ECommerce sites are the business platforms of the future. The last decade of the eCommerce industry has shown us the vast potential of an online store or product marketplace. However, because an eCommerce business can grow much bigger than a physical establishment, it needs someone to make sure the products are up to quality standards and that customers get the optimal experience.
This is where the eCommerce product manager job title comes in. If you’re looking to learn about what an e-commerce product manager does via video, then watch below. Otherwise, skip ahead.
Let’s get into it.
What is an Ecommerce Product Manager?
Ecommerce product managers ensure that eCommerce sites run smoothly (according to agile practices), the demands and feedback of the customers are heard, and that the quality of the new products is as per set standards.
Being directly in charge of the platform itself as a product, they are the point person when it comes to developing the optimal customer experience.
Ecommerce product managers serve as a virtual liaison between the technical product development team, business development managers and executives, as well as various major stakeholders.
Here are some of the responsibilities of an eCommerce product manager in 2024:
- Conduct extensive market research and create realistic user stories for service optimization.
- Collaborate regularly with the product team to develop and introduce new site features as needed.
- Develop product strategy based on the prevalent state of eCommerce business, and create product roadmaps
- Create a high level of website and mobile app functionality, and deliver the optimal user experience.
- Assist business developers in analyzing all the business requirements and coordinate efforts to increase business.
Other than that, the online product manager is also responsible for building the training pipeline and creating all the training materials needed to get existing stakeholders (internal and external) in line with the new strategic objectives (if any).
It’s important to note that the actual definition of the role may vary from company to company and that this is the typical eCommerce product manager’s baseline job description.
What are the Job Responsibilities of an Ecommerce Product Manager?
Product management itself is a wide and diverse field, with each company defining what the position means in terms of its own market trends, requirements, and vision.
However, some baseline responsibilities come with the role nevertheless. This is specifically for eCommerce product management.
1. Acquire and Distribute Product Knowledge
Ecommerce product managers may not be as hands-on with all of their products as physical product managers, but they need to know their products much more in-depth.
This is due to the constant ebb and flow of incoming products and those being discontinued on the same ecommerce site, as well as the strategic responsibilities of the manager concerning the product vision.
Here is what online product managers have to do in terms of product information:
- Research existing product types on offer and find out which company/brand makes the best version of those, for development purposes
- Circulate a questionnaire or conduct a series of brief interviews with the product vendors, development teams, and other product team members to learn as much as possible about the product
- Build cases for and against certain products after thorough research into their merits, in front of the major stakeholders
- Analyze product requirements among customers
- Recommend new products and help the marketing team create effective strategies
Additionally, eCommerce product management navigating also includes collaborating with the testing department to analyze customer feedback and check if the products are viable for customer expectations and current and future markets.
If you’re interested in gaining some invaluable product management skills and growing your career, feel free to check out our top-rated product management certification.
2. Develop Customer Wireframes
Maintaining an optimal standard of customer service and paying attention to all user stories is a fundamental responsibility for all product managers.
This is due to the central nature of the position, in which the individual is responsible for acting as a bridge between the development team, and the customers, in terms of the services that the company is developing.
Here’s what product managers have to do in terms of developing the customer engagement services:
- Reading up on use cases from the most relevant competitors and developing case studies from them
- Asking via interview or questionnaire how the target market prefers to use the product, and what qualities they prefer in it
- Managing the known product defects, while putting in timely requests to make modifications or adjustments to the product
- Monitoring all incoming and outgoing requests for the product in time for timely product releases
- Surveying the product teams for suggestions regarding the product, and ideas for future product specifications
Furthermore, they need to go through all elevated customer queries and either address them directly or forward them to sales to ensure customer satisfaction.
3. Confirm and Approve Product Delivery
Product delivery is a hands-on task and falls directly on the manager to implement, for all products in the current inventory.
Before delivery though, managers have to test the product and confirm whether it is ready for the market, in its state then. This is especially true for digital products, for which managers will have to collaborate with the testing teams.
Here’s what managers have to do in terms of approving product launches:
- Go through ideal product specifications and confirm whether all the recommended improvements have been implemented.
- Prepare all the documents for business requirements, goals, metrics, etc.
- Monitor and ensure complete regulatory compliance in all aspects of the product development and launch pipeline.
- Coordinate with the senior management on creating an effective launch schedule for future releases.
Additionally, managers have to make sure each product is given its due marketing attention before, during, and after launch.
4. Manage Product Finances
Most companies have the product manager as the point person on all finances related to the product.
Here’s what the product manager has to do in terms of product financial management:
- Work with company leadership and financial stakeholders to develop an effective financial strategy.
- Collaborate with product owners to settle on the optimal short and long-term pricing for all products and accounts.
- Analyze all the key business metrics that are directly related to finance and get all stakeholders on the same page about it.
- Perform usability tests and perform market research on all the current and future eCommerce projects.
- Develop financial management plans for the finance department for both individual products and accounts.
Additionally, the product manager has to conduct meetings with company leadership to decide how the current financial status of the company about its product offerings and catalog can be improved in the long run.
ECommerce Product Manager Qualifications
Generally, a product manager should have qualifications that are directly relevant to corporate management, with a secondary focus on product strategy.
Here are some of the recommended qualifications for all eCommerce product managers:
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration or operations management
- Master’s degree in business administration, product marketing, and/or marketing
- Advanced diploma in business management, marketing, and/or ecommerce product management
- Vocational diploma with extensive internship experience in real-world product management scenarios
Additionally, if the host company is SaaS-based and is working within the B2B sphere, it pays to have some knowledge of content marketing and SEO.
This will help them craft a product strategy that is more aligned with their business goals and customer preferences, as well as help them position the product optimally, even from the development stage.
How to Succeed as an Ecommerce Product Manager in 2024
When it comes to success as a product manager, you will only achieve as much as your knowledge of the industry, the product(s), and your unique vision for the company you’re working in.
This goes for both the eCommerce and brick-and-mortar retailer sectors, as both are experiencing a quantum shift in customer behavior and how they operate on both the front and back end.
However, there are some things you can do, and some techniques you can adopt to ensure that you always stay on top of the eCommerce management game.
Here are some tips for success as an eCommerce product manager:
- Become a certified product manager: The recent decade has shown us that online certifications have not just caught up to formal degrees and trade diplomas, but have exceeded them in many industries. Get certified with a few relevant and updated online courses on product management in the eCommerce sphere.
- Focus on user experience: User experience is the single most important point of focus for modern product managers since the majority of repeat purchase decisions are based on the user’s first experience with a product. Emphasize high-quality UX development as much as you can with each product and any new features to ensure a steady stream of business.
- Study the user: Developing, analyzing, and leveraging user stories often means the difference between a successful product and one that fails to hit the mark, or gets overtaken by competitor products. Make sure to conduct effective user interviews and get as much insight from the user regarding their demands and specifications. Understand project management to ensure customer loyalty.
- Learn ecommerce business strategy: As a product manager, you will be responsible for coming up with the primary product strategy for the company. Make sure that you understand what the responsibility entails, and that you can develop such strategies with the long-term goals of the company in mind.
- Develop communication skills: Being the focal person for the entire product management team, as well as the center point for development and launching, the ideal product manager should have excellent communication skills. This will help them to better understand the customer, their dev capacity, and business goals.
It’s important to remember that at the end of the day, product managers are also products, and they have to upskill themselves with the right knowledge, at the right time, to become a valuable full-time hire for the eCommerce company, as well as have a fruitful career.
Final Remarks
If there’s anything the (still ongoing) pandemic situation from 2020 has taught us, it’s that businesses with legacy systems and managers with legacy training and tools need to evolve. If not, they run the risk of becoming obsolete very quickly in the rapidly shifting market.
Ecommerce companies such as Amazon, and AliExpress, have taken the market by storm and there’s a lot to be learned from their success, on both the grander business level and the individual product management level.
In light of this, it pays to have the most up-to-date knowledge on what the eCommerce product manager job entails, what the whole e commerce product management landscape looks like today, as well as how to leverage that into a rewarding career as an eCommerce product manager.
FAQs
Here are answers to the questions that aspiring ecommerce product managers frequently ask:
What is the role of a product manager in eCommerce?
A product manager in eCommerce is responsible develops and managing online products and features of mobile devices to enhance the mobile shopping experience. They collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration, usability, and performance of the eCommerce platform. Moreover, they define the product strategy, analyze customer data, and prioritize features to meet business goals.
How to become an e-commerce product manager?
To become an eCommerce Product Manager:
- Gain relevant experience in product management, particularly within the eCommerce sector
- Pursue education in business or related fields and consider certifications in product management to enhance your qualifications.
- Develop strong skills in market analysis, customer insights, and technical understanding of eCommerce platforms
What is the difference between a product manager and an eCommerce manager?
A product manager focuses on the development, strategy, and lifecycle management of specific products, ensuring they meet market needs and business objectives. An eCommerce manager, on the other hand, oversees the overall online retailers’ sales strategy, website functionality, and digital marketing efforts to drive online revenue and optimize the customer shopping experience.
What is an eCommerce product manager’s salary?
The salary of an eCommerce Product Manager ranges from $80,000 to $130,000 per year in the United States. Along with total compensation, including bonuses and stock options, the salary can exceed $150,000 annually.
If you are new to product management and are looking to break into your very first product manager role, we recommend taking our Product Manager Certification Courses, where you will learn the fundamentals of product management, launch your product, and get on the fast track toward landing your first product job.
