eCommerce Recruitment: What do eCommerce trends mean for your hiring strategy?

In the ever-evolving world of eCommerce recruitment, it’s important to pay attention to the shifting trends in the industry itself. With new technology, tools and marketing trends, comes the need for new skills in your team.

That got us thinking. What do the latest eCommerce trends and predictions mean for eCommerce hiring strategies? Is more team training on the horizon or will you need fresh talent in your business?

Social media isn’t just about promotion anymore

Social media in eCommerce is a huge channel - no one can deny this. However, it has quickly evolved from an eye-catching link from social channels to your website. Social commerce will only continue to grow, helping to minimise friction in the customer journey. With Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, users can purchase a product there and then. Of course, it means you need to streamline the customer service and sales on a whole new channel.

While you will have your social media team engaging with users on a daily basis, you need to consider who will be analysing performance on these channels, identifying the successes and the necessary improvements. Furthermore, with a potentially wider reach, knowledge of international markets will make a huge impact on social commerce efforts.

AI & Machine Learning - reaching your customers in smart ways

With new channels, like the aforementioned social commerce, come new customers to engage and support. Many companies have already implemented AI chatbots or assistants, offering around-the-clock support. Of course, there is the question of AI and its capabilities of reducing job roles. However, we recently discussed IKEA’s dive into AI and how it trained thousands of customer service employees in new areas of the business. 

Training and education will be important for businesses adopting AI tools. With more free time, companies can use this to build the skills of the existing team. It could open up new possibilities and departments within the business, providing opportunities for existing and new employees alike.

For machine learning, algorithms for your business will further improve customer insights to personalise the experience. Now is the time to look at your web & data analytics team and how you can expand their powerful and important work.

A shopping experience like no other - is AR the future?

AR & VR capabilities in eCommerce are certainly growing. Allowing for an immersive shopping experience brings the customer journey to life. Many people still love the in-store experience, so why not take it to them? Many sectors, in particular home interiors, are investing in this technology to show customers how products will look. This enhances the experience and also aims to reduce returns. Of course, investing in this technology means investing in a team who can make this work for your business. Revolutionising the customer experience is different for every business, so we predict experts in VR and AR retail technology will grow throughout the industry.

Marketplaces and widening your reach

Online marketplaces are growing, with Amazon and eBay already dominating this space. It means retailers will need to constantly look out for growing marketplaces, while identifying others that are niche to their business. At Cranberry Panda, we have already recruited many experts in online marketplaces. However, we expect more companies will need expertise in this area so it is definitely a recruitment priority to think about.

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