How To Become An Ecommerce Specialist (With Skills)

Updated 30 September 2022

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Ecommerce is a business model that allows an enterprise to sell its goods or services over the internet. Many businesses use this model to boost their sales and establish a strong online presence. By reviewing the educational requirements and responsibilities of an ecommerce specialist, you can decide if you want to pursue this career path. In this article, we examine how to become an ecommerce specialist, explore their various responsibilities and review some skills that help you become a successful professional in this field.

What is an ecommerce specialist?

An ecommerce specialist is a professional who conducts market analysis to prepare a company's ecommerce business plan. These professionals establish various work standards, like best practices for content creation and content distribution. They possess a strong understanding of search engine optimisation, or SEO, pricing policies, media assets and inventory. This type of specialist has a strong knowledge of competitive strategies, marketing strategies, product development and consumer research.

How to become an ecommerce specialist

If you are interested in knowing how to become an ecommerce specialist, you may follow these steps:

1. Understand what ecommerce is

Learning about ecommerce is the first step you may take. Understand the fundamentals of ecommerce and learn about the different marketing strategies in this field. Understanding ecommerce is easy with a course, so consider signing up for one offered by an online or an offline institution. Select a course that focuses on the basics of the subject and gradually advance to the intermediate or the expert level of such courses. Consider these points while selecting the right course for yourself:

Ensure that ecommerce marketers who have industry experience teach the course.
Research if the course curriculum is up-to-date and covers all areas of ecommerce.
Confirm if the institute offering the course gives certification for successful completion of the course.

2. Learn about content marketing

Content marketing involves the creation of content such as blog posts, articles, videos and infographics. Learn about the benefits of sharing content with the target customer segment across different channels. The aim of content marketing is to attract the audience to the online store to boost sales and build strong brand equity. This marketing is a key subset of ecommerce marketing. Strong content marketing skills allow ecommerce specialists to achieve better business outcomes. Intermediate or advanced level ecommerce courses include lessons on content marketing, but you may also opt for an independent content marketing course.

3. Build search engine optimisation knowledge

Search engine optimisation is an online marketing strategy that involves optimising websites to rank higher in search engine rankings. SEO is a crucial marketing strategy for ecommerce businesses as it lowers the customer acquisition cost for them. An effective SEO strategy enables the online store to be visible to a larger audience and allows the business to attract more customers. Ecommerce businesses either have in-house SEO teams or may partner with external SEO agencies. There are many online SEO courses you may sign up for to learn more about it.

4. Find out about pay per click solutions

There are many online advertising platforms that offer pay per click or PPC solutions to ecommerce businesses. These solutions help businesses to promote their products or services to their target audience. Ecommerce specialists may utilise one or more PPC solutions to accomplish their marketing objectives. PPC skills enable professionals to efficiently execute advertising campaigns and save money for their organisation by delivering a high return on investment. PPC courses may be technical to follow, but signing up for one helps you become a competent ecommerce specialist.

5. Explore ecommerce platforms

Ecommerce platforms provide businesses with the foundation on which they can build and configure their online stores. Knowledge about ecommerce platforms is critical for an ecommerce specialist to boost operations and troubleshoot operational bottlenecks. Companies hiring ecommerce specialists often require the candidate to possess strong knowledge of ecommerce platforms. If you intend to learn more about them, there are many prominent platforms that offer learning solutions, sometimes for free.

6. Develop email marketing skills

Email marketing is an advantageous ecommerce marketing strategy that is used by businesses to increase their customer base in a cost-effective manner. Proficient ecommerce specialists utilise their email marketing skills to increase product sales. Email marketing campaigns may be used to keep existing and prospective customers informed about sales promotions and new product or service offerings. Email marketing also allows businesses to build a loyal customer base. Consider signing up for a course or joining online marketing communities to develop these skills.

7. Discover avenues to gain hands-on experience

After following the steps mentioned above, find ways through which you get to put the lessons into practice. Practical experience helps you to test theoretical knowledge and allows you to learn strategies that work in real-life scenarios. Below are some options you may explore to gain hands-on ecommerce experience:

Apply for an internship or an entry-level job. Pursuing these opportunities allows you to work with a company's in-house ecommerce team. An internship opportunity may pay you and with that money, you may even take up paid premium courses to further enhance your knowledge.
Pick a freelance ecommerce project. Freelancing is an option that allows you to work on an ecommerce project without having to work with a company. Taking up diverse projects helps you apply most of your theoretical knowledge and gain substantial work experience.

Ecommerce specialist responsibilities

An ecommerce specialist efficiently markets an ecommerce business by evaluating and utilising both online and offline marketing channels. Their various strategies ensure that customers get the best online shopping experience. Here are a few responsibilities of an ecommerce specialist:

Develop and maintain a bug-free website or app that has a fast response time.
Execute website or app optimisation strategies to ensure a smooth shopping experience.
Evaluate relevant ecommerce marketing channels to increase users on the online store.
Design effective ecommerce marketing campaigns within the allocated budget.
Coordinate with the offline marketing team to develop and execute offline campaigns.
Share ideas and insights with the branding team to build a strong brand presence.
Build sales partnerships with external marketplaces to boost online sales.
Strategise and run promotions and periodic sales to up-sell and cross-sell.
Monitor reviews and customer enquiries to gain useful insights.
Suggest recommendations for advertising campaign changes.
Assess cancelled order reports and work with the supply chain team.
Evaluate marketplace patterns and trends to support growth strategies.

Ecommerce specialist skills

If you are interested in becoming an ecommerce specialist, it may be helpful to explore the skills that make them efficient. These skills range from effective communication to dynamic problem-solving. Here are some common ecommerce specialist skills:

Communication skills

Strong communication skills enable ecommerce specialists to clearly communicate proposals, plans and concepts with team members, senior management and external partners. Listening is an important aspect of effective communication as it equips professionals with information critical to making the right decisions. Strong communication skills allow a professional in this position to adjust messaging that resonates best with their audience. These specialists also stay updated on consumer sentiments, needs and wants to create impactful communication strategies. Effective communication in the ecommerce industry focuses on building long-term relationships with existing and potential customers.

Analytical skills

Analytical skills help ecommerce specialists to determine actionable information by analysing data. The ability to analyse complex data enables them to improve a company's ecommerce business. These specialists review data dashboards to track various ecommerce metrics, like cost per acquisition, return on marketing expenditure, average time spent by users on the online store, broken web pages and drop-out rates. Strong analytical skills enable them to take corrective measures and track the performance of the ecommerce marketing activities. These professionals are proficient in using data intelligence tools and software to effectively forecast and plan.

Team-building skills

Ecommerce specialists collaborate with multiple stakeholders to execute each stage of the marketing strategy. Team-building is a skill that enables professionals to build efficient teams that function in conducive work culture and environment. Strong team-building skills allow these specialists to effectively manage the ecommerce operations of a company, which involves coordination amongst different stakeholders, like website developers, digital marketers, offline marketers, branding executives and external partners. These professionals are also responsible for developing a culture of strong teamwork to smoothly run daily operations.

Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving involves identifying problems and taking appropriate actions to efficiently solve those problems. Ecommerce specialists solve problems related to website or app optimisation, marketing designs and collaterals, advertising regulations and human resources on a daily basis. The ability to think fast and implement accurate solutions allows these professionals to find opportunities to increase online sales and profits. Foreseeing problematic scenarios and planning solutions for these situations allow these professionals to retain customers. Staying updated on the latest ecommerce trends and best practices helps them to stay relevant and efficient.