Creating a Strong Employer Brand and Emerging as an Employers of Choice

Between 2019 and 2020, the e-commerce share of global retail sales increased from 13.6% to 18%. Since cross-border e-commerce activity continues to grow, by 2024, e-commerce is expected to account for 21.8% of retail sales. Moreover, in the U.S. alone, the value of the e-commerce market will increase from $1,408.3 billion in 2021 to $2,323.9 billion by 2026.

The sector’s growth means that its employment landscape is also growing. With giants like Amazon leading the hiring pathway, the e-commerce workforce will expand in the coming years. E-commerce firms will hire software engineers, marketing specialists, business analysts, content creators, UX designers, and a host of other professionals to capture growth opportunities and succeed in this crowded space. But the soaring demand for skilled professionals will make it harder for companies to compete effectively in the talent market. Only one kind of firm will succeed – those with a strong employer brand.

A powerful employer brand can attract and retain top talent to an e-commerce company. It also communicates the firm’s values, vision, mission, and culture, which then helps to establish the organization as an employer of choice and a great place to work. But to build a strong, authentic, memorable employer brand, e-commerce organizations must adopt the three strategies highlighted below. Let’s take a look at these strategies in detail.

 

Find Internal Champions to Act as Employer Brand Spokespersons

A strong employer brand always starts from the inside. Employees who genuinely love their jobs and believe their work is meaningful will speak positively about the company outside its four walls. They will praise the company’s policies and openly appreciate its efforts to take care of its people. In short, they will act as champions of the organization’s employer brand.

People outside the organization are more likely to believe these champions, simply because they are real people with real stories. Consequently, potential employees will trust the company and want to work there. If their experiences remain positive post-hire, they too will act as champions of the employer brand. Thus, identifying champions creates a virtuous cycle for both the employer brand and communicates this strength to the stakeholders that matter to the company.

The HR department can also function as an employer brand champion. Through people-friendly policies, engagement initiatives, and future-focused training and development programs, they can show the company’s efforts to support its people. In addition, through these initiatives, HR can act as the “relationship bridge” between the company and its people. These relationships will also positively impact the employer’s brand value.

 

Create a Compelling Story that Appeals to Future Employees

A brand story goes beyond facts and figures about the company. Most employees care less about how many SKUs the company sold in the previous quarter or how many new markets it entered in the last year and more about what the company stands for.

What is its long-term vision?

What is its mission, and how does it go about achieving it?

What are its values? Does it adhere to these values, or are they just empty words on its website and marketing collateral?

And perhaps most importantly, what role do people play in helping the firm execute its mission, achieve its vision, and live its values?

All these aspects constitute the e-commerce company’s corporate brand story and employer brand story.

The employer brand story is a cohesive narrative about the feelings and emotions the brand aims to engender in its employees and even the general public. It is less about the company’s products, technological expertise, or geographical presence and more about showing its personality as an employer – through blogs, videos, slideshows, photos, etc. It inspires an emotional reaction and clearly communicates the employee value proposition (EVP) – both of which play an important role in attracting talent to the company and encouraging them to stay on for longer.

 

Make a Commitment to Listen to Employees

Employees have a lot to say about their employer. Whether their words are in the employer’s favor or not depends on the strength of the employer’s brand. And e-commerce brands that listen to their employees are in a great position to build a strong employer brand.

Of course, listening doesn’t mean eavesdropping on water cooler chats or getting employees to spy on each other! These activities are sure to backfire and erode the trust between the employer and employees, ultimately weakening the employer brand instead of strengthening it.

One way to listen to employees is to conduct regular employer brand audits through internal surveys, social media searches, searches of review sites like Glassdoor, and even reputation monitoring firms. All these channels can help e-commerce companies to understand what job seekers and internal employees think (and say) about the firm. They also reveal which aspects of the company culture people appreciate which the firm can then highlight in internal and external communications to strengthen the employer brand.

It’s also important to listen to employees’ requests for diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives, open-door policies, learning and development opportunities, etc. Doing this enables the company to demonstrate its commitment to listening to people and also to building a diverse, skilled, and well-rounded workforce. These efforts also extend the e-commerce brand’s reach to new people, including potential employees, and cultivate a positive employer brand in the competitive employment market.

 

Conclusion

One well-known survey by a well-known HR firm found that 86% of workers would not apply for or continue working for a company with a poor reputation among former employees or the general public. Another 65% would leave if the company was portrayed negatively in the news or on social media. A company’s reputation matters a lot. And its employer brand plays a huge role in making or breaking this reputation. Ergode knows a thing (or a dozen!) about employer branding. If your e-commerce firm requires support building and strengthening your employer brand, talk to our experts.

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