United Kingdom · Marketing · Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Trade Marketing Executive

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

Start my Trade Marketing Executive plan, free

Free to start: a plan built for this role, and a Future Fluency module to try first. No card.

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Where should we send it?

One email: what AI is changing in this job, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

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Experience bandMid-Level (2-5 years)
Direct reportsNo direct reports
Reports toSenior Trade Marketing Executive
UK framework levelUsually a coordinator, or early in a professional job

Also advertised as Customer Marketing Executive · Shopper Marketing Specialist · Retail Marketing Executive

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

OCNLR Level 4 Diploma in Digital Marketing OCN London · Level 4 · covers 3 of 10 standards

Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Marketing Management for England Pearson Education Ltd · Level 4 · covers 1 of 10 standards

OCNLR Level 4 Certificate in Digital Marketing OCN London · Level 4 · covers 1 of 10 standards

OCNLR Level 4 Award in Digital Analytics OCN London · Level 4 · covers 1 of 10 standards

OCNLR Level 4 Award in Social Media Marketing OCN London · Level 4 · covers 1 of 10 standards

OCNLR Level 4 Award in Content Marketing OCN London · Level 4 · covers 1 of 10 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Social Media Marketing OCNLR Level 4 Diploma in Digital Marketing

Managing Marketing and Digital Communications Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Marketing Management for England

Digital Analytics OCNLR Level 4 Certificate in Digital Marketing

Content Marketing OCNLR Level 4 Award in Content Marketing

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner

Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision

Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner

Systems Fluency seeing the whole picture

Start my Trade Marketing Executive plan, free

Your Plan Illustration

Built for Trade Marketing Executive

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

Social Media Marketing OCN London · covers 3 of 10 standards Level 4
Managing Marketing and Digital Communications Pearson Education Ltd · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 4
Digital Analytics OCN London · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 4
Content Marketing OCN London · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 4

These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Trade Marketing Executive?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

Prompt Engineering & LLM Integration (for Comms & Analysis)
Advanced Predictive Analytics for Promotional ROI

Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluencyworking with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluencyturning numbers into a decision
Foresight Fluencyseeing round the corner
Systems Fluencyseeing the whole picture

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Trade Marketing Executive plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

Start my Trade Marketing Executive plan, free Ready to pay? Subscribe for £70 a month

3What this role really is

A trade marketing executive turns brand strategy into in-store and online promotions that get products noticed and bought.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

NielsenIQ / Circana (IRI) Intermediate

Pulling and formatting standard sales reports, understanding basic metrics like market share and sales velocity for post-promotion analysis.

Microsoft Excel (Power Query, PivotTables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP) Advanced

Manipulating large datasets from retailers, building budget trackers, creating basic sales reports, and performing initial ROI calculations.

Tableau / Power BI Basic

Navigating pre-built dashboards to find key information about promotional performance and exporting data for further analysis.

UpClear (BluePlanner) / Exceedra (TPM system) Intermediate

Entering and updating promotion details, tracking spending against budget, and pulling accrual reports for your managed campaigns.

Asana / Monday.com / Smartsheet (Project Management) Intermediate

Updating tasks and timelines for your assigned promotions and new product launches, ensuring everything stays on track.

Bynder / Canto / Brandfolder (DAM system) Basic

Locating and downloading approved creative assets (pack shots, POS templates) for retailer use, ensuring brand consistency.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choice	Coming in	Where you are now	The step above
Promotional Budget Allocation (within a campaign)	No authority. Propose changes to supervisor for approval.	Can reallocate up to £2,000 within an approved campaign budget without manager sign-off, provided overall campaign budget isn't exceeded. Anything larger, or if it impacts overall campaign strategy, requires manager approval.	Full authority for campaign budget allocation up to £20,000. Consult with Director on changes impacting total channel spend.
Creative Asset Approval (minor changes)	No authority. Supervisor reviews all creative changes.	Can approve minor creative adjustments (e.g., text tweaks, image swaps) to approved templates, ensuring brand guidelines are met. Major changes or new concepts require Brand team approval and manager sign-off.	Full authority for approving all creative assets within established brand guidelines. Consult with Brand team on any new design directions.
Promotional Schedule Adjustments	No authority. Propose to supervisor.	Can adjust promotional start/end dates by up to 3 days for operational reasons, informing relevant stakeholders. Longer delays or changes impacting retailer agreements require manager approval.	Authority to adjust promotional schedules within a 2-week window, coordinating with Sales and Supply Chain. Significant changes require Director's input.
Retailer Communication (routine queries)	Draft responses for supervisor review.	Can respond directly to routine retailer queries regarding promotion details, asset delivery, or data requests. Complex issues or complaints are escalated to Account Manager or your direct manager.	Can handle all routine and most complex retailer communications, escalating only highly sensitive or strategic issues to senior leadership.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Promotional ROI (Return on Investment)

The financial return generated from each trade promotion you manage, compared to the cost.

Target · Achieve a minimum 1.2 ROI on managed promotional spend.

If a promotion cost £10,000 and generated £15,000 in incremental profit, your ROI would be 1.5. We're looking for you to consistently hit at least 1.2.

On-Time Promotional Asset Delivery

Ensuring all necessary marketing materials (e.g., display units, digital banners, coupons) reach retailers or go live on schedule.

Target · 95%+ of all promotional assets delivered or launched on time.

If you're managing 20 different assets for a big campaign, we'd expect at least 19 of them to be ready when needed. Missing a deadline here means missed sales.

Trade Spend Budget Accuracy

How closely your actual promotional spending aligns with the approved budget for your accounts.

Target · Maintain spending within a +/- 5% variance of the approved budget.

If a promotion had a budget of £50,000, we'd expect your actual spend to be between £47,500 and £52,500. Surprises here are never good.

Post-Promotion Analysis Completion

Timely completion of reports analysing the performance of each promotion.

Target · 100% of post-promotion analysis reports completed within 7 days of promotion end.

A promotion finishes on a Friday, your analysis report needs to be on your manager's desk by the following Friday, ready for review. No excuses.

Retailer Relationship Quality

The strength and effectiveness of your working relationships with key contacts at our retail partners.

Retailers proactively involving you in planning discussions
positive feedback from Account Managers on your support
smooth resolution of any issues or conflicts. They should see you as a helpful partner, not just a vendor.

Internal Stakeholder Collaboration

How well you work with our internal teams (Sales, Brand, Finance) to get things done.

Sales teams feeling well-equipped for retailer meetings
Brand team happy with how their guidelines are applied in trade
Finance receiving accurate budget updates. You're seen as someone who helps everyone achieve their goals.

Proactive Problem-Solving

Your ability to anticipate and quickly resolve issues that could impact promotional execution.

Identifying potential supply chain delays before they hit stores
finding alternative solutions when a planned display isn't available
flagging budget overruns early with proposed solutions, not just problems.

Quality of Communication

Clarity, conciseness, and timeliness of your written and verbal communications.

Retailer emails are clear and get quick responses
internal briefs are easy to understand
presentations are well-structured and to the point. No one should be left guessing what you mean.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy

Seeing Your Plans Come to Life

You'll get a real kick out of walking into a supermarket and seeing a display you planned, or knowing a digital campaign you organised is driving clicks. It's tangible proof of your hard work.

You've spent weeks planning a new product launch display. When you see it perfectly executed in a major retailer, you'll feel a genuine sense of accomplishment.

Solving Real-World Problems

Every day throws up new challenges, from a missing delivery to a budget shortfall. If you enjoy figuring out how to fix things and making sure the show goes on, you'll love this.

A key promotional item is stuck in customs. You're the one who quickly finds an alternative product or adjusts the campaign to minimise impact, saving the day.

Making a Direct Impact on Sales

Your efforts directly translate into products being sold. If you're driven by seeing the numbers go up and knowing you contributed to the company's success, this role is for you.

Your post-promotion analysis shows a 20% uplift in sales for a specific product thanks to your campaign. That's a direct win you can point to.

What frustrates people

Being caught between the Sales team demanding deep discounts and the Brand team trying to protect pricing and image.
Spending days trying to make sense of inconsistent or delayed sales data from retailers.
Allocating budget for in-store displays only to find out they were poorly executed or never happened.
Having your carefully planned promotional calendar ripped up due to unexpected budget cuts.
Being responsible for sales results but having no direct control over the field sales team's execution.
Drowning in spreadsheets, trying to manage dozens of different promotional plans and budgets.
Getting a 'one size fits all' national campaign from Brand that simply won't work for your specific retail channel.

What this role does not give you

A quiet, predictable 9-to-5 desk job.
Complete autonomy without needing to consult others.
A role where every single piece of your work makes it to market exactly as planned.
A clear-cut reporting structure where you only answer to one person with no conflicting priorities.

8Who you work with

Your work directly impacts our sales volume and revenue targets for your assigned accounts. You'll ensure our promotional spend is effective, meaning we're not just throwing money at promotions, but getting a real return. You're also crucial for building and maintaining strong relationships with our retail partners, which is absolutely vital for long-term growth. Get it right, and you're directly responsible for products flying off the shelves.

Inside the business

Sales Team (especially Account Managers)
Brand Marketing Team
Finance Department
Supply Chain and Logistics

Outside the business

Retail Buyers and Category Managers
Retailer Marketing Teams
Field Sales Teams (who execute in-store)
External Agencies (e.g., display manufacturers)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

At least 2 years of experience in a marketing, sales support, or commercial role, ideally within an FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) or retail environment.
Demonstrable experience in managing small projects or campaigns from start to finish.
A solid grasp of Excel, including PivotTables and common formulas, for data analysis and reporting.
Experience working with sales data (e.g., POS data, syndicated data sources like Nielsen or Circana), even if it's just pulling standard reports.
Proven ability to communicate clearly and confidently, both in writing and verbally, with various internal teams.
A genuine interest in how products get sold in shops and what makes shoppers choose one brand over another.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Retail Media Optimisation & Measurement

Retailers are becoming media companies, selling ad space on their websites and apps. This is a huge growth area, and we need to get smart about how we spend our money there. It's not just about traditional trade anymore; digital shelf presence is critical.

Retailer-specific ad platforms (e.g., Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect) · Attribution modelling for RMN campaigns · Budget allocation across RMNs and traditional trade · A/B testing RMN creative and targeting

This week: Read up on the basics of Amazon Advertising or the media platform of one of our key retailers.
This month: Ask to sit in on a meeting where we discuss Retail Media Network plans or review campaign performance.
Month 2: Take an online course or certification in a specific Retail Media platform (e.g., Amazon Ads certification).
Month 3: Propose a small test campaign on a retailer's media network, with clear success metrics.

Quick win: Start by simply tracking what our competitors are doing on retailer websites. What ads are they running? What offers are they promoting?

Enhanced Data Storytelling & Visualisation

You can have the best analysis in the world, but if you can't explain it clearly and persuasively, it's useless. As data gets more complex, the ability to turn numbers into a compelling story that drives action is becoming even more valuable.

Audience-centric communication · Choosing the right chart type · Narrative structure for presentations · Visual best practices (colour, layout, simplicity)

This week: Pay close attention to how your manager or senior colleagues present data. What works? What doesn't?
This month: Take an online course on data visualisation best practices (e.g., from Tableau, LinkedIn Learning).
Month 2: Volunteer to create the charts for a team presentation, focusing on clarity and impact.
Month 3: Ask for feedback specifically on your data storytelling from a trusted colleague or your manager.

Quick win: Before your next data presentation, try to summarise your key finding in one simple sentence. If you can't, your story isn't clear enough yet.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up

Attending industry webinars or conferences focused on retail trends, shopper marketing, or category management.
Joining relevant professional groups on LinkedIn to stay updated on best practices and network with peers.
Taking online courses (e.g., Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning) in advanced Excel, data visualisation, or specific retail analytics platforms.
Reading trade publications (e.g., The Grocer, Retail Week) to keep abreast of the latest news and developments in the UK retail landscape.
Seeking out mentorship from more senior colleagues in the Marketing or Sales teams to learn from their experience.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Prompt Engineering & LLM Integration (for Comms & Analysis)

Honestly, competitors are already using tools like ChatGPT and Claude to draft reports in 10 minutes that used to take 2 hours. Analysts who figure this out will outproduce their peers significantly. It's about working smarter, not harder.

Context windows and token limits
Temperature settings for different tasks
Output validation and hallucination detection
Prompt chaining for complex analysis

Advanced Predictive Analytics for Promotional ROI

Gone are the days of just looking backwards. Retailers and internal finance teams expect us to predict the future. Being able to forecast the likely impact of a promotion before we launch it means we can make much smarter investment decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

Regression analysis for uplift modelling
Time series forecasting for baseline sales
Cannibalisation modelling
Scenario planning with predictive models

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

Promotional Effectiveness & ROI Analysis
Shopper Marketing Execution
Category Management Principles (Basic)
Joint Business Planning (JBP) Support
Retail Media Network (RMN) Awareness

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

1
Marketing Assistant / Coordinator
1-2 years
Skills to master
- Project coordination, budget tracking, basic data entry and reporting, understanding of marketing fundamentals, internal communication.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently accurate in administrative and data-related tasks.
- Proactive in supporting marketing campaigns and initiatives.
- Demonstrates curiosity about commercial outcomes and retail dynamics.
- Reliable in managing small tasks and meeting deadlines.
2
Sales Support Executive
1-3 years
Skills to master
- Understanding of the sales cycle, retailer relationships (from a support perspective), sales data analysis, preparing sales materials, problem-solving for sales teams.
You're ready to move on when
- Strong understanding of retailer needs and challenges.
- Excellent rapport with sales team members.
- Ability to quickly resolve sales-related operational issues.
- Shows initiative in improving sales processes or materials.
3
Junior Data Analyst (Commercial/Marketing)
2-3 years
Skills to master
- Advanced Excel, data cleaning, basic statistical analysis, report generation, interpreting commercial data, presenting findings.
You're ready to move on when
- Proficient in extracting and manipulating large datasets.
- Ability to identify trends and anomalies in sales data.
- Clear and concise presentation of data insights.
- Demonstrates a commercial mindset when analysing numbers.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to a Trade Marketing Manager role, running strategy for a retail channel, or a Category Manager role, working directly with retailers on ranging and space.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Trade Marketing Executive is actually changing.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Social Media Marketing, worked against Trade Marketing Executive.

Social Media Marketing Level 4

Applied to your work in Trade Marketing Executive

The objective of this unit is to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to effectively utilise social media for marketing purposes. Learners will understand the role of social media in marketing, identify different platforms and their target audiences, develop social media marketing strategies, create engaging content, manage online communities, and analyse campaign performance.

How the thinking builds

1 Remember
2 Understand
3 Apply
4 Analyse
5 Evaluate
6 Create

An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

Start my Trade Marketing Executive plan, free

See Your Progress Grow Illustration

Trade Marketing Executive

Promotional Effectiveness & ROI Analysis
Shopper Marketing Execution
Category Management Principles (Basic)
Joint Business Planning (JBP) Support
Retail Media Network (RMN) Awareness

This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Trade Marketing Executive is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

Senior Trade Marketing Executive
2-3 years

This is a natural step up, where you'll take on more complex accounts or channels, with greater autonomy and strategic input. You'll also start mentoring junior team members.
- Leading Joint Business Planning (JBP) discussions (not just supporting)
- Developing channel-specific promotional strategies
- More in-depth promotional ROI modelling and forecasting
- Influencing planograms and category assortment decisions
Category Manager
3-4 years

This role shifts your focus to becoming a strategic advisor to our retail partners on an entire product category. You'll be using data to help them optimise their shelves, not just push our brands.
- Leading full Category Management projects with retailers
- Developing and presenting category growth strategies
- Expertise in planogram optimisation software and principles
- Advanced shopper insights analysis and application

Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, Trade Marketing can be a bit of a grind sometimes. The data's messy, the reports are endless, and you're always trying to get people on the same page. But what if you could cut through all that noise and focus on the really impactful stuff? That's where AI comes in.

We're building an AI Productivity Hub specifically for our Marketing team. It's not about replacing you; it's about giving you a seriously powerful co-pilot. Imagine automating the tedious bits, getting instant insights, and drafting communications in a fraction of the time. This isn't some far-off future; it's what you could be doing here, right now.

Automated Sell-in Decks

Use AI to auto-populate your presentation templates with account-specific sales data, relevant shopper insights, and product images. You'll create a customised 'sell story' for each retailer in minutes, not hours, freeing you up to refine the narrative.

Predictive Promo ROI

Stop guessing. Use AI models to analyse historical data and predict the likely ROI, sales uplift, and even potential cannibalisation of a proposed promotion before you commit any funds. This means smarter budget allocation and more profitable campaigns.

Competitor Intel Briefings

Let an AI agent do the heavy lifting. It'll monitor and summarise competitor promotional activity, pricing changes, and even retailer earnings calls. You'll get a concise intelligence briefing delivered straight to your inbox, perfectly prepping you for those crucial JBP meetings.

Retailer Comms Assistant

Draft clear, concise emails in seconds. Use AI to summarise meeting action items, confirm promotional details with buyers, or create initial drafts of communications for the sales team about new initiatives. It's about getting your message across faster and more effectively.

Common questions

How do you become a Trade Marketing Executive?

Common routes in include Marketing Assistant / Coordinator (1-2 years), Sales Support Executive (1-3 years) and Junior Data Analyst (Commercial/Marketing) (2-3 years). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Trade Marketing Executive progress to?

This role can lead on to Senior Trade Marketing Executive (2-3 years) and Category Manager (3-4 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Trade Marketing Executive?

Increasingly, Prompt Engineering & LLM Integration (for Comms & Analysis) and Advanced Predictive Analytics for Promotional ROI. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Trade Marketing Executive plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.

Trade Marketing Executive

Where should we send it?

Two short quizzes about you

Will AI change your work as a Trade Marketing Executive?

What's rising in its place

Prompt Engineering & LLM Integration (for Comms & Analysis)

Advanced Predictive Analytics for Promotional ROI

Skills this role draws on

Technical

How you actually get there, here

Marketing Assistant / Coordinator

Sales Support Executive

Junior Data Analyst (Commercial/Marketing)

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

Roles this leads to

One to one, on the work you already do

Everything else the record holds

The career path, and where it branches

Senior Trade Marketing Executive

Category Manager

Where AI is starting to help

Automated Sell-in Decks

Predictive Promo ROI

Competitor Intel Briefings

Retailer Comms Assistant

Common questions

Want a read on where you stand?