Demand for IT professionals within the retail sector has leapt 46% over the last six months, according to IT recruitment agency ReThink Recruitment based on the business interest they have received.

Demand for IT professionals within the retail sector has leapt 46% over the last six months, according to IT recruitment agency ReThink Recruitment based on the business interest they have received.

ReThink Recruitment concludes that the resurgence in demand for IT skills in the retail sector is a result of retailers investing in or replacing their core e-commerce platforms as well as upgrading their core merchandising and supply chain systems to become truly “multi-channel”.

A recent Martec report on IT in Retail found that 19% of retailers are planning to replace their e-commerce platforms in the next 12 months, with 5% planning to implement an e-commerce platform for the first time. By 2014, 37 million consumers will be buying online, compared with 27 million in 2010.

ReThink director Iain Blair said: “Competition among retailers is leading to a shortage in the supply of candidates with key skills. The market is increasingly candidate-led. We actively have to seek out well over a third of the project managers and business analysts we now place with retailers. A year ago candidates were knocking on our door. It’s been a dramatic turnaround.”

ReThink Recruitment adds that many retailers are still not able to offer their entire product range through their existing e-commerce platform and are keen to enhance CRM systems, which should integrate into e-commerce platforms. This allows websites, like Amazon, to recommend new or alternative products to consumers, based on data gathered from previous purchases or searches.

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