Functions with Risks to Customers
Best for: Retail marketing professionals who need to come up with a shortlist of social media and online platforms to choose from
Cost: Free
3. Choosing the Right Online Platforms for Your Retail Business Course
If you have a shortlist of social media and online platforms, then this free course will guide you in selecting the right one for your business. Investing time, money, and labour into using social media and online platforms for retail is a big step. Your stakeholders might not approve your proposal if you don’t have a valid decision-making process for choosing the platform. With this free course, your stakeholders will be confident that you’ve familiarised yourself with the various platforms before submitting your proposal to them.
Scope:
- Factors Influencing Platform Selection
- Identifying Platforms for Specific Business Needs
- Ranking Suitable Platforms
- Staying Updated on Platform Trends
Best for: Retail marketing professionals who need to decide on a social media and online platform
Cost: Free
4. Sourcing Information on Social Media and Online Platforms Course
Maximise the use of technology and develop a targeted marketing strategy with this free course. If your retail brand is on a social media and online platform but not getting anything out of it, then you may need to reevaluate the way the brand is using the platform. Explore the different metrics for measuring popularity and engagement. Conduct market research and create a database of valuable information. Ensure the success of digital brand management by enrolling your retail marketing team on this free course.
Scope:
- The Power of Social Media and Online Information for Businesses
- Measuring Popularity and Reach of Categories and Brands
- Identifying Your Target Market and Analysing Consumer Behaviour
- Best Practices for Sourcing Information
Best for: Retail marketing teams who are just getting started with digital marketing or aren’t getting the desired results out of their digital platform usage
Cost: Free
5. Collect Review Information Course
Though the Sourcing Information on Social Media and Online Platforms Course is a great introduction, you may be looking for a more detailed course on obtaining and interpreting that information for analysis and decision-making. If you are, then enrol yourself and your team on this course for free. The Collect Review Information Course can also help if you’re putting together a report or e-book for your customers since it covers a wider range of data sources
Scope:
- Sourcing Relevant Information
- Organising and Interpreting Collected Information
- Discussing Issues with Information Interpretation
- Organising Interpreted Review Information for Analysis
Best for: Market researchers in the retail sector
Cost: Free
6. Develop a Sales Plan Course
In the competitive world of retail, your brand has to implement several strategies to survive. Customers aren’t likely to spend their hard-earned money on a brand that isn’t any different from their competitors. With this free course, you can stand out (in a good way) from your competitors and establish your brand as the go-to choice in your category. Furthermore, if you need to develop a sales plan but don’t know how then this free course is perfect for you.
Scope:
- Introduction to Sales Planning
- Market Analysis and Positioning
- Competitor Insights
- Strategic Sales Objectives
Best for: Sales and marketing managers in the retail sector
Cost: Free
7. Communicate Retail Promotional and Marketing Activities Course
Communication might seem like one of the most basic skills in the world, but neglecting its importance in retail can lead to disaster. Not properly communicating a change in the pricing of promotions to the rest of the company can result in your VIP customers receiving the wrong prices for your offers. Brand management can suffer as well. If your customers don’t have the right information about your retail brand, you can hardly expect them to perceive it the way that you want them to. But with this free course, you can prevent those problems from happening and communicate effectively.
Scope:
- Internal Communication with Team Members
- External Communication with Customers
- Responding to Customer Inquiries
- Enhancing Customer Relationships through Communication
Best for: Retail marketing managers
Cost: Free
8. Generate Customer Loyalty Course
Merchandising, advertising, and branding all play a part in generating customer loyalty. But if you want to convert customers into brand advocates, you’ll need to start from the ground up. Equip employees in retail stores with the knowledge, strategies, and skills they need to do this by enrolling them on this free course. Through the use of promotion, competitive pricing, effective management, and great customer service, you can sustain customer loyalty well into the future.
Scope:
- Customer Loyalty and Its Impact on Business Success
- Converting Customers to Brand Advocates
- Promotions and Loyalty Programs Communication
- Identifying Customer Demand Trends
Best for: Retail associates and merchandising management professionals
Cost: Free
9. Cross-Selling Course
If you’ve established customer loyalty and are at the stage wherein the customer has already seen the value of your key products, then it might be a good time to start cross-selling. When done correctly and at the right time, cross-selling is a valuable way for you to build stronger relationships with your customers. But if your employees don’t have proper training in cross-selling, it can quickly go in the opposite direction instead. With this free course, you won’t have to worry about inadvertently offending your customers with bad or improperly timed recommendations.
Scope:
- Identifying Cross-Selling Opportunities
- Effective Cross-Selling Strategies
- Creating Personalised Cross-Selling Recommendations
- Enhancing Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
Best for: Assistants in shops and e-commerce marketing teams
Cost: Free
10. Product Sales Reporting Course
With all your efforts in boosting product sales, you’ll want to accurately report them to your stakeholders. This free course can help you improve your reporting skills and increase your knowledge of sales data analysis. Highlight the problems that need to be fixed and the achievements of your team. Explore opportunities for addressing challenges and focus on the metrics that matter. After you take this free course, you’ll be able to present data strategically and confidently. Create better product sales reports with this free course.
Scope:
- Understanding Sales Data
- Analysing Sales Performance
- Visualising Sales Information
- Strategic Reporting and Action Planning
Best for: Heads of marketing and sales in the retail industry
Cost: Free
Other Retail Courses
For further education and a chance to upgrade your professional skills in retailing, check out more of our curated lists::
- 10 Best Free Courses to Enhance Workplace Skills for Retail
- 10 Best Retail Workers Training Courses
- Top 10 Free Customer Focus Courses for Retail
Our Course Library also has a wide range of free courses (with built-in assessments as well) for companies in other industries.
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