How to Become an E-Commerce Analyst

E-commerce analysts help companies get the most from their e-commerce systems.

E-commerce analysts combine business and Internet technology skills and experience to help companies take advantage of the marketing and sales opportunities available through the Internet. Their twin-track experience enables e-commerce analysts to help define companies' business objectives for using electronic commerce, decide which computer applications are needed to achieve them and develop measurements and reporting systems to monitor and analyze e-commerce performance.

Instructions

1. Obtain a suitable undergraduate degree in a business or technical subject. Employers require at least a bachelor's degree in a business or technical field, according to State University, a graduate careers website. People with a business background should supplement their skills with a course in computer science or engineering. For some e-commerce analyst and marketing positions, a master's degree is required. A good combination would be a Master of Business Administration degree with specialization in marketing plus a bachelor's degree in e-commerce.

2. Develop technical skills in Internet applications, e-commerce software and programming languages. Employers look for practical experience in content management and e-commerce interface design. Demonstrate the ability to work with content writers, technicians, developers and designers to set up e-commerce sites. You must feel comfortable working in a technical environment. In smaller companies you may have a more hands-on role in developing the structure and content of an e-commerce site.

3. Obtain experience in marketing management in an e-commerce or retail environment. Demonstrate that you can understand and influence the organization's e-commerce strategies and policies in line with sales and marketing goals. Develop analytical, interpretation and judgment skills to evaluate the business performance of e-commerce solutions. E-commerce analysts work closely with marketing teams, providing them with specialist knowledge on the potential and limitations of e-commerce solutions.

4. Develop skills and experience in performance measurement and reporting. The recruitment website IQ Workforce focused on the reporting requirements of the e-commerce analyst role. Responsibilities included identifying key performance metrics, building dashboards, competitive benchmarking, market analysis and developing reporting solutions to present key insights to the marketing and management team.

5. Gain experience in developing and measuring online multichannel marketing programs, including search engine marketing, email campaigns, online advertising and social media. Demonstrate experience in gathering, maintaining and managing e-commerce data as well as customer satisfaction data.

References

• State University: E-Commerce Marketing Manager
• IQ Workforce: eCommerce Analyst; June 2009