Cape Town: Retail Intern/Associate posted by Optential Consulting

Role purpose
Support company retail operations & marketing by keeping store/admin systems accurate, strengthening customer relationships, maintaining clean data for decision-making, and coordinating sales representatives to hit targets and deliver great service.

Key Responsibilities
1) Retail Administration & Store Support
Sense check stores for accurate products, pricing, and promotions.
Ensure retail standards are followed (merchandising guidelines, testers, POS materials, cleanliness and display readiness) through skynamo and staff surveys.
Communicate calendars: promo rollouts, product launches, rep/store visits, training sessions.
Liaise with logistics/warehouse to resolve delivery issues, shortages, damages, and urgent requests.
Maintain all documentation on notion and the drive.

2) Customer Relationships & Service Operations
Help with retailer queries across channels (WhatsApp, email, social DMs, phone, in-store follow-ups).
Handle complaints and escalations with empathy and clear resolution steps; track outcomes and recurring issues.
Collect and manage customer feedback, reviews, and testimonials; identify themes and improvement opportunities.
Maintain customer profiles and communication history in a CRM or shared tracker.

3) Data Collection, Reporting & Insights
Request accurate sales and customer data monthly across retail locations and reps.
Maintain clean master data: SKU lists, customer segments, store lists, rep lists, and pricing sheets.
Produce regular reports with clear insights and action points for management.
Monitor trends and flag risks early (stockouts, slow movers, high return items, drop in conversion, rep underperformance).

4) Sales Representatives Coordination & Management Support
Support onboarding and scheduling for sales reps (routes, store allocations, visit frequency, targets).
Track rep attendance, store visits, activities, and outcomes (orders, sell-through, feedback, competitor notes).
Collect and verify rep sales submissions; reconcile with store/finance records where needed.
Coordinate training and product updates so reps are aligned on messaging, promotions, and launches.
Maintain rep performance trackers and highlight wins, gaps, and coaching opportunities.
Support incentive tracking (commissions, bonuses, spiffs) and prepare summaries for payroll/finance.
Act as the link between sales reps and internal teams (inventory, marketing, operations) to unblock issues quickly.
5) Sales Enablement & Execution Support
Prepare rep toolkits: price lists, order forms, training notes, FAQs, product one-pagers.
Support promo execution: POS placement, sampling plans, tester management, and campaign compliance checks.
Help coordinate events/pop-ups and gather post-event results and learnings.

Skills needed:
– Organisation and prioritization
– Attention to detail
– Record keeping and filling
– Time management
– Professional communication
– Computer literacy (Excel/word/google spreadsheets)
– Reliability and integrity
– Proactive ownership
– Customer servic