E-commerce manager salary
With forecasts suggesting e-commerce will account for a quarter of all global retail sales by 2026, online retail is a promising career to consider. The role of e-commerce manager combines traditional retail, marketing and management skills with a far-reaching knowledge of digital practices. If you’re tech-savvy and looking to work in retail, a job in e-commerce could be the perfect path for you.
Job description
E-commerce managers are responsible for designing, running and optimising a website whose purpose is to sell products and/or services. We could see the role as the digital version of a retail manager in a store or company, although the tasks involved differ significantly in many ways:
- Web development (UX, roadmaps, visual design, functionality, content)
- Marketing (SEO, strategy, PPC campaigns, ads, e-mail)
- Conversion (turning visits to the website into sales)
- Security (data protection)
- Quality control and assurance
- Team management
- Keeping up to date with e-commerce law
- Competitor and trend analysis
The e-commerce manager of a website makes the higher strategic decisions and manages a team of specialists to implement and operate the individual elements of the site. These include copywriters, web designers and engineers, analysts, marketers, SEO/PPC executives, content editors and project managers.
Skills and qualifications
E-commerce managers need solid IT and business skills in areas such as analytics, SEO, social media and web design. Excellent leadership, communication and organisational skills are a must. Crucially, they need to understand retail, sales and marketing, especially in the online context. This makes working your way up in a retail career a viable route into e-commerce management.
There are also foundation diplomas and apprenticeships which focus on retail and digital marketing and business marketing. Another pathway into the role is via graduate schemes in digital marketing or a related field. Useful degrees for the role are digital marketing, business, business computing, marketing or computer science. In addition, getting as much retail experience as you can early on will give you an edge on the job market in this area.
Salary and earning potential
As a management position that carries a lot of responsibility not only for hitting sales targets and providing an excellent customer experience, but also for a team of employees, earning potential is excellent for e-commerce managers. Salaries depend on the company and retail sector as well as your level of experience. Survey data indicates that the average e-commerce manager salary is around £45-49,000. Larger companies may pay up to £65,000.
Salary sources: glassdoor.co.uk, reed.co.uk
Other sources:
https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/ecommerce-manager-salary-SRCH_KO0,17.htm
https://www.totaljobs.com/salary-checker/average-ecommerce-manager-salary
https://www.reed.co.uk/average-salary/average-ecommerce-manager-salary
https://www.technojobs.co.uk/info/it-job-roles/the-role-of-an-ecommerce-manager.phtml