Prioritizing DevEx: How Retailers Can Win the War for Developer Talent
Competition for the best developer talent is increasing in every sector and shortages are increasing. An overwhelming majority (69%) of software developers leave their roles after less than two years, often due to unnecessary stress levels, excessive unpaid overtime and a toxic work culture. Even if they are convinced to stay, three in four developers are burned out and unable to work at their best, putting critical projects at risk of serious consequences due to a lack of productivity.
Developer shortages are detrimental across the board, but especially for e-commerce companies. Retailers rely on software developers to create and manage engaging online experiences for customers, improve SEO visibility, drive traffic to their sites, and keep user data encrypted and secure.
If steps aren’t taken to improve the developer experience, retailers risk losing top developers to forward-thinking competitors, impacting customer e-commerce experiences. So how can e-commerce companies keep developers on side?
Country Manager UK and Ireland at SCAYLE.
Let developers manage themselves
Developers are often interrupted by required updates or routine tasks, especially during busy seasons like the holiday shopping season. There’s no reason to waste this time with unnecessary meetings or distractions; it only widens the gap between developers and their immediate priorities.
“Flow” is a well-known concept among developers. Also known as ‘deep work’, this term refers to a state of complete concentration without distractions, something that many developers find necessary on a daily basis to stay productive. It can take a programmer between 10 and 15 minutes to resume coding after a break, meaning even the most trivial delays can quickly turn into major project setbacks.
Learning how developers use their time at work can help restructure workflows, identify useful tools, and reduce turnaround times by up to 40%. Managers should regularly gather feedback from developers on how to best spend their time at work and plan accordingly, such as rescheduling meetings or allowing flexible time when necessary.
Identifying the right (and wrong) resources
Given their staggering workforce turnover, developers must view many positions as “dead-end jobs.” Developer roles should be as valuable to the employees as they are to the company, with opportunities to learn, grow and progress.
For example, 44% of developers aren’t always sure which system or resource to use to answer a question, impacting both productivity levels and stress management. Complex coding projects require extensive tools, but not all teams are adequately trained in their use.
Managers may assume that developers are familiar with certain platforms or tools, but this assumption can ultimately hinder the growth of young talent, or worse, discourage them from asking questions. Therefore, project managers must ensure that all tools are accessible, easy to use and explained in detail to all employees. Communications must also be watertight, especially when working with remote teams, to keep developers in that ever-valuable flow state.
Another way to help developers progress and learn new things is to offer periodic training, whether it’s on essential work practices or to develop skills your business might one day need. By giving developers the opportunity to develop their knowledge of the latest technologies, companies can close the skills gap while ensuring their team acquires valuable skills on the job.
However, it is important to consider the time frames and workload for individual team members. Developers are likely to drop intensive courses or programs if it interferes with their core responsibilities, especially during a busy shopping period. Instead of lengthy training courses, companies could instead consider more flexible resources without time constraints to encourage developers to learn essential new skills on the job when they are able to do so.
Freedom at work
70% of developers code in their spare time. For them, coding is not just a job, but a hobby and a craft – it is something they enjoy doing. However, many developers (especially those in-house) find that all their time is consumed by searching for bugs and other necessary, but boring and labor-intensive fixes, which further affects their job satisfaction. When barriers are created between developers and creative coding, it hinders innovation across the board. Developers become less interested and come up with fewer ideas that would enrich the customer experience.
Without addressing the issue of developer freedom at work, companies may soon find themselves with a sober workforce – not because of a lack of enthusiasm, but because their ideas weren’t encouraged in the first place. This complacency will keep companies behind while major competitors roll out innovative new ways to satisfy their customers.
Freedom comes from using modern, flexible software that takes care of the mundane tasks that developers are often burdened with, such as bug fixing. This also gives developers the freedom to add to the ecosystem. By removing tedious and labor-intensive tasks from their workloads, developers have more resources to focus on delivering business value and truly contributing to the overall business strategy.
It’s normal for managers to want to maintain the hygiene of their ecommerce site, but making it a full-time job for developers isn’t an efficient use of their time; it inhibits innovation, distracts from more urgent tasks and disengages the team. To reduce this type of repetitive administrative work, companies should consider investing in tools that can automate testing and identify bugs, freeing up developers for more complex, stimulating tasks that have a more direct impact on conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
Where composable comes into play
Top developers have become a hot commodity for e-commerce companies. A good team of developers is crucial to creating compelling, frictionless customer journeys. So retailers must find ways to keep developers happy and motivated.
Self-management, freedom, and watertight communication are all essential for improving the developer experience. By giving developers the freedom and flexibility to create experiences that deliver business value, retailers reap the benefits of unique, engaging experiences that set them apart from their competitors.
Investing in new technologies, such as headless infrastructure, gives developers full control over the customer experience – without the limitations of proprietary front-end technology – within the frameworks of their choice. With a composable approach, developers can leverage existing capabilities, allowing them to showcase their creativity – instead of getting bogged down in fixes and mundane tasks.
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