Free Retail Management Series from Maryland Smith Begins Jan. 27

Retail industry professionals are targeted for “Retail Management Strategies for Success,” a free webinar series from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Three, 90-minute sessions will run, live, 3 p.m. Wednesdays Jan. 27, Feb. 10 and Feb. 24 with subsequent, on-demand access.   

Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang will cover the latest trends in the retail industry and implications for small and medium-sized retailers. The discussion will cover strategies, data and metrics that can be leveraged now.

The series is part of Maryland Business: Rebooted, a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which “has had unimaginable health, psychological and economic impact on the lives of Maryland residents, especially those managing or working in small and medium-sized businesses,” says Christine Thompson, Maryland Smith’s Executive Director of Executive Education and co-developer of the series.

Thompson designed the broader series along with Distinguished University Professor Michel Wedel and Clinical Professor and Senior Executive Fellow for Executive Development Programs Judy Frels. 

The forthcoming retail management sessions cover three sub-areas:

• “Retail Industry Trends & Implications” (Jan. 27) will focus on 1) the “big picture” and major trends of the industry, more or less organized by different retail sectors; 2) the implications for s small and medium size retailers; and 3) strategies to address these challenges. Register at https://go.umd.edu/Sh8.
• “Utilizing Data Analytics to Build A Winning Retail Business” (Feb. 10) will cover retail performance metrics and how to utilize them to diagnose problems and improve retail decisions. It will focus on those performance metrics that can be implemented using existing inventory management and bookkeeping infrastructure. She also will discuss advanced metrics and frameworks that have been utilized by sophisticated retail operations and the additional data and resources that are required. Register at https://go.umd.edu/ShX.
• “Forum on Strategic Retail Management” (Feb. 24) will involve Zhang leading a discussion with participants about challenges and issues they face in the retail industry. Register at https://go.umd.edu/ShB.

Previously streamed installments of Maryland Business: Rebooted include “Strategy for Businesses of all Sizes” delivered by Clinical Professor of Management Oliver Schlake, “Financial Accounting: Key Metrics for Performance Management” by Associate Clinical Professor of Accounting and Information Assurance Eugene Cantor and “Digital Marketing and Targeting the Right Customers” by Mary Harms.

Sessions from these installments are on-demand accessible via the Maryland Business: Rebooted homepage.  

The initiative further is partnering with the Maryland Small Business Development Center to provide business coaching to participating small business owners. Additional, associated events have included a “Panel Discussion with Maryland Black Business Owners” and Pivoting Is the New Normal, with Busboys and Poets founder/CEO Andy Shallal.