I currently work in the distribution arm of a major garment company. Most of our design work and sales are performed here in the United States, while product is manufactured overseas and shipped back here, where my division deals with fulfilling the orders. During my time with the company, we’ve seen a distinct rise in e-commerce and direct-to-customer orders. In fact, we saw a sharp spike in both during last year’s lockdown, even as our brick-and-mortar retail orders all but dried up.
I would therefore say that we’re already experiencing a distinct shift in our business model as we continue to fulfill e-commerce orders. When I first started fourteen years ago, my department barely ever sent filled a D2C order, with most of our product going to retail companies and their distribution centers. Before the pandemic my department was already transitioning to increased D2C, processing sometime hundreds of individual orders a day, alongside bulk orders that could run into several thousand units per customer.
Within the next five to ten years, I expect our D2C and e-com business to increase even further. As far as training methodology goes, we currently rely on on-the-job training for Associates. That is unlikely to change, as our business relies on new hires getting to speed quickly. Clerical workers experience up to several weeks of on-the-job, while floor associates are taught new skills on an as-needed basis.
The only formal training course available is the powered industrial truck certification, which requires a single session of classroom instruction, followed by a single session of hands-on equipment operation. I find it highly unlikely that distance learning would even be considered, given the nature of the work involved.
Mallory Jones 