Retail Trends You Should Consider This Peak Season

With the holiday season for Retail on its way, how can your company prepare for the upcoming need to hire more people? We have a few retail industry trends that may help you find the employees you need this peak season.

Initial Hiring Outlook for the Retail

The initial hiring outlook for 2019 in Retail saw several changes that will affect the landscape of hiring this Peak Season. This includes consumers having many more options over traditional Retail avenues with the expansion of e-commerce stores. As such, the needs of businesses must also evolve into online spaces to stay relevant.

With Retail and technology merging to get customers to shop at their storefront, the mindset of Retail can be to invest big in their businesses through fulfillment upgrades, company acquisitions, and by implementing digital sales model. These expansions can create new types of needs for Warehouse Fulfillment and Call Center, along with the traditional need retail has within stores. Preparing your company for these expansions can give you a leg up when the time comes for growth within your company.

Avenues for Candidates

Some of the best places to find candidates include the clothing and accessory sector, where nearly 31% of all retail workers under the age of 24 currently work. Try looking within this and other parts of the retail industry to find both entry-level and experienced workers that you may be able to offer a better situation for. While some of the largest retail companies continue to grow, other Retail hiring trends identified by the BLS(U.S. Bureau of Labor) show that Retail as a whole has been down regarding job expansion.

As of August 2019, employment in Retail is down in jobs available as the Industry has fallen by 74,000. The declines have been affecting Electronics and Appliance stores and General Merchandise, while building material and garden supply industries increased their job needs and positions. Sourcing from these declining sectors of Retail can help you to find new candidates that are already experienced within retail who may need a new opportunity.

Building Brand Loyalty by Employees

Competition to hire great candidates is at its highest point within the Retail space and companies must wield their benefits to potential employees, selling their brand as much as they sell their products to customers. 92% of retail workers rank employer-employee trust as the number one factor in deciding where to work compared to 83% across all other industries.

You can put yourself into an advantageous position by selling your company’s benefits and perks along with the values and mission of your company. By honing in your messaging, you can establish your brand trust within employees and potential employees by championing and adhering to those values. Showing the benefits your company offers may seem easy but try positioning your company beyond just health care benefits.

Standing Out Among the Crowd

Does your company offer long-term careers over temporary work? Do you focus on helping your employees grow their career aspirations? Do you offer flexible positions within your company’s various divisions? All of these can set you above other potential employer and could be the difference between getting the hire and missing them!

The importance of showing the “Why” behind your company should be taken care of by determining a list of what your company does different. The “Why” of what you do as a company is much more impactful to potential candidates than it has ever been before.

Using this information, you can work to targeting candidates for your positions to get the best possible fits for your company while understanding some of the trends within the Retail Industry. If you’re looking for help with hiring for your teams, contact IntelliSource today to work with us and find the solutions you need to help your business thrive!