Research shows that e-commerce directors struggle to fill the data skills gap
New research has revealed that 73% of e-commerce directors cite a lack of appropriate skills and resources in their business as a key challenge to growth.
The survey, commissioned by eCommera and conducted with 100 e-commerce directors, also found that 59% felt there was a lack of effectiveness resulting from a misalignment between functions, while 54% felt there was a lack of understanding / backing for online from the senior management team. In addition, 48% said that they were challenged by their ability to understand the data for decision making, while 47% said they had a lack of appropriate tools and technologies.
eCommera said the results show that the demands of e-commerce are very different to that of traditional retail and that retailers are still struggling to put the appropriate skills and resources in place to drive business growth.
The provider of e-commerce trading solutions argues that online retail cannot be managed by walking the floor, as with stores, and the online management teams require specialist skills that are unlikely to be found in their offline retail business.
Commenting on the research Michael Ross, director of eCommera, said: “Given the growing contribution of non-store sales to retailers and the growth of online business generally, it is natural that e-commerce professionals are faced with so many challenges in an area that is still young and changing very fast. However, it is also worth pointing out that many of these challenges can be relatively easily fixed.”
