Retail Business Credential
The Professional Retail Business Credential measures and validates knowledge of key retail disciplines. The credential aims to foster deeper industry familiarity among business consulting professionals and others.
About the Credential
Developed by NRF Foundation, with support from Infosys Technologies, Ltd., the exam to earn the Professional Retail Business Credential measures non-retailers understanding of seven key areas of retail operations. The credential is ideally suited for:
- Business partners or providers to retail companies
- Consulting firms
- Retail companies looking for a comprehensive exam to measure new hires without prior retail experience
Candidates who earn the credential can prove their knowledge of core retail operations, terminology, and processes. If your company sells or markets to retailers, this credential allows you to:
- Demonstrate your commitment to understanding retail clients' needs, and
- Better serve your clients with increased knowledge of the industry
“The NRF Credential creates a badge of domain expertise and sets a standard for the industry. Technology may serve as a transformational agent, but only when applied with industry expertise. We invest in educating our employees about the technology and the retail industry so that we may help clients transform operations based on their market nuances.” |
Knowledge and Skill Areas
The test measures knowledge in the following retail disciplines:
- Retail Operations
- Merchandising
- Sales & Marketing
- Retail Management & Planning
- The Retail Context & Customer
- The Retail Organization & People/HR
- Warehousing & Logistics
How to Earn the Credential
Candidates can earn the Professional Retail Business Credential by passing an online, 75-question assessment. The assessment must be proctored. Candidates can schedule testing at test centers across the U.S.A., or companies can set-up as a private test site, have proctors trained, and offer the assessment internally. The base price of the exam is $80, to $100, depending on test site.
Training Resources to Help Prepare
Candidates can view an online demonstration of the exam to see the format and sample questions. The online demo does not provide automatic scoring, so you will need to write out your answers and check them against the answer key: 1)A, 2)C, 3)C, 4)C, 5)B, 6)D, 7)C, 8)A, 9)D 10)B, 11)A.
Training for this credential is available through NRF University wired, an eLearning platform that provides online training for the retail industry. Recommended online courses include:
The Retail Management Training Suite consists of six courses: Introduction to Retail Management, Introduction to Selling and Service, Human Resources, Operations, Merchandising and Financial Reporting. Candidates can take any or all of these courses to gain knowledge in the specific areas. Each course takes about one to one and a half hours to complete, depending on the learner. The cost is $300 for the suite per learner for a one-year license. Individual courses can be purchased at a cost of $50 per learner for a one-year license. Read the detailed course outline.
The Understanding Retail Suite consists of eight modules that give learners a solid understanding of the basics of retailing. It provides detailed information about the retail industry and how it works. It is in effect, retailing for non-retailers. Course modules include:
- Fundamentals of Retail,
- Key Retail Financials,
- Overview of the Key Retail Processes,
- Private Label & Merchandising,
- Retail Buying & Planning,
- Retail Marketing,
- Supply Chain Improvement.
The course takes 8 to 10 hours to complete, depending on the learner. The cost is $884 per learner for a one-year license. The modules also can be purchased individually at a cost of $150 per learner for a one-year license. Read the detailed course outline.
