Staffing, Recruitment, & HR Blog
We’re excited to kickoff the search for an eCommerce Product Manager with our newest client in womenswear. This is a great opportunity to help grow and develop the eCommerce platform of a very popular, woman-owned apparel brand best known for their feminine, yet sophisticated style and vibrant colors and prints.
Salary range: $100-130k.
Trends This Holiday Season
According to holiday shopping statistics from 2020, 38% of US consumers planned to start stocking on gifts in October, and another 23% before Thanksgiving. Only 22% said they’d wait until Thanksgiving to start their holiday shopping.
With the customer concerns of the state of the economy, many retailers are encouraging early consumer spending by running sales to compete with their Black Friday promotions. These sales are spanning from anywhere between 20%-70% off to capture even the most strategic of holiday spenders. With early promotions and strategic sales tactics ruling the holiday season, we can only wonder, what this will look like for consumers and how can retailers best prepare?
What Retailers Can Expect
Higher volumes of shoppers! Customers will capitalize on these promotions while also heading to retailers for the in-person experience, service, and holiday shopping tradition.
“In the US, 81% of Gen Z consumers prefer to shop in stores to discover new products and more than 50% say in-store browsing is a way to disconnect from the digital world.”
What Customers Can Expect
With customers being hyper focused on promotional sales, many of which they can capitalize on through omni channel, their in-store shopping experience will be quite specific. Customers will be seeking excellent service, authentic engagement, a well-loved store, and overall, a strong brick and mortar shopping atmosphere.
Implement A Fluid Shopping Experience
In-store and omni channel experiences are more intertwined than ever before. While some customers may visit stores to view an item and later order it online, some customers will do the opposite: viewing merchandise online and making purchases in-store. Brands that create fluid cross channel shopping experiences for the customer will see a smooth and fruitful season.
Be a Leader That Inspires
In the spirit of the holiday season, we cannot forget the hard retail workers that drive the in-store experience. As retail leaders, it is important to inspire excitement of suggestive selling and authentic customer engagement to all employees that interact directly with customers. This year, a big driver of conversion of sale will be the connection that is made between the customer and the sales associates. Customers are being very thoughtful and strategic in their purchasing, so it is important when they are visiting the stores to invoke a connection and level of trust in what is being suggested to the customer by the team. A great reminder is to keep work fun for the team! In-store contests, praise, and empowerment make a big difference in employee attitude during this time of the year.
Take Care of Your Team
Employees tend to buy into initiatives and perform better when they feel valued and motivated. This season can be physically and emotionally training for most, including the teams that work tirelessly to support the magic of the season in the retail setting. This is a reminder to be empathetic leaders this season. Honor requests and suggestions where possible without disrupting business. Check in on your team, an extra 10-minute break when business permits will go a long way on those long days. You can also consider shorter shifts to optimize productivity and minimize burnout. It is in your power to set the example for tone and pace when working with the team. The season is taxing for retail employees, so be thoughtful and creative in ways to keep it fun. The greatest asset to a brand’s success this season, and every season, is its people.
Articles referenced:
Retail Statistics for 2022: 53 Data-Backed Retail Stats To Know (shopify.com)
115 Customer Service Facts (Including Trends and Statistics) | Indeed.com
Retail Facts and Figures – October 2022 Update (shopreme.com)
Our client, a popular golf brand in Carlsbad, is growing! We’re on the lookout ‘fore’ a Senior HR Coordinator to join their team. Learn more about the role here.
We’re #hiring for an exciting opportunity with a rapidly growing, international fast-fashion brand. We’re looking for someone with similar brand experience who is passionate about keeping up with the latest in fashion, streetwear, and trends. Click here to learn more and to apply.
A growing outdoor menswear brand is adding a Merchandise Planner to their team. This is a great opportunity to work with a company driven by quality of design and strongly values a sense of community amongst its team.
Gen Z is considered to be the first generation of digital natives. Having grown up using advanced technology, Generation Z favors innovative and streamlined uses of this technology in both their job search and in the workforce.
If you’re actively hiring, here are some helpful tips to best attract and retain Gen Z talent:
Incorporate texting into the hiring process: Offering speedier channels of communication may be the deciding factor in attracting and retaining Gen Z workers long term. According to a Job Seeker Trends Survey, almost 80% of candidates indicated that they prefer scheduling interviews via text rather than email or phone call.
Invest in digital platforms: Having a clear digital presence, especially on social media platforms, can help to establish trust even before the interview process begins. If a Gen Z candidate is interested in a job with your brand, it is likely that they will turn to your social media platforms to learn more about your company’s values, the work-life balance, and overall culture before the initial interview.
Update your website: Modernization is highly valued by Gen Z. In fact, 50% of Gen Z candidates said that they would not submit an application if a company’s recruiting methods are outdated. Staying up-to-date with the latest hiring trends will help guarantee that you attract the talent you’re looking for.
Articles referenced:
We're #hiring for several #HR roles in California.
Global Director of Total Rewards
Senior HR Coordinator
Human Resources Generalist
Want to work with a brand that makes everyday feel like the weekend? Our Bay-area based client does just that. Check out our job opportunities with this super cool team:
Our LA-based (and surrounding areas) job opportunities are endless. Apply today!
Creative
Senior Merchandiser (Gardena)
Product Graphic Design Manager (Gardena)
Senior RTW Womenswear Designer (Vernon)
Associate Product Developer of Imports
Associate Denim Designer (Vernon)
Retail & Sales
Customer Service Representative
Human Resources
Senior Director of HR - Corporate and Retail
Human Resources Generalist (Beverly Hills)
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to remember the large impact that ghosting can have on both candidates and your business. Leaving a candidate hanging can send a louder message than a rejection. According to a study shared by LinkedIn, “40% of candidates said that if they don’t hear back from a company they’ll never apply to it again.” Not only does ghosting your candidates leave them feeling confused, but it can also affect your brand’s image and long-term growth.
A good practice to help ensure that no candidate feels left behind, is to implement a follow-up strategy. Rather than leaving your candidates feeling spooked, you can strategize a plan using these three easy steps:
Be upfront about the volume of applications you receive.
Quickly let candidates know if they are not a match and not being considered.
Encourage your candidates to apply to other roles now, and in the future.
Offer advice and guidance to help them with their job search.
If your team could use support managing your candidates, our team can help. Connect with our team, learn more about our EB 360 solution, or reach out to us at info@emergingblue.com.
Our super cool client, a luxury streetwear brand based in NYC, is adding a Head of Growth to their team. We’re looking for someone who will fuel the growth of this brand with their digital marketing experience and shared passion for streetwear fashion.
In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we’re bringing a spotlight on the ways eCommerce can be made more accessible.
Many brands and retailers “miss out on millions of potential customers when they don’t design websites to be accessible to shoppers who use assistive technologies or rely on a keyboard to navigate online.” In fact, 15% of the world’s population experiences some form of disability. According to the Baymard Institute, 94% of the largest eCommerce sites can be challenging or even impossible to navigate for people with disabilities.
More and more people are choosing to shop online. With such a rapidly growing surge of online shoppers, there have been increased demands for brands and retailers to seriously invest into their e-commerce businesses. Such efforts include:
Diversifying your team
The first step toward accessibility, and perhaps the easiest solution “to making sure things actually work really well is [by] hiring a person with a disability.”
Providing visual alternatives
Descriptive alternative texting caters to users with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments. This feature provides accurate and descriptive alternative text for images, form fields, and page descriptions to be read aloud to the user.
Differentiating links from surrounding text and backgrounds
Links are crucial to navigating around a site. By providing descriptive titles and adequate contrast ratios for links, users with disabilities can better navigate the site.
Enhancing keyboard navigability
For users with mobility impairments who rely on a keyboard for site navigation, having all-site functionality operable on a keyboard can be a gamechanger.
At Emerging Blue, we are constantly striving to uphold our commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion with all hiring and employment practices. Our goal is to both embody and coach our clients on creating inclusive environments in which all candidates and employees are treated with respect.
Read more about our DE&I commitment on our About page and on our Blog.
Great news! Mizzen+Main is expanding their wholesale executive team. We’re searching for a Wholesale Account Executive drive market growth of this impressive premium-performance menswear brand in the NE & Midwest. Learn more about the role here.
Know someone who may be a great fit? Check out our Referral Bonus Program.
We are fortunate to partner with some of the most innovative, inspired brands in the fashion, home, and beauty industries. Before we can begin to find the most authentically fit talent for our clients, we value the time it takes for us to learn the backbone of the brand and to gain a full appreciation of the story behind it.
Recently, our team had the incredible opportunity to speak with friends, business partners, and visionary storytellers, Emily Current and Meritt Elliott. For over 20 years, the duo has continued to be inspired, taken risks, and grown the business together. This is the story of how they came to build their fully realized women’s lifestyle collection, THE GREAT.
Both undergraduates at UCLA and lovers of classic Americana style who shared an appreciation for vintage denim and denim culture, Emily and Meritt bonded quickly. Their creative partnership led them to a career of dressing red-carpet celebrities, styling editorials, art directing advertising campaigns, and in 2008, launching CURRENT/ELLIOTT, their vintage-inspired apparel brand that was later sold in 2012.
Over the next several years, both women worked with Kate Spade New York, became members of the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), entered the home arena with PB Teen, and launched their own coffee table book, ‘A Denim Story: Inspirations From Bellbottoms to Boyfriends,’ which is now on its third reprint.
This unwavering bond has continued to lead Emily and Meritt on many creative adventures together, one of which we are thrilled to be a part of. We’re teaming up with this inspirational dynamic duo as they embark on one of their notably greatest achievements since 2015, their women’s lifestyle brand known as THE GREAT.
Inspired by timeless Americana style, THE GREAT. offers a collection of elevated, stylish, and high-quality pieces. Rooted in classic fit, care, and quality products, owners and leaders Emily and Meritt continue to manage all creative direction and design to celebrate and innovate dressing their customers for their most authentic and joyful moments of their life.
Emily and Meritt lead by example with their commitment to creating a collaborative, upbeat, and transparent workplace for their employees. Encouraged by a strong work-life balance, the team at THE GREAT. believes in working smarter not harder.
With four retail stores and a huge growth trajectory generated in authenticity and word-of-mouth, THE GREAT. is available in over 200 of the world’s most premier retailers and has plans to grow its omnichannel its foot print over the next couple of years.
We’re thrilled to partner with this incredibly hard-working team as they bring a unique flare to classic Americana style all while creating a workplace that prioritizes the health, happiness, and productivity of their employees.
If you’re interested in joining their team of visionaries, check out the jobs we’re working on for THE GREAT.
In the spirit of retail holiday hiring, here are some more sales opportunities including retail, direct to consumer, and wholesale.
Account Executive - Specialty NE & Midwest
Holiday retail sales are likely to increase between 4% and 6% in 2022, according to Deloitte’s annual holiday retail forecast. eCommerce sales will grow by 12.8% to 14.3%, year-over-year, during the 2022-2023 holiday season.
Due to recent inflation, budgeting is top of customers’ mind this season. Brands are having to be strategic about their Q4 hiring forecasts and distribution of talent. Some areas brands are digging into for hiring are:
The number of roles to fill vs. the number of people to hire.
When to hire (now vs. later as customers are starting holiday shopping now.)
Peak weeks vs. peak days (Customers are forecasted to be less interested in Black Friday and boxing day deals and more focus and multi-day discounts over the season.)
Diversifying the support needed for all channels of service for the customer to maximize ease of purchase and quality service (forecasting the needs for DTC, BOPIS, and in store success and hiring to those needs vs. historical holiday hiring forecasting.)
With current and anticipated customer purchasing trends throughout the season, the second week of October could be considered a bit of a delay for Q4 hiring. However, creative, strategic, and focused brands can still hire optimal talent in time for the holidays.
Get creative in how you connect with your market talent. As we head into the holidays, retailers are focusing on creativity and strategy with their hiring and marketing efforts. Brands across the country are hosting company hiring events and are taking to their corporate blog posts to communicate their seasonal hiring strategy with full transparency. We are also seeing an increase in brand partnerships beyond hiring but in a way that could drive talent interest. For example, Howard Meitiner, managing director at Carl Marks Advisors said that retailers that have “increased their visibility through strategic partnerships, will benefit in terms of sales from such exposure (Neiman’s/Farfetch, Toys R Us/Macy’s, Amazon/Kohls, Ulta/Target etc). This is a winning strategy when the partnership adds value to both parties.”
Meet your talent where they are. Store signage, flyers at the local coffee shop, and job postings on your website’s career page are classic ways to let talent know you are hiring, but these are no longer the most effective way to grab the attention of your talent. More brands than ever have turned to virtual hiring tools and social media strategies for hiring. Brands are tapping into passive interested talent by meeting them where they are, on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
Consider referral incentives this season! We believe that good people know good people. Encourage your employees and customers to support your hiring efforts by offering a Referral Bonus Program! The return on asking for referrals can be good, but the return when incentivizing referrals is better!
If you’re ready to grow your retail team for the peak season and could use a helping hand, connect with us or shoot us an email at info@emergingblue.com!
References & Additional Sources:
Kohl’s Prepares for the Holidays with Seasonal Hiring Across Stores and Supply Chain (kohls.com)
Remote Work, Quiet Quitting May Make Holiday Hiring Difficult For Retailers (forbes.com)
Holiday Retail Forecasts and Predictions for 2022 | RIS News
How retailers are hiring for the holidays in 2022 | Retail Dive
