Tag: irish retail

Hybrid shopping

The importance of moving to a hybrid shopping experience in the retail industry

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our Director of Fashion & Non-Food Retail, Aislinn Lea, featured in the Retail Excellence Ireland, Retail Times, to discuss the importance of moving to a hybrid shopping experience in the retail industry. Aislinn highlights why having a bricks-and-mortar business with an online aspect, along with a mix of retail and digital talent, is crucial for retail success.

It’s a different world in retail, post-pandemic, Aislinn Lea agrees. “Retail employee retention has always been challenging, but it has reached new heights since the pandemic. Retail workers are now seeking roles that offer greater work-life balance and more flexibility as well as the company being the right culture fit,” she says. Sourcing, training and onboarding new team members can be expensive, so it is worth investing in retention strategies to prevent high employee turnover. With this in mind, Aislinn says there are a number of key reasons good retail staff will start to think about leaving to be mindful of. And luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent this, as she explains below.

Aislinn believes a hybrid shopping model is essential in today’s retail landscape, but equally important is having the right digital and retail team. “In physical retail stores, employees assist customers, answer their queries, and guide them through the purchasing process. Similarly, in the digital realm, staff interact with customers through various channels like live chat, email, or social media, addressing their concerns and providing support. Exceptional customer service builds customer loyalty and increases sales so selecting the right candidate is essential for business growth,” she says.

Meeting customer preferences:

Customers have varying preferences when it comes to shopping. Some prefer the convenience and accessibility of online shopping; others prefer the tactile experience and personal interaction of physical stores. Having both options allow you to cater to a wider range of customers, whilst enhancing their shopping experiences.

Digital talent for online success:

To succeed in the digital realm, having a team of digital talent is essential. These professionals can handle e-commerce operations, digital marketing, website design and optimisation, social media engagement, and customer relationship management. Their expertise will ensure that your online presence is effective, engaging, and capable of driving traffic and conversions.

Building brand awareness and sales:

Physical stores offer a tangible presence that can help build brand awareness. Customers can interact with products, seek assistance from knowledgeable staff, and establish a personal connection with the brand. By complementing this with an online presence, you can expand your reach, engage with a broader audience, and reinforce your brand identity. Online sales can supplement your in-store revenue and provide opportunities for growth.

Retail talent for personalised experiences:

In-house retail talent is crucial for providing exceptional customer service, creating personalised experiences, and driving sales in physical stores. Retail employees with product knowledge, excellent interpersonal skills, and a passion for customer satisfaction can enhance the overall shopping experience and build lasting customer relationships.

Blending physical and digital strategies:

The key to a successful hybrid shopping model is integrating your physical and digital strategies. Your retail and digital talent need to collaborate closely to align marketing efforts, optimise inventory management, deliver consistent brand messaging, and leverage customer data to provide personalised experiences. This will help make the most of your hybrid approach. Retail teams could also enhance collaboration with the digital team by providing services such as in-store collections and returns.

You can check out this feature in the most recent edition of the Retail Times here. For more information call us on 01 814 8747 or email aislinn@excelrecruitment.com

You can view all of our live jobs here

Fashion & Non-Food Retail

Fashion & Non-Food Salary Outlook 2022

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Industry Outlook & Not-For-Profit Organisation’s

After nearly two years of disruption, companies are still adapting to new consumer priorities, and digital is providing a nexus for growth. Nevertheless, the industry faces significant challenges amid the large influx of retail jobs required, but there is not enough candidates around to fill these roles.

Why is this? The speed of recovery across regions is expected to be uneven, and players must stay flexible in the market to attract more candidates to the industry.

There’s several economic factors affecting retail jobs such as

• Two years of minimal new entrants to the retail industry.
• We’re losing a variety of experienced managers who may have lost their jobs, or where stores were temporarily closed. This resulted in people seeking employment in new sectors.
• You can also expect to see the usual losses of managers moving out of retail for various personal reasons.
• We’ve seen a lot of retail fashion managers upskilling since the 2020-2021 closure. This segment of people are now carrying out a variety of online courses and returning to education to gain new knowledge/skills for completely different industries.

On a positive note, we’ve seen many non-profit organisation’s, address their fundraising challenges by pivoting towards digital strategies so they can provide essential resources and funds for their communities. This has helped the industry to see an increase in both sales, customers, and new store openings. The fashion and luxury goods industries have really stepped it up when paying attention to the impact they have on the environment. This is vital for the sector as many people now have a keen interest in sustainability initiatives through upcycling clothes or buying from vintage stores which has created a footfall of new customers. The growth in these sustainable efforts will continue to prosper and we’re all for ‘what’s preloved in your wardrobe, can be reloved in someone else’s wardrobe’.

How To Attract More Talent For Retail?

Employers now need to place more time into writing their job advertisements.

Some tips that will help with this are as follows:

• Clearly outline the role and the responsibilities, but more importantly you will need to highlight the benefits. Be creative with your benefits package.
• Look at the trading hours and ensure a work life balance can be achieved – every second weekend off is one of our favourites.
• Basic salary must be competitive.
• Bonus structure should be clear and achievable with stated KPI’s based on previous years and months.
• Discounts can be broken down into various costs & perks.
• A Pension Scheme is certainly worth looking at and very much appreciated by candidates.
• Healthcare is again very important to people.
• Team Building like creative fun days or events / celebrations are great talking points. Candidates buy into employers & company culture in the same way that employers buy into a candidates fit for a role.
• Maternity Leave is a benefit that we are starting to see more of. This does not have to cover the entire maternity leave, but partial cover is greatly appreciated by all.

Looking Ahead to 2022

Similar to 2021, we’ve seen a lot of challenges particularly around logistics and people. However, the retail industry remains very strong with areas such as DIY, Home and Fashion all recording excellent results. Sports casual and fitness companies will see continued growth, while “green careers” which is tied in with sustainability will remain a huge focus in 2022. All in all, we anticipate a busy year ahead with a huge demand for candidates across this sector.

If you need any assistance, please contact aislinn@excelrecruitment.com. If you are looking for a job in the Fashion & Non-Food retail industry, please see our live jobs here. View the Fashion Non-Food Salary Guide 2022 here.

ecommerce

€1.25m E-commerce fund for retailers open for applications

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

A new scheme meant to help Irish SMEs and retailers grow their e-commerce capabilities has opened for applications. The scheme, which is run by Enterprise Ireland, will allocate €1.25 million in funding to facilitate the acceleration of online retailer’s digital and e-commerce capabilities.

The scheme will see grants of between €10,000 and €25,000 awarded on a match fund basis with the specific purpose of supporting retailers to enhancing their online sales capabilities, ensuring they are better equipped to deal with increasing competition from overseas and help scale their businesses in international markets.

“Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting Irish companies to realise their global ambition by providing the mentoring and financial support necessary to scale in international markets,” said Stephen Hughes, head of consumer, Enterprise Ireland.

“Ireland’s retail sector is a primary contributor to our economy, both nationally and at a regional level but it is under significant pressure, particularly from international competitors with the digital means to extend their reach to Irish consumers. By delivering the Online Retail Scheme, we intend to support Irish retailers to innovate and through innovation, to increase their competitiveness and enhance their online presence.”

“While no single intervention will solve the challenge posed by the emergence of digital commerce in recent years to traditional bricks and mortar retailers, today’s announcement marks a significant step forward by Government in firstly acknowledging the challenge faced by the Irish retail sector and secondly by beginning to put in place supports for Ireland’s largest private sector employer,” said Thomas Burke, director at Retail Ireland, the IBEC group which represents the retail industry.

The Online Retail Scheme is open to applications from retail SMEs with 20-249 employees across the island of Ireland, and who have a retail outlet. Closing date for applications is 5 December 2018.

Further information on the fund and details on how to apply are available at www.enterprise-ireland.com/retail.