Smartphone contractors bag retailers' 20% pay premiums

A finite supply of contractors facing large retailers is pushing rates for mobile commerce specialists above the £500 a day mark, an AIM-listed recruiter in the IT sector says.

ReThink Recruitment showed that the limited number of ‘mcommerce’ contractors has mixed with retailers’ rushing to enhance their mobile offerings to return a daily rate of £600.

Day rates for contractors working on e-commerce projects that are non-mobile, by contrast, come in at about £500 - but also where the job is temporary and for a programme manager.

Similarly on a contract basis, ecommerce designers outside of mobile, perhaps working with a desktop in mind, can expect £280 day - whereas their mobile counterparts are on £350. 

In fact, retailers are setting rates 20% higher than traditional ecommerce tends to pay for contractors qualified or experienced in mcommerce, whether via iPad, tablet or smartphone.

ReThink said of its findings:“Competition among retailers to attract suitably qualified staff is intensifying and we are now seeing a two tier market with pay for staff with mcommerce experience motoring ahead.”

Director Ian Blair believes that retailers are more aware than ever of a “potential boom” in profits from ensuring their customers have a “highly customised and slick mobile browsing experience.”

He explained: “Customers are no longer just using these tools to find their nearest store or check the opening and closing times.

“They are increasingly expecting to see 360 degree product views, to place orders internationally, to double check a high street store has the right size and colour of a design of shoes – and all these require extensive expenditure in IT.

“This is now a top priority for all the major retailers. Most see it as far more critical than more traditional areas of spend, such as investment in store payment systems or upgrading store fittings.”

Addressing the 20% rate premium on offer, he said some retailers felt that they missed out on the “initial e-commerce land grab” so were now determined not “to make the same mistake” with mconmmerce.

Yet suitably skilled contractors aren’t being greedy. Even though some temporary programme managers are juggling up to five competing contract offers, Mr Blair says many contractors will prioritise the quality of the project over their starting rate.