Career prospects | trade and consumer marketing

The TRADE graduate has very good prospects in the labour market: it takes on average only 3.6 months from the beginning of the search to finding the first job. The employment rate one year after graduation is 70.4 per cent, which rises to 91.7 per cent three years after graduation. Three years after graduation, 43.2 per cent have a permanent contract, which is much higher than other Italian Second-cycle degrees (Almalaurea data).

Entering the corporate world

The Second-cycle graduate in TRADE can hold positions of responsibility in corporate governance. Especially in the areas of Marketing, Sales, Purchasing and Analysis. Every month our students and recent graduates receive at least 5 internship offers directly from their TRADE tutor on open positions throughout the country. In addition, every year the University and the Department organise three recruiting events (Working Goals, Job Day and Internship Day) where students can test themselves with company recruiters and apply for open positions.

Professional outlets

The positions that can be effectively filled by a Second-cycle degree holder in TRADE are:

Sales Managers and Experts (Sales)

Profiles in this area deal with the strategic planning and operational control of activities and human resources aimed at sales processes in different channels and sectors (physical and online, B2B and B2C).

The professional figures trained by the course of study in this area are specifically the following:

Sales manager

Key account manager

Area manager

Trade marketing manager

Channel manager E-commerce manager

Export manager

Store manager

Job opportunities:

Industrial companies producing goods and services and commercial enterprises Managers and experts in the Marketing area Profiles in this area deal with the strategic planning and operational implementation of activities and human resources aimed at creating value for the end customer through the activities of: product development, brand development, price positioning definition, development of communication and promotion plans, budgeting and marketing control.

The professional figures trained by the course of study in this area are specifically the following:

Marketing manager

Brand manager Product manager

Loyalty marketing manager

Merchandiser Customer service

Media planning manager

Job opportunities:

Industrial companies producing consumer and investment goods, commercial distribution companies and service companies

Managers and experts in the area of purchasing (Buying)

Profiles in this area deal with: the management of the purchasing process of goods and services for the purpose of sale or their use in industrial transformation processes (purchasing of raw materials, semi-finished goods, components, machinery); the coordination of physical and information flows throughout the supply chain; modern purchasing processes via online platforms and/or auction mechanisms.

The professional figures trained by the course of study in this area are specifically the following:

Buyer/Purchasing manager

Category manager

Supply chain manager

E-procurement manager

Job opportunities

Wholesale and retail trade companies in different sectors, central purchasing and manufacturing and service companies Managers and experts in the area of market analysis Profiles in this area deal with the design, development and interpretation of market studies and analyses; with the analysis of sales statistics and the study of competition and the market environment; with information support for strategic and operational decisions by top management.
The professional figures trained by the course of study in this area are specifically the following:
Research manager Market analyst CRM expert Sales consultant

Job opportunities:

Market analysis and research institutes, research bodies, study offices of industrial and commercial companies and trade associations

Relations with companies: TRADE and the business community

The relationship with the world of work is one of the strengths of the course, which implements numerous activities to foster constant exchange between students and companies.

In particular, we carry out special projects:

Business Game Italo. As part of the Loyalty Marketing and CRM course, the students were tasked with developing and presenting a re-design of the existing 'Italo Più' loyalty programme, working on both the structure aspects of the programme and the communication plan for the launch. The members of the finalist groups received Italo Gift Cards to travel on board the train. For more information visit the page on Italo's website.
Davines Business Game. As part of the Channel Management and Brand Management courses, students work in teams to develop a trade marketing campaign for Davines, a leading company in the luxury haircare and skincare market. The winning campaign becomes the starting point for developing the company's real Trade Marketing campaign for next year.
Business Game Fater: Business Game launched by Fater, a leading company with the Pampers and Ace brands with more than 900 million euro turnover. The aim was to develop a marketing campaign and the definition of related distribution strategies in order to introduce the Ace brand product line into the Green market with a focus on environmental friendliness.
Category Plan Barilla. As part of the Category Management course, to develop 'savoir faire', students work in groups to prepare a category plan applied to a specific product category, the best of which is presented by the students themselves in front of Barilla management.
Lessons taught by managers in all courses. For example, in the last two years alone:
Retail and Channel Management Course: Barilla, Mutti, Liu Jo, Cariparma, Coop. Each testimony was prepared by the students by researching the company, the business, the target market and preparing a framework of analysis and questions.
Retail Branding and Image course: Procter & Gamble, Parmalat, Conad, Beiersdorf, GB Foods-Star. Each testimonial was prepared by groups of students carrying out preliminary research on the company and its target market in order to prepare a series of questions for the company's guests.
Marketing Law Course: Studio Lovells.
Digital Marketing Course - Social Media Marketing: Telecom, Caffeina, Crèdit Agricole, Ab-InBev (with its Corona and Leffe brands) and Barilla

The testimonies are also organised in real seminar cycles, developed in collaboration between different teachings. This is the case of the seminar series 'Food A generative marketing for individuals who consume in the time of networks', developed in collaboration between the Sociology of Consumption and Shopper Marketing departments. Within the Second-cycle degree programme, there are two research centres, RetaiLAB and the UniPR Loyalty Observatory, where students are directly involved in various research, promotion and event organisation activities. The two research centres gather hundreds of managers from all over Italy at their events.

Workshops in collaboration with companies

Each year, the Course organises limited numbered Workshops for selected students. They are often realised in collaboration with leading companies, managers and professionals. Here are some examples:

Caffeina Academy | Digital Lab: a laboratory created in partnership with Caffeina, a creative digital agency included in the 2019 Financial Times ranking of the one thousand fastest-growing European companies, with several offices in Italy and its headquarters in Parma. The course provides the basics in the development of digital marketing activities, in a course that provides the foundations for the creation of digital Strategy Plans, the development of Digital Media & Communication Plans, to content creation and creative storytelling activities, concluding with an introduction and in-depth look at the design of Digital Experiences and Services.

Comarch Loyalty and Analytics Lab: a lab created in partnership with Comarch, a Global IT Solution Provider with 6000 employees and offices in 30 different countries. The Workshop is an important asset for those who want to pursue a career in loyalty management and consultancy. It provides experience in the use of loyalty management and analytics platforms, is held in English, includes lectures by professors, consultants and managers, and enables the development of analytical, time management and presentation skills.

Educational visits in Italy and abroad

Retail Symposium a Dublino, for 15 deserving TRADE students, a week of meetings with retail companies and scholars in Ireland.
Visit to Dallara Academy, for first-year TRADE students

Students are actively involved in the various aspects of conference and event organisation (content preparation, communication, reception, presentation, secretariat, reporting): Loyalty Observatory Annual Convention, in the presence of 400 managers, Internship Day, TRADE Decennial.

The following companies routinely collaborate with TRADE - and help us monitor the quality of our graduates' education by responding to the annual survey: Barilla, Brand Loyalty, Chiesi, Conad, Catalina, Carrefour, Coop, Dallara, Dunnhumby, Glaxo, ICTeam, Parmalat, P&G, L'Oreal, Beiersdorf, Luxottica, Flo, Thun, Miele, GB Foods-Star, Maserati, Avanzi, Furla and others.