Every day, more and more businesses are starting to recognise the value of offering online shopping to their audience.
Over the past few years, customers have fallen in love with the convenience of purchasing a product without having to head into a physical store, stimulating the growth of eCommerce around the globe.
In 2021, a record number of sales were conducted online, bringing in a total value of $5.2 trillion. This figure is only expected to continue climbing over the next few years, according to Statista.
The Rise of eCommerce Talent Demand
Today, there are an estimated 12-24 million eCommerce sites – although not all of them are particularly active (Source: WPForms). Still, this is an overwhelming figure.
Even if just 1% of these platforms are big enough to warrant a full-time staff member or larger team, the estimated demand for eCommerce talent adds up.
In fact, in 2021, the UK’s eCommerce job market was expanding at 3x the rate of the year previous (Source: Index). This meant hundreds of new positions were being opened and advertised each day.
However, the sudden incline in eCommerce talent demand grew too fast too soon, creating an industry-wide candidate shortage that has left many roles unfilled.
How to Solve Your eCommerce Candidate Shortage
With the odds stacked against you, don’t be disheartened if you’ve been struggling to onboard eCommerce talent. You’re not alone.
Luckily, there are some different solutions you can try to fill your open position(s) - going beyond putting more money into PPC adverts and sponsored job board posts.
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1. Upskill Internally
Interestingly, there’s a surprising amount of crossover between the desired skills for eCommerce roles and those found amongst your existing digital and marketing team.
If you’ve got a few staff members who have been in the same role for a while and are eager to try something new, offer them an extensive learning and development scheme that’ll transition them into a relevant eCommerce position.
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2. Utilise Social Media
Some of the best eCommerce candidates aren’t going to be actively looking for a job. As such, you need to find a way to reach them.
Building an active presence on social media is going to support your recruitment goals, potentially catching the interest of employees already operating in the industry.
By then sharing your job adverts over multiple platforms, you’ll be able to increase your reach and encourage more applications from your ideal audience.
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3. Be More Transparent
While it can be tempting to offer a “competitive salary” and “leading benefits”, these vague promises aren’t going to be enough to convert views into interest.
Too often, candidates go through the application and interview process only to be offered pay that’s lower than their current earnings… so they inevitably reject the offer and all that time is wasted.
Avoid this expensive mistake by being more transparent and upfront. The eCommerce industry will appreciate your honesty.
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4. Offer on the Job Training
In an ideal world, you’d be able to onboard an experienced eCommerce expert without the need for lots of training.
However, in a country facing a skill shortage, you must be willing to compromise. Knowledge can be taught, but passion can’t.
If you have an applicant who has potential, put some on-the-job training into place so that you can fuel their career.
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5. Invest in Your Culture
Sometimes a seemingly “unsolvable” candidate shortage can allude to a larger problem being present in your workforce.
If you have a low retention rate and dissatisfied employees, these will be major red flags that could be dissuading talent to apply for roles with you. Before you can hope to recruit successfully, then, there’s some work to do.
Always look for opportunities to improve your work culture and staff wellbeing, recognising and rewarding your team for the effort they put in.
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6. Network with Candidates
When was the last time you attended an eCommerce event or trade show? For the majority of business owners and recruiters, the answer will be “never”.
Even if it’s not the industry you work in, the potential to find and network with prime eCommerce candidates makes the trip worth it. Excitingly, there are a few upcoming UK events that might interest you:
