Sales assistant

Sales assistants represent the direct contact with clients. They provide general advice to customers, process payments and pack shelves with items to be sold.

The duties of a sales assistant include, but are not limited to:

• Greeting customers and offering them assistance
• Recommending merchandise based on customers’ wants and needs
• Explaining the use and benefit of merchandise to customers
• Answering customers’ questions
• Showing how merchandise works, if applicable
• Adding up customers’ total purchases and accepting payment
• Informing customers about current sales, promotions, and policies about payments and exchanges
• Packing shelves
• Elevating customer complaints to the manager

Sales assistants work in a variety of settings, including retail stores, department stores, and specialty stores. They may also work in telemarketing call centers or in door-to-door sales. Sales assistants spend most of their time interacting with customers, answering questions, and assisting them with purchases.

Many sales assistants work on commission, which means that their income depends on their ability to sell products or services. Sales assistants who work on commission may earn a higher income than those who work for an hourly wage, but they also may have more pressure to make sales.

Workers often stand for long periods and may need permission from a supervisor to leave the sales floor. If they sell items such as cars, plants, or lumberyard materials, they may work outdoors.

Most sales assistants work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week, but part time work is also possible. Many sales assistants work evenings and weekends, particularly during holidays and other peak sales periods. Because the end-of-year holiday season is often the busiest time for retail stores, many employers limit retail sales assistants’ use of vacation time between November and the beginning of January.

The following job titles also refer to sales assistant:

senior sales assistant
supermarket sales assistant
counter assistant
seller
department store sales assistant
trainee sales assistant
salesman / saleswoman
garden centre sales assistant
filling station sales assistant
outlet centre sales assistant
hypermarket sales assistant
sales associate

Although sales assistants usually have no formal education requirements, some employers prefer applicants who have a high school diploma or higher, especially employers who sell technical products or “big-ticket” items, such as electronics or cars.

Sales assistants typically receive on-the-job training from their new employer. This training may include learning the company’s products and services, the layout of the store and the computer system. Sales assistants who work in retail may also receive training on customer service skills.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Sales assistant is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to sales assistant.

press and stationery specialised seller
medical goods specialised seller
second-hand goods specialised seller
ammunition specialised seller
beverages specialised seller

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of sales assistant. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of sales assistant with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

department store manager
ICT help desk agent
drugstore manager
merchandiser
shop manager

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of sales assistant.

• Characteristics of products: The tangible characteristics of a product such as its materials, properties and functions, as well as its different applications, features, use and support requirements.
• Product comprehension: The offered products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.
• Company policies: The set of rules that govern the activity of a company.
• Characteristics of services: The characteristics of a service that might include having acquired information about its application, function, features, use and support requirements.

These skills are necessary for the role of sales assistant.

• Guarantee customer satisfaction: Handle customer expectations in a professional manner, anticipating and addressing their needs and desires. Provide flexible customer service to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Prepare sales checks: Provide customers with official documents that prove their purchase and payment.
• Ensure customer focus: Take actions which support business activities by considering client needs and satisfaction. This can be translated into developing a quality product appreciated by customers or dealing with community issues.
• Ensure compliance with legal requirements: Guarantee compliance with established and applicable standards and legal requirements such as specifications, policies, standards or law for the goal that organisations aspire to achieve in their efforts.
• Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
• Examine merchandise: Control items put up for sale are correctly priced and displayed and that they function as advertised.
• Operate cash point: Count the money; balance cash drawer at the end of the shift; receive payments and process payment information; use scanning equipment.
• Follow up orders for customers: Follow-up/tracking of an order and notifying the customer when the goods have arrived.
• Provide customer guidance on product selection: Provide suitable advice and assistance so that customers find the exact goods and services they were looking for. Discuss product selection and availability.
• Maintain relationship with suppliers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.
• Monitor stock level: Evaluate how much stock is used and determine what should be ordered.
• Identify customer’s needs: Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
• Organise product display: Arrange goods in attractive and safe way. Set up a counter or other display area where demonstrations take place in order to attract the attention of prospective customers. Organise and maintain stands for merchandise display. Create and assemble sales spot and product displays for sales process.
• Stock shelves: Refill shelves with merchandise to be sold.
• Process refunds: Resolve customer inquiries for returns, exchange of merchandise, refunds or bill adjustments. Follow organisational guidelines during this process.
• Carry out order intake: Take in of purchase requests for items that are currently unavailable.
• Arrange ordering of products for customers: Order products for customers according to their specifications and provisions.
• Ensure stock storage safety: Ensure that products are stored appropriately. Keep in line with safety procedures.
• Carry out active selling: Deliver thoughts and ideas in impactful and influencing manner to persuade customers to become interested in new products and promotions. Persuade clients that a product or service will satisfy their needs.
• Demonstrate products’ features: Demonstrate how to use a product in a correct and safe manner, provide customers with information on the product’s main features and benefits, explain operation, correct use and maintenance. Persuade potential customers to purchase items.
• Provide customer follow-up services Register, follow-up, solve and respond to customer requests, complaints and after-sales services.
• Plan aftersales arrangements: Come to an agreement with the customer about the delivery, setup and service of the goods; perform appropriate measures to ensure delivery.
• Prevent shoplifting: Identify shoplifters and methods by which shoplifters try to steal. Implement anti-shoplifting policies and procedures to protect against theft.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of sales assistant. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Teamwork principles: The cooperation between people characterised by a unified commitment to achieving a given goal, participating equally, maintaining open communication, facilitating effective usage of ideas etc.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of sales assistant. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Perform multiple tasks at the same time: Execute multiple tasks at the same time, being aware of key priorities.
• Carry out specialised packing for customers: Pack products such as perfumes or gifts for customers.
• Order supplies: Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.
• Carry out cross merchandising: Place a particular item in more than one location within the store, in order to attract customer attention and increase sales.
• Order products: Order products from suppliers after deciding on the required amount of stock needed.
• Organise storage facilities: Order the contents of a storage area to improve efficiency with respect to the inflow and outflow of the stored items.
• Maintain store cleanliness: Keep the store tidy and clean by hovering and mopping.
• Listen actively: Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.
• Package purchases in bags: Packet purchased items and place them in shopping bags.
• Keep records of merchandise delivery: Keep records of goods deliveries; report discrepancies to control costs in order to maintain correct inventory levels.
• Issue sales invoices: Prepare the invoice of goods sold or services provided, containing individual prices, the total charge, and the terms. Complete order processing for orders received via telephone, fax and internet and calculate the customer’s final bill.
• Supervise merchandise displays: Work closely together with visual display staff to decide how items should be displayed, in order to maximise customer interest and product sales.
• Ensure store security: Implement and monitor security measures within the store; be vigilant about shoplifters and fraudulent use of credit cards.

5223 – Shop sales assistants

---

References

1. Sales assistant – ESCO
2. Retail Sales Workers : Occupational Outlook Handbook – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. Sales Assistant Job Description – Betterteam
4. Sales Assistant Job Description: Salary, Duties, & More – ClimbtheLadder
5. Featured image: Photo by Sophie Keen on Unsplash