Retail, Sales / Business Development

Store Manager

Overview

A store manager is responsible for supervising retail sales workers in stores, ensuring they provide excellent customer service, and that sales targets are met. They also train staff on products and sales techniques, manage schedules, and organize promotional events.

The main responsibilities of a store manager include managing and supervising staff, overseeing inventory management and control, setting and achieving sales targets and quotas, analyzing sales data and customer trends, and ensuring that the store is meeting its financial goals. They may also be responsible for hiring and training new staff, scheduling employee work shifts, and creating marketing and promotional strategies to increase sales.

Common tasks 

    TaskRelated trait(s)
    Managing a team of sales professionals  Equality and fairness in leadership  Communication skills – Understanding others
    Conducting performance evaluations and provide feedback to team members  Equality and fairness in leadership  Communication skills – Understanding others
    Providing training to sales team Amiability
    Developing and implementing sales strategies Integrity
    Collaborating with others and other departments, such as marketing and product development Amiability  Communication skills – Understanding others 
    Building and maintaining relationships with key customers and stakeholders Understanding customers and others Integrity
    Ensuring compliance policies, procedures and regulations Integrity
    Managing budgets ensuring cost-effectiveness Integrity
    Participating in recruitment Amiability
    Negotiating with key customers Amiability Understanding customers and others Integrity Communication skills – Understanding others 

    Soft skills measured by TraitForward

    TraitNo of QuestionsCronbach’s  alpha (α)
    Leadership60.86
    Can they take charge?
    Equality and fairness in leadership110.73
    Are they biased against people and social groups?
    Conscientiousness – Planning and attending to detail70.75
    Do they have a desirable work ethic?
    Activity level60.72
    Can they multitask? Can they handle demanding workloads?
    Amiability60.81
    Are they calm? Do they respect others?
    Understanding customers and others80.76
    Do they know what makes others tick?
    Integrity90.73
    Are they moral, honest, do they follow the rules?
    Communication skills – Understanding others80.71
    Do they understand others?
    Teamplayer Positive group practices110.78
    Do they like being included in a group?
    Communication skills – Expressiveness110.84
    Do they express themselves effectively?
    *Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α) determines the extent to which the questions consistently measure each trait and it is expressed as a number ranging between 0 and 1 . Higher values indicate higher agreement between questions.  A value of α equal to greater than .7 indicates acceptable reliability or internal consistency.  For more information on the psychometric properties of the solution, please click here.

    Did you Know?

    Source: US Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics

    Median wage: 

    $39,230 / per year

    $19 / hour

    The median annual wage for this profession is $39,230. Nonetheless several professionals may not be paid in that rate. A relatively low salary the 10th percentile of the annual wage is $29,000 whilst a relatively high salary, the 90th percentile of the annual wage is $73,160.

    Expected employment growth:

    Number (in thousands in 2021): 1505.7

    Number (in thousands in 2031): 1427.5

    Employment percent change: -5.2

    Entry Education level:

    To become a store manager, one typically needs a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as business, retail management, or marketing. They must have strong leadership and management skills and be able to motivate and manage staff effectively. Additionally, store managers must have strong analytical and problem-solving skills and be able to develop and implement effective sales and marketing strategies. They should also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and be able to build and maintain strong relationships with customers and internal stakeholders. Many store managers have several years of experience in retail or service roles before moving into leadership positions.

    Find out the psychometric properties for the Store Manager Traitforward questionnaire