Smarter retail hiring in 2025: Transforming talent acquisition with HireVue

The retail industry is entering a new era of innovation, driven by technology and changing customer expectations. 

According to ToolsGroup, “In 2025, AI and advanced data analytics are set to redefine the customer shopping experiences. As in-person retail regains prominence, retailers are leveraging these transformative technologies to create seamless, personalized journeys that captivate and delight their audience.” 

And this trend echoes retail hiring as well. 

In 2024, retail was the top industry to use HireVue AI-powered hiring tools to make their hiring more efficient—even 7 of our top 12 customers are in the retail space.

The retail industry poses a unique challenge. Candidates are frequently customers as well, so ensuring those who are hired and, more specifically, those who are not, are leaving your hiring process with a positive view of your brand is critically important. 

In 2025, hiring the right talent is more critical than ever, as employees play a pivotal role in delivering seamless customer experiences. To meet these demands, retailers are using advanced tools like HireVue to streamline hiring processes and make smarter, data-driven decisions.

Identify the right skills 

Retail hiring is a notoriously challenging process, plagued by high turnover rates, seasonal demands, and the need for diverse skill sets. Employers often struggle to:

• Identify candidates who align with their brand and customer service philosophy.
• Evaluate soft skills like communication, adaptability, and problem-solving.
• Move quickly enough to secure highly mobile talent in a fast-moving labor market.

HireVue technology identifies the actual skills that predict success for your specific role. For example, HireVue identifies the technical skills needed for a cashier, including basic math skills, cash register knowledge, computer proficiency, accuracy, sales knowledge, and inventory management. 

In addition, there are plenty of soft skills relevant to the role.

Read the cashier skills guide here.

Automate your processes. Make offers faster.

According to Statista, “In November 2024, preliminary numbers suggested that there were approximately 15.62 million people employed in the retail industry in the United States, up from 15.49 million employed in the same period a year earlier.”

And when “32.2% of full-time retail workers have another source of income,”  the industry is full of employees who are looking for reliable, stable employment—which means they are going where the offers come first.

HireVue’s AI-powered hiring platform is designed to address the challenge of speed head-on. 

• Advanced job matching: Candidates search for a position of interest and get presented with multiple roles that match their skill set—not just specific titles. 
• Find my Fit: A pre-apply assessment to discover roles that match their specific skills, interests, and personality. Expand your talent pool by presenting roles your candidates hadn’t even considered.
• Text-to-apply: With a simple text-to-apply link, the process is simplified, and candidates are kept engaged throughout the entire process—all the way to the start of their first shift.
• 1:1 or campaign messages: Treat your candidates and employees like customers. Direct messaging allows teams to message individuals or groups from the platform—not their personal phone. 
• Automated engagement: HireVue solutions are powered by automation, so every application, interview, or offer is delivered to the candidate’s mobile device—so the risk of candidate (and recruiter) ghosting is minimal!

How Walmart made 400,000 retail associate hires in 4 months

The HireVue Virtual Job Tryout® is an interactive, science-based assessment that helps employers evaluate if candidates are a good fit for the job. By providing a realistic job preview, it helps candidates understand the role, while enabling hiring teams to identify top talent and potential star performers on the job.

Walmart has used the Virtual Job Tryout® to hire 400,000 new retail associates in just 4.5 short months. And with a 95% average completion rate and millions returned in ROI, they’ve seen mass success with the custom-built assessment. Read the full Walmart case study here.

Preparing for the Future of Retail Hiring

As the retail landscape evolves, so must hiring strategies. Here are some tips for retailers looking to make smarter hires in 2025:

• Invest in AI-Driven Tools: Platforms like HireVue offer a competitive edge by combining speed, quality, and scale.
• Prioritize the skills: Don’t leave your hiring up to generative AI–use technology that is purpose-built to present the technical and soft skills needed for your specific roles and unlock candidate potential in the process.
• Automate candidate engagement: Automate your processes, including candidate engagement, and make hires fast. With HireVue, application to offer is possible in as little as a day.

In 2025, the retailers who succeed will be those who invest in smarter hiring practices. HireVue offers a powerful solution for building dynamic teams that can adapt to the evolving retail landscape. By leveraging this technology, retailers can enhance efficiency, improve employee retention, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Tools like our recruitment calculator can help measure the ROI of optimizing retail recruitment strategies in these areas.

Ready to revolutionize your retail hiring process? Request a demo and see how HireVue can help you build the team of the future.