Digital transformation has left important consequences in retail stores. With the passage of time, the adoption of Internet sales channels by the population is growing and this, in turn, generates a greater demand for professionals linked to digital marketing, content generation and web business analysis. .In this context, the traditional format coexists with the new requirements imposed by the growing use of technology in the retail market. According to a survey by the consultancy Forrester Research, the online format will continue its deployment in the region in a sustained manner.
There are several economic factors that - added to the increasingly tempting digital offerings of traditional retail businesses and also of companies that operate only on the web - drive online.
In Argentina, in particular, "there are opportunities for brands and digital retail for US $ 4,000 million," they point out from Forrester. The consultancy projects that the e-commerce segment (where purely virtual stores coexist with online channels of traditional stores) will have a volume of almost US $ 8,000 million in just two years.Mobile commerce will also develop strongly in the region. "By 2022, the number of unique smart phone subscribers will represent 69% of the total population in Mexico, 71% in Argentina and 75% in Brazil." It is not surprising, then, that retail stores in the region are implementing apps and websites that focus especially on smartphones and not on tablets", says the consultant.Digital salaries
In this framework, one of the questions that is presented is how the labor market behaves in the Retail segment linked to offline. According to Guillermo Heredia, partner of the RB Value consultancy, this sector tends to pay salaries below the average.
"This difference is accentuated in positions of higher hierarchy, such as managerial positions, whose remunerations are between 15% and 18% lower than those of the market in general," says the specialist. However, that the positions linked to online sales channels are better paid than the traditional ones. "It's a more competitive market," he says.
"When the retail companies go out to recruit profiles that do not belong to their traditional business, they have to look for already trained professionals, who are also sued by companies from other sectors, such as e-commerce, sales, marketing or technology", explains the specialist.In this regard, he cites an example: to attract specialists in Digital Marketing, these companies must compete with firms from other areas that pay higher remunerations.
"Although electronic commerce today is still a peripheral business and represents a lower proportion than the turnover generated in physical stores, it is a channel that has been growing with much greater force," Heredia says.
Unlike other sectors of activity, the retail sector does not provide benefits of time or home-office flexibility. Due to the characteristics of this segment, the pace of work is intense, long hours and many times with hourly rotation, "says the expert.Winning agreement
Despite the impact of the economic crisis on consumption, which left the points of sale very complicated, the Commerce sector was placed within the group that signed the highest parities last year: 25%, with a trigger clause that it was exercised in January 2019 (7% increase), February (7%) and March (6%).
"That is to say, the employees achieved an increase of 45% last year," reports Heredia. In addition, "an adjustment of 30% is projected for 2019, also with a trigger clause".
On average, the annual bonus for performance of the sector represents 2 salaries for managerial levels and 1.5 salaries for management positions. Thus, for the first case the annual remuneration rises 16%, while in the second case it increases by 12%.
The compensations of the profiles of the retail sector linked to the online channel are heterogeneous, even within the same occupational category.
According to an exclusive RB Value survey for iProUP, the monthly salary of:
- A Digital Marketing Manager (not including the bonus) is located at $ 131,636, $ 166,041 or $ 201,128
- A Head of Digital Marketing can range between $ 116,893, $ 132,833 or $ 151,828
- A Junior Marketing Digital Marketing Analyst, meanwhile, is between $ 39,225 and $ 49,389As for the positions directly linked to the use of technology, the RB Value survey states:
- A Senior Level Web Developer can earn between $ 57,269 and $ 69,950 per month
- A Business Intelligence analyst (senior), between $ 57,076 and $ 82,044.Profiles that change
According to Walter Cuatto, Corporate Commercial Manager of ManpowerGroup Argentina, "a great transformation is taking place in profiles due to the impact of digitization on sales processes".
Regarding the Trade sector, specifically, "there is the incorporation of mobile tools to facilitate the information of the point of sale, which enables decision making quickly," he adds.The skills required in the retail market "are increasingly related to the use of technology, the digital natives, for the most part, have developed these skills because they bring these technical skills incorporated so valued", says Cuatto.
In that sense, he adds: "Considering these transformations and technological advances, the most demanded profiles are those that can show easy adaptation to new needs".
"In the retail sector, for example, there is a change in the line of boxes, either by the demand in online purchases, or by the boxes with personalized attention," says the Manpower executive.
"Cashiers currently have more resources in their management, which allows streamlining their processes and are aligned to a commercial strategy aimed at the sales objectives," completes the specialist.Patricia Jebsen, manager of Omnichannel of Cencosud, highlights which are the main jobs that were created in the sector.
"They are usually profiles that have different degrees and then specializations to work in the field," says the executive.In many cases they are also employees who were learning and conducted training in the company and outside it to reach work in the area. "
First, Jebsen underlines the position of eCommerce Manager, who is "responsible for the sector and must know the business and the different tools to carry it out." And he adds that, "in general, he is responsible for putting together the equipment."In the Marketing area, the executive highlights the management specialists in the following areas: Online marketing with focus on SEO (organic positioning strategies) and SEM (Internet search engine marketing); Email Marketing; Social networks, and Content and Product photography.
Data scientists and programmers and Web designers are added to these profiles. Meanwhile, the Operations sector employs logistics specialists with a focus on deliveries to final consumers and points of withdrawal as well as customer service management. The Commercial area, for its part, demands Account managers and Web analysts.
Lastly, the Systems and Product sector is much larger: demand for Product managers; User Experience developers; Scrum masters, Full Stack developers; mobile developers; experts in Analytics and Technology leaders.
According to Jebsen, the positions that are most in demand in the local market correspond to Digital Marketing and Systems.
According to the Cencosud executive, the most appreciated skills and competences in this sector are: technical knowledge about the e-commerce business; goal orientation; the focus on customers and the shopping experience; analytical thinking and decision-making facility based on data; the capacity for learning, creativity and flexibility, and teamwork.
