Ellsworth Community College Merchandising & Retail Management
Ellsworth Community College

Ellsworth Community College

Merchandising & Retail Management

Iowa Falls, USA

Bachelor's degree

English

Sep 2026

On-Campus

Key Summary

    About: The Merchandising & Retail Management program focuses on key aspects of merchandising, brand management, and retail operations. The curriculum blends theory with practical applications, preparing students for real-world challenges in the retail industry. This program emphasizes strategic thinking and analytical skills, incorporating industry trends and consumer behavior analysis throughout its coursework.
    Career Outcomes: Graduates can pursue careers in various fields, including retail management, merchandising strategy, brand management, and supply chain management. Positions may include roles such as merchandise planner, retail buyer, or visual merchandising manager.

Getting a product from the producer to the consumer falls into the realm of Merchandising and Retail Management. This involves planning and supervising the purchase and marketing of merchandise in a broad area, such as women’s apparel or appliances. In department store chains, which house multiple stores, many of the buying and merchandising functions are centralized in one location. Merchandising managers need to anticipate consumer preferences and then help in the planning and implementation of sales promotion programs. They evaluate their suppliers based on prices, quality, service support, availability, reliability, and selection.

Retailing is a very progressive field. The opening of major retail stores and the expansion of existing stores has increased the need for trained personnel. Advancement can be relatively fast and individual performance is measured, so an aggressive graduate should find promotion opportunities easily. Use of the internet has allowed both large and small companies to conduct more business electronically, thereby increasing the productivity and profitability of merchandisers. Projected employment varies by occupational specialty.