Online Merchants
Marketing, Sales and ServiceO*NET 13-1199.06United States
Conduct retail activities of businesses operating exclusively online. May perform duties such as preparing business strategies, buying merchandise, managing inventory, implementing marketing activities, fulfilling and shipping online orders, and balancing financial records.
- Median annual earnings
- $82,007
- Projected change
- +7.6%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 1.18M jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
41.3% of the workforce
Growing to 1.27M by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What online merchants do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Fill customer orders by packaging sold items and documentation for direct shipping or by transferring orders to manufacturers or third-party distributors.
- Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
- Receive and process payments from customers, using electronic transaction services.
- Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
- Correspond with online customers via electronic mail, telephone, or other electronic messaging to address questions or complaints about products, policies, or shipping methods.
- Purchase new or used items from online or physical sources for resale via retail or auction Web site.
- Determine and set product prices.
- Calculate purchase subtotals, taxes, and shipping costs for submission to customers.
- Compose descriptions of merchandise for posting to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
- Upload digital media, such as photos, video, or scanned images to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
- Compose images of products, using video or still cameras, lighting equipment, props, or photo or video editing software.
- Calculate revenue, sales, and expenses, using financial accounting or spreadsheet software.
- Cancel orders based on customer requests or inventory or delivery problems.
- Order or purchase merchandise to maintain optimal inventory levels.
- Prepare or organize online storefront marketing material, including product descriptions or subject lines, optimizing content to search engine criteria.
- Determine location for product listings to maximize exposure to online traffic.
- Create or maintain database of customer accounts.
- Collaborate with search engine shopping specialists to place marketing content in desired online locations.
- Promote products in online communities through weblog or discussion-forum postings, e-mail marketing programs, or online advertising.
- Investigate products or markets to determine areas for opportunity or viability for merchandising specific products, using online or offline sources.
- Maintain inventory of shipping supplies, such as boxes, labels, tape, bubble wrap, loose packing materials, or tape guns.
- Measure and analyze Web site usage data to maximize search engine returns or refine customer interfaces.
- Develop or revise business plans for online business, emphasizing factors such as product line, pricing, inventory, or marketing strategy.
- Disclose merchant information and terms and policies of transactions in online or offline materials.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $46,745
- 25th percentile
- $61,460
- 50th percentile
- $82,007
- 75th percentile
- $113,551
- 90th percentile
- $152,829
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $82,007 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.6%faster than average
20251,180,498 jobs
2035 projected1,269,790 jobs
89,292 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 41.3%
- High school diploma or less
- 32.7%
- Certificate
- 12.1%
- Some college
- 8.7%
- Associate degree
- 5.2%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01E-Commerce Managers989 postings
- 02E-Commerce Specialists695 postings
- 03E-Commerce Clerks600 postings
- 04E-Commerce Associates424 postings
- 05Store E-Commerce Supervisors385 postings
- 06Directors of E-Commerce316 postings
- 07E-Commerce Assistants261 postings
- 08Marketplace Managers205 postings
- 09E-Commerce Analysts191 postings
- 10E-Commerce Operations Managers183 postings
- 11E-Commerce Digital Marketing Managers178 postings
- 12Office Assistants178 postings
- 13E-Commerce Coordinators167 postings
- 14E-Commerce Account Managers163 postings
- 15E-Commerce Merchandisers148 postings
- 16Fulfillment Associates131 postings
- 17Marketplace Specialists119 postings
- 18Analysts114 postings
- 19E-Commerce Marketing Managers114 postings
- 20E-Commerce Product Managers98 postings
Top employers
- 01Kroger774 postings
- 02Goodwill382 postings
- 03Whole Foods192 postings
- 04Fujifilm110 postings
- 05Reynolds & Reynolds93 postings
- 06Amazon80 postings
- 07Bausch Health79 postings
- 08Walmart77 postings
- 09Nvent71 postings
- 10The Salvation Army69 postings
- 11Robert Half67 postings
- 1224 Seven Talent Ca62 postings
- 13Albertsons61 postings
- 14Aka Brands59 postings
- 15Ford54 postings
- 16Hy-Vee51 postings
- 17Accenture50 postings
- 18Pearson Education49 postings
- 19What Goes Around Comes Around45 postings
- 20King Soopers43 postings
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