The ecommerce industry has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years. The global pandemic only served to fan the flames of online commerce, and consumers have continued to adopt their new shopping habits. As a result, the global ecommerce market is expected to increase by 10.4% and generate $6.3 trillion in revenue in 2023.
To keep up with this rapid growth and compete with large retailers like Amazon, independent retailers need a sophisticated ecommerce platform with an integrated, omnichannel infrastructure that offers customers a personalized shopping experience. But most importantly, they need a team of ecommerce experts who can build and manage their online channels.
Unfortunately, It’s Easier Said Than Done
If you’re like most ecommerce brands, staffing is one of the toughest challenges preventing you from scaling to the next level. There are so many unique duties to operating an online business that require specialists to get the job done. Great ecommerce strategists are hard to find and expensive to retain, and most organizations can’t justify hiring them on a full-time basis.
Whether it’s performance marketing, merchandising, copywriting, front and backend development, data analysis, photography, brand management, fulfillment or any of the multitude of other tasks, companies struggle to find and pay for full-time support.
Most brands don’t have the budget to hire a dedicated team of ecommerce strategists. As a result, internal groups often must scramble to learn new skills, wear multiple hats, and hope they can pull off their new duties.
Recruitment is especially hard due to the seasonal nature of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) commerce. Staffing demands are constantly fluctuating. You’ll need robust support to handle high-traffic holiday seasons but can get by with a smaller squad during the more quiet summer months.
The answer isn’t to try to recruit a team all on your own. Instead, you can leverage our Nogin Nerds to solve your staffing challenges.
What is E-commerce Staffing?
E-commerce staffing is the art of building and managing a team of experts tailored specifically to drive your online business forward. This approach lets you leverage a flexible mix of full-time, part-time, and fractional talent, enabling you to scale efficiently without the full-time commitment for every role. By tapping into this blend of expertise, you can cover critical functions—from tech and digital marketing to logistics and customer experience—right when you need them.
For today’s businesses, especially those moving from a physical storefront to a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model, e-commerce staffing can be a game-changer. With fractional e-commerce staffing, you gain access to high-caliber talent on demand. Nogin’s model, for instance, provides brands with skilled support across branding, fulfillment, and technology, allowing you to expand with agility and focus your resources where they’re most impactful. This way, you’re not just hiring; you’re empowering your business with the expertise it needs to thrive in the competitive online world.
How to Staff Your E-commerce Team: Fractional vs. In-House Resources
When it comes to building a capable e-commerce team, you’re faced with a key decision: do you bring on a full in-house team or go with the adaptable power of fractional staffing? While an in-house setup can provide stability, fractional staffing offers unmatched flexibility and cost savings—especially if you’re a retailer aiming to launch a direct-to-consumer (D2C) operation with less risk and lower overhead.
With fractional staffing, you can access specialists precisely when you need them—no more paying for full-time talent when the workload doesn’t call for it. This way, you’re equipped to adapt swiftly to seasonal demands, market shifts, or project-specific needs without the commitment and cost of full-time hires. For a lot of e-commerce operations, this approach isn’t just a backup; it’s the preferred solution.
Why Choose Fractional E-commerce Staffing?
Here’s why fractional staffing might just be the smartest move for your business:
- Cost-Effectiveness: Slash costs by tapping into top-tier talent only when necessary. With fractional hires, you avoid high overhead and have the flexibility to allocate resources exactly where and when they’re needed.
- Specialized Expertise: Access seasoned experts in areas like marketing, finance, and operations. These pros bring deep experience across industries and companies, delivering insights you’d typically only get from high-cost, full-time specialists.
- Flexibility and Scalability: Scale up or down effortlessly. Fractional support lets you meet the demands of peak seasons or shifts in the market, adjusting your resources in real-time to align with your goals.
- Fresh Perspective: Fractional talent brings an outside view, offering you objective, innovative insights to spot opportunities you might miss and avoid pitfalls that could slow your growth.
- Efficiency and Speed: Get results fast. Fractional professionals come ready to dive in, saving you time with minimal onboarding and bringing an urgency that fast-tracks your goals.
- Focus on Core Business: Leave specialized tasks to fractional experts so you can stay laser-focused on growth and strategy. This frees you up to concentrate on your core business without being sidetracked by extra tasks.
- Access to Advanced Tools and Analytics: Many fractional experts bring premium tools and analytics capabilities with them, empowering your decision-making with data-driven insights and boosting your online presence.
- Risk Mitigation: Test roles and strategies without heavy commitments. Fractional hires let you experiment, evaluating their impact before you make any permanent decisions, which means less risk for your business.
- Industry Insights: Fractional staff work across various clients, providing you with valuable perspectives on competitor strategies, market trends, and best practices that keep you competitive.
- Cash Flow Control: Align your staffing costs with revenue fluctuations. With fractional staffing, you can invest strategically, only hiring the skills you need right now, giving you financial flexibility.
Types of E-commerce Roles for Staffing your Business
To run a successful e-commerce business, you need more than just a good idea—you need the right team. From strategists to creatives, there’s a range of specialized roles that keep everything running smoothly. The following overview gives you a glimpse into the key positions that drive growth and help you tackle the unique challenges of e-commerce.
| Role | Definition | Contribution to E-commerce Operations |
|---|---|---|
| VP Brand Strategist | Oversees brand strategy, ensuring consistency and alignment with company vision. | Helps create a cohesive brand identity that attracts and retains customers, boosting brand loyalty. |
| Tax Manager | Manages tax compliance, reporting, and planning for the organization. | Ensures compliance with tax laws, reducing financial risk and optimizing tax savings. |
| Logistics Lead | Coordinates the supply chain and distribution processes to ensure timely product delivery. | Enhances delivery efficiency, reduces shipping costs, and ensures customer satisfaction with timely delivery. |
| Sr. Copywriter | Crafts persuasive and engaging content for product descriptions, emails, and ads. | Improves conversion rates by creating compelling messaging that resonates with target audiences. |
| Photographer | Captures high-quality images of products to showcase them effectively. | Enhances product appeal with professional visuals, boosting conversion rates and reducing returns. |
| Social Strategist | Develops and implements social media strategies to engage and grow audiences. | Drives traffic and engagement to the e-commerce site, increasing brand visibility and sales. |
| Fraud Specialist | Detects and prevents fraudulent activities within e-commerce transactions. | Protects the business from financial losses due to fraud, ensuring a secure shopping experience for customers. |
| Sr. Designer | Creates visual assets and ensures user-friendly design across platforms. | Improves user experience, making the site attractive and easy to navigate, leading to higher conversions. |
| SEO Specialist | Optimizes website content to improve visibility in search engine results. | Increases organic traffic to the e-commerce site, reducing dependency on paid advertising. |
| Site Operations | Manages the daily operations of the e-commerce site, ensuring functionality and uptime. | Ensures a smooth customer experience by keeping the website functional, fast, and error-free. |
| Data Analyst | Analyzes data to identify trends, measure performance, and guide decision-making. | Provides insights on customer behavior and site performance, helping optimize marketing and sales strategies. |
| Front-End Developer | Builds and maintains the user interface of the e-commerce website. | Ensures a seamless and engaging shopping experience by developing responsive and user-friendly features. |
| Catalog Manager | Oversees the product catalog, including listings, updates, and organization. | Keeps product information accurate and up-to-date, making it easier for customers to find what they need. |
| Email Specialist | Designs and executes email marketing campaigns to drive engagement and sales. | Increases customer retention and sales through targeted email communication and promotions. |
| BackEnd Developer | Develops the server-side of the website, handling databases and integrations. | Ensures the site’s stability, security, and scalability, enabling a reliable shopping experience for customers. |
Fractional, On-Demand Ecommerce Expertise Without the Headaches
At Nogin, we understand that the conventional approach to hiring for ecommerce doesn’t work for independent brands. That’s why we introduced a radically different system. Our unique Commerce-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering delivers everything you need to dominate D2C ecommerce, providing enterprise-level technology that supercharges Shopify Plus and solving the challenges of recruiting great talent. Our model gives you access to our fully-managed ecommerce tech, supported with fractional ecommerce experts and every service needed to build a successful D2C business. Brands now have the flexibility to operate 100% fully-managed, 100% in-house, or anywhere in between.
Best of all, we’ve simplified the complicated process of migrating to an enterprise- level platform. Instead of waiting 1-2 years and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, you can migrate to Intelligent Commerce in less than eight weeks with zero upfront costs.
Our solution is built on top of Shopify Plus and provides all the capabilities of a $1million+ enterprise deployment in a single platform. You’ll gain access to sophisticated features, including a customer data platform, customer segmentation with true personalization, AI-powered merchandising, and smart promotion optimization to help improve conversions and lower customer acquisition costs.
As your operations evolve, we’ll provide the additional support you’ll need to fill in the gaps on your internal team. It’s not only the most cost-effective way to grow your brand, but you’ll obtain access to experts in every realm of ecommerce. They’re available on a fractional, on-demand basis to save time and money on expensive and tedious recruitment.
Solve Your Staffing Problem Once and For All. Plug Into Intelligent Commerce
Nogin’s technology and services are purpose-built to meet the specific D2C demands of your brand. If you want to future-proof your online business and discover how we make ecommerce growth easy, schedule a convo to get started.
E-commerce Staffing FAQ
What degree do you need for eCommerce?
A degree in business, marketing, computer science, or a related field is beneficial for a career in eCommerce. Specialized programs in eCommerce or digital marketing are also valuable.
Can you do eCommerce without a degree?
Yes, you can do eCommerce without a degree. Many successful eCommerce professionals have gained skills through online courses, certifications, and practical experience in digital marketing, web development, and business management.
Is ecommerce a good skill?
Yes, eCommerce is a good skill. It is in high demand as businesses increasingly shift to online sales channels. Skills in digital marketing, web development, data analysis, and customer service are particularly valuable.
How much do you get paid in ecommerce?
Salaries in eCommerce vary widely based on role, experience, and location. Entry-level positions may start at $35,000-$50,000 annually, while experienced professionals like eCommerce managers or digital marketing directors can earn $70,000-$120,000 or more.
Is ecommerce a good job?
Yes, eCommerce is a good job. It offers diverse opportunities, growth potential, and the ability to work in various industries. As online shopping continues to grow, demand for skilled eCommerce professionals remains strong.
How to get into ecommerce with no experience?
To get into eCommerce with no experience, take online courses or certifications in digital marketing, web development, or eCommerce. Build a personal website or online store to gain practical experience. Consider internships or volunteer opportunities to build your resume and network with industry professionals.
