How to hire an e-commerce merchant

How to hire an e-commerce merchant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step e-commerce merchant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an e-commerce merchant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new e-commerce merchant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an e-commerce merchant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the e-commerce merchant you need to hire. Certain e-commerce merchant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An e-commerce merchant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, e-commerce merchants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of e-commerce merchants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of E-Commerce Merchant	Description	Hourly rate
   E-Commerce Merchant		$6-37
   Merchant	A merchant is responsible for selling goods and services for an organization to generate revenues by reaching out to existing and potential customers and discuss the products' features. Merchants must have extensive knowledge of the goods offered by the company to be able to respond to customers' inquiries and concerns accurately... Show more	$22-57

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Photography
   • Market Trends
   • Customer Service
   • Photo Shoots
   • Online Sales
   • Customer Orders
   • B Testing
   • Product Content
   • Inventory Control
   • Product Knowledge
   • Customer Support
   • Product Pages
   • Sales Data
   • Product Data

   Check all skills

   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.

   More e-commerce merchant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your e-commerce merchant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An e-commerce merchant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, e-commerce merchants' average salary in iowa is 40% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level e-commerce merchants earn 82% less than senior-level e-commerce merchants.
   • Certifications. An e-commerce merchant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an e-commerce merchant's salary.

   Average e-commerce merchant salary

   $16.55hourly

   $34,427 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level e-commerce merchant salary

   $14,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average e-commerce merchant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$56,256	$27
   2	Maryland	$47,740	$23
   3	Texas	$42,748	$21
   4	Louisiana	$39,632	$19
   5	Georgia	$38,949	$19
   6	Florida	$35,393	$17

   Average e-commerce merchant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$101,758	$48.92	5
   2	Tillys	$38,377	$18.45
   3	Petco Holdings, Inc.	$27,230	$13.09
   4	Goodwill ~ Redwood Empire	$26,203	$12.60
   5	Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake	$24,940	$11.99

4. Writing an e-commerce merchant job description

   An e-commerce merchant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an e-commerce merchant job description:

   E-commerce merchant job description example

   About:
   
   Bloomingdale's makes fashion personal and fun, aspirational yet approachable. Our mission is to guide and inspire our customers to make style a source of creative energy in their lives. We will always strive to make Bloomingdale's like no other store in the world. Everyone plays a critical role to bring our mission to life. Regardless of position, we believe all colleagues have a voice and access to share their thoughts with every level of leadership. Our colleagues are passionate, driven, entrepreneurial and collaborative. We welcome and embrace diversity of background, thought and opinion while having a lot of fun along the way.
   
   Job Overview:
   
   The E-Commerce Junior Merchandiser (EJM) is responsible for optimizing our website merchandising and navigation through their understanding of merchandise in their respective area and translating that to accurate product detail pages with consistent product attribution to provide the best customer experience. The EJM will support online business initiatives and merchandising strategies to increase sales and site conversion.
   
   Essential Functions:
   
   * Partner with buying and creative teams to ensure product page set-up aligns with strategic intent by maintaining and updating site standards of page creation
   * Review the provided styling direction, requested photography and features and benefits of new products to ensure that customers receive the most accurate depiction of our products to make an informed purchase
   * Create and maintain product style guides in collaboration with Assistant Merchandise Manager to navigate new products into site categories, based on product attributes and known customer shopping behaviors.
   * Responsible for accurate product attribution and the relevance of attributes to the overall product assortment and site navigation
   * Conduct regular on-site testing for accurate product navigation and proactively identify and correct issues that surface
   * Track products featured in marketing exposures to ensure availability for purchase
   * Curate and sequence categories as needed
   
   Qualifications and Competencies:
   
   Bachelor's Degree from a 4-year college or university
   
   1-2 years related experience
   * Practices open and continuous communication, values keeping others informed, effectively presenting information in a clear, concise manner
   * Excellent leadership, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work across functional lines and at many levels
   * Ability to think creatively, strategically and technically
   * Ability to work a flexible schedule based on department and Company needs
   * Physical Requirements:
   
   * Requires prolonged periods of sitting, with occasional standing
   * Occasionally requires walking, bending, reaching, hearing and talking
   * Continuous use of computers and other office equipment
   * Frequently lift/move up to 25 lbs.
   * This job description is not all inclusive; additionally, Macy's, Inc. reserves the right to amend this job description at any time. Macy's, Inc. - including Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Blue Mercury - is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find e-commerce merchants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any e-commerce merchants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level e-commerce merchants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your e-commerce merchant job on Zippia to find and recruit e-commerce merchant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit e-commerce merchants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new e-commerce merchant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the e-commerce merchant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new e-commerce merchant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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