Articles
What a freelance E-commerce manager can do
By Carsten Bjerregaard, Marketingcapacity.dk (Link to the article. Copying/publishing without agreement is not allowed)
An e-commerce manager is literally in charge of the entire store. The digital store. With their focus, toolbox, budget and ambition, the e-commerce manager drives potential customers into the store and converts them into sales. The e-commerce manager is an essential part of most businesses that sell more or less untouched by human hands. Be it in the FMCG market, white goods, furniture, electronics and B2B.
View E-commerce Manager profiles
What is the role of the e-commerce manager?
The role of the e-commerce manager is to be the leader and responsible for the e-commerce business. More specifically, this involves:
- Building and running e-commerce universes (e.g. e-shops or other formats where customers can buy or order a product or service)
- Connecting marketing and sales in companies where there is a sales department
- Optimizing the customer journey from the bottom of the sales funnel to purchase and repeat purchase
- Making sure there are products on the shelves in the online store
- Driving conversion via text, layout, nudging, campaigns, offers, etc.
- Ensuring high uptime and stable systems in general
- Driving 'size of basket' by developing and promoting activities that make people buy more. For example, a box of squash balls when they have just added a squash racket to their basket
- (Maybe) managing the team of employees who look after the store - as if it were a physical store. Here it's just SEO optimization, CMS, newsletters, digital marketing, social media posts etc.
... in short, to develop the business and increase revenue as profitably as possible.
What else is an e-commerce manager called?
Titles and responsibilities differ from company to company. So what might be called E-commerce manager in one company might be called head of E-commerce, online sales manager, E-commerce director or something else.
How does the e-commerce manager create value?
A good e-commerce manager can create value on many levels, for example:
A. Strategic
How should we position our company and/or store? Which products should we have on the shelves? Which business models should we support (sales, leasing, rental, subscription, installment, freemium...) How should the price level be? How should we orchestrate the value chain including procurement and distribution?
B. Tactical
Which campaigns should we run? Which offers should we run? Are there themes or concepts that can support sales? Think Black Friday, which some commercial manager probably came up with at some point.
C. Operational
Below the tactical campaigns and offers, there is an ongoing presence where customers can navigate and buy. It may be that the e-commerce manager creates content that sits and works long tail. Just as there will be constant optimization of the web shop in an infinite number of ways.
D. Insights
An increasingly important part of the e-commerce manager's job is to make the company better understand prospects, customers and sales. It's a never-ending search for insights into cause-and-effect and patterns in the sales process. This is where data mining and data understanding in general come into play. Another tool for creating insights (and sales) is testing. Especially A/B testing, where you constantly test what sells best. Not by asking people, but by trying 2 alternatives at a time and simply seeing what converts best. This can be anything from products and prices to the color of the price splash or alternative delivery methods.
E. Personalization in the customer journey
One area that is evolving is the use of personalization in the customer journey. So that the customer feels recognized, understood and valued every step of the way. And so that, for example, they don't have to start all over again explaining from Adam and Eve if they need to talk to customer service if there are problems with a delivery. This means, among other things, developing automation flows, chat robots, AI, etc.
One of the challenges for the e-commerce manager is to see the big picture and prioritize development and improvement projects while the machine is running.
What does an e-commerce manager need to know?
A good e-commerce manager has many skills. In addition to the aforementioned strategic, tactical and operational skills and good leadership, there are specific tools and disciplines the e-commerce manager must master. These include:
- Building websites and webshops in WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, EpiServer, Magento, Drupal, Joomla, Sitecore, Umbraco and HTML/CSS
- Customer analytics via Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics and Hotjar. A/B split tests with Adobe Target, VWO and Google Optimize tools
- Conversion optimization through Landing Pages, Content, Behavioral Psychology, Video Content, Google Analytics, Adobe Target, Google Analytics and split testing
- Search engine optimization via Siteimprove, YOAST, Google Search Console, SEMRush, Ahrefs and Google PageSpeed Insights
- Newsletters via MailChimp as well as segmentation, customer journeys, Workflow Automation, Marketing Automation and setting up Signup Forms
- Online Marketing through SEM/Google Ads, LinkedIn, Facebook Pixels, Newsletters, Affiliates etc.
Examples of good E-commerce manager work
We can only recommend that you look at the big sites if you want to develop your own business. From Amazon to Boozt. From Matas to telecom companies like Oister. It's constantly evolving, and if you have to invent everything from scratch, it's too slow.
Why a freelance E-commerce manager?
In the past, most people might have thought of freelancers for one-off projects. However, many companies have now realized the benefits of working with freelancers on a long-term basis:
- You can cover needs that don't justify a permanent position
- In periods when you don't need it, you don't pay for the skill
- In a long-term relationship, the freelancer gets to know the company almost as well as a permanent employee
- Compared to buying the desired skill set from an agency - such as an advertising agency - working with freelancers is usually much cheaper
- You have the flexibility to rethink the overall competency profile of the person responsible for an area
- More and more really talented people prefer to work freelance
- A freelancer can still look at your business 'from the outside' - which is a valuable thing when thinking about creative
- Freelancers can bring fresh, outside inspiration to your business
How do you find a good freelance E-commerce manager?
Finding the right freelancer can be difficult. And above all, it can take a long time. Because there are many freelancers within the same field, and even if they boast the same skills, there can be a big difference when it comes to the way they work and the work they deliver. When you ask Marketingcapacity.dk to help you find a freelancer to work with, the process is simple:
- You describe your needs to us (either in writing or verbally - we'll confirm in an email)
- We screen the thousands of profiles on Marketingcapacity.dk and, if necessary, the market through our channels
- We nominate a list of candidates and talk to them according to your needs
- You will be presented with 3 candidates that seem to meet your needs
- During the 3 meetings (at your location or digitally) you can ask questions and see examples of their work
- You choose the freelancer you would like to start working with
- We set it up in our systems with time tracking etc. so you have an overview and full control
In other words: After describing your needs, simply set aside 2 hours to meet with 3 hand-picked and screened candidates. That's your guarantee of a good result with reasonable effort.
