I've been teaching students to become analysts in the Wal-mart supplier community through the Northwest Arkansas Community College since the fall semester of 2007. For the first few years I focused on Computer Skills I. The objective of that class was to equip students with the confidence and Excel skills necessary to be successful in an entry level sales / category analyst position.

I now teach in the Certified Retail Analyst Program. I designed and currently teach the Retail Link Data Management class where students navigate, comprehend and leverage Wal-Mart’s Retail Link system to solve relevant business problems.

Course Learning Outcomes:

Analysis outcomes:

  1. Use complex excel formulas on retail data
  2. Analyze a promotion for key takeaways
  3. Script a promotion from data to recommendation
  4. Leverage a 2)  distribution / velocity / pricing model to troubleshoot the change in sales

Retail Link specific skills:

  1. How to make a query (column, items, locations, times, submit)
  2. Sharing queries
  3. And/Or
  4. Filtering
  5. Searching columns and templates
  6. Retail Link data orientation
  7. All Links Detail vs Roll-up
  8. Groups (store, items)
  9. Item Master – item numbers, prime item numbers and UPCs
  10. Store Masters – standard templates
  11. Pulling comp store sales

Other Classes in the Program include:
Retail Tools Integration: Students will integrate MS Access and MS Excel to create and maintain a retail database and automate spreadsheets using recorded Excel macros and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) Macros.

Retail Strategic Analysis: Students will expand upon baseline analytical techniques taught in the first three classes and learn additional facets of analysis: consumer insights, supply chain, pricing and demand elasticity, competitive environment, store tests, and investment analysis. Students will develop skills to present analysis clearly and effectively.

Retail Analytical Techniques: Students will learn to analyze large amounts of data, understand brand and/or category item drivers using the “Velocity/Pricing/Distribution” model, identify regional and seasonal consumer influences and outside data sources that drive item velocity, and present/defend strategic fact-based discoveries to affect category, unit sales, gross margin, and GMROII.

Retail Internship: Students will have the ability to complete an optional, 120 hour internship with a Consumer Goods Packaging company in Northwest Arkansas. Internships are conducted during normal business hours (8:00-5:00/M-F). Internships are both paid and nonpaid depending on the company internship policy.

Internships are NOT guaranteed and are based upon availability and student performance. Internships are available for current CRA students only who have completed Class 5, Retail Analytical Techniques.

http://www.nwacc.edu/corporatelearning/