The People Behind a Successful Holiday Retail Season

The People Behind a Successful Holiday Retail Season

As the holiday season approaches, brands are preparing for one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. Holiday collections are arriving, seasonal campaigns are launching, and retailers are getting ready to welcome more customers both in stores and online.

For consumers, the holidays are often about discovering new products, finding the perfect gifts, and enjoying the shopping experience. Behind these experiences is an entire network of professionals working to bring the season to life.

From the teams developing holiday collections to the employees helping customers on the sales floor, a successful retail season involves much more than what shoppers see.

A New Approach to Holiday Hiring

Holiday hiring has long been a part of the retail industry, but the way brands prepare for seasonal demand continues to evolve.

According to the National Retail Federation, holiday retail sales are expected to grow 4.2% in 2026, with retailers projected to hire between 325,000 and 375,000 seasonal employees. While the demand for additional talent remains, many companies are taking a more measured approach to staffing.

Some brands are focusing on filling specific gaps within their teams, while others are exploring part-time and temporary positions that provide flexibility beyond the traditional holiday season.

For retailers, the challenge goes beyond bringing in more employees. Finding people who can adapt to a fast-paced environment, understand the brand, and contribute to a positive customer experience is just as important.

The People Behind the Holiday Experience

When thinking about holiday hiring, retail associates and store managers are often the first roles that come to mind. While these employees play an essential part in creating memorable shopping experiences, a successful season depends on talent across many different areas of a business.

Long before a customer walks into a store or places an online order, teams are working to bring products, campaigns, and shopping experiences together.

• Design and Product Development: Holiday collections often begin months before they reach the retail floor. Designers, technical designers, and product development teams create products that reflect a brand's identity while meeting seasonal demand.

• Merchandising and Buying: Merchandising and buying professionals help determine which products customers will see throughout the season. Their understanding of consumer preferences, inventory, and emerging trends plays an important role in creating successful assortments.

• Marketing and Creative: From holiday campaigns and social media content to influencer partnerships and promotional events, marketing and creative teams help brands connect with consumers during one of the most competitive times of the year.

• Ecommerce and Digital: With consumers shopping across multiple platforms, ecommerce professionals help create seamless online experiences through website management, digital merchandising, and customer experience strategies.

• Retail and Operations: Store leadership, sales associates, and operations teams bring the final pieces together. Whether managing busy stores, supporting customers, or coordinating inventory and fulfillment, these professionals help ensure that the shopping experience meets customer expectations.

Each of these areas contributes something different, but together they shape how a brand shows up during the holiday season.

Building the Right Team for the Season and Beyond

For brands within the fashion, home, and beauty industries, the shopping experience is often an extension of their identity. The people interacting with customers, representing products, and supporting day-to-day operations all influence how consumers connect with a brand.

During the holiday season, when teams are working under increased pressure, finding employees who understand a brand's culture, values, and customer expectations becomes especially important. A strong seasonal hire brings more than availability or previous experience. Adaptability, communication, and an understanding of the brand can make a meaningful difference during its busiest moments.

Seasonal hiring can also create opportunities that extend beyond the holidays. Temporary employees may become valuable long-term additions to a team, while increased demand can help brands identify areas where additional support will be needed in the year ahead.

At EB, we partner with brands to find talent that aligns with their needs, culture, and long-term goals. From seasonal retail support to specialized roles in merchandising, ecommerce, marketing, and operations, our industry-focused recruiters understand the importance of building teams that reflect each brand's identity.

As the holiday season gets underway, the attention may be on the collections, campaigns, and shopping experiences, but the people behind them are what bring everything to life.

Looking to strengthen your team for the season ahead? Connect with EB to learn how we can support your hiring needs.

More on this topic:

• Tis The Season: Retail Holiday Hiring

• Navigating the Upcoming Holiday Season's Workforce Trends  

• Employer Branding for Holiday Hiring

Now Hiring: Senior Manager of Merchandising- Rugs

We’re looking for a Senior Manager of Merchandising – Rugs to join a growing home furnishings business and help shape the future of its rug category!

This is a great opportunity for someone who has a strong eye for home design, loves discovering new products, and knows how to turn trends and customer insights into smart merchandising decisions. You’ll lead assortment strategy, build vendor relationships, and identify new opportunities to grow the business.

This is a fully remote opportunity for someone with a background in home furnishings or home décor. Direct rug experience is a plus, but not required.

If you have 5+ years of merchandising experience and are ready for your next opportunity, we’d love to connect!

Now Hiring: Merchandising Managers

We’re hiring for two Merchandising Manager opportunities with a growing ecommerce brand in San Francisco, CA!

We’re looking for a Merchandising Manager – Seasonal Décor & Botanicals and a Merchandising Manager – Windows to help expand and develop two key product categories within the home industry.

These roles are a great fit for experienced merchants who have a strong eye for product, enjoy keeping up with trends, and know how to balance creativity with data-driven decisions. From introducing new products to understanding what customers want next, both positions offer the opportunity to play an important role in the brand’s continued growth.

If you have experience in seasonal décor, home textiles, or window coverings and are ready for your next opportunity, we’d love to connect!

Now Hiring: Senior Manager of Merchandising- Home Decor

We’re looking for a Senior Manager of Merchandising to lead the Home Décor category for a growing brand in San Francisco, CA!

This is a great opportunity for someone who has a strong eye for home décor, loves discovering new products, and knows how to balance creativity with the business side of merchandising. You’ll help shape the assortment, introduce new categories, and play a key role in the continued growth of the business.

If you have 10+ years of home décor merchandising experience and are ready for your next opportunity, we’d love to connect!

Now Hiring: Store Manager

We’re looking for a Store Manager to join our client, a footwear brand, in Pasadena, CA!

This is a great opportunity for someone who loves being on the sales floor, building strong customer relationships, and creating a positive team environment. We’re looking for an experienced retail leader who knows how to motivate a team, drive store performance, and bring a brand's values to life through great customer experiences.

If you have 3–5 years of retail leadership experience and are ready for your next opportunity, we’d love to connect!

Now Hiring: Graphic Designer - Apparel & Marketing

We’re looking for a Graphic Designer to join our client in the childrenswear industry and bring creative ideas to life across both apparel and marketing.

This is a great opportunity for someone who loves variety in their design work, from creating original graphics and prints for apparel to developing content for social media, email, and digital campaigns. We’re looking for someone with a strong creative eye, experience in apparel graphics, and the technical skills to take designs from concept to production.

If you have 5+ years of graphic design experience and enjoy working across both product and marketing, we’d love to connect!

Hiring for Potential vs. Experience: Rethinking Entry-Level Hiring

Hiring for Potential vs. Experience: Rethinking Entry-Level Hiring

Entry-level roles are often the starting point for someone building their career, but finding the right candidate can still be challenging.

Employers want to bring in people who can contribute to their teams and take on the responsibilities of the position. However, expecting candidates to already have significant experience can make it harder to recognize individuals who have the skills and potential to succeed, even if they haven't held a similar role before.

When it comes to entry-level hiring, looking beyond direct experience can open the door to candidates who might otherwise be overlooked.

Experience Doesn't Always Have to Be Direct

A candidate may not have held the exact position before, but that doesn't mean they are starting without relevant experience.

Internships, part-time jobs, school projects, and previous roles in other industries can all help someone develop skills that translate into the workplace. Someone with customer service experience, for example, may have developed strong communication and problem-solving skills that could be valuable in marketing, recruiting, retail, or other areas of a business.

Understanding what someone has learned from their previous experiences can provide a better picture of what they could bring to a new role.

Looking Beyond the Resume

Resumes can be particularly limiting for candidates who are just beginning their careers. Without years of professional experience to highlight, their qualifications may not immediately stand out on paper.

Consider someone who balanced school with a part-time job or took on leadership responsibilities in a student organization. While those experiences may not directly relate to the position they're applying for, they can demonstrate time management, initiative, and the ability to take on responsibility. Asking candidates about their accomplishments, challenges, and interests can help employers recognize strengths that might otherwise be missed.

Potential Is Worth Considering

For entry-level positions, employers have an opportunity to consider not only what a candidate already knows, but also what they are capable of learning.

Qualities like adaptability, curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to take on new challenges can be especially valuable early in someone's career. A candidate who demonstrates an interest in developing their skills may be well-positioned to grow alongside the team.

Experience will always have a place in hiring decisions. For positions where training and development are part of the role, however, potential can be just as important when evaluating candidates.

Understanding What Can Be Taught

Not every qualification needs to be something a candidate brings with them on their first day. Some positions require specific technical knowledge or foundational skills, while other responsibilities can be learned through training and hands-on experience.

For example, an entry-level marketing candidate may not have experience with the exact platform a company uses, but they might already understand content creation, communication, and basic campaign strategy. With the right training, learning a new platform may be a reasonable part of their development.

Before beginning a search, employers can benefit from identifying which skills are essential, and which can realistically be developed after someone joins the team. The level of training and support available should also factor into those expectations.

Building Talent for the Future

Entry-level hiring isn't only about filling an immediate opening. For growing brands, these positions can also be an opportunity to develop talent that may take on greater responsibilities over time.

Someone joining a merchandising, ecommerce, marketing, or retail team early in their career has the opportunity to learn the business from the ground up. As they gain experience, build relationships, and develop a deeper understanding of the brand, they may become ready for more specialized responsibilities or leadership opportunities.

Thinking beyond the immediate needs of a position can help employers recognize the longer-term value of investing in developing talent.

Finding the Right Balance

Hiring for potential doesn't mean overlooking the qualifications that matter. The goal is to understand which skills are necessary from the beginning and where there is room for someone to grow.

At EB, we understand that a candidate's potential isn't always obvious from their resume. Our experience recruiting across the fashion, home, and beauty industries helps us recognize transferable skills, understand different career backgrounds, and consider how someone's experience could translate to a new opportunity.

The right entry-level hire may not have every skill developed on day one. Taking the time to recognize what someone already brings to the table, along with what they have the potential to become, can make a meaningful difference in building a strong team.

Now Hiring: Kids and Baby Apparel designers - Multiple Roles

We’re hiring Kids & Baby Apparel Designers for three opportunities with our client in the apparel industry!

We’re looking for creative, detail-oriented designers who love bringing new ideas to life, from spotting trends and developing seasonal collections to seeing designs through the product development process. A strong background in kidswear or baby apparel, along with experience in denim and cut & sew, is key for these roles.

If you have 5+ years of design experience in kidswear or baby apparel and are ready for your next opportunity, we’d love to connect!

Now Hiring: Store Manager

We’re looking for a Store Manager to join a growing denim brand in Austin, TX and lead a team focused on creating a great customer experience.

This role is a great fit for someone who loves fashion and styling, enjoys being on the sales floor, and knows how to bring out the best in their team. We’re looking for a strong retail leader who understands what drives store success and has a genuine passion for denim.

If you have retail management experience and are ready to take the next step in your career, we’d love to connect!

Now Hiring: Director of Ecommerce

We’re looking for a Director of Ecommerce to join a growing DTC consumer brand in Charleston, SC and help lead its next phase of growth.

This is a high-impact role for someone who knows how to turn ecommerce strategy into results. You’ll lead the DTC business, own the P&L, shape digital marketing and retention strategies, and work across teams to uncover new opportunities for growth. Strong Shopify Plus experience and a background scaling consumer brands are key.

For candidates outside of Charleston, we’re open to connecting with those who are excited about the opportunity and open to relocating to the area.

If you’re an ecommerce leader who enjoys balancing big-picture strategy with hands-on execution, we’d love to connect!

Now Hiring: Store Manager

We’re looking for a Store Manager in Bethesda, MD to lead a team and create a store experience that keeps customers coming back.

This role is a great fit for someone who loves being on the sales floor, knows how to coach and motivate a team, and understands the business behind great retail. A genuine interest in fashion, styling, and denim is a big part of what we’re looking for.

If you’re an experienced retail leader who’s ready to take ownership of a store and its success, we’d love to connect!

What Makes Hiring in Fashion, Home, and Beauty Different

What Makes Hiring in Fashion, Home, and Beauty Different

Hiring is never one-size-fits-all, especially across the fashion, home, and beauty industries.

Brands are constantly responding to new trends, changing consumer expectations, periods of growth, and shifts in the market. Teams often evolve right alongside the business, creating hiring needs that can look very different from one brand to the next.

Finding the right talent requires more than matching a resume to a job description. Understanding the industry, the brand, and what the team actually needs can make all the difference.

Industry Experience Can Make a Difference

Certain parts of fashion, home, and beauty are difficult to fully understand without experience in or around these industries. Company size, team structure, product category, and stage of growth can all shape what someone’s day-to-day responsibilities actually look like.

Experience can also look different depending on the type of brand someone has worked for. At a larger company, roles may be more specialized, while smaller or growing brands may require employees to take on responsibilities across different areas of the business. Understanding the environment someone is coming from can help determine how their experience may translate to a new role.

Job Titles Don't Always Tell the Full Story

The same title can mean something completely different from one company to another. An Ecommerce Manager at a smaller brand might own nearly every part of the digital business, while someone with the same title at a larger company may specialize in one channel or area of the customer experience.

Similar differences exist across merchandising, marketing, creative, product, retail, and operations. Looking beyond the title to understand what someone has actually owned, the teams they have worked with, and the type of business they have supported can provide a much clearer picture of their experience.

Brand DNA Plays a Role in Every Hire

Experience matters, but a resume only tells part of the story.

Every brand has its own identity and way of working. Team structure, leadership style, customer, aesthetic, values, and growth plans can all influence what makes someone successful within an organization. A candidate can have the right technical background while coming from an environment that looks very different from the one they would be joining.

Getting to know a brand’s DNA early in the process helps bring those less tangible parts of a search into focus. The goal is to understand not only what the person needs to be able to do, but also the kind of team and business they will be joining.

The Right Candidate May Come From Somewhere Unexpected

Hiring within these industries does not always mean finding someone who has already held the exact same position at a nearly identical brand. Experience can translate across categories in ways that may not be obvious from a resume alone. Someone could come from a different product category, company size, or slightly different role while still bringing the skills and industry knowledge needed to succeed.

This can be especially important for specialized searches where the most obvious talent pool is limited. Understanding which parts of a candidate’s background are essential and which skills can transfer gives brands more room to consider strong talent without losing sight of what the role requires.

Timing Matters

Brands within the fashion, home, and beauty industries often hire around product launches, retail openings, seasonal demand, periods of growth, and other important moments for the business. Some of these needs can be planned for well in advance, while others develop much more quickly.

A new store, for example, may need leadership in place before the rest of the team can be built. Growth within ecommerce could create the need for additional expertise that was not necessary six months earlier. Seasonal periods can also create temporary hiring needs alongside a brand’s longer-term plans.

Starting the hiring conversation early, when possible, gives teams more time to focus on finding the right fit instead of reaching a point where the urgency of filling the role drives the process.

Understanding the Brand Behind the Role

A job description can outline what a company needs, and a resume can show where someone has been. Finding the connection between the two takes a deeper understanding of the role, the industry, and the brand itself.

At EB, our experience within the industries we recruit for helps us understand the nuances behind different roles and recognize experience that can translate across brands and categories. As we get to know a client, we also learn more about the team, culture, goals, and brand DNA behind the search.

Every brand is different, and every search comes with its own set of needs. Taking the time to understand those differences helps us approach each search with the bigger picture in mind and find talent that makes sense for where the brand is headed.

More on this topic:

• Finding the Right Fit: Hiring Industry Pros for Recruiting

• More Than a Search: The Value of the Right Recruiting Partnership

• Welcome to the Industry: Looking Beyond the Traditional Resume

Now Hiring: Store Manager

We’re looking for a Store Manager to lead a premium retail location in Seattle’s University Village and help take the store into its next stage of growth.

This role is a great fit for a strong people leader who loves being on the sales floor, developing a team, and building lasting relationships with customers. We’re looking for someone who understands the Seattle retail market, knows how to turn store performance into opportunities for growth, and can create a positive, consistent team culture.

Previous experience at University Village is a major plus! If you’re an experienced retail leader ready for your next opportunity, we’d love to connect.

Now Hiring: Associate Recruiter- Fashion & Product

We’re growing our team at EB! We’re looking for an Associate Recruiter to join our team and support recruiting across Fashion & Product roles.

This is a great opportunity for someone early in their recruiting career who understands the fashion and apparel space and is excited to keep learning and growing. You’ll work closely with our recruiting team to source and screen talent, build candidate relationships, and help keep searches moving from start to finish.

If you have 1–2 years of recruiting experience or a background in the fashion/apparel industry and are interested in building your career in recruiting, we’d love to connect!

Supporting HR Teams Through the Hiring Process

HR Teams Do a Lot. The Right Recruiting Partner Can Help.

HR teams are responsible for so much more than hiring. On any given day, they may be supporting employees, navigating benefits, managing performance, strengthening company culture, handling compliance, and thinking about what their teams need next.

Talent acquisition is an important part of that work, but when hiring picks up or a particularly challenging role opens, recruiting can quickly become another priority competing for time.

With HR Appreciation Day coming up on September 26th, we wanted to recognize the teams behind so much of what keeps a company moving and highlight how the right recruiting partnership can provide additional support when needed.

At EB, we don’t see ourselves as a replacement for an internal HR or talent acquisition team. We’re here to be an extension of the team, stepping in where extra support can make the biggest difference.

Creating More Room for Other Priorities

Hiring can take a significant amount of time, especially when several roles are open at once. Sourcing candidates, reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews, following up, checking references, and working through offers all require attention.

Taking on some of the recruiting workload can give internal teams more room to focus on the other priorities that need their attention. The level of support can look different for every organization, whether EB is managing an entire search or helping with specific parts of the hiring process.

Our goal is to make the process easier while working alongside the internal team already doing the work.

Extra Support for the Searches That Need It

Some roles are simply harder to fill than others. A niche skill set, competitive market, senior-level position, or particularly specific brand fit can make a search more challenging.

An outside recruiting partner can bring another perspective and a wider talent network into the process. Many of our recruiters at EB come from the industries we recruit for, giving our team firsthand knowledge of the roles, brands, and talent within them.

Our recruiters also spend every day building relationships with candidates, including people who may not be actively applying to jobs. When an internal team has already explored its usual channels, a broader network can help connect the search with talent they may not have reached otherwise.

A Partner for Confidential Searches

Certain searches also require an added level of discretion. A sensitive transition, leadership position, or organizational change may call for a hiring process that stays confidential during the early stages.

Working with a recruiting partner can create some separation between the company and the initial search. EB can handle outreach and early conversations discreetly while keeping the internal team involved at the right points throughout the process.

Flexibility When the Team Needs It

Not every hiring need has an immediate permanent solution. A team may need additional support now while taking the time to find the right long-term hire.

Temporary talent can help bridge the gap during a busy season, while a permanent search is underway, or when an existing team simply needs additional support.

Recruiting partnerships can offer that same flexibility. Working with an agency doesn’t always mean handing over every open role. Extra support may be helpful for one difficult search, a period of rapid growth, or a particularly busy stretch when the internal team has more on its plate.

Helping With the Details, Too

Smaller pieces of the hiring process can often take up more time than expected. Writing or refining job descriptions, coordinating interviews, keeping candidates updated, checking references, and supporting offer negotiations can quickly add to an already full workload.

EB can step in to help manage those details and keep the process moving while staying aligned with the internal team.

Working closely with HR also gives our recruiters a better understanding of the company’s culture, team, and brand DNA. Over time, that context allows us to approach future searches with a clearer understanding of both the experience needed and the kind of person who can thrive within the organization.

An Extension of the Team

Some of our strongest recruiting relationships are built through ongoing partnership.

Internal HR teams bring a deep understanding of their people, culture, and business. EB brings additional recruiting resources, industry experience, candidate relationships, and the ability to step in when hiring requires more time or reach than the internal team has available.

Bringing those strengths together allows both teams to work toward the same goal: finding the right people while creating a thoughtful hiring experience along the way.

This HR Appreciation Day, we’re celebrating the people balancing so many of the moving pieces behind great teams. When recruiting adds another priority to an already full plate, EB is here to work alongside HR teams and help make the process a little easier.

Now Hiring: Sr. Accountant

We’re looking for a Sr. Accountant to join our client in the apparel industry and support the day-to-day accounting behind a fast-moving business.

This role is a great fit for someone with a strong accounting background who’s comfortable taking ownership of everything from journal entries and reconciliations to fixed assets and multi-state sales tax. SAP experience is required, along with 10+ years of accounting experience.

If you’re detail-oriented, analytical, and looking to bring your accounting experience to the apparel industry, we’d love to connect!