E-commerce merchant vs online retailer

The differences between e-commerce merchants and online retailers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an e-commerce merchant and an online retailer. Additionally, an online retailer has an average salary of $70,921, which is higher than the $34,427 average annual salary of an e-commerce merchant.

The top three skills for an e-commerce merchant include photography, market trends and customer service. The most important skills for an online retailer are customer service, photography, and market research.

E-commerce merchant vs online retailer overview

	E-Commerce Merchant	Online Retailer
Yearly salary	$34,427	$70,921
Hourly rate	$16.55	$34.10
Growth rate	19%	5%
Number of jobs	15,090	6,526
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

E-commerce merchant vs online retailer salary

E-commerce merchants and online retailers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	E-Commerce Merchant	Online Retailer
Average salary	$34,427	$70,921
Salary range	Between $14,000 And $79,000	Between $47,000 And $105,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between e-commerce merchant and online retailer education

There are a few differences between an e-commerce merchant and an online retailer in terms of educational background:

	E-Commerce Merchant	Online Retailer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

E-commerce merchant vs online retailer demographics

Here are the differences between e-commerce merchants' and online retailers' demographics:

	E-Commerce Merchant	Online Retailer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%	Male, 43.3% Female, 56.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between e-commerce merchant and online retailer duties and responsibilities

E-commerce merchant example responsibilities.

Create and manage FAQ, QA, copywriting and other tasks relate project management in support of front-end experience.
Manage in house photography studio and execute high quality product photography for e-commerce website.
Manage projects by maintaining product catalog using CMS, marketing/project calendars and assets/deliverables for online projects.
Perform QA for site re-launch.
Produce original content to develop multiple new websites, primarily focusing on SEO.
Coordinate SEO and PPC program with vendors, including development of campaign-specific landing pages.

Online retailer example responsibilities.

Manage and report KPIs to senior-level management to provide update on delivery against goals.
Manage online marketing collateral including AdWords, email, banner creative, blogs, twitter, etc.
Assist with packaging and shipping products to both national and international customers and suppliers / manufacturers.
Maintain good relationships with manufacturers and suppliers.
Create e-commerce website by using Shopify platform.
Ship items via USPS daily and follow up with shipment tracking.

E-commerce merchant vs online retailer skills

Common e-commerce merchant skills

Photography, 14%
Market Trends, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Photo Shoots, 7%
Online Sales, 5%
Customer Orders, 4%

Common online retailer skills

Customer Service, 42%
Photography, 8%
Market Research, 7%
Ebay Store, 7%
Retail Business, 5%
Product Description, 4%

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs