Level 4 Data Analytics for Retail

Our Level 4 Data Analytics for Retail course is endorsed by M&S. Based at our Central London Campus, you’ll receive classes 2 days a week covering a range of fashion analytics and forecasting topics. 

If you would prefer to study remotely, we also offer an Online Data Analytics For Retail Course.

The fashion industry is rapidly changing, and data analytics is at the heart of it. Data analysts provide and analyse data across all departments of a business, from design and development to marketing and operations, and your findings will help businesses to make positive changes 

You’ll learn to identify, understand, and solve problems facing brands. Learn how to interpret trends, understand customers and how to analyse your findings to highlight new opportunities for a business in any area of industry. The most successful retail businesses use actionable insights from data analysis to tailor their product to meet the needs of their consumer, understand their shopping habits and increase brand loyalty. Our course will teach you the skills to investigate data in any brand and how to make effective, fact-driven business decisions. 

This course will teach you the essential data skills and creative analysis techniques you’ll need to become a data analyst in the fashion industry, but these skills can be applied to any area of industry, from buying and merchandising to operations and marketing. You’ll learn how to use software including PowerBI to analyse data across a range of key areas, from advertising campaigns to customer behaviour, which can influence financial decisions and help businesses both save money and generate new customers. You’ll learn through a mix of live sessions, set projects, tutorials, recorded materials, and case studies.  

Some of the key skills you’ll develop on the course will be data dashboard building, interpreting data and applying your findings, and creating interactive graphs and presentations through advance Excel skills – which will be important for all fashion industry roles, from buying to social media management and collaborating with other fashion brands. 

You’ll complete 4 projects as part of the course that cover a range of topics focused on key data analysis skills that are essential to a career in fashion. These include:  

Data Analysis – By understanding the principles behind data analysis, you’ll know how to take basic data signals and turn them into strategies. For example, you’ll be able to see which social channels are driving engagement and sales on your website, and then use this data to develop exciting strategies. We’ll teach you how to understand the main approaches of data analysis: descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive. You’ll learn how to create hypotheses to resolve, such as why returns of a particular product are higher than usual or why customers do not convert at checkout. Your actionable insights will make positive impacts on brands and improve business outcomes. 

Data Software & Systems - Learn how to use important software including PowerBI (interactive data visualization software) and DAX (functions and operators that can be combined to build formulas). Learn how to create engaging data dashboards to create and track data, such as range plans, customer feedback and sales. These dashboards can also be used to inspire innovative strategies across departments such as marketing and buying, that can make significant positive changes for a brand.  

Data Management & Preparation – You’ll develop the necessary skills for this key area of data analytics roles. You’ll learn how to gather, prepare and cleanse data, discuss risk mitigation and how to safely combine data sets. We’ll also teach you about predictive modelling, which comes into play in many buying and merchandising roles. For instance, you will be able to analyse which products are best sellers, which demographic is buying them, and the correct time to restock to lead to more sales.  

• Stakeholder Relationships – Discover how to work closely with all areas of a brand, from the fashion design team to the buyers and merchandisers to understand their challenges and goals. Learn through working on real industry scenarios and discover how to build and develop stakeholder relationships - such as the relationship between your company and the fashion brands that you stock – as well as how to use department data to predict consumer patterns. You’ll understand how different departments in a business rely on data to improve performance, and how to use data to enact positive change and make improvements, for instance, ensuring sustainable production methods are being used, and that ethically produced stock is being sourced.  

  Law, Regulation & Ethics – Explore the main legislation and legal requirements that you’ll meet as a data analyst. You’ll learn to understand security measures, GDPR and ethical responsibilities to avoid fines and repercussions for breaches of data compliance. Learn how to keep data safe and secure through proper data management. 

We're proud of our exceptional industry links to over 140 major brands at the Fashion Retail Academy. All our tutors have worked in the industry, and have plenty of knowledge and experience to share.

During your data analytics for retail course, you’ll have regular enrichment from industry and our retail partners. We’ll teach you to develop a strong professional network that will support you throughout your career. You’ll also take part in projects and challenges set by brands that help you to develop valuable professional skills.

VISITING INDUSTRY EXPERTS

You’ll receive regular classes and lectures from Visiting Industry Experts (VIEs), from top brands in the fashion industry. Throughout the year, they’ll also set projects and tasks for you to complete.

Our VIEs will give you feedback on your work and tell you how their brand might react in similar circumstances, helping give context and direction to your studies. These projects will also develop your professional skills in time management, team building and prioritising for deadlines.

Previous projects have been set by retailers including Alexander McQueen, ASOS, Sweaty Betty and H&M.

THREE-WEEK Work placement

You’ll have the opportunity to complete a three-week work placement as part of your Level 4 Data Analytics for Retail course. We'll assign you to an industry manager, and you'll work either remotely or in the office. You’ll be given tasks to complete, giving you an understanding of a specific job role and its place within an organisation. You could be working in a single team, or across multiple areas of the business. You’ll earn practical, professional skills that give a valuable boost to your CV.

Previous students have completed placements with Fortnum & Mason, Next, John Lewis, Whistles and Harvey Nichols.

Professional data analysts are in high demand in the fashion industry, and employers are often willing to pay extremely competitive salaries to hire the best candidates. There are lots of opportunities for rapid career progression.

Level 4 Data Analytics for Retail is the perfect first step to a career in fashion retail data analysis. You'll be working at the forefront of a fashion brand, having a direct influence over the future direction of the business. 

You could be working in job roles including:

• Data Analyst
• Customer Data Analyst
• E-Commerce Data Analyst
• Business Analyst
• Insight Analyst
• Production Data Analyst
• Marketing Data Analyst
• Trend Forecaster
• Problem Analyst

Find out more about our Fashion Careers Service.

All our Level 4 specialist higher Diplomas come with our Job Guarantee. 

We design our courses alongside our industry partners to teach you the skills and attributes you need to secure a job. So, if you’re not offered one within six months of completing your course, we’ll refund your course fees in full. 

This offer applies to students who are paying privately or using the Advanced Learner Loan to fund their studies. If you secured a loan to pay for your course, we will not refund your loan interest.

See our Terms & Conditions for our full eligibility criteria.

Awarding body
TBC

Age requirement
18+

Course duration
1 year, delivered over 2 days per week

Course fees

• Fully funded for students aged 18
• £4,220 per year for students aged 19+

Entry requirements

• 1 A-level or the equivalent Level 3 qualification
• 5 GCSEs grade C/4 or above, including Maths & English (either Language or Literature)

For non-UK qualifications, please provide an ENIC Statement of Comparability. 

If you're applying from a non-English speaking country, you'll need at least 5.5 overall and in each section of IELTS test for English language 

Assessment
You'll complete 2 exams and 1 project that measure your knowledge and understanding.

Offers
After completing our online form, we'll process your application and send you the outcome by post and email in 5-10 working days. We process applications in the order we receive them, and offers are made on a first-come, first-served basis. 

• If you have your exam results and you meet the course's entry requirements, you'll be given an unconditional offer.
• If you don't have your results yet, your offer will be conditional on you meeting the entry requirements.

Your place on the Level 4 Data Analytics for Retail Course is only secure after you have completed enrolment.

2023-2024 

• Academic Transition Day: 30 August 2023 
• Term Start Date: 4 September  
• Half term: 23 - 29 October
• End of Term: 15 December 
• Winter Holidays: 18 December 2023 – 1 January 2024  
• Term Start Date: 2 January 2024 
• End of Term: 22 March 
• Spring Holidays: 25 March - 7 April 
• Term Starts: 8 April 
• End of Term: 31 May 2024 

*Term Dates are subject to change 

Students should continue to access their FRA emails up to three weeks following the final submission date in the event they are asked to resubmit work (there will be a limited time for students to do this).

2024-2025

Term Starts: Week commencing 2 September 2024

From September 2024, the Fashion Retail Academy will be located at our new campus at Electra House near Liverpool Street, Central London. 

The listed building is currently undergoing a £30 million refurbishment to give our students the facilities and spaces they need. Liverpool Street has excellent transport links to the rest of London and beyond, and Electra House is situated directly across from Moorgate tube station. 

There will be: 

• 8 floors (Electra House is double the size of our current campus)
• A bigger library and more workspaces
• 35 classrooms
• Bespoke studio spaces
• 6 lecture theatres
• Dedicated fashion design wing
• IT hub and self-service laptop lockers
• "Speakeasy" student common room and on-site cafe
• 2 specialist exhibition and event spaces
• Wellness spaces and communal areas
• Discovery nook 

Click here for more information about Electra House and how our new campus will benefit you.