What's an eCommerce freelancer?

An eCommerce freelancer is a professional who specializes in providing various types of services for eCommerce businesses. Many eCommerce freelancers niche down in a specific area of expertise (such as marketing or customer service), but some are generalists and can provide assistance in every area including - operations, fulfillment, SEO copywriting, blog writing, listing optimization, and marketing.

What can an eCommerce freelancer do for your business?

An eCommerce freelancer can help you grow your online shop in several ways:

eCommerce platform setup

An eCommerce freelancer can help you properly set up and optimize your online shop's platform, whether you're using BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or Shopify. This includes everything from getting a custom domain, setting up your blog, checking your site security, optimizing your Shopify homepage, and creating the right product page structure to setting up payment gateways and shipping options.

Product research

An e-Commerce specialist can also help you with product research. This means they can analyze the market and help you find the best products to sell in your online store. They can also help you find new opportunities for products you may not have considered before.

Fulfillment & operations

Ecommerce freelancers can also help with the operations side of your business. This includes setting up fulfillment systems, order tracking, and customer service protocols.

Amazon marketing

If you're looking for someone with Amazon-specific experience, they should know how to market your products on Amazon. This includes creating product listings, optimizing keywords, setting up product pages, and running Amazon advertising for your store.

Email marketing

Email marketing is an essential part of any eCommerce business, and an eCommerce freelancer can help you create tailored campaigns that drive customers to your store. This includes setting up automated sequences, optimizing signup forms, and creating compelling marketing copy.

Customer service

Ecommerce freelancers can also provide support for customer service inquiries. This includes responding to emails and live chats, as well as setting up a system to manage and encourage customer reviews. More experienced eCommerce agencies can help with team management, set up customer care processes, and help lower your return rates.

How much do eCommerce freelancers charge?

On average, eCommerce freelancers charge between $50 and $75 per hour. The cost of hiring an eCommerce freelancer can vary and depends on a number of factors:

• The type of service you require (e.g., general support, website design, etc.)
• The complexity of the project
• The freelancer's experience level
• Their business model (whether they charge an hourly rate or work on a retainer)
• Whether or not they're specialized in a particular eCommerce platform (e.g., Amazon)

How to hire the right eCommerce marketer

There are a lot of e-Commerce specialists out there, but if you want to hire the right one, make sure to do the following step-by-step process.

Decide on what you need

To hire the right eCommerce marketing specialist, list down all the services you need and the skills necessary for each. This will help narrow down your list of potential candidates.

Create a comprehensive job description

One of the best ways to make sure you get relevant applications is to make your job description as clear and comprehensive as possible. Include everything you need and everything you can offer (including your budget range).

Test your candidates

Running a quick test on your candidates will help you understand if their skills and expertise match your current business goals. It will also give you a better idea of how they think and how they can contribute to your business.

Find the right hiring platform

There are many hiring platforms you can use. You can source your eCommerce freelancer on Upwork, Freelancer, or Fiverr. However, this can take a lot of time, as you'll have to sift through a lot of applications and/or freelancer profiles.

You can also go the more traditional route and post your job ad on a job board (specialized or not). This can also be time-consuming, as you will have to go through the entire recruitment process (from application selection to reference check.)

Or, if you want to hire from the best eCommerce marketers, you can use Mayple. We only work with top-rated professionals, and we make sure we vet them so that you can save time and money. Contact us and let's chat about your online store's needs!

10 skills every eCommerce freelancer needs

A good, experienced eCommerce freelancer should have the following skills:

eCommerce Platform Expertise

Experienced e-Commerce professionals have an in-depth understanding of popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, and their features and functionalities.

Product Listing Optimization

Your new eCommerce hire should also have the ability to create and optimize product listings, including keyword research, product descriptions, images, and pricing.

Digital Marketing

To help you promote your products, your eCommerce freelancer should know how to work with different digital marketing channels, like SEO, SEM, social media marketing, email marketing, and content marketing, to promote eCommerce stores and products.

Graphic Design

Your freelancer should also be proficient in graphic design tools like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create visually appealing product images, banners, and marketing materials. Even if they don't create the graphics themselves, your freelancer should know how to communicate their needs to graphic designers.

Customer Service

Your eCommerce freelancer should have excellent customer service by responding to customer inquiries, resolving issues, and processing orders. This will help them create the kind of user experience that makes customers come back (thus, increasing customer retention and loyalty.)

Analytics and Reporting

You need to keep your finger on the pulse of your business, which means you need to know how your eCommerce growth efforts are doing at all times. So it's best to look for someone with knowledge of analytics tools like Google Analytics and the ability to generate reports on eCommerce store performance and customer behavior.

Sales and Marketing Funnels

Your eCommerce freelancer should understand how sales and marketing funnels work. This will help them create an effective sales process that boosts your store's revenue and customer retention.

Inventory Management

Look for someone with the ability to manage inventory, track product stock levels, and fulfill orders efficiently. Not all eCommerce freelancers have this skill (as some may focus on marketing), but if you need a virtual assistant, they should help you with administrative tasks like inventory management too. 

Copywriting

If you need someone who will update your product pages, hire someone who can write compelling copy for product descriptions, landing pages, email campaigns, and other marketing materials.

Project Management

Last but not least, your eCommerce freelancer should know how to coordinate with different team members and juggle critical tasks and larger projects simultaneously. Even if they don't manage anyone, project management is a useful skill, particularly when you want to grow your store (and do it as quickly as possible.)

Questions to ask your eCommerce freelancer before you hire them

Asking the right questions can help you trim down your list of applicants. Here are some examples of questions to ask your eCommerce freelancer before you hire them:

• Can you walk me through your experience with our eCommerce platform (e.g., Shopify, Amazon, or Magento?)
• What is your process for optimizing product listings for SEO and conversions?
• Can you provide examples of successful digital marketing campaigns you have executed in the past?
• How do you handle customer service and support for eCommerce stores?
• Have you ever dealt with customer that had a bad experience? How did you de-escalate the situation?
• How do you measure the success of eCommerce campaigns and what tools do you use for reporting and analytics?
• Can you share examples of your previous work in graphic design for eCommerce stores?
• What is your approach to managing inventory and order fulfillment for eCommerce stores?
• How do you approach copywriting for eCommerce products and landing pages?
• How do you manage project timelines and communicate progress and updates with clients?
• What are some of the tools you use to optimize eCommerce performance?
• Do you have experience in eCommerce conversion rate optimization and product page optimization?
• What is your experience with email marketing tools?
• How do you improve user experience on product pages and in online stores? 
• Do you have product inventory experience? 
• How do you nurture potential customers to make a purchase? 
• What are some of the best customer retention techniques, in your opinion? 
• How do you handle bad reviews? 
• How do you go about product sourcing? 
• Do you have eCommerce PPC experience? Is it specific to one platform (Google Shopping Ads, Amazon PPC, Facebook Ads)?
• What are the top three things you do to improve client experience?

‍