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The e-SELLER Digital Report on e-retail

Introduction

The Erasmus+ Project “e-SELLER – foStering E-retaiL in ruraL EU aReas” focuses on providing employees of small and medium-sized enterprises across Europe with the tools that are indispensable for modern sales in the 21st century. Through the use of new technologies, the economy is undergoing a process of digitalization, which requires new skills and competencies of employees, trainers, and companies. In recent years, the pandemic in particular has once again clearly demonstrated the relevance of e-retail for all trading companies.

Therefore, the project e-SELLER aims to foster the retail sector’s digital transformation, focusing on the EU’s rural areas, where the retail workforce lacks the needed digital skills and competences to meet the emerging e-retail demands.

The project involves six partner organisations such as
social partners, non-governmental organisations, training centres, as well as private entities from Greece, Poland, and Germany. During the project’s lifespan from October 2022 to October 2024, the consortium has set itself the goal of equipping VET providers/trainers with an effective and attractive education and training program in line with the rural retail workforce’s individual needs and expectations by using digital and inclusive educational content and to link the rural labor market demands with the VET sector by emphasizing synergies and cooperation with partners from other countries.

This report serves as a guide for the further achievements of this project and acts as an awareness-raising tool for the Chambers/Associations staff in order to be aware and prepared to make adjustments to their policies and approaches to promote competitiveness and employment locally and regionally focusing on the retail sector needs and the e-retail demands.

In order to be in line with the rural retail workforce’s individual needs and expectations the project partners determine the concrete needs of companies in each partner country. Based on a survey among employees of retail businesses in rural areas of the EU, the existing digital skills, needs, and challenges are identified, which are important for the use of new technologies. Expert interviews with VET providers/trainers associated with the retail workforce training and Chambers/Associations staff confirm the results and provide the partnership with useful insight about the digital skills, competences, and challenges that lie on the retailers, especially taking into account the future developments regarding the emergence of e-retail demands.

The three national reports can be found in the annex of this report. The following chapters combine the results of the three national results to show a common picture from Southern, Eastern, and Western Europe. The diagrams consist of responses from a total of 209 employees and employers who completed the three Retailer and Retail Worker Questionnaires digitally in AdminProject. Detailed demographic data can be found in the respective national reports.

The same applies to the 30 VET providers/trainers associated with the retail workforce training and Chambers/Associations staff who were interviewed as experts. The report identifies the interesting similarities and differences between the answers collected in the expert interviews and the surveys.

Chapter 1: e-retail technologies and practices

According to the trainers and staff:

  1. Are you aware of any training content that deals with e-retail?

In Greece, most experts were aware of training content about e-retail, in Germany and Poland only a few were. In Germany and Greece, they know about e-commerce, in Poland they mentioned not content, but sources to get educational materials.

  1. Which digital tools do you consider important/indispensable to survive in the future retail sector?

In Germany and Greece, Digital Marketing is considered very important for the future, furthermore, 3D-product models and live commerce, while in Poland the experts considered AI instead of 3D Models.

  1. What development processes would you like to see in e-retail?

Experts from all countries wished for better customer services and updated websites as development processes they would like to see in the future.

  1. What do you imagine e-Retail to be?

While some experts did not know the term e-retail, many experts imagine e-Retail as the future of the e-retail sector with diverse Internet-based tools for sales, such as web stores with complementary offerings such as blogs, videos, hotlines, chatbots, and new technologies like AR, VR, and AI which also can be combined. E-Retail can either be completely digital or as an addition to an existing physical retail store. An e-retail company can be a purely digital presence, meaning there is no physical store for a customer to enter. E-Retail gives the customer more possibilities for comparing products on the market and quickly buying products cashless.

  1. What will the retail sector look like in 5 years?

Many participants foresee that the sales coming from online channels and e-retail will increase, with more companies promoting their products over the Internet and social media, improved e-commerce capabilities, and fewer companies offering only in-person retail.

  1. What would you recommend to retailers?

Most experts recommend adapting to new processes and technologies in e-retail and using them for their own good (e-shops, e-marketing). Also, they should have a good online presence with updated websites, especially for target-group-orientated businesses. A unique selling point of small and medium-sized companies compared to large online shops is the service, which should accordingly be at the highest level. Therefore, it is important to invest in well-qualified employees (further training), not just in technology. Furthermore, a focus on sustainability is recommended.

According to the survey on each question we gathered the results accordingly:

  1. Do you know the meaning of “e-retail”?

79% of the participants know the meaning of “e-retail”. The Greek & Polish workforce is over 90% aware of the term “e-retail”, in Germany more than 66% are not aware.



Figure 1

  1. Are you using digital tools in your retail business?

Most of the participants (63%) don’t use digital tools in their daily work, however, the German workforce uses digital tools the least.


Figure 2

  1. If yes, which digital tools do you already use in your professional life?

The digital tools that all three employees and employers from the three partner countries use in their professional life are social media, organizational and communication tools, digital marketing tools, and tools for the development of their website/online shop.

  1. Indicate the level of knowledge for the following digital technologies used in the retail sector:

The Greek, Polish, and German workforce are mostly aware of Digital Marketing, while the answers indicate a declining usage of other technologies.



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  1. How often do you use the following digital technologies in your professional life?

The Greek, Polish, and German workforce use mostly digital marketing, while the answers indicate a declining usage of other technologies.



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  1. If applicable, provide an example of the use of the abovementioned technologies in the retail settings.

The answers included mostly examples from digital marketing (especially social media) and the development/care of online shops.

  1. Please indicate the level of importance of the following technologies to be visible in the retail sector.

Digital Marketing is considered the most important technology in order to be visible in the retail sector.


Figure 15



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  1. What steps do you think that need to be taken to stimulate or accelerate the digital transformation of the retail sector?

The combined majority of the three workforces stated that they want to have more information about existing educational offers and training.

Chapter 2: e-retail soft skills

According to the trainers and staff:

  1. What soft skills are important for retail in general and why are they important?

Mostly the same soft skills were stated by all 30 experts. Responses to the question included:

  • Acceptance of change
  • Willingness to learn about products and act as an expert when giving advice
  • Strong communication skills and friendliness to increase customer satisfaction
  • Ability to work in a team
  • Flexibility
  • Self-learning competence
  • Empathy
  1. Which soft skills are becoming more important for the digital transformation?

Mostly the same soft skills were stated by all 30 experts. Responses to the question included:

  • Stress Management
  • Critical thinking
  • Adaptability
  • Self-learning competence
  • Flexibility
  • Communication
  • Time management
  1. To what extent does digitization change soft skills?

Almost all Greek & Polish Experts stated that soft skills will change to a high extent, in Germany the opinion differs.

  1. Can a company improve the soft skills of its employees?

All experts agree with the statement. Answers to the question about how this can be done included:

  • Training and seminars
  • Mentoring
  • Job-Shadowing
  • Work-based learning
  • Educational leave
  1. Which soft skills are taught in vocational training and how?

Soft Skills taught in VET in all three countries are mostly the same.

  1. Which soft skills should be taught in vocational training, but are missing so far?

Missing Soft Skills in Polish and Greek VET: empathy, active listening, and communication skills, while German experts could not name particular ones.

  1. To what extent is it important to continuously improve the soft skills of employees?

All experts agree that it is important or very important, and the company benefits from it.

  1. How do I ideally adapt to changes?

The answers are mostly similar with a focus on self-education by encouragement, continuous training & updating. Participants need good observation skills and should use learned new skills every day to strengthen them. However, the German experts talked more about prerequisites in order to reach this level of self-education.

According to the survey on each question we gathered the results accordingly:

  1. How do you rate your adaptability to changing work situations?

Overall, the workforce from all three countries has a good adaptability to changing work situations.


Figure 21

  1. Please, indicate the level of importance of the following soft skills in the retail sector.

None of the listed soft skills is mostly less than important for the workforce in all three countries, however, the last place is leadership in all countries (66 % Important or very important, all other soft skills reach way over 80%).



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  1. To what extend do you acquire the following soft skills?

The majority of all three workforces stated that they had acquired all the soft skills asked about. Well over half stated that they possess soft skills at least sufficiently.



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  1. If applicable provide an example of how you practice those skills in your professional life.

Most examples of soft skills of the three workforces contained communication & time management.

  1. In your opinion, which soft skills are becoming more important for the digital transformation?

The answers from the three workforces agree that communication, multi-tasking, and flexibility are the soft skills becoming more important for e-retail.

  1. In your opinion, how important is the separation of your professional and private life?

Over 90% of the workforce from Southern, Eastern, and Western Europe agrees that the separation of professional and private life is important, the vast majority sees this separation as even as ‘very important’.



Figure 38

  1. To what extend can you separate your professional and private life?

The combined majority stated that they can separate their professional and private life moderately. Even though over 90% find a good work-life balance important (see previous question), it is somewhat surprising here that “only” 25% also completely enforce a separation.


Figure 39

  1. Do you believe that digitalization negatively affects your work-life balance?

The majority do not think that digitalization will have negative aspects of their work-life balance.


Figure 40

  1. The majority of respondents answered no; some who answered yes to the above question stated:

Greek & Polish workforces are more worried because of (the feeling) of constant reachability & availability also at home.

Chapter 3: e-retail challenges

According to the trainers and staff:

  1. What steps are being taken to stimulate or accelerate the digital transformation of the retail sector?

The majority of the 30 experts agree that the stimulation of the digitalization of the retail sector can be accessed mostly via the transformation of public education & funding. In Poland, however, experts specified training in digital technologies with state subsidies, e.g., for setting up online shops.

  1. How easy is it to reach customers by digital tools in comparison to reaching customers in the traditional way?

Here, the opinion of the respondents is divided: Greek majority of experts think that it is easier to reach customers with digital tools than in a traditional way; In Germany, 5 experts agreed and 5 experts disagreed, and the Polish experts think it is the same, but with a trend to digital tools.

  1. What are the opportunities for digital marketing?

Social media is seen as the no.1 opportunity for digital marketing stated by the German and Greek experts. The Polish experts gave more general answers to this question.

  1. Do you think your everyday working life will change as a result of digitization?

The majority of the 30 European experts agree that everyday working life will change because of digitalization.

  1. To what extent has digitization already changed your everyday work routine?

All experts from Poland and Greece stated that digitalization has already changed their daily work routine to a great extent. The German experts were not as unanimous as their colleagues from Southern and Eastern Europe, but the majority have noticed a major change in their daily work here as well.

Examples of major changes include the increase in remote working, and digital communication instead of face-to-face meetings.

  1. Do you encounter digital challenges as a trainer?

The main challenge the majority stated is the lack of time to keep up with developments (especially in Germany and Greece), internet access, differences in knowledge and the number of digital tools (especially in Poland).

  1. Can digital tools support you in your daily work?

The majority of the 30 European experts agrees that digital tools can support them in their everyday work, especially in terms of efficiency and communication.

According to the survey on each question we gathered the results accordingly:

  1. How well do you rate your handling of work processes?

In all three combined surveys, the workforces rate their handling of the work process mostly as ‘good’.


Figure 41

  1. Do you often face challenges in your professional life?

Two-thirds of the employees and employers asked that they face at least frequently challenges in their professional life. However, it is important to compare that this majority is due to the fact that the workforce in Greece and Poland faces more digital challenges than the German workforce.


Figure 42

  1. To what extend do digital tools pose challenges for you in a professional setting?

Over two third of the asked employees and employers stated that digital tools pose at least somewhat of a challenge for them. In Greece and Poland, this rating is higher than in Germany.


Figure 43

  1. To what extend has digitalization changed your work routine?

Combined, almost half of the workforces stated that digitalization has already changed their work routine at least frequently. Here, the results from the three surveys differ: In Greece, one-third chose ‘to a great extent’ as the top answer, in Poland almost half of the participants chose ‘frequently’, in Germany the majority stated that they have noticed only ‘very little’ changes.


Figure 44

  1. If relevant, provide an example of a digital challenge you encounter in your everyday working life.

The answers collected in the three surveys are mostly the same and included the handling of new technologies and digital tools, but also challenges due to the shift from analog to e-retail, both in internal communication and working methods as well as with customers.

  1. Do you think that your everyday working life will further change as a result of digitalization?

More than two-thirds think that their daily working life will further change due to the ongoing digitalization. Here, there are some interesting differences between the three national surveys: While 85% of the German workforce thinks that their everyday working life will continue to change, the Polish workforce only agrees with 58%, and the Greek one with 69%.


Figure 45

  1. If yes, how?

The answers given here are mostly the same. Many answers, especially from German and Greek workforces, included that new technologies are the reason for the continuous can change in the further shift from retail to e-retail. However, the Polish workforce gave other possible causes for the changing in their everyday working life like way of communication and the way of performing tasks.

  1. How easy is it to reach customers by digital tools in comparison to reaching customers in a traditional way?

The majority of the asked employers and employees, especially in Germany and Poland, stated that it is ‘easier’ to reach customers using digital tools. However, the Greek workforce mostly stated that it is the same.


Figure 46

Chapter 4: e-retail work experience and work-based learning opportunities

According to the trainers and staff:

  1. To what extent do new apprentices already have digital skills?

The majority of the experts stated that new trainees already have digital skills at a medium to good level. In Germany, the level is seen as higher and there are other examples of pre-existing digital competencies like a high affinity for digital tools and media literacy, while the Polish and Greek experts stated communication and social media skills.

  1. What digital competencies do you consider important/indispensable for a business to survive in the future retail sector?

The most important competencies for a company to survive according to the majority of the European experts consisted of computer skills and digital marketing and customer support.

  1. What are the digital challenges in vocational training and how are they being handled?

The experts mostly agreed on the denial of familiarity with digitization and the tackling of the transition of education to the digital era as the main digital challenges in vocational training. In Poland, the experts added the lack of access to the internet and equipment and different levels of knowledge as well.

  1. In which retail/commercial fields are further digital training courses offered?

Most of the experts were not aware in which retail/commercial fields are further digital training courses offered, with one exception: e-commerce.

  1. Where do you perceive deficiency in VET related to digitalization in the retail sector? Where is there potential for improvement?

The answers in all three countries are slightly different. While in Germany, the lengthy processes to change training frameworks, with simultaneous rapid (new) development of digital tools that may already be outdated after several years of training is seen as a deficiency, the Polish experts stated the management of online platforms and the practical information as reasons. The Greek experts stated the poor quality of the material and the low level of exploitation of the potential of e-commerce.

  1. To what extent has digitalization changed everyday working life in the retail sector?

Most experts agree that digitalization has changed to a high extent the everyday working life in the retail sector.

  1. What digital developments have you noticed in retail over the last 5 years?

Responses included the social marketing and operation of e-shops according to all European experts. In Germany and Poland, many experts additionally stated the contactless payment (via smartphone).

According to the survey on each question we gathered the results accordingly:

  1. How do you rate your digital skills?

The majority of the three workforces mostly think their digital skills are at least good, which is the top answer in all three surveys.


Figure 47

  1. How did you acquire you’re so far gained digital skills?

The majority of the workforce in all three countries gained their digital skills mostly in self-learning and in work-based learning.


Figure 48

  1. How familiar are you with digital content for your training?

The relatively tight result here compared to the other charts illustrates the differences in responses across the three countries. In Poland, the majority of the workforce is only ‘slightly familiar’ with digital content for their training, in Germany ‘somewhat familiar’ and in Greece to a high extent ‘moderately familiar’.



Figure 49

  1. How often do you attend digital training courses offered?

The relatively tight result here compared to the other charts illustrates the differences in responses across the three countries. In Germany and Poland, the majority has never attended a digital training course, in Greece the top answer is ‘occasionally’. This is the 2nd place in Poland and Germany as well. All three countries have in common that there is a need to catch up here.


Figure 50

  1. If applicable, in which fields?

The answers given here are very different and include many different fields in terms of marketing, management, e-commerce communication, and customer relations, but also AI and coding.

  1. Would you like to train your digital skills for e-retail in the future?

Even though the diagram shows a clear tendency that the vast majority would very likely and definitely like to train their digital skills, there are national differences: The Majority of the Polish and the Greek workforce is motivated to train their digital skills, in Germany the top answer is ‘Possibly’.


Figure 51

  1. In your opinion, which of the following is the most suitable way for enhancing your e-retail skills?

The majority of the workforces in all three countries think the best way to acquire skills is through e-courses.


Figure 52

  1. Do you perceive VET as an important tool to keep up with the digitalization of the retail sector?

The vast majority perceive VET as an important tool to keep up with the digitalization of the retail sector.


Figure 53

Conclusion

Chapter 1: e-retail technologies and practices

Similarities

Overall, many aspects and findings of the three national reports are quite similar. For the project e-SELLER, the most important overall similarity is that the level of knowledge regarding e-retail in rural areas of the EU is relatively low, although many participants foresee that the sales coming from online channels and e-retail will increase, with more companies promoting their products over the internet and social media, improved e-commerce capabilities and fewer companies offering only in-person retail. Digital marketing is therefore important or indispensable in order to survive in the future retail sector. The dissemination of knowledge about e-retail is essential to assist in the changing digital landscape.

Experts from all countries wished for better customer services and updated websites as development processes they would like to see in the future of the retail sector. The workforces from all three countries use mostly digital marketing, compared to the other technologies there is declining knowledge and also usage. However, when listing what digital marketing people use, they mostly just cite social media. While social media might be the easiest one to use, it’s interesting that other technologies aren’t as popular. The combined majority of the three workforces stated that they want to have more information about existing educational offers and training, which is also quite important for the e-SELLER project’s aim of providing exactly this.

Differences

However, there are a few differences between the three national findings that need to be highlighted. One of the biggest and most surprising differences is that the Greek & Polish workforces are over 90% aware of the term “e-retail”, in Germany more than 66% are not aware of it. This may be explained by the fact that there are many different words for e-retail in German, with “digital retail” probably being the most common. Also, this could be explained by the use of digital tools in Greece and Poland, which is slightly higher than in Germany. Greece seems to be more advanced in the use of digital tools in their business, having 70% positive answers.

Furthermore, most Greek experts were aware of training content about e-retail, but in Germany and Poland, only a few were. In Germany and Greece, experts know about e-commerce, in Poland, they didn’t mention the content, but the sources to get educational materials. In Germany and Greece, Digital Marketing is considered very important for the future, furthermore, 3D-product models and live commerce, while in Poland the experts considered AI instead of 3D Models.

Chapter 2: e-retail soft skills

Similarities:

Regarding soft skills, the majority of the participants stated that digitalization changes soft skills to a high extent. The selection of soft skills, which are becoming more significant for e-retail, are similar in all three countries: stress management, communication, multi-tasking, flexibility, and problem-solving.

All experts agree that companies should provide training to strengthen soft skills because they are important. Also, the soft skills taught in VET are mostly the same. Overall, there is good adaptability to changing work situations and no listed soft skill is mostly less than important for the workforce in all three countries, however, the last place is leadership in all countries (66% Important or very important, all other soft skills reach way over 80%).

Almost all participants stated that it is very important to separate professional and private life, however, when asked to what extent can they separate them, most answered moderately. The majority also added that digitalization negatively affects their work-life balance.

Differences:

One of the surprising and important factors is the effect of digitalization on work-life balance, while Germany has the best results with 75% saying no, in Greece and Poland those numbers are much closer – this can mean that either people don’t know how to separate digital solutions available to us from those needed strictly for work and those that are for “fun” or just personal use or while using solutions for work they use the same device for both work and personal use making it harder to separate the two. Either way, as digitalisation will only move forward, it is a point worth paying attention to.

Chapter 3: e-retail challenges

Similarities:

Particularly important are the findings from this chapter. It reveals gaps as well as concerns about the future of retail – from the entrepreneurs’ point of view. The project e-SELLER can provide the knowledge and tools to minimise these. There are also a lot of similarities: First of all, the majority of experts stated that the stimulation of the digitalization of the retail sector can be accessed mostly via the transformation of public education funding for digital training and the implementation of new technologies. Also, the experts’ everyday working life will change because of digitalization, while think that digital tools can support them in their daily work. The majority of the three workforces think in a similar way: they stated that their work routine will continue to change, e.g., because of new technologies.

Differences:

For the future of the retail sector, it is really interesting that the majority of the Greek experts think that it is easier to reach customers with digital tools than traditional; while in Germany 5 experts agreed but 5 experts disagreed, and Polish experts think it is the same. It is also interesting that the workforce in Greece and Poland faces more digital challenges but has seen more digital changes in their work routine than Germans. However, 85% of the German workforce thinks that their everyday working life will continue to change, in Poland 58 %, and in Greece 69%.

Chapter 4: e-retail work experience and work-based learning opportunities

Similarities:

First of all, the most important competencies for a company to survive according to the majority of European experts are computer skills & digital marketing, which are very important for the further development of the e-SELLER project. The same applies to the fact that most of the experts were not aware in which retail/commercial fields are further digital training courses offered, with the exception of e-commerce.

Furthermore, most experts agree that digitalization has changed in high extend the everyday working life in the retail sector. In the last five years, social marketing and the operation of e-shops were seen by almost all experts. The majority of the workforce mostly think their digital skills are at least good, and they gained their digital skills mostly in self-learning and in work-based learning, although the majority thinks that the best way to acquire skills is e-courses.

Differences:

In Poland, the majority of the workforce is only slightly familiar with digital content for their training, in Germany somewhat familiar and in Greece to a high extent moderately familiar. In Germany and Poland, the majority has never attended a digital training course, while the majority in Greece attended at least occasionally. The vast majority of the Polish and Greek workforce is motivated to train their digital skills, the German workers are also mostly positive. Therefore, the training programme to be developed during the e-SELLER project is highly appreciated by all three workforces.

Annex