Retail Marketing

Retail marketing sits at the intersection of the consumer-facing world and the discipline of marketing, focusing on one of the most visible and economically significant sectors of the economy. Retail encompasses the sale of goods and services to consumers through physical stores, digital platforms, and combinations of the two, and marketing within this context is concerned with understanding consumer behaviour, managing the customer experience, driving footfall and conversion, building brand loyalty, and making decisions about assortment, pricing, and promotion that are grounded in data and customer insight. As retail has been transformed by digital commerce, the skill set required has evolved significantly.

At the University of Stirling, this four-year full-time programme develops your knowledge and skills across marketing and its application to the retail sector. You will study consumer psychology, marketing strategy, digital marketing, brand management, and the management of retail operations, developing both the theoretical understanding of how marketing works and the practical capability to apply it in commercial settings. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you international experience and the chance to study retail and marketing in a different national context, which broadens your perspective on a sector that is increasingly global in its competitive dynamics.

Graduates are well placed for careers in retail marketing, buying and merchandising, brand management, customer experience, digital commerce, and marketing management across the retail sector and in agencies that serve it. Retail is a large employer of marketing graduates, and the combination of sector knowledge and marketing capability is valued by high street retailers, supermarkets, online retailers, and the technology companies that support the sector. Postgraduate study in marketing, retail management, or business is also an option for those who wish to develop specialist expertise.