Career Details
Career Details
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Career Details

13-1199.06 - Online Merchants


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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
998,000
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
1,046,000
Estimate
Change in Employment
+48,000
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+4.8%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Upload digital media, such as photos, video, or scanned images to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
  • Order or purchase merchandise to maintain optimal inventory levels.
  • Maintain inventory of shipping supplies, such as boxes, labels, tape, bubble wrap, loose packing materials, or tape guns.
  • Determine and set product prices.
  • Disclose merchant information and terms and policies of transactions in online or offline materials.
  • Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
  • Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
  • Create or maintain database of customer accounts.
  • Collaborate with search engine shopping specialists to place marketing content in desired online locations.
  • Cancel orders based on customer requests or inventory or delivery problems.
  • Promote products in online communities through weblog or discussion-forum postings, e-mail marketing programs, or online advertising.
  • Fill customer orders by packaging sold items and documentation for direct shipping or by transferring orders to manufacturers or third-party distributors.
  • Measure and analyze Web site usage data to maximize search engine returns or refine customer interfaces.
  • Investigate products or markets to determine areas for opportunity or viability for merchandising specific products, using online or offline sources.
  • Develop or revise business plans for online business, emphasizing factors such as product line, pricing, inventory, or marketing strategy.
  • Determine location for product listings to maximize exposure to online traffic.
  • Correspond with online customers via electronic mail, telephone, or other electronic messaging to address questions or complaints about products, policies, or shipping methods.
  • Compose images of products, using video or still cameras, lighting equipment, props, or photo or video editing software.
  • Calculate purchase subtotals, taxes, and shipping costs for submission to customers.
  • Receive and process payments from customers, using electronic transaction services.
  • Prepare or organize online storefront marketing material, including product descriptions or subject lines, optimizing content to search engine criteria.
  • Purchase new or used items from online or physical sources for resale via retail or auction Web site.
  • Compose descriptions of merchandise for posting to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
  • Calculate revenue, sales, and expenses, using financial accounting or spreadsheet software.
Supplemental
  • Participate in online forums or conferences to stay abreast of online retailing trends, techniques, or security threats.
  • Integrate online retailing strategy with physical or catalogue retailing operations.
  • Create or distribute offline promotional material, such as brochures, pamphlets, business cards, stationary, or signage.
  • Transfer digital media, such as music, video, or software, to customers via the Internet.
  • Select and purchase technical web services, such as web hosting services, online merchant accounts, shopping cart software, payment gateway software, or spyware.
  • Investigate sources, such as auctions, estate sales, liquidators, wholesalers, or trade shows for new items, used items, or collectibles.
  • Initiate online auctions through auction hosting sites or auction management software.
  • Implement security practices to preserve assets, minimize liabilities, or ensure customer privacy, using parallel servers, hardware redundancy, fail-safe technology, information encryption, or firewalls.
  • Devise, select, or purchase domain name and web address.
  • Design customer interface of online storefront, using web programming or e-commerce software.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 English Language
  • 84%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Sales and Marketing
  • 80%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 78%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Communications and Media
  • 72%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Administration and Management
  • 72%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 71%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Clerical
  • 67%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Mathematics
  • 64%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Economics and Accounting
  • 63%
    Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
 Production and Processing
  • 62%
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 56%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
 Design
  • 53%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 Telecommunications
  • 52%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Removable storage media
  • External hard drives
  • Thumb drives
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Personal computers
  • Tablet computers
 Computer data input devices
  • Credit card machines
 Computer printers
  • Label printers
  • Dot matrix printers
 Duplicating machines
  • Laser facsimile machines
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
  • Inventory tracking software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Bing Ads
  • Google AdWordsHOT
  • Search engine marketing SEM software
  • Webtrends software
  • Shipment processing software
 Finance accounting and enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Financial accounting software
  • Intuit QuickBooksHOT
  • Tax software
  • NetSuite ERPHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Fireworks
  • Adobe Systems Adobe PhotoshopHOT
  • JamBoard
  • Microsoft VisioHOT
  • Screencast-O-Matic
  • YouTubeHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Blogging software
  • Content management systems CMS
  • FacebookHOT
  • WordPress
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
 Data management and query software
  • Microsoft DynamicsHOT
  • Apache SolrHOT
  • MySQLHOT
  • Relational database management softwareHOT
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • Microsoft SQL ServerHOT
  • Search engine results pages SERP software
  • Structured query language SQLHOT
  • Bing for Power BI
  • Google AnalyticsHOT
  • IBM Digital Analytics
  • Search engine optimization SEO software
 Development software
  • Microsoft .NET FrameworkHOT
  • Microsoft Visual StudioHOT
  • Extensible markup language XMLHOT
  • IBM InfoSphere DataStage
  • IBM WebSphereHOT
  • C#HOT
  • Oracle JavaHOT
  • jQueryHOT
  • AJAXHOT
  • Apache StrutsHOT
  • DrupalHOT
  • Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML
  • Enterprise JavaBeans
  • Extensible HyperText Markup Language XHTML
  • Hypertext markup language HTMLHOT
  • JavaScriptHOT
  • LAMP Stack
  • Oracle JavaServer Pages JSPHOT
  • PHP: Hypertext PreprocessorHOT
 Industry specific software
  • CCBill
  • Google Checkout
  • Intuit QuickBoooks Payments
  • Magento Analytics
  • MyCommerce RegNow
  • PayPal
  • PayPal Here
  • ProPay
  • Snorasson Holdings CCNow
  • Square
  • e-check software
 Operating environment software
  • Apple macOSHOT
  • LinuxHOT
  • Microsoft WindowsHOT
 Information exchange software
  • Microsoft OutlookHOT
  • Twitter
  • Mobile application software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
  • Certified e-Business Professional
    6330 Riverside Plaza Ln NW, Suite 210, Albuquerque, NM 871201.585.240.7397

 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Peirce College
Jobs
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Jobs related to this career may be found on Indeed.com or on the Google Job Search page.