P20 E-Commerce:Layout 1 22/07/2021 11:44 Page 20 E-Commerce Building a winning team
The role of e-commerce within the electrical distribution industry The digital economy is booming, and bringing e-commerce with it: 2021 saw a 143% increase in the number of people hired in e-commerce related roles. With businesses undergoing massive operational change, the need for a skilled, proficient team has become vital to
success.In this article, George Brickwood,UK&I e-commerce director at Schneider Electric,will focus on three areas - diverse expertise, digital culture, and leadership - that are key to building a team to support the successful adoption of e-commerce.
George Brickwood
Establish a hiring process The people in your company are your greatest asset. Your goals and objectives are delivered by the people you hire, and they are also a reflection of your skillset and company values. While e-commerce success is not attainable through simply employing ‘all-rounders’, useful as they are, it is important to understand the critical skills required to build a successful team of e-commerce professionals. This holds true if you are trying to evolve an existing team, so to provide the correct training and skills development to meet new skill requirements. If building an e-commerce team is new to you, then bringing in an expert at this stage will be essential. Teams are the foundation of any thriving and successful company. Teams
need to be ‘on the same page’ to ensure streamlined operations and a common sense of purpose. Analysts need to understand the marketers, finance teams need to be aware of sales team activity and so on. A poorly managed workforce can create independent silos, leading to a lack of coordination and ultimately a negative impact on results. Managed well, recruiting the right people into a company sets you on the perfect path to business success.
Go big on digital Traditionally, the continued success of face-to-face interactions within the electrical distribution industry has meant that it has been slow to change and adapt to the demands of the digital generation. E-commerce was often viewed as non-essential, and as such fell by the wayside when it came to dictating strategy. Digital is unanimously the way forward, though half the challenge of implementing an e-commerce strategy is convincing your workforce that digital transformation presents a growth opportunity as opposed to a challenging threat. The Sixteenth Edition of the AMA UK Electrical Wholesalers Market Report (2019) stated that adoption of a multi-channel sales approach provides multiple benefits to electrical wholesalers, not only increasing visibility of products and services on offer but widening your customer base and the availability at which your products can be bought.
One of the core benefits of e-commerce is that it allows you to use data
intelligently. Unlike an offline distribution strategy - e-commerce lets you use multiple platforms and data source simultaneously to enable strategic and tactical decision making. However, this culture of effectively utilising and seeing the benefit of the access to this type of data doesn’t necessarily come naturally, particularly when you’re upskilling and transforming long- serving employees. The value needs to be emphasised through education on return on investment, not just through revenue but with advantages such as increased productivity due to the fact customers will have the latest pricing and stock availability visible to them at the click of a button, reducing simple case management.
Leading the way
Understand the vision, communicate it effectively. The best leaders in e- commerce are those who fully understand the capabilities of an online strategy. While technology is critical to this, understanding the marketing side is essential for converting web visitors into new buyers and new buyers into loyal customers. It is crucial that a holistic approach is taken, leaders must consider the short and long-term opportunities and be willing to make decisions for the team. The transition from tradition in the electrical distribution industry has been moderate. As such, it is all-the-more important that leaders have strong relationships with employees and customers alike. Trust is the foundation of any relationship – displaying assured guidance and, perhaps most importantly, passion in a leadership role is critical to engaging with your team, synchronising efforts, and securing buy-in for transformational projects. Your people are the heart of your business and are arguably the strongest
tool for a successful e-commerce transformation. They must work in tandem with the company culture and leadership team. Encouraging the onboarding of digitalisation strategy by the breadth of your workforce is a certified way to keep that engine running smoothly. Inspirational leadership is the binding force that drives momentum forward.
20 | electrical wholesalerAugust 2021
ewnews.co.uk
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