Share Pin 31 32 Shares

Dropshipping, Ecommerce SEO, Ecommerce Website Development, Ecommerce Marketing, Copywriting, Order Fulfillment, Email Marketing, and Virtual Assistance are the top ecommerce skills in 2018.

Ecommerce freelancers are in great demand thanks to the growing influx of online stores and new businesses jumping into the fray every single day.

Before we get into the most in-demand ecommerce skills for freelancers, please head over to my post on Top 5 Ecommerce Marketing Platforms in 2018. This post will introduce you to the trends in the ecommerce marketplace and also give details about the top-rated platforms being used by entrepreneurs and startups to run their ecommerce dreams on!

Now, coming to the Ecommerce skills and why we are seeing such a huge spurt in demand for freelancers who can bridge this huge gap in the demand and supply of key ecommerce skills.

The primary reason is – online stores require a lot of skills and expertise to set up, run and grow. There are so many ecommerce business owners who are getting crushed under the daily demand of running and managing their online stores. From sourcing their products, writing copy, dropshipping to customer service – they have their plates full! And the good news is – as they scale their operations – they will need more of freelancers like you!

Top Ecommerce Skills for Freelancers

1. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is one of the most in-demand skills for ecommerce marketing freelancers and if you check out Google Trends, the interest in this topic is showing a consistent increase over time.

As a dropshipping expert, you should be able to:

Research and select the bestselling products from top ecommerce platforms like AliExpress, eBay or Amazon. The primary criteria for choosing these products should be their potential to drive a huge amount of sales to one’s online store. Be able to import these products to one’s online store and write engaging product descriptions that are geared towards maximizing conversions. Pricing – Be able to check prices against competitors adjust the target profit figures to offer the most competitive prices. Ability to choose suppliers who have solid reputations and quick shipping times. Order Fulfillment using top dropshipping tools like Oberlo AliPay Dropified

Best Dropshipping Courses 2018

2. Ecommerce SEO

Organic listings continue to rule the charts when it comes to driving traffic and sales to ecommerce websites. The success of any ecommerce marketing campaign relies heavily on the success of its SEO efforts.

Buyers continue to scout for products on search engines as the first step of their purchase cycle, making it critical for ecommerce businesses to focus on SEO and rank higher for relevant keywords.

Ecommerce SEO isn’t just limited to ranking on Google’s first page for a bunch of keywords. Rather, it involves a thorough understanding of the buyer persona, how they find you and developing insights into their buying behavior.

Check out this Case Study on How an ecommerce site increased its Search Traffic By 1780%…

Demand for Ecommerce SEO freelancers has seen a sharp spurt in the last few years and the demand is going to further increase in the coming years. Given below are some of the key tasks you will be expected to perform:

Website audit

Keyword research

Content Optimization – This would include the category and product pages, product descriptions and blog posts

Off-page Optimization – This would include building quality backlinks and strong social signals

Best Ecommerce SEO Courses 2018

Additional Reading – Ecommerce SEO The Definitive Guide by Brian Dean

3. Ecommerce Website Development

The exponential rise in the number of ecommerce stores has lead to a huge increase in demand for freelancers who can develop ecommerce websites that look professional and provide a seamless user experience (UX).

Check out some of the Ecommerce Website Development job descriptions…This will help you develop a fair understanding of the kind of projects you can get to work on:

Check out one more job description

A lot of these ecommerce stores are built on WordPress or Shopify and having the necessary skills for these two platforms can give you a steady flow of clients and assured income streams in the coming years as more as businesses take on the ecommerce baton. Check out this infographic to better understand the Global ecommerce trends. Understanding the bigger picture will give you get a better perspective on the opportunities that are present for you as a freelancer in ecommerce website development …

Best Ecommerce Web Developer Courses

4. ECommerce Marketing

Talking of the most in-demand ecommerce skills, digital marketing is definitely one of the most sought-after skills of the lot!

Promoting an online store for driving more sales and revenues requires one to understand the nuances of marketing on digital marketing platforms and it’s top growth channels like social media marketing, paid search ads, content marketing, email marketing and building organic search opportunities.

Top Performance Metrics for a Successful Digital Marketing Plan

Having an engaged audience on the top social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram

Paid ads/promotions on Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest that drive targeted traffic to a client’s online store.

Paid search campaigns that are designed to keep the costs down while score high on conversions.

Build organic search traffic using a content strategy that is built on strong on-page and off-page optimization strategies

Email marketing strategies that can grow the email list size and engaged audience metrics.

Useful Resources on Ecommerce Marketing

5. Copywriting

One of the key requirements of ecommerce success is content that can drive sales and conversions. Whether it is writing winning product descriptions, blog articles, landing page content, ad and sales copy or handling the email sequence, ecommerce businesses need copywriting services every step of the way!

Also, writing for an ecommerce brand is quite different from writing for other businesses. Your writing should be able to nurture leads, persuade and influence prospective buyers to move down the sales funnel and eventually convert them into buyers. This is possible only if you have an in-depth understanding of the buyer’s psychology and triggers that persuades buying decisions.

In a nutshell, what you write should help SELL THE PRODUCT!

6. Order Fulfillment Specialist

As an ecommerce business builds up scale and volume, Order Fulfillment can become quite a time-consuming job. Businesses prefer to outsource this job to order fulfillment specialists who come with the following skills:

Deep understanding of the top ecommerce platforms and order processing tools like Oberlo , AliPay , Dropified, Orderbot etc .

, , The ability to process and handle orders, from order entry to invoicing with accuracy and as per the Standard Operating Procedures.

In the case of bigger teams, coordinate with cross-functional teams like sales or customer support to ensure the product is shipped out on time.

Process and ship out customer orders as per the set shipment timelines.

Update customer with the order tracking ids

Deal with return orders and refunds. Resolve issues in a timely manner

Top Resources for an Order Fulfillment Freelancer

7. Ecommerce Email Marketing

As an Email marketing expert for an ecommerce business, you will be required to build out templates and have structures set up that can result in more sales and fewer cart abandonment. This will be possible only if you have a good understanding of email automation and the top automation platforms like Klaviyo, MailChimp, ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact, GetResponse etc.

Email Marketing in ecommerce also involves campaign planning and execution, sending out promotions at regular intervals, emails sent out to targeted segments on your email list and a good knowledge of email sequences that can nurture leads and increase conversions.

Good ecommerce brands will expect you to come equipped with knowledge of automated sales funnels that make use of advanced techniques like tagging, lead grading, segmentation or finding your best leads using the scoring model.

Best Ecommerce Email Marketing Courses

8. Virtual Assistants

Last but not the least, Virtual Assistants are in great demand, especially from small or medium business owners. There are numerous ad-hoc tasks that need to be taken care of and having an efficient virtual assistant can be a huge support for the online store owners.

Check out some of the Virtual Assistant job descriptions and see if you have the necessary skills to perform these jobs effectively.

Shopify Virtual Assistant Skills

As you can see from the above example, the skills required for an ecommerce assistant job is fairly simple. Yet, it does require a basic understanding of the top ecommerce platforms like Shopify and tools like Oberlo/Dropified, ability to write product descriptions, handle customer queries and working on the top social media platforms.

Useful Resources on Ecommerce Skills

Top 3 Ecommerce Courses 2018

Top 3 Books on Ecommerce Marketing

Also, Check Out the Top Resources From This Blog