It’s no big secret that eCommerce companies have benefitted during lockdown with people even turning to online to sort out their weekly shop. Global online sales have shot up 71% with many online retailers not concerned about profitability, they were more concerned about product availability and getting items delivered to doorsteps.
This rise in eCommerce looks set to continue as now, more than ever, people are realising that eCommerce offers the perfect combination of competitive pricing, convenience and ease of purchase. But this rise means that eCommerce could be facing a skills shortage in everything from digital marketing managers to web developers and data analysts.
In fact, the issue is hugely on the radar of a number of eCommerce companies (and traditional companies going through digital transformation projects) with many focussing on upskilling people. Upskilling differs from reskilling in that it is largely about building on existing skills rather than learning new ones and can reduce costs while improving productivity.
How can you ensure the skills shortage doesn’t affect you?
Training and upskilling
As we mentioned before, briefly, upskilling is becoming a great way to fill the skills gap and it shows current employees that you are invested in them as professionals.
Upskilling in eCommerce across the UK is largely covered by online training from commercial suppliers. The training providers usually limit their training to the narrow set of functionalities defined by their own commercial products. So you’ll often see courses provided by the likes of Magento, Shopify and Google (Analytics).
In addition, there are a number of other private training suppliers who offer excellent eCommerce training courses. The courses tend to be more about a broader subject or the theory of good eCommerce practice. Check out the numerous courses provided by eConsultancy, London Marketing Company, LinkedIn and ACS.
Connecting with universities
Over the last several years at Creative Resource we have worked tirelessly to build strong relationships with digital, creative and marketing courses across the UK through our Two+Two Collaboration and Lockdown Learning initiatives.
Every University is looking to build strong links with companies to aid in the successful transition from studying into career. Even if you don’t have time to get involved yourself, engaging with one of our initiatives can give you fantastic exposure to some brilliant and fresh young talent that is eager to be given the opportunity to help your business grow.
Our Lockdown Learning initiatives have even enabled us to create a strong list of more experienced eCommerce candidates, and this is something else you could benefit from. Running online seminars or masterclasses in conjunction with eCommerce professionals or a company like ours can raise your profile and make you more attractive to established talent.
Creating an enviable working environment
It’s no secret at the moment that a lot of eCommerce roles are commanding some top salaries. Especially for back end development unicorn roles. But more and more professionals are looking beyond the take home for more wellbeing led benefits and this is where smaller companies who can’t normally compete on salaries can attract some top talent.
Being flexible with working from home, flexibility on working hours, offering extra holidays as a bonus for performance as well as traditional monetary based bonuses and career progression pathways are hugely popular with candidates in all sectors at the moment.
Now more than ever is the time to look at securing, developing and exploring the talent and training options open to you. Or you could find yourself wanting soon as eCommerce continues to boom.
To discuss how Creative Resource can help you attract or retain the best eCommerce talent give us a call on 0161 477 3221. Or email Julie at julie@creativeresource.co.uk or Phil at phil@creativeresource.co.uk