Consumer Behavior and Retail Strategies

This course will prepare students to work, run, and manage a retail shop successfully and provides theoretical insights into customer expectations and service delivery. Throughout the course, standard elements of a retail shop will be analyzed and focus on retail management will be given. This class will strengthen decision-making skills regarding expense planning, suppliers, store layout, and promotional strategies. Under the supervision of seasoned professionals, students will spend a portion of the course operating the school retail spaces (fashion retail store, restaurant, pastry shop) that are open to the local community. Here, theoretical knowledge, shop floor management skills, and ability to perform head office functions will all be developed in the context of retail. In order to offer a comprehensive view of retail management, experiential learning activities are scheduled in varying types of retailers, each of them characterized by different competitors, products sold, customers, and style of service required. This class includes experiential learning with CEMI.