Aisle Spy
The blog that goes behind the scenes at Asda.
Meet our graduates
Kirsty
Trading Manager ASDA.com
eCommerce Trading Graduate
Hi! I'm Kirsty and I'm based in Leeds as a Trading Manager for ASDA.com.
I didn't start out in eCommerce. In fact, I graduated with a degree in English Literature and Art History, followed by a postgraduate course in Broadcast Journalism! It's testament to the opportunities at Asda, and how if you've the right attitude and want to get on, you can apply your skills across the business.
I've been here 3 years now and was initially attracted by the culture and the people. I also wanted to work in a fast paced environment and was impressed by the diverse career options and experience Asda offered.
My first role here was as a Trading Assistant in Food where I learnt some of the core processes of the business. I was even given buying responsibility for my own area, giving me the chance to be involved with the development of brand new products and their launches.
I then moved into ASDA.com as a Project Manager in Marketing where I worked across a variety of projects, from customer research to affiliate and pay-per-click marketing. This gave me a real passion for the online environment, so Asda supported me by letting me stay in this area as a Trading Manger for some of the non-food websites.
I'm now responsible for building ranges across the non-food area of the business – including managing the Asda-flowers website. I love the chance to get involved with the whole process. We look at everything, from developing new product ranges and deciding what stem varieties we use, to how they're put together and packaged for the customer. We even look at how to improve photography in a cost effective way and how to present the products on the website. I work closely with our online marketing team to promote our range, and our operations team to ensure our customers get a good after-sales experience. Seeing your products in stores or delivered to customers gives you a real sense of achievement.
There's a real mix of people in the team, from creatives working on the website or producing catalogue pages, to marketing, merchandising and our traders. There's a great sense of teamwork and always someone ready to offer advice and support. People are really friendly and genuinely happy to help.
If you're enthusiastic and an innovative thinker with analytical skills, you're given the opportunity to gain a wide variety of experience. I feel my development is taken seriously. You have to put in a lot of hard work, but you’ll enjoy clear paths and guidance for career progression.