Development of e-commerce, forecasts and recruitment demand

Over the past year, the demand for specialists in the field of e-Commerce has increased significantly. The industry includes not only online stores, but also virtual currency exchange offices, online bookmakers, electronic banking and a whole range of services enabling the functioning of this sector. And although e-commerce is mainly B2C (Business to Customer) commerce, it also functions efficiently in the B2B (Business to Business) and C2C (Customer to Customer) models.

Development of e-Commerce

It is estimated that the e-commerce market may grow by up to 26% compared to the previous year. According to the Shoper report, the largest increase in the number of orders was recorded in the food industry – by 239%. A significant increase in the number of orders was also recorded by stores in the “health and beauty” category – by 138% in the first half of March and by 126% in April. There is also constant interest in electronics, whose sales in online stores increased by 86% compared to the previous year, articles for children (78%), gifts and accessories (79%), books and multimedia (99%).

Online purchases were made by those who did not have such experience before. According to the Gemius report “E-commerce”, 73% of the surveyed Internet users have already made purchases online at least once. Compared to last year, this growth is approximately 11%. This trend perfectly illustrates the change in consumer preferences and purchasing habits.

Forecasts for the e-commerce market

Last year, the e-Commerce market was worth 61 billion and accounted for 11% of the retail market. A stagnation in the e-commerce industry seems very unlikely – it is also worth considering that more and more people will decide to move their business to the online world. Those who had concerns or doubts about undertaking such changes in the first half of the year are likely to change their approach and decide to go a step further, if only to adapt to consumer needs during the second wave of the pandemic. This does not always mean operating only online – there is also a hybrid model, i.e. running a stationary business and offering products online.

It is worth mentioning that on the western market, e-commerce has been ahead of traditional trade for several years. Especially that in Central and Eastern Europe there are also significant increases in online sales. These trends should give food for thought to those who are still hesitant to adapt their business to the online model.

Recruitment demand in e-commerce

It is no surprise that the dynamic development of e-commerce and positive forecasts about its future contribute to the increase in demand for employees with experience in e-commerce. Just like many companies from other sectors are forced to cut their jobs, the race for specialists in the e-commerce industry . This is good news both for employers who can take advantage of their chance for growth, and for candidates who may have lost their jobs, want to change industries or look for new opportunities in an unknown area.

What is e-commerce recruitment demand today? Currently, there are more than 1,300 job offers in the Internet / e-Commerce / new media category. The market is primarily for experienced people – 65% of advertisements concern offers for the position of a specialist, another 12% concern coordinators and managers, and only 2% are interns or apprentices.

Upcoming major retail events such as Black Friday , Cyber ​​Monday and Christmas are key dates for the industry e-commerce. It is then that most online stores prepare promotions, sales for their customers, and thus – record the best sales results. It is also then that people who provide services for online stores, such as couriers delivering packages to customers, have the most work. Especially now, with the second wave of the pandemic and social isolation, this demand will increase even more. Then, employees for parcel delivery, non-contact delivery, packaging and online customer service will be very needed.

After all, the e-commerce industry is not only about online stores, but also a range of services that make them work. The increased demand for employees will also be felt in this hot period by courier companies and IT solution providers located at the end of the chain.

Recruiting e-commerce specialists – use the support

There is still a good time to think about the upcoming challenges in the e-commerce industry. First of all, employers should be open to transferring their business to the Internet (if they have not already done so). Moreover, it is in their interest to ensure the availability of labor. The time is approaching when this sector is growing more rapidly than ever, so not taking advantage of 100% of its opportunities would be a waste of a great opportunity.