Woolworths is on a hiring drive to ramp up its digital expansion
Retailer Woolworths is on a hiring drive as it expects significant changes in South Africa’s retail sector and customer shopping behaviour brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Staff Writer | Business Tech
Staff Writer7 October 2021
The group says it continues to drive digital engagement, investing in a new operating model to fast-track the building of its online capability amid ramped up online growth in the wake of the pandemic.
Liz Hillock, head of online and mobile at Woolworths, said that the race for tech talent is on across the country, with retailers dialling up their investment to ensure they are appropriately structured to respond competitively.
Hillock said Woolworths is accelerating its investment in its digital platforms and pushing to become a leading omnichannel retailer. “Over the last three years, we have invested more than R1 billion in our digital capabilities in South Africa, providing new and innovative experiences that meet evolving customer needs and that differentiate us in the market,” she said.
“We’re now accelerating this investment to support the exponential growth of our digital channels. We’ve adapted the way we’re structured to ensure we can innovate at speed and scale.”
Woolworths said it is actively in the market to recruit more than 100 specialists to take their digital strategy forward, including:
- Product management;
- UX design expertise;
- UI design expertise;
- Scrum masters;
- Technical and design leads.
Hillock said the Woolworths digital team has already delivered innovative projects to the market in recent months and was the first South African retailer to launch a virtual try-on for beauty and virtual beauty consultations. Other initiatives include:
- WCellar, which contains a standalone liquor store;
- An online hub and NFC enabled shopping;
- AI-driven recommendations, ratings & reviews;
- The launch and scaling of Woolies Dash, the first on-demand retailer in the country with a full cold chain.
“We’re experimenting, learning and iterating to ensure we constantly optimise our services while exploring and utilising the latest technologies and services. We are now looking for the best, most curious minds in the country to join us on this journey to build Woolworths quality digital services,” she said.
Woolworths said that more information about its open positions can be found on its LinkedIn page here.