Educators' Guide for Pedagogy and Assessment
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Unit: 1. Introduction to Retail, Sales and Customer Care
Retail
Learning Outcome: 1. I can understand the retail sector and the range of retail occupations.
1 I can outline the business of retailing.
The business of retailing: retail; retailer; retail outlet; distinguishing between products and services.
2 I can describe the different types of retail channels used within the Maltese context.
Retail channels: shops; catalogues; online selling; flea markets; showrooms; television shopping; mobile kiosks; door-to-door trading; supermarkets; shopping complexes.
3 I can describe the characteristics of the local retail environment, and its importance for the Maltese economy.
The characteristics of the local retail environment: sole traders, small-scale companies, franchises; mono-brand stores; multi-brand stores; highly competitive environment and limited market size; the impact of the internet and online shopping; the positive and negative impact of EU accession.
Its importance for the Maltese economy: retail trade as a high percentage of the locally-registered business units; retail as a major source of employment.
4 I can identify different retail occupations and the related skills, attributes and behaviours.
COGNITIVE LEARNING
Occupations: e.g.: sales assistant, stock controller, shelf stacker, customer service representative, store manager, supervisor, team leader, delivery person, warehouse supervisor.
Skills: customer service; sales; cash handling; teamwork; merchandising; problem solving; communication; time management; computer skills; literacy and numeracy.
Attributes: e.g. good personal appearance, flexible, proactive, honesty, empathy, ability to multi-task.
Behaviours: courteous, positive, confident, positive attitude.
Learning Outcome: 2. I can recognise the importance of teamwork in retail.
5 I can outline the key aspects of teamwork in a retail environment.SOCIAL LEARNING
Key aspects of teamwork in retail: valuing the strengths of others; valuing the attributes and opinions of other team members; working towards common goals; providing support to teach others; accepting advice; listening; communicating with other teams; communicating with other departments.
1 I can associate teamwork with a good working environment and business success.SOCIAL LEARNINGGood working environment and business success:
Team productivity: working together to efficiently complete retail tasks, importance of communication within the team to avoid wastage, duplication of tasks, customer complaints and confusion.
Dealing with stressful situations: importance of remaining calm; working together to solve problems; limit the impact of stressful situations.
Customer experience: creating a welcoming atmosphere; teamwork as a positive sign for customers; positive customer relationship.
Building and maintaining the team: team-building exercises; maintaining motivation; fairness.
Learning Outcome: 3. I can outline the retail selling process.
6 I can state factors that influence customer expectations.SOCIAL LEARNING
Factors: social and demographic factors; economic factors; level of education and experience; competitor products.
7 I can describe the five steps of the selling process and other key aspects that can influence the process.
The five steps of the selling process: meet and greet; understand needs; demonstration; summarise; closing the sale.
Key aspects that can influence the selling process: knowledge about the key areas and layout ; knowledge about other departments of the outlet; knowledge about products and services offered; awareness of special offers; market awareness.
8 I can list factors that indicate the closure of a sale.
Factors: spending time looking at the product; asking questions about details; asking about price; requesting more information; asking for payment details; trying out the product; questioning by customers; body language.
2 I can explain how to communicate effectively with customers during the sales process.
EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE
Basic communication skills which are essential in the selling process: greeting; effective questioning through open-ended and closed-ended questions to identify customer needs and match products/services; empathy; checking for understanding; feedback; termination.
3 I can explain how a Point of Sale is used in retail.
Main structure: e.g. cash register (for smaller outlets), computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display, barcode scanner.
Back office functions of the POS system: e.g. inventory control, purchasing, transfer of products from one location to the other (for multiple store brands).
Other typical functions of a POS system: e.g. store sales information, reporting, sales trends.
Learning Outcome: 4. I can demonstrate good customer service in a retail environment.
9 I can outline the benefits of good customer service for retail business.
Benefits of good customer care: engagement of customer; increased sales and profits; customer retention; positive image; obtaining feedback from the customer.
1 I can provide a positive impression when dealing with customers in a retail environment.Positive impression:
Personal hygiene: attention to body odour; hair care; attention to bad breath; clean shoes; good overall cleanliness; uniform care.
Respectful body language: posture; eye contact; use of appropriate tone of voice and clarity; gestures.
2 I can assist customers in a retail environment.
Assisting customers: acknowledging the customer and listening attentively to his/her needs; identifying ways how to help the customer in the best way possible; describing the features of a product or key elements of a service in a customer-oriented manner; providing alternatives if original request cannot be handled; termination/closing the sale.
4 I can explain how to deal with a customer complaint.
Dealing with a complaint: identifying the nature of the complaint and remaining calm; asking the customer about the problem to check your understanding; actively listening to the customer; apologising, empathy and professionalism; referring the customer to the appropriate channels if complaint cannot be handled.
Learning Outcome: 5. I can understand the key elements related to consumer rights in Malta.
10 I can list the main authorities, legislation, regulations and institutions that deal with consumer rights in Malta.
Authorities: the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority; the Malta Communications Authority.
Legislation: the Consumer Affairs Act.
Regulations: Price Indication Regulations; Consumer Credit Regulations; Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tour Regulations; Distance Selling Regulations.
Institutions: the Consumer Claims Tribunal.
5 I can outline the information that should be given to consumers prior to the sale of goods or services and the main consumer rights when buying goods and services.
Information to consumers prior to the sale of goods and services: the main characteristics of the goods or services; the name, address and telephone number of the trader; the total price of the goods and services; arrangments for payment and delivery where applicable; duration of the contract and conditions for termination of the contract where applicable.
Rights: the right to receive information about the two-year legal guarantee of conformity for goods; rights related to the delivery of goods; rights of consumers during sales; rights related to return of unwanted goods; rights related to deposits.
3 I can produce a leaflet with basic information about consumer rights.
USE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Leaflet criteria: neatness; creativity; reliability of information; good balance between images and text; good use of language.
