What's an eCommerce consultant? 

An eCommerce consultant is a third-party expert specializing in helping eCommerce businesses to improve their conversion rates, marketing strategies, and overall eCommerce performance.

Ecommerce consultants have a deep understanding of different facets of eCommerce optimization. This includes website design and user experience (UX), product selection, pricing strategies, digital marketing, search engine optimization, customer experience, and more.

An experienced consultant can help both emerging and established eCommerce brands to continuously improve their eCommerce operation and increase revenue. With global eCommerce sales set to reach $8.1 trillion U.S. dollars per year by 2026, hiring a consultant can help you to take a bigger slice of the pie.

What does an eCommerce consultant do? 

The responsibilities of an eCommerce consultant depend on their level of expertise and what industries they work with. For example, some eCommerce freelancers will have extensive experience in back-end inventory management, while others will focus on helping online stores with improving their shopping experience.

They can offer you firsthand knowledge of what does and doesn't work to optimize different eCommerce business models. A good consultant is there to help you avoid costly mistakes, so you can focus on business growth.

Common eCommerce consultant responsibilities include:

• Analyzing eCommerce websites/shopping cart configuration/marketing and identifying areas for improvement.
• Conducting market research and competitor analysis to identify opportunities for business growth.
• Providing guidance on technology and integrations.
• Helping clients establish more streamlined fulfillment and shipping processes
• Tracking and analyzing data related to website traffic, conversions, customer behavior, and other key performance indicators.

Let's dive into some more specific eCommerce consulting services that brands usually hire consultants for:

Conversion rate optimization

The success of an online business comes down to the outcome of its customer acquisition efforts. According to eConsultancy, only 22% of eCommerce businesses are satisfied with their current conversion rate.

If your conversion rate has either plateaued or has been decreasing, an eCommerce consultant well-versed in conversion optimization can assist you in identifying the causes.

For example, if your product listing pages have poor engagement, an expert may recommend optimizing your product descriptions and imagery, as well as improving page load speeds.

Advertising and marketing strategy

Consumers are driven to online shopping via a range of marketing channels, including paid ads, organic search, email, and social media platforms. According to Gartner, marketing costs an average of 9.5% of company revenue.

Identifying which channels are bearing fruit and which are costing you valuable spend is the domain of an eCommerce marketing consultant, who can monitor campaigns and recommend adjustments to boost engagement and market share.

Product catalog management

Not every product is going to sell like hotcakes. Keeping a hold of inventory that's not selling or is selling too slowly to cover storage fees is very costly to a company's bottom line.

A common online project for an eCommerce expert is to analyze a business's catalog to determine which SKUs are selling well and which should be culled. Based on this information, they can also make recommendations for new products which are likely to perform strongly.

How much does it cost to hire an eCommerce consultant?

The cost to hire an eCommerce consultant depends on a number of factors, including:

• Their level of experience
• Where they are based
• The number of consulting services required
• The scope of the project
• The industry/niche

As a rule of thumb, eCommerce consulting costs range from $25-50 per hour at the bottom end, up to $300 per hour for highly experienced consultants with a deep knowledge of your industry.

However, consulting fees will vary significantly based on your specific needs and preferences. Complex eCommerce strategies that take several months to implement will cost your business at the higher end of that price range.

Moreover, a U.S.-based consultant, for example, will likely cost more than someone who is based overseas. This may be a good way to save money, but you need to consider the value of having your expert close at hand to meet with you in person. 

How to hire the perfect eCommerce consultant 

You've decided to hire an eCommerce consultant. But how should you go about finding the ideal person for your business needs? It starts by narrowing down what you're looking for:

1. Pick your goals

Your business goals will determine almost everything about hiring a consultant, including the expertise you require, how much it's likely to cost, and your metrics for measuring success.

So, before you start looking for the right candidate, you need to determine what exactly you're hoping to achieve.

For example, if your business is looking to migrate to cloud-based eCommerce platforms, you should look for a consultant with direct experience in digital adoption, as well as strong organizational skills.

2. Decide on the role and scope

Every online project carries the risk of 'scope creep', where additional tasks or requirements blow out a budget and completion timeline. To avoid this, most e-commerce consultants require a business to outline the scope of a project and what services they require well in advance of starting work.

Remember: no business consultant can single-handedly turn your operation around. Keeping the scope of your project narrow and well-defined gives you much better odds of achieving a good outcome in the areas that matter most.

3. Determine your budget

While it may be tempting to hire the cheapest person you can find, this could easily cost you in the form of unmet deadlines or poor results. Depending on the scope of your project and the number of consultancy services you require, you might not have much leeway over the size of your budget.

Factors that influence your budget include the length of the contract, the scope of the project, and the resources required to complete the project.

4. Create a job description

Creating a job description for an eCommerce consultant requires you to outline the duties, responsibilities, and skills required for the position. Even if you aren't posting this description on regular job sites and are recruiting via your network, a description will give you a useful resource to keep your recruiting efforts on track.

A job description should include:

• An outline of your company/product
• A brief description of the scope/timeline of the project
• A list of key stakeholders/in-house teams your expert will be working with
• A list of key responsibilities
• The skills/qualifications required

5. Reach out to your network

A first-hand testimonial from someone you trust is worth more than a dozen online testimonials that are difficult to verify. Reaching out to your industry contacts is a great way to find candidates who have the right industry and business experience for your brand.

Platforms such as LinkedIn offer an easy way to reach out to your network and get useful recommendations, rather than reaching out to your connections one at a time. 

6. Look at their previous work

Asking for case studies or work samples is probably the most important step in the process. It's essential to check their track record. If you're looking at working with a consulting agency, they should have a portfolio of work they can make available to you during the vetting process. You should also reach out to their past clients.

7. Make sure they have expertise in your niche

You can hire a consultant with decades of experience and proven results but if they don't have much first-hand experience working in your industry, they could achieve far less than a less-experienced consultant who has built their consulting service around your niche.

And that could be the difference-maker. A strategy that works well for one industry will not necessarily work well for another, so you need to be certain that your expert can design a tailored approach to achieve your goals.

8. Hire the perfect consultant with Mayple

It's easy for businesses to get cynical about so-called 'eCommerce experts' who promise a lot but end up delivering little. This is why it's so important to have the right support and recruiting experience at your fingertips.

Mayple has years of experience in matching businesses with hand-picked experts with proven track records in conversion optimization, SEO, digital marketing strategy, and more so you can find a trustworthy partner and achieve better business growth.

Want to skip the learning curve? Looking to hire in 72 hours? Get started here. 

5 Questions to ask an eCommerce consultant 

Once you reach the interview stage, certain questions should be asked to determine whether a potential candidate is a right fit for their needs. Here are the top 5 questions to add to your interview process:

How much experience do you have in my industry?

Experience within your niche is a vital quality for any eCommerce expert. Ask your interviewee for some examples of past clients in your industry they have worked with and how they have helped them to find success.

How do you prefer to work with clients?

E-commerce consultants need to keep you updated on the progress of an online project and whether there are any changes that are going to impact to a business. Asking each candidate about their processes for keeping you in the loop offers a great opportunity to assess their communication skills.

Where would you focus your efforts to help us achieve our business goals?

Asking them to provide a brief outline of how they would run your project is a great way to determine their experience and management style. This should give you confidence that they understand your business and can provide a tailored strategy to meet your objectives.

How do you stay up to date with the latest trends/strategies in eCommerce?

This is an important question to assess whether the marketer has their finger on the pulse of what's happening in the eCommerce space. Having an expert who knows what trends are going to shape your business is vital to achieving your goals.

What is your approach to working with internal teams?

Most external hires need to collaborate regularly with in-house teams in order to access support and drive projects forward. This can be a common sticking point, so it's a good idea to ask how they ensure these relationships remain productive.