The 9 Best Types Of Retail Internships And Jobs Out There

Earlier, I talked about how retail is not dead. Instead, it is constantly changing to meet the growing needs of consumers’ shopping behaviour. 

A career in the retail industry is dynamic and ever-changing. With new up and coming brands being created every day, and retail technology (payments, retail formats etc.) continually progressing, no day is a dull day. 

This begs the next question, “What is considered a retail job?”

Fret not, for I have compiled a list of the best retail internships and other jobs in the retail industry for you to consider.

What do I need to look out for when I am looking to work for retail?

Whether they are retail internships or jobs, retail roles generally carry a generic title that does not ring retail when you first see it.

Some of which include Marketing or Commercial intern, Marketing Communications or Sales Associate, and Management Executive. 

To differentiate the role from other marketing roles, the key would be to see which company and department you are applying to. 

What types of retail jobs and internships are there?

#1: Marketing Intern/Associate in Business Partnerships / Retail Experience

In my previous internship stint, I was a Marketing Associate at OUE Limited. I helped to plan multiple mall marketing events for Mandarin Gallery (MG), including a launch of Downtown Gallery! We had to work with PR agencies and tenants to roll out activations or themed campaigns. 

A personal highlight of mine was to launch SEA’s first flagship Victoria’s Secret and Michael Kors stores. It was an immense opportunity to anticipate and plan a shoppers’ experience in viewing these stores.

What qualifications are required: At least for internships, not as much retail background experience is required although good to have. The key is to be able to fully understand and internalise the marketing funnel and the basics of marketing promotions.

#2: Commercial Intern/Associate in Tenant Relationship Management/Retail Experience

At Changi Airport Group, I was a Commercial Intern with the Landside Concessions Division. I was involved in the marketing and promotional efforts for the terminals (pre-immigration). I took on a partnership and events intern role and was the main intern involved in the planning of activities at the newly launched T3B2 space. 

If you like working with multiple stakeholders (I worked with Chope, Mastercard, events agencies such as Rainmaker, as well as the tenants at the different terminals) in the planning of events (i.e. Harry Potter at Changi), then this is the job for you!

What qualifications are required: Strong negotiation skills are essential. Experience in retail management, retail operations and business development is generally preferred. 

#3: Marketing Intern/Associate (general)

At Pedro, I was a Marketing Intern. I was predominantly involved in a fashion creative role, with my main responsibilities ranging from social media management to editorial conceptualisation and execution. 

During my short stint there, I had the opportunity to conceptualise and work with a London-based photographer to develop an editorial for the Fall season. As an intern, I felt a deep sense of pride when I saw the photographs I conceptualised and gave artistic direction to, being published on Pedro’s social media pages and websites. 

If you have a keen eye for fashion, love to brainstorm on new ideas, and have an artistic flair, an internship in the fashion industry would certainly play to your strengths!

What qualifications are required: At least for an internship, not as much retail background experience is required although good to have. The key is to be able to fully understand and internalise the marketing funnel and the basics of marketing promotions.

#4: Marketing Intern/Associate in Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

This role would require updates or enhancements to UATs (user acceptance tests) for the company’s website or mobile app. Planning and execution of CRM digital projects, like microsites and cloud pages, would be expected. Collaborative work with other cross-functional teams like Communications would be common.

Some other deliverables like CRM analytics reports, to provide client insights and propose action plans to close business gaps, are required. Along with planning and preparation briefs and assets for monthly communication campaigns.

Other possible expectations of the role like organization and execution of CRM events to engage and loyal clients, or support roll-out of CRM program initiatives (welcome, birthday, year-end gift, etc) and execution of CRM projects (eg. automation journey) are also expected.

What qualifications are required: Usually ​​experience in CRM and digital marketing is preferred. Having creative and strong analytical skills and good interpersonal and communication skills is important, given how much cross-function work is required.

#5: Brand Marketing Intern/Manager

The role of a brand marketing manager requires knowledge in multiple fields like Marketing, Public Relations, Events, Visual Merchandising, and Pricing. 

As this role generally places its customer and brands first, there are many levers to ensure the customers enjoy or perceive the brand and product in a certain light. Hence, much additional knowledge is required.

What qualifications are required: Strong analytical and organization skills with attention to detail is required. If there is a particular market the role is covering, having the additional language skill is a plus. Most of the time, being a team player and problem-solver is a huge plus.

#6: Trade Marketing Intern/Manager or Partnerships Marketing

This role requires constant communication with the supply chain and retail partners to ensure the distribution of products to the various channels. 

The role also requires leading trade marketing activities with key trade partners, planning direct communication strategies in specific markets and fulfilling activities via own, earned and paid channels.

What qualifications are required: Experience working in a channel marketing and/or partnerships marketing role or even building and executing digital marketing campaigns and strategies is expected.

#7: Campaign Activation Intern / Specialist

This role is mostly found in large firms and the focus is on building strong partnerships with other stakeholders and understanding the target market fully. 

Constant review and critical assessment of post-campaigns & tests results are crucial as the role requires constant evaluation of strategy and commercial effectiveness.

What qualifications are required: Usually, experience with Google Analytics, and MySQL is a huge competitive advantage.

#8: E-commerce or Digital Partner Commerce Intern/Manager

Online retail is constantly growing and so are the opportunities for such e-commerce platforms.

This role is usually in charge of bringing to life the brand’s thrilling pipeline of innovative launches at our online sales channels. Most of the time, being able to break into the Gen Z trends for trend-jacking is appreciated!

What qualifications are required: Superior proficiency in Excel, and a love for numbers, along with data reporting is preferred.

#9: Growth Marketing Intern /Associate (Digital-related)

Working cross-functionally, this role requires constant deep analysis and research to identify performance levers to improve acquisition efficiency metrics such as Cost per Acquisition or Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). It also requires proposing and executing A/B test plans for constant learning.

What qualifications are required: Most of the time, experience in online marketing (Social Paid, SEM, Youtube) is required. Additional experience in website analytics (GA) and Pixel/GTM tracking setups is greatly appreciated. Along with a solid understanding of digital marketing and building an acquisition/conversion funnel.

Find the best retail job for yourself

This list of good retail jobs would have provided you with an idea about how to go about your search. As you can tell, marketing is very fluid and roles and responsibilities shift according to the product and company.

If you want to get started on building specific skill sets, do check out this resource page or this free marketing magazine here.

I wish you all the best, and I promise you that a career in the retail industry will never have a dull day.