COVID-19 has changed the professional landscape forever. While the pandemic has caused many industries to struggle, retail and consumer products companies in particular have found success through their ecommerce business. In order to satisfy this increasing demand, companies are looking to tech professionals to fill the growing amount of ecommerce job opportunities.

“Since the pandemic began, companies have seen their ecommerce business double, triple, and even quadruple,” explains Michael Dooley, Managing Director of of ES Technology, a division of The Execu|Search Group. “Because of this, companies have had to hire new staff to not only meet current ecommerce demands, but to give them an edge over their competitors.”

While the effects of COVID-19 are temporary, reliance on ecommerce to satisfy consumer needs isn’t going anywhere! “Even before the pandemic began, companies were looking to follow the ecommerce business models of companies like Amazon,” explains Michael. “This will continue even after COVID-19 health and safety protocols don’t need to be followed, so these companies will always be on the lookout for top IT talent who can help them stand out against a growing field of companies adopting new ecommerce technologies.”

If you’re interested in pursuing ecommerce job opportunities, here are three areas to hone your skills in:

UX / UI Design

In order to have an edge over competitors, companies need to provide the best possible user experience. With this in mind, companies are specifically looking for UX / UI Designers.“Consumer experience is everything regarding ecommerce, and it’s imperative that they provide an online shopping experience that’s quick and easy to navigate,” explains Michael. “In order to give consumers what they want, companies are looking for UI and UX Designers who can come in and design an ecommerce site that isn’t just easy to use, but is also sleek and appealing.”

Back-order and supply chain specialists

With consumers more reliant on online shopping than ever before, not only does the actual shopping experience have to meet high standards, but the order fulfillment process needs to be exceptional as well. “Health and safety protocols have caused delays and extended shipping times for virtually every company, which can have the unintended consequence of providing a bad consumer experience,” says Michael. “Companies are looking for IT professionals who are experts at inventory control, order processing, and fulfillment as well as other aspects of the supply chain that impact the online ordering experience. Troubleshooting issues quickly is of paramount importance to a company’s successful ecommerce offering, so these roles are critical in ensuring the company’s ecommerce practices are providing the best possible customer experience.”

Customer + Data + Marketing Analysts

In order to succeed, companies need an efficient and cohesive data strategy that will not only help them with current supply and demand, but that will help them with future sales. In order to do this, companies are in need of Data Analytics Specialists who can quickly read and process data to help track customer shopping trends and browsing patterns. “A strong predictive analytics background ultimately helps companies retain and grow their current customer base,” explains Michael. “Data Analysts are perfectly primed to help companies not only achieve this, but to also build solutions that will streamline processes throughout the entire organization.”