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Boost your e-commerce skills and your bank balance could grow too

16:33 27th May 2011

If you want to make the most out of your career in IT then it's important to have the right skills for the jobs that are out there.

And right now, business and technology staffing firm ReThink Recruitment says that IT specialists with e-commerce experience can expect to be paid up to one-quarter more than other positions within the sector.

According to ReThink, this is due to a demand for IT professionals in the retail sector, as in the last quarter of 2010 it received 564 requests from retail companies looking for staff with e-commerce skills.

This was a jump of 346 requests, up from just 218 in the same three months of 2009 – a huge increase in just one year.

And the demand has not dropped off, because ReTank says that with the increase in consumers wanting their goods available on line and delivered to their door, retailers have to meet this with more IT staff to fulfill the roles.

Businesses want to make their goods as accessible as possible for their clients, and the best way to do this is via the internet.

In fact, the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index showed that people using the internet to shop have spent a huge £300 billion in the 11 years its index has been running.

IMRG also predicts that the e-commerce market will be worth almost £70 billion this year.

The amount spent through online shopping has increased from just £800 million in 2000 to £58.8 billion in just ten years, with clothing making the biggest growth and electrical following in second place.

James Roper, IMRG's chief executive, was optimistic about the future of e-commerce, predicting 2011's forecast of £70 billion to "easily double" within the next four years.

"With 80 per cent of the UK population now online and government plans to extend the speed and geographical reach of broadband services, we anticipate a continued acceleration of growth, irrespective of the economic situation as a whole," he said.

But businesses also require 'multi-channel' e-commerce platforms, which give customers the opportunity to shop via mobile devices such as their mobile phones.

Demonstrating the push towards multi-channel platforms, clothing brand Lyle & Scott this week launched a Facebook e-commerce store, which allows customers to buy goods through its social networking profile.

And for a historic and traditional company, which stretches back over 130 years, it is certainly embracing the digital age and has also revamped its website to allow people to buy goods via smartphones.

"Now our customers can shop with us no matter where they are or what they are doing, our mobile site was the first step, now our new Facebook store means that customers can shop socially without leaving Facebook," said Will Dymott, head of e-commerce at Lyle & Scott.

All this modernisation would have required IT professionals so this is the type of work you could be part of, as long as you brush up on your e-commerce skills.

So if you want to cash in on this growing industry, you could pocket up to £850 per day if you have experience and the right training, compared to £685 per day working for other industries, ReTank says.

And, Iain Blair, director at ReTank, said because of consumer demand for e-commerce and business demand for professionals who can help them meet this customer demand, wages could carry on increasing.

"Retailers are now locked into bidding wars for candidates, which is creating a pay spiral," he said.

"Retailers are keen to implement systems which provide a single view of their customer and their buying trends."

And with John Lewis, Morrisons and Monsoon all looking to boost their online sales presence, this really is a great time to get into the IT sector, so with the right training you could earn a pretty penny in this booming industry. ADNFCR-1667-ID-800560438-ADNFCR