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Retail product manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.,

Matthew Lopresti

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical retail product manager skills. We ranked the top skills for retail product managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 25.4% of retail product manager resumes contained digital marketing as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a retail product manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 retail product manager skills for your resume and career

1. Digital Marketing

Here's how retail product managers use digital marketing:

Coordinate to perform comprehensive digital marketing situation analysis to customize digital marketing strategy and tactics for prostate marketing team.
Developed digital marketing strategy and communication which also includes motivational speaking engagements to build The Timeless Life brand.

2. Product Management

Product management is a part of an organization's function that deals with product development, planning, pricing, forecasting, launching, and marketing the product.

Here's how retail product managers use product management:

Assisted department managers with questions concerning product management.
Provided product management for development, marketing, and sales of new retail products.

3. PowerPoint

Here's how retail product managers use powerpoint:

Created customer presentations in PowerPoint with product information market trends and analysis.
Prepared PowerPoint presentations for executive meetings.

4. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how retail product managers use product development:

Developed product development briefs that focused direction to the project teams/agencies to develop best-in-class programs.
Focused on strengthening market competitiveness by leading new product development efforts.

5. Product Lifecycle

Here's how retail product managers use product lifecycle:

Managed the B&W product line and related product lifecycles from launch through EOF.
Engaged in product planning, marketing/merchandising, and management of entire product lifecycle.

6. POS

POS is an abbreviation of "Point of Sale" which is the time and place where a customer completes a transaction. It can either be a physical shop that consists of POS terminals or a virtual shop. A POS system helps simplify the retail functions and track important sales data.

Here's how retail product managers use pos:

Major accomplishments: Got approval for major investment in new POS implementation; to replace 20-year-old custom POS solution.
Managed POS analysis to build sales tools, identify trends, and report performance.

7. Competitive Analysis

Competitive analysis is the process of assessing your competitors to determine their strengths and weaknesses, It is a part of strategic management that enables one to identify the opportunities and threats a business can face in the market.

Here's how retail product managers use competitive analysis:

Performed market/product/competitive analysis for product penetration.
Developed and implemented product line strategies, business case development, competitive analysis, and requirements definition for portfolio of features.

8. Saas

Here's how retail product managers use saas:

Key Milestones Developed SaaS based eCommerce site to manage BRR developed retail offerings.
Led customization of the company's administrative SaaS software solution by defining features and functionality for internal/external stakeholder teams.

9. Inventory Management

Here's how retail product managers use inventory management:

Conducted cycle counts to assist with inventory management, writing suggested orders when necessary.
Assisted in development of retail product inventory management for new ERP system.

10. Product Launches

Product launches are events scheduled to reveal a new product the public. These launches are often planned by a marketing team to promote the event so that as many company employees and clients know about the product as possible. Depending on what product is revealed, the developers may have demonstration products for the event attendees to test.

Here's how retail product managers use product launches:

Developed a presentation style now adapted by all buying teams to introduce product launches.
Managed the day-to-day activities with cross-functional teams and partners to prioritize, plan, and coordinate product launches.

11. Process Improvement

Here's how retail product managers use process improvement:

Key stakeholder in implementing process improvements within the Export business.
Participated with cost reduction/process improvement teams.

12. Market Trends

Here's how retail product managers use market trends:

Develop monthly/quarterly updates on marketing activities, competitor advertising, market trends.
Monitored market trends and developed new product lines to increase profits.

13. Market Research

Market research is a collective effort to collect information related to a consumer's needs and wants. It is a systematic approach that involves recording and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Market research helps a business to identify a target market correctly and identify the gaps in potential consumer's expectations.

Here's how retail product managers use market research:

Conducted primary and secondary market research to identify portfolio gaps and to evaluate product concepts.
Streamlined product selection, development, and purchasing process through market research and coordination with Supply Management Group.

14. Pricing Strategy

Here's how retail product managers use pricing strategy:

Analyzed market segmentation data, identified trends and developed competitive pricing strategy.
Provided solutions to improve performance via underwriting guideline changes or pricing strategy.

15. Product Portfolio

A product portfolio is a collection of all services and products by an enterprise made available to customers and clients. It also features vital areas of the business operations and processes. The product portfolio is a detailed analysis of a company's risk management, leadership, growth, financial prospects, contributions, and income.

Here's how retail product managers use product portfolio:

Manage product portfolios for state of the art retail hardware and software products from concept through the Product Life Cycle.
Developed core market positioning and messaging for the retail coastal product portfolio.

What skills help Retail Product Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on retail product manager resumes?

Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Director, Human-Computer Interaction Program, Indiana University

In my experience, our most successful MS HCI graduates (https://soic.iupui.edu/hcc/graduate/hci/masters/) take the time to put together a compelling online portfolio that showcases their project experience and skill set in action, as applied to specific research opportunities they had with faculty or projects they worked on during their UX internships in the industry. The personal brand of UX junior professional can be greatly enriched when the portfolio includes not only what the student has done, but why and what was the design rationale behind the process and the results, what was the larger context and goal of the project (especially in large collaborative projects), and what was the specific role and contribution of the student. The discussion about the portfolio of a candidate has become a key ingredient of the interview for UX jobs, besides other important activities such as UX design exercises or remote assignments.

What retail product manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Matthew Lopresti

Associate professor of Philosophy and humanities, Hawaii Pacific University

Captains of industry are often asked about the traits they look for in new hires. Critical thinking is always a must, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.

These are the core competencies of the discipline of philosophy. Top-notch communication abilities begin with a depth of ability to understand nuanced, complex details, and then turn around and clearly communicate these complex ideas in easily digestible bits of information. It is no coincidence that students who graduate with philosophy degrees repeatedly dominate graduate and law-school entrance exams like the GRE and LSAT; they are often the sharpest thinkers with the quickest minds

What technical skills for a retail product manager stand out to employers?

Patrick Lindsay

Assistant Lecturer, Miami University

Most all employers expect full competency in creatively using technology for communications. By that I don't mean mobile devices or social media usgae. I mean a widespread working knowledge of technology tools (apps, software, etc). Employers are seeking those candidates who can convey thoughts, ideas, responses in a multi-faceted way. Basic competency in written correspondence is no longer enough. Employers want to see daily business communication not only contain demonstration of good writing (grammar, syntax, formatting) but also being able to create embedded images, video, and relevant web links to better communicate. And not just for a big fancy client presentation, but consistently in regular communication. Further, they want words supported by data; support words with numerical evidence. As such, advanced excel skills and real experience in data sources and extraction stand out to employers.

Similarly, they expect professional virtual audio-visual communication. It is not enough to just be on the Zoom call. The expectation is to be prepared, to be engaged, to be aware of the audio and video angles and backgrounds. To demonstrate active listening as well as enthusiastic, energetic, even animated talking. Body language and facial expression are even more enhanced in virtual communications.

If there was a positive outcome from being thrust into an academic world that was all virtual, it was the need to learn new technical skills, not only for classwork, but also for social interaction. This will not only be appreciated by employers, but for many, expected.

What soft skills should all retail product managers possess?

Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Houston - Downtown

The need for soft skills are consistent through time. With our societal focus on social media, texting, emojis, etc. It appears to me companies are looking for the following:

- Active listening skills

- Willingness to be self-reflective and accept feedback

- Accept different perspectives. The collision of ideas creates knowledge

- Communicate to the listener (at their level). Flex communicators

- Cultural intelligence. Demographics changes will require better understanding of team member's, boss', customer's, etc. cultural context

Do you want to know more?

List of retail product manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a retail product manager resume and required skills for a retail product manager to have include:

Digital Marketing
Product Management
PowerPoint
Product Development
Product Lifecycle
POS
Competitive Analysis
Saas
Inventory Management
Product Launches

Process Improvement
Market Trends
Market Research
Pricing Strategy
Product Portfolio
Business Cases
Retail Products
Product Sales
Product Training
Product Specifications

Product Line
Retail Store
Product Knowledge
Inventory Control
Channel Marketing
Store Management
Product Enhancements
Retail Locations
Trade Shows
Sales Training

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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