Editorial
The Gist
-
Talent drives growth. Digital commerce success depends on investing in critical skills like strategy, data analysis and execution to improve performance and employee retention.
-
Route-to-market skills. Tailoring skills for direct and indirect routes to market is essential for digital commerce leaders.
-
Future skill priorities. Digital commerce leaders should focus on critical thinking, creativity and storytelling skills to maintain a competitive edge in an evolving market.
Digital commerce growth contributes significantly to overall revenue, which makes it a key priority for many marketing leaders. However, digital commerce has undergone a period of unprecedented change, and revenue growth is now much harder to achieve.
In order to realize the growth that digital commerce can achieve, organizations must make sure they’re getting all aspects of digital commerce right. This includes the right digital commerce talent.
Many employees lack the skills necessary to deliver on digital commerce growth ambitions, but top-performing organizations prioritize talent investments. By investing in these skills, marketing leaders can drive results and improve employee engagement and retention, which will have a positive impact on performance and continuity. There are three types of skills that marketing leaders should prioritize.
Table of Contents
- Critical Skills for Short-Team Success
- Enhance Specific Route-to-Market Skills for Digital Commerce Growth
- Develop Future Skills as a Competitive Differentiator
Critical Skills for Short-Team Success
To establish a foundation for success in the short term, digital commerce leaders should focus their efforts on developing critical digital commerce skills. Skills that drive digital dexterity are essential for success in digital commerce, particularly in the following areas:
-
Strategy: Critical skills include strategy development skills, the ability to understand customers’ behaviors and expectations, and business acumen for identifying opportunities to create value.
-
Data: Critical skills include data literacy, quantitative analysis and the ability to use AI to analyze digital commerce data and identify trends.
-
Execution: Critical skills include channel management skills like forecasting, media planning and project management skills.
-
Culture: Critical skills include the ability to collaborate effectively and influence others, as well as the ability to develop and nurture cross-functional digital commerce relationships.
Related Article: The 9 Best Ecommerce Certifications and Courses
Enhance Specific Route-to-Market Skills for Digital Commerce Growth
As digital commerce evolves, so do the skills necessary for success. Although core skills are the priority, there are valuable skills that digital commerce leaders should develop next depending on whether the organization uses a direct or indirect route to market (RTM).
Skills for a Direct RTM
-
Multichannel performance marketing: Managing multichannel performance marketing campaigns across different paid and organic channels that grow direct traffic and revenue.
-
User experience (UX)/digital product management: Using UX to create digital products and features that improve the holistic experience for the customer.
-
Personalization: Prioritizing and orchestrating personalized customer experiences across the customer journey to aid exploration, drive conversion and improve advocacy.
Skills for an Indirect RTM
-
Retail media: Managing the planning and execution of varying retail media formats with sales channel partners to drive awareness and consideration.
-
Digital shelf management: Creating, optimizing and distributing customer-facing product detail page content that is used with sales channel partners to drive conversion.
Develop Future Skills as a Competitive Differentiator
Once critical and specific RTM skills have been considered, attention can turn to future skills that will support long-term success. While these skills may not be vital for success today, these forward-looking skills will grow in importance as digital commerce evolves.
Organizations that demonstrate high digital commerce maturity should look to develop these skills in the near term as a way to continuously strengthen their digital commerce maturity:
-
Critical thinking: Analyzing available data to make objective, rational decisions in selecting the most appropriate strategic and tactical opportunities for digital commerce.
-
Creativity: Identifying and acting upon opportunities to enhance the digital commerce customer experience and improve internal processes to drive growth and efficiency.
-
Storytelling: Crafting compelling digital commerce narratives that connect with both internal and external audiences to leave a long-lasting impact.
By prioritizing short-term critical skills, looking at skills specific to their RTM and looking ahead to future skills, digital commerce leaders can better prioritize the capabilities needed for success. Collaborating closely with their teams to develop these skills will position their business for both immediate and long-term digital commerce growth.
Learn how you can join our contributor community.
