How To Become A Retail Representative: What It Is and Career Path

What is a retail representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Jon-Paul McCool

A retail representative sells retail products, goods, and services to customers. They work with customers to find out what they want, create solutions, and ensure a smooth sales process. They also find new sales leads through "cold calling," business directories, client referrals, or visiting new or existing clients. However, they are mostly under considerable pressure to meet sales quotas, and their income is directly dependent on their work performance.

As a retailer's representative, they must have extensive product knowledge of whatever they are selling. They are likely to be more successful if they're skilled at talking to people and sales tactics. At some companies, they are required to learn specific sales tactics and even train employees on how they want their products sold.

The average salary for a retail representative is $47,979. However, their salary may vary significantly based on experience and skills.

What general advice would you give to a retail representative?

Jon-Paul McCool

Associate Professor of Geography; Environmental Science Program Coordinator, Valparaiso University

In terms of technical skills, the ability to utilize GIS for more than basic mapping. The ability to do more in depth analytical processes and to utilize the mobile components to the software. However, employers are stressing the need for new employees to have drive and individual initiative. Soft skills associated with independence, and the ability to learn on your own are going to be essential.

ScoreRetail RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,790

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

7.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 6.76%

Black or African American 10.65%

Hispanic or Latino 18.52%

Unknown 5.36%

White 58.05%

Gender

female 56.39%

male 43.61%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a retail representative

Explore retail representative education requirements

Most common retail representative degrees

Bachelor's

43.7 %

Associate

22.2 %

High School Diploma

20.8 %

Start to develop specific retail representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Flexibility	35.78%
Store Management	35.65%
Certification Programs	11.32%
PET	7.31%
Customer Service	1.59%

Complete relevant retail representative training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New retail representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a retail representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real retail representative resumes.

Research retail representative duties and responsibilities

Manage Nintendo's promotional programs; secure and maintain point-of-purchase displays that alert customers to brand availability.
Execute the proper POS in accounts, particularly with products on sale.
Befriend category managers and backroom personnel to positively impact on OSA, POS placement, and other sell-in tactics.
Educate consumers about products and services and troubleshoot any existing customer concerns relate to service or equipment.

Prepare your retail representative resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your retail representative resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a retail representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable retail representative resume templates

Build a professional retail representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your retail representative resume.

Apply for retail representative jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a retail representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do retail representatives rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Retail representative reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Cons

I do not like having to deal with customers and the overwhelming stress of trying my best to provide customer service.