Ordering online is one of the fastest and most convenient ways of buying something. More and more people are on the internet and ordering the items they see. This is great for the eCommerce industry.
But behind the curtain, there are many cogs required to make an eCommerce business work. From development to marketing, there is a wide range of job opportunities in the industry.
If you’re interested in becoming one of the many that are part of the eCommerce space, look no further. We’re giving you a guide to finding the best and in-demand eCommerce jobs right now.
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What are the Benefits to a Job in the eCommerce Industry?
eCommerce is an emerging industry that’s proving it’s here to stay. Billions of people buy something online every day. By 2040, 99Firms predicts that 95% of purchases will come from online retail. Many are switching to eCommerce instead of traditional retail avenues. Sales from online retail even reached $3.5 trillion in 2019.
The growth of the industry means you can find job opportunities constantly. There are many categories and niches so it’s easy to find one you’re interested in. It can also propel you to other career paths or pave the way for you to start your own eCommerce business.
Here are a few of the benefits to getting an eCommerce job:
It continues to grow
Since 2017, eCommerce has grown from 10.4% in total retail sales to 14.1% in 2019. It’s still expected to continue its upwards trajectory for the years to come. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, eCommerce employment increased a whopping 64% from 2007 to 2020.
That’s the extent to which eCommerce has made an impact on employment. Each year, more and more jobs are created for the rising demand. There’s not likely to be a shortage of people hiring employees anytime soon.
You can build a wide range of skills
An eCommerce business needs all hands on deck. This means there’s a lot of different job positions, and they all need different skills. These can range from marketing to customer relations and management. You get to develop a variety of skills that you can carry throughout your career. Skills you learn from the job can be valuable since you can hone both technical skills and “soft skills.”
Plenty of work from home opportunities
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all have been working remotely. The industry with the greatest advantage is the eCommerce industry. They have been working from behind their screens from the start. Most positions are flexible and can become a work-from-home situation easily.
What Skills do You Need for a Career in eCommerce?
A position in eCommerce means you need to have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. There are many opportunities, but you’ll need to develop your skills to be successful. An eCommerce business requires many diverse people to keep things running.
There are a couple of fundamental skills you have to learn to survive. These skills are needed in any position and can be used for future jobs. eCommerce is also a career where you can switch roles and positions often, depending on the need.
Technical
Like most other roles, there are technical skills you have to learn to land a job in eCommerce. Unless it’s a highly specialized position, you’ll only have to learn some basic skills. Some of these are eCommerce and analytics platforms, marketing software, and eCommerce SEO tools.
Analytical
Any business relies on data to make decisions, and eCommerce is no different. A number of roles need people who are good at analyzing data. eCommerce especially has a lot of data and information to go through. This includes information about customers, site analytics to trends. All these need someone that can handle loads of data.
SEO
Knowing how to get people to your website and gain traffic through SEO is essential in eCommerce. Because what would your business look like if there’s no one there to buy anything, right? This is the foundation of eCommerce. Significant positions in the industry rely on employee’s knowledge of search engines. Creating successful SEO campaigns, researching keywords, and link building are all skills you need.
Writing
Writing as a skill is used in most positions. Even if your role isn’t content-based, there could be some writing involved. It’s most important in creating content for blogs, product descriptions, and writing ads.
Communication
Along with the technical skills, there is also a need for you to develop your soft skills. Communicating effectively with colleagues is especially important because most work is done remotely. Having good communication skills is also important when dealing with customers and clients.
What are the Best eCommerce Jobs?
Many things go into making a successful eCommerce business. Some of these jobs are specific to online business. This includes, SEO specialists, social media managers, or web developers.
We’re giving you a list of the most in-demand and common eCommerce jobs in the industry.
eCommerce Specialist
The person for this job is experienced in eCommerce and handles a variety of different tasks. They deal with online sales, strategies, and conversions. Their goal is to make full use of the company’s marketing strategy to increase traffic and product sales.
The role typically requires an entry-level to intermediate skill level. Day-to-day responsibilities include website management, marketing, and overseeing site development. They also look over the website’s overall performance.
The most important skill you’ll need for this job is expertise in eCommerce. Not only does your knowledge and experience matter, you’d also need technical skills with eCommerce tools.
On average, this position pays $58,000 annually.
Online Merchandiser
An online merchandiser is the same person who puts products up in physical stores. In eCommerce, they’re responsible for what the customer will see when they look at the website. They present the products through design, product categories, photos, and product descriptions. They also work on strategies to attract people to buy the products or use the service.
You’ll need to know SEO, analytics tools, content management strategies, and marketing strategies. You would also need your writing and communication skills for this role. The goal is to understand customer needs.
You can apply for this role even if you have minimal experience as an entry-level position. If you get this position, you’ll be getting an average of $43,000 annual salary.
Business Analyst
Your job as a business analyst is to analyze the company’s data to make recommendations that could improve the business’ profitability. The recommendations are laid out in a report that is sent to managers. The managers then decide whether to implement the changes.
It’s a pretty demanding job and needs an experience level of intermediate to mid-level. Your primary role is to analyze online sales, their changes, and the impact of those changes. Some of the things you look at are analytics, marketing campaign results, and branding.
This requires good analytical skills. Knowledge of tools and software is also important. You’ll also need good communication as you’ll coordinate with other managers.
This position’s average annual salary is $82,000.
eCommerce Marketing Specialist
Marketing is such a vital aspect of eCommerce, so it is one of the business’ in-demand positions. An eCommerce marketing specialist develops marketing strategies to increase traffic.
The goal is to reach all possible customers you can reach. For that, you’ll need to do your research on your audience in local and national markets. It requires intermediate-level experience. So you’ll need to have a background in marketing and eCommerce.
Some of the things you’ll do are email messaging, digital advertisements, and social networks. You’ll need to be an expert in marketing for this one. As well as have strategic planning and communication skills. From marketing principles, designing to implementing marketing campaigns.
If you get this job, the average annual salary is $50,000.
eCommerce SEO Specialist
Ranking in the top 10 for keywords in Google is one of an online business’s biggest milestones. Thus, an eCommerce SEO specialist is a necessity.
As the SEO specialist, you focus on ranking on search engines and generating more visitors through organic traffic. It may be such an in-demand job, but many can learn SEO skills in no time. So apply for this intermediate level position with an annual salary of $54,000. Your main tasks are researching keywords and competitor websites and link building.
This position is highly technical, so you’ll need to stock up on your SEO knowledge. You have to have knowledge of SEO, search engines, and how they work. You’ll need to brush up on your knowledge of analytic tools, HTML, CSS, and Javascript too. Learning programming isn’t necessary, but it will give you an edge. SEO isn’t just about the keywords but also optimizing website performance.
Customer Service Representative
If you’re good at communicating with people, being a customer service representative may be the right job for you. It’s an entry-level position, and you won’t need much experience. As long as you have good listening and communication skills, as well as writing skills, you’ll be good to go. You’ll be given guidelines on how to resolve different customer problems, so don’t worry!
A customer service representative is the liaison between a company and its customers. They answer questions about orders, deal with customer complaints, and resolve their problems. This is usually done through the phone, but it could also work by email or live chat.
Being a representative pays an average of $39,000 per year.
Content Writer
As a content writer, you’ll deal with creating and editing content for your website. The content you may cover includes sales copy, podcasts, social media, and blogs. It’s an entry-level position that has an annual salary of $47,000.
Writing content isn’t all there is to it. You also need to do your research. Content research covers keyword research, checking competitor websites, and finding the right topic. You’re also in charge of making sure the content fits with the branding. The main goal for a content writer is to drive organic traffic to the website, and SEO is key.
Strong writing and communication skills are needed. Additionally, you’ll need a knowledge of web and web research for your content. Content management is also one of the essential skills necessary for this role.
Developer
There are tons of eCommerce platforms available, but a developer can create the website if you’re building from the ground up. As a developer, your job is to make sure your eCommerce company has a working and bug-free website. Learning programming isn’t necessary, but it will give you an edge. SEO isn’t just about the keywords but also optimizing website performance. If there is something wrong with the site, they’ll come to you for troubleshooting.
You’ll need to have experience and expertise in writing code and making a website. One of your responsibilities is to create, test, and modify software for the platform. You’ll need an intermediate experience level. As well as have experience in programming languages like Javascript, HTML, and CSS.
Developers implement the foundation of a website. They work with designers, content producers, and others to complete the site. This is all to meet the user’s needs and has a cohesive site.
On average, the annual salary of this job is $60,000.
User Experience (UX) Designer
In this role, your main task is to create a great experience for the company’s website visitors. You’ll create designs that cater to the site’s attractiveness and functionality. You’ll also ensure services work and that they positively impact the overall user experience.
This position calls for an experienced individual with a myriad of skills. You’ll have to be knowledgeable in online marketing and what makes a great shopping experience. Technical skills needed for this job include user interface design and development software. The UX designer also has to know how to research the company’s users and their needs.
You’ll be responsible for the design process, from the mockup to the final product. Additionally, you’ll test prototypes of software and other user experience projects.
An average salary here would be $77,000 per year.
eCommerce Project Manager
As a project manager, you’ll need mid-level job experience first. This isn’t an easy job and is full of demanding responsibilities. You’ll have to oversee the development of the business and current marketing strategies. It’s also great if you’re an online marketing expert. You’re also in charge of hiring and training the staff and managing the company’s products and projects. Part of the responsibility is creating strategies based on the current market environment.
Many decisions have to be made as a project manager, and most of those would be on your brand’s strategies. Leadership, communication, and management skills play a role here. Technical skills with tools like Google Analytics are also a must.
It’s a lot to handle, so the annual average salary of this position comes in at $86,000.
Social Media Manager
Are you an expert in social media? If so, this would be the perfect role for you! The social media manager represents the company on all its social media networks. Your main goal would be to get more traffic and an audience for the company through these networks. It’s an entry-level position, and even if you’re not a social media expert, it’s easy to learn. Here are some of the skills to develop: writing and communication skills, SEO, and marketing research and strategies.
An overview of your tasks includes handling social media networks, using marketing campaigns and strategies, and analyzing social media data. You respond to comments, create and post content, and manage paid advertisements.
An average annual salary for this role is $51,000.
Customer Satisfaction Manager
A customer satisfaction manager improves the user experience through customer service. They’re the ones who make the decisions on customer support and guide customer service representatives. Their main priority is the company’s customer satisfaction rating. They do all they can to improve this by looking at current data and working through different strategies.
These managers create ways to get positive customer feedback to help improve the company’s reputation. Your tools here are surveys, focus group discussions, and other testings on customers.
All these need analytical, communication, and management skills from you. This position could give you an annual salary of $86,000.
eCommerce Manager
The eCommerce Manager is someone who oversees almost everything there is in the eCommerce business. They manage all online activities from web development to design, marketing, and sales. They also handle staff management and coordination with suppliers, clients, and staff.
It’s a mid-level position that requires some good leadership and management skills. Communication skills are also an emphasis since you deal with a lot of personnel and clients. Of course, you need to have a solid experience in eCommerce, its tools, and online marketing.
The position has an average annual salary of $64,000.
Supply Chain Manager
As important as running the website is, nothing takes more priority than the products themselves. So the supply chain manager has a crucial role in the company. They manage the whole process from communication with the suppliers, inventory management, up to deliveries.
They also worry about logistics and warehouse personnel. It’s a role that needs good management skills and attention to detail.
It’s a mid-level job position, preferably with experience in business or customer service. You’ll need interpersonal relationship skills here as you maintain the relationship with suppliers. You manage your employees, promoting teamwork between the sales and customer service, acting as a bridge between them.
It pays an average of $84,000 per year.
eCommerce Director
This is the person to whom everyone answers to. The eCommerce director is right at the top of the hierarchy and is in charge of everything. They make the company’s biggest and most significant decisions. They also manage online retail operations, employees, and managers.
It’s an executive-level position precisely because it’s at the top of the pyramid. Although this position is common in large eCommerce companies, smaller businesses wouldn’t have this. Instead, their top executives are their managers and the owners.
One of your responsibilities is designing and developing strategies for content, marketing, or sales. You also ensure that the website has cohesive branding and gives a good user experience.
You’ll have to have leadership skills and communication skills to manage all the staff under you. You’ll also need experience with eCommerce, marketing, and businesses. Additionally, have technical skills in eCommerce tools, software, and the latest technologies.
Your annual salary as the eCommerce director is $115,000 on average.
What are the Steps to Getting an eCommerce Job?
So you want to enter the eCommerce industry, but how do you start looking for a position? Like most career paths, the process is simple. Develop skills, find out how you can use them to your advantage, and what kind of jobs would fit you.
If you’re entirely new to eCommerce, you’d have to start from scratch and look for entry-level roles.
Here are some of the steps to start you on your journey.
Decide what type of position you want
We’ve given you a list of some of the best eCommerce jobs, did you find one that looks like something you can do? If you’re still lost, you can narrow it down to what type of position you want. Do you prefer something in marketing? Or are you more for technical roles like analytics or a developer?
Ask yourself what you’re looking to do and if there’s anything that interests you. You may be good at managing products or people. If that’s the case, you can get a managerial position that matches your skill and experience. Think about what you want and look into your skills before moving on to the next steps.
Build your skills
Now that you know what you want, you can now build your skills. This could either be skills that you already have and want to master. Or new skills that the position calls for that can be learned.
There are many ways for you to do this depending on what you want to learn. There’s a ton of online courses available nowadays for various topics. There are general and specific eCommerce courses on SEO, analytics, and others.
Certificates from platforms such as Google Ads, Facebook Blueprint, or Amazon Advertising can help you learn while boosting your credibility. You can also hone these skills through practice.
Create your own website and try selling something on an eCommerce platform. You can even practice your soft skills by speaking at events, strengthening interpersonal skills, and others.
Look for entry-level positions
Now that you’re ready for your chosen eCommerce job, it’s time to start looking for jobs. You can begin with entry-level positions. eCommerce jobs are in demand and can be found on many job boards and sites. It’s easiest to start with these sites and browse the different offers available. You can also reach out to your network and let them know what you’re looking for.
Where Can You Find eCommerce Jobs?
One of the most convenient ways to find eCommerce jobs is through job boards and sites. They have many job postings for specific industries that cover much potential talent. You can easily search for jobs near you or jobs that can be done remotely. There are also search filters for experience level and job types. This process makes looking for a job all the more convenient.
There are many places for you to find these opportunities if you knew where to look for them. These are just some of the job boards and websites where you can discover eCommerce jobs:
Indeed
If you’re going for a wide variety of options, Indeed is the biggest job website you’ll find out there. There’s at least 10 new job postings every second so you won’t find yourself at a loss for options.
You’ll find postings on locations around the world, from entry-level to executive. They cater to all types of positions, including freelance, internship, and remote positions. Search filters are job title, salary range, experience level, and location. It’s free to get started too!
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is unique in the sense that it offers you reviews of prospective companies. The website emphasizes making sure you know all there is to know about a company. When you choose a job post, it’ll show you the job details with information about salary and benefits. You’ll also get reviews of the company with anonymous ratings.
Jobs can be found from all over the world, whether it be Hong Kong, Italy, or the US. They have entry-level to executive positions and options for remote ecommerce jobs.
ZipRecruiter
Unlike Indeed or Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter is more than just a job board. They’re known more for their features for employers. If you post a job on the website, it doesn’t stop there. They send that job post to a hundred different job boards on the internet, so recruiting top talent is more manageable.
But for those looking for jobs, they have over 9 million jobs posted on their site. You can choose positions that range from freelance, remote, work from home, or full-time. Search filters also include entry-level to executive-level positions from wherever your location is.
One of the easiest ways to look for a job is to use Google. They have a search feature that collects job postings from different job boards. Some of these are LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter. The only one they’re currently not partnered with is Indeed. It’s pretty simple to use this. You just search for the job you want, i.e., “eCommerce Manager,” and a box with the job postings will show up. Click on the box to filter the search results, see the job details, and more job opportunities.
You can add any search filter you want. Search by job type, category, location, and many more. You can even see salary information on the listings. If it isn’t specified, Google will give you the average pay for the position.
Other than that, you can save and bookmark jobs for later or set up job alerts for specific roles.
Known as a networking platform, LinkedIn has users from all kinds of industries. Their industries are diverse and are the home for professionals. Its best feature is your LinkedIn profile which recruiters use to search for new hires. Your profile is like an online resume and is your key to getting an offer.
Its job board allows you to search by job title, experience level, job type, remote work, and many more. Experience level covers entry-level, internship, to an executive. You can go for full-time, part-time, internship, contract, volunteer, or temporary jobs.
Where Can You Find Freelance eCommerce jobs?
When it comes to freelance positions, you can also count on several job boards to fix you up with the perfect role. Many companies hire freelance workers, especially in the eCommerce industry. Freelance platforms can be a little different since some allow you to post offers or projects.
Here are some of the best places to find freelance eCommerce jobs:
Key Takeaways
There are many opportunities right now in the eCommerce industry with the increasing demand for online retail. It’s never been more perfect for joining the eCommerce world. You’d be able to develop your skills and learn a ton of new ones in the course of a job. Some of them may involve much technical know-how, but others are a necessity in any career path (like communication).
If you’re wondering how to find these jobs, they’re everywhere on various job boards. You can search the biggest job websites like Indeed or Glassdoor. But if you’re looking to work freelance, there are also boards like Upwork dedicated solely to freelancers.
To wrap up, here are the best eCommerce jobs to choose from:
- eCommerce Specialist
- Online Merchandiser
- Business Analyst
- eCommerce Marketing Specialist
- eCommerce SEO Specialist
- Customer Service Representative
- Content Writer
- Developer
- User Experience Designer
- eCommerce Project Manager
- Social Media Manager
- Customer Satisfaction Manager
- eCommerce Manager
- Supply Chain Manager
- eCommerce Director