Research from website retailchoice.com found 55% of retail employees rated an employer's reputation as a great place to work highest, even more than salary (48%), when assessing their next move up the career ladder.
Other desirable attributes for prospective employers included opportunities for career progression and a good work/life balance, the research showed.
It found 86% of retail professionals were attracted to work for their current company due to its reputation as a good employer, showing how crucial employer brand is in attracting the best class of candidate.
However, retail professionals also said they would be more likely to want a career in retail, rather than 'just a job' with a company that had a strong employer brand (77%.)
At a breakfast briefing on the research, April Bryce, head of creation at recruitment firm Work Communications, said: "What most businesses don't realise is that their employer brand already exists for them in some shape or form.
"It exists through their people strategy, their comms, and their stories. Companies just need to create a mechanism to define, refine and articulate it."
Kirstie Kelly-Batt, recruitment technology and employer brand expert from video interviewing firm LaunchPad Recruits, said: "To deliver a positive employer brand, retailers should aim to deliver consistency in their messaging, approach and behaviour throughout the entire business. This can be done both internally and externally and through all people interaction, processes and functions."
