Retailers push to onboard tech talent

Through a special arrangement, what follows is a summary of an article from COLLOQUY, provider of loyalty-marketing publishing, education and research since 1990. At the Kroger Co., headhunters are going bananas for technology majors. So are talent seekers at Nordstrom, Best Buy, Home Depot and others. Traditional retail positions, such as cashiers, are increasingly being shelved as major brands reduce store numbers and invest in digital integration. And with that shift comes an escalating demand for the technology talent to lead their efforts. Yet a sampling of retailers investing in technology positions hints that many may be trying to catch up after not recognizing the need soon enough:

• Kroger in January said it is actively recruiting experienced digital and technology talent both in its corporate offices and in its stores to drive its Restock Kroger program.
• Nordstrom posted openings for nearly 30 technology positions in January alone. Opportunities included data engineers, software engineers and omnichannel inventory managers.
• The Home Depot has dedicated a webpage to attracting technology candidates, highlighting career opportunities in seven areas, including mobile, data analytics, online merchandising and user experience.

The positions these brands and others advertise come under various titles, but can be broken down into three broad categories:

• Customer experience leaders: Omnichannel marketing has generated the need to produce an indulgent, brand-specific experience that is consistent regardless of channel. Doing so typically requires aligning company-wide strategies, processes and technologies to the fast-changing needs
• Data analysts: Companies in 2018 will need roughly 180,000 people with deep analytical skill, with an additional 900,000 or so jobs that will require data management and interpretation skills, according to predictions by International Data Corporation. At retail, expect a good number of these positions to be in the form of customer analytics — dissecting shopper data to identify predictive behaviors, pain points and paths to purchase.
• Software developers: All those mobile-ordered shoes and razors are supporting a growing legion of IT professionals, digital marketers and software developers.

The challenge, for traditional retailers, is adapting the technology fast enough to win the best talent — and finding the right talent to adapt it. Another hurdle is capturing the interest of unknowing college graduates enamored with digital, more youthful-seeming brands. However, regardless of the degree to which technology changes careers, the most valued quality among workers will not change. That is the ability to empathize with consumers and troubleshoot their needs. Software can help build machine intelligence, but when it comes to delivering memorable interactions, shoppers still tend to prefer humanity.

• Your Next Best Job Opportunity Is In Technology - Retail Technology – COLLOQUY