Hire a Sales Assistant
In order to run smoothly, a retail establishment requires many elements working in tandem. A sales assistant is one of the essential cogs in the retail setup. The quality of retail staff is often paramount for customers visiting a store for the first time. Sales assistants engage with customers and guide them with the selection of products from the available merchandise. Being an essential part of the sales team in any retail establishment, they offer reliable support in improving efficiency and sales volume. A sales assistant usually gets hired by retail businesses, ranging from small retail stores on any high street to large superstores or departmental stores in shopping malls. An experienced professional in this field earns a salary in the range of $36,000 to $47,000 annually. The compensation also includes benefits such as bonuses, overtime pay, and paid leaves, among others. Professionals working as sales assistants are quite satisfied with their jobs, with a satisfaction score of nearly 8 out of 10. Career opportunities are plentiful and the job outlook for this position is positive.
Tasks and duties performed
Given the multitude of retail stores, the range of duties assigned to a sales assistant can be endless, although general tasks are selling, restocking, and merchandising. The primary goal of any sales assistant is to provide superior customer service and increase the establishment's growth and revenue through sales maximization. They must successfully apply the principles of retail selling to meet the business's standards. The day-to-day duties of a sales assistant involve greeting customers and guiding them in picking the right products. They should answer queries that the customer may have about the product and ensure that they do not leave unsatisfied. They are also responsible for helping customers locate the store merchandise and assisting them with pricing and purchases. The sales assistant should also take care of special order requirements if needed. They should also help with the management of all point-of-sale processes for the store. Other essential duties include organizing the retail floor, maintaining visual merchandising standards, training new staff members and others.
Skills required for the job
The candidate applying for the job must at least have a high school degree and a proven experience working in retail sales. They must have a basic understanding of sales principles and customer service practices. Hiring managers prefer sales assistants who are competitive and help customers identify and purchase products they desire. Some employers prefer candidates with a demonstrated track record of achieving sales targets. Since the job requires constant interaction, these professionals must have excellent communication, interpersonal and customer-facing skills. The candidate must have a customer service focus with the ability to multitask. The retail sales assistant must be a friendly individual with an engaging personality. Most positions require them to stand for long periods and also involve moderate to heavy lifting and the candidate must be reasonably physically fit.
