Page 43 - CBM13

~ Tradebyte ~

leasure to talk to you, Kathrin. That lack of data, could we define that as a possible
P ‘Likewise!’ glass-ceiling problem for women in e-commerce?
‘No, I don’t think so. If there is such a thing, I believe it is
only in the minds of women. In general, it seems that women
Could you share your vision of today’s e-commerce are less interested in technical jobs. Often, they think they
market? are not good with maths or numbers as such. There is also re-
‘Even though I am nearly ten years into the e-commerce search that shows women are better in languages and commu-
industry right now, I still feel like we are at the beginning of nication skills compared to technical skills. I, for one, believe
its lifecycle. Have a look at the facts. Lots of industries want women need to be more self-confident regarding their techni-
to get involved in e-commerce. It means they are digitising cal skills. Second, e-commerce is far from a typical technical
themselves. It is a wheel that never stops turning. Everything market. What about process management, handling customer
happens a lot faster than 20 years ago when I started working. relationships or the huge opportunities in marketing and
The market will become more and more automatised over the HR? Hiring and training people for e-commerce jobs is a real
whole supply chain. That means that players who can con- challenge, especially due to the lack of dedicated e-commerce
stantly reinvent themselves will prevail and survive. job training courses such as “Marketplace Manager” or even
“Content Manager”.’
On the other hand, there are topics such as sustainability that
find their ways onto the agendas of e-commerce companies. What can be done to support women who want to
We will need to find ways to handle our carbon-oxygen foot- enter the e-commerce market on a business level?
print. This, too, is connected to innovation and reinventing ‘Actually, I think women in e-commerce are doing quite well.
yourself. When it comes to Amongst others, there are a lot of
“WOMEN IN
digital and technical topics, career changers here at Tradebyte.
e.g. saving energy, this is one We look for talent fitting our
of the most discussed and Tradebyte Family Culture, for
relevant topics at this very example, those who have experi-
moment.’ E-COMMERCE ARE ence in logistics or the hotel in-
dustry. They then get one or two
Digital and technology years of training and mentoring,
markets tend to be male- DOING QUITE WELL” depending on their skill level and
oriented. At first sight, e- role. This month, we promoted
commerce seems to be no a young woman from Junior to
different. Statistics show E-Commerce Consultant. She
that investments in e-commerce are often provided to has a background in logistics and accompanied our consultant
*1
companies led or represented by males . What’s your to each and every workshop in the beginning. Later, she took
opinion? over, preparing those and writing minutes. Now, after one and
‘It is an often-used buzzword, I know, but I have to say it is a half years, she is fully capable of handling workshops on
all about diversity. Companies solely led by males or fe- her own. Together with her colleague, she is developing new
males each have their own issues. My male colleagues often workshop formats too.’
complain about my accuracy and empathy when I am trying
to make everyone happy – if possible. It causes arguments. So, there are a lot of chances for women in e-com-
On the other hand, in male-led companies, it often seems merce. What does that mean for the future?
a bit chaotic with no sense of processes or at least a bit of ‘I think the goal should be to focus on finding enough talent
structure. That’s when my colleagues say “They should have and willingness to never stop learning. I really hope that we will
a Kathrin…”. I really think women get a fair chance in e- no longer have to talk about these issues in the near future! The
commerce. However, I think women are deeper in their busi- goal should be that anybody who has the skills for a job should
ness once we, e.g. ask for funding. We rarely pitch the idea be able to get it, regardless of gender, age, nationality, sexual
and hope for support. Maybe women should be a bit braver in orientation, etc. In e-commerce, we already face a huge short-
asking for investments. age of professionals. Last November, Bitkom stated that in the
*2
IT sector alone, we lack 124.000 specialists . Maybe we should
Being more future-oriented, it could just as well be that AIs focus on getting these shortages filled instead of talking about
deciding on investments don’t have enough historical data to gender!’ ••
recognise that women are just as successful as men. It could
be a reason for them to choose the “save” route. Maybe part of
the solution is more female founders “donating” their data for *1: https://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=2215
improving AI.’ *2: https://t3n.de/news/deutschland-fehlen-124000-1228377/

43