How to sell to Heads of People at E-commerce companies
Heads of People at e-commerce companies are primarily focused on employee retention rates, as high turnover can disrupt operations and increase costs. They respond positively to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of their unique challenges, such as scaling talent acquisition for online retail and fostering a strong company culture that aligns with their brand values.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 578 e-commerce company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- high employee turnover
- difficulty scaling teams
- misalignment of company culture
- inefficient hiring processes
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent funding rounds
Filter for e-commerce companies that have recently secured Series A or B funding. These companies are likely to expand their teams quickly and need support in hiring talent that aligns with their growth strategy.
- 02
Analyze company culture initiatives
Research the company’s recent initiatives on employee engagement or diversity and inclusion. Tailor your outreach to address how your solution can enhance these programs, using specific examples from their public communications.
- 03
Connect through industry events
Look for upcoming e-commerce conferences or webinars where Heads of People are speaking. Engage with their content before reaching out, referencing their insights to establish a connection and show you value their expertise.
- 04
Address high turnover rates
Use LinkedIn to identify if the company has had recent turnover in key HR roles or high employee attrition. Mention this in your outreach to highlight your understanding of their current challenges and how you can provide solutions.
- 05
Propose a solution for scaling teams
In your follow-up, suggest a specific strategy for scaling their talent acquisition efforts. For example, if they are expanding into new markets, propose how your expertise can help them find local talent that fits their brand culture.
Can e-commerce companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 578 e-commerce companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 19.6% of 1–10-person companies against 67.5% of the largest — 48 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Improving employee retention
- Scaling your talent acquisition
- Enhancing company culture
Questions
- Why do Heads of People in e-commerce prioritize employee retention?
- Heads of People in e-commerce understand that high employee turnover can lead to increased operational costs and disrupt their ability to meet customer demands. Retaining talent is crucial for maintaining a consistent brand experience, especially in a fast-paced industry where customer loyalty is key.
- What challenges do Heads of People face when scaling teams?
- As e-commerce companies grow, Heads of People must quickly adapt their hiring strategies to find talent that not only meets skill requirements but also fits the company culture. This often involves streamlining hiring processes and enhancing employer branding to attract top candidates.
- How can outreach be more effective for Heads of People?
- Outreach is most effective when it directly addresses the specific challenges faced by Heads of People in e-commerce, such as high turnover rates or the need for diverse talent. Providing tailored insights or solutions that resonate with their current initiatives increases the likelihood of engagement.
- What role does company culture play in hiring decisions?
- Company culture is a critical factor for Heads of People in e-commerce, as it directly impacts employee satisfaction and retention. They seek candidates who align with their values and can contribute positively to the work environment, making cultural fit a priority in hiring decisions.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
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