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Moving online to keep up with consumer spending habits is wise, but the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed this trend forward. For businesses moving online quickly, here are some industry insights and the key eCommerce team roles needed for success online.
Online shopping is continuously growing. In 2019, eCommerce sales in Ireland increased 13% - more than doubling since 2010. Research company IBISWorld anticipated growth would continue at a similar rate through until 2024.
But the Covid-19 crisis has caused a huge surge in online sales. According to agency Wolfgang Digital, mid-April saw one of the busiest ever weeks for online retailers with revenues up 185% compared to pre-Covid-19 levels. Even as the lockdown eases, they remain 163% higher.
For small businesses, Local Enterprise Offices are providing Trading Online Vouchers of €2,500 to cover 90% of the cost of setting up an eCommerce website. For bigger companies, Enterprise Ireland is offering up to €40,000 to cover 80% of the cost.
These schemes encourage businesses to outsource their store set up. However, two points are worth noting:
These grants are a great way to start trading online. But for ongoing maintenance and operations, you’ll need access to expertise in-house, through an agency or on a freelance basis.
The eCommerce team you hire will very much depend on your company’s size, products, goals, budget and the skillset of current staff members. But here is a list of key ecommerce job roles needed to drive sales online, along with a brief description for those who are new to hiring digital talent.
For most businesses, this will be the primary leadership and decision-making role on an eCommerce team. For this reason, you’ll probably want to make them a permanent member of staff.
eCommerce managers oversee online sales, as well as the look, feel and branding of your website. They are also responsible for developing your overall online strategy. For job postings, you’ll find a detailed eCommerce manager job description here.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is all about updating your website and product pages so your store appears in as many Google results as possible. This increases your store’s visibility, traffic and sales.
SEO specialists will conduct keyword research, monitor traffic and perform technical SEO.
PPC specialists manage pay-per-click advertising campaigns to drive conversions for your online store. They will develop a strategy and implement ads across platforms like Google search, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and the Google display network.
Though you may think advertising is optional, this is one of the most important eCommerce team roles for driving sales. When looking at candidates, you’ll find a list of key performance marketing skills here.
Product images are essential for online sales. In store, consumers can see and touch your products. Online, great photographs have to fill this role.
Your suppliers might have high quality product photos for you to use. But this isn’t an option if you run your own brand. If you want your product pages and ads to stand out, you need to find a reliable photographer.
Medium and large businesses will want a copywriter on their ecommerce team. They can create marketing materials like blog posts, emails and ad copy, as well as product listings which appeal to both customers and search engines.
Going online means customer messages will start flooding in by email, chatbot and social media.
The speed with which you respond to product queries can make or break a sale, while your ability to deal with issues and returns can affect online reviews and repeat purchases. And, if you sell products on Amazon, responses must be made within 24 hours.
It’s a good idea to have an experienced web developer on-hand to ensure your website is always secure and functional.
Starting off, whoever created your eCommerce store will usually provide support. But as time goes on, you may want to hire someone to perform ongoing maintenance and updates.
Earlier this year, as part of our annual salary survey, we highlighted skills shortages within the eCommerce sector. Now, demand is expected to increase even more. However, we’ve also seen a surge of highly skilled digital talent coming into the job market from areas like travel and hospitality. Our recruiters will be monitoring the situation as it develops.
For advice on building out your eCommerce team, contact Prosperity. Our recruiters can advise on salaries, trends, skills, job descriptions and more.
As this research is protected by copyright laws, if you wish to copy, reproduce, republish, disseminate or distribute any part of this text by any means you may do so only if you state the following: Courtesy of Prosperity.ie, Ireland’s specialist recruitment agency to the web sector.