5 Roles Essential To A Successful Ecommerce Team

In order to be successful in ecommerce, your brand needs to have the correct strike team in place. Having a group of professionals with industry experience, strategic foresight and the ability to work cross-functionally is crucial to brands sustaining a successful ecommerce business. In fact, the most successful brands in ecommerce are planning to add headcount to their teams in 2019 to meet demand for continuously optimized digital content. Are you looking to start growing your brand’s ecommerce team but are unsure of what to look for? Start by understanding what each position entails before delving into the difficult task of writing a job description and sourcing candidates. To make things easier, we have provided some guidance below.

Job 1: A Fearless Leader, The Director of Ecommerce

Every team needs someone at the helm that has the experience and strategic foresight to set and execute ambitious ecommerce goals. In the case of a well-functioning ecommerce team, it comes down to having an experienced, forward-thinking and analytical leader that can work cross-functionally in an organization to actualize a brand’s digital retail objectives. Some responsibilities and skills to look for in this person are outlined below: 

• Responsible for orchestrating all aspects of a strategic ecommerce plan. Combine existing expertise in sales, marketing, technology and management to deliver a superior brand and shopping experience for all customers.
• Seasoned professional in the digital retailing market, B2B and B2C experience a plus.Extensive knowledge of ecommerce technologies and tactics, especially in PXM, DAM, MDM softwares as well as sophisticated analytics.
• In charge of managing the overall user experience, including site navigation, content development, checkout funnel and promotional campaigns.

Read more about the roles and responsibilities of the Director of Ecommerce here. 

Job 2: A Project Manager, The Ecommerce Program Manager

Keeping projects running smoothly and keeping track of all the moving pieces in an ecommerce taskforce is essential to information being quickly and correctly syndicated to retailers and other commerce partners. Having someone with superb organizational, time management and communication skills is a must for brands --especially considering the importance of timely product information updates and the effect they can have on seasonal sales. Here are some skills and qualifications to look for:

• Proven ability to work in a fast-paced and quickly changing environment. Multitasking, flexibility, adaptability and prioritization skills are a must

• Possess excellent communication and presentation skills, able to manage key stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of a project

• Skilled information synthesizer, able to develop reports outlining the health of all ongoing projects

• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) or other relevant certifications a plus

Job 3: A Content Creator, The Digital Marketing Manager, Graphic Designer, or Copywriter

Having appealing product content, including images, videos and compelling copy is one of the most essential parts of maintaining a successful ecommerce business. With that in mind, it is crucial for a team to have someone, or a few people, dedicated to the creative side of ecommerce. Some of the most important skills to look for in this group include:

• Ability to ideate, publish, supervise and report on integrated digital and visual marketing campaigns on a variety of mediums, including web, social media, print, and others

• Detail oriented individual with a superior verbal and written skills --able to catch a typo or grammatical mistake from a mile away

• Knowledge and experience with various content creation softwares, exposure to Photoshop, Illustrator, as well as  some marketing automation and software development tools

• In tune with current trends in the ecommerce space, innovative and experimental thinker willing to iterate on multimedia strategies to drive conversions

Job 4: A Data & Numbers Person, The Ecommerce Business Analyst

Keeping track of a business unit’s performance is crucial to the overall success of an ecommerce team, and this person is traditionally in charge of keeping a pulse on the brand’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), its standing against competition and many other metrics. Besides being detail oriented and incredibly meticulous, this person must be able to do some of the following things:

• Analyze, synthesize and present data in a way that is valuable to project stakeholders and executives

• Able to adequately communicate ecommerce business performance through a variety of metrics and KPIs including sales rank, product page conversion rate, etc

• Work cross-functionally to create automation and process optimization tools, leveraging the power of automation to deliver rigorous customer data

Job 5: A Technical Whiz, The Ecommerce Developer, Software Engineer or IT Manager

Ecommerce would not be successful without someone to ensure that the technology being used by a team is the most adequate and efficient. Purchasing and implementing software, developing site architecture, optimizing processes and supporting the brand’s ecommerce ecosystem are some of this person’s main responsibilities, which can also include:

• Ensuring the smooth day-to-day operations of an ecommerce platform, including any and all software integrations, and merchant and retailer relationships

• Define, recommend, and execute a vision for brands’ ecommerce sites that is consistent with and aligns with the overall IT strategy

• Understand strengths and weaknesses in the system architecture. Anticipate vulnerabilities and develop contingency plans

• Experience with ecommerce software platforms is a must, PIM, DAM, MDM, PXM knowledge and experience a plus