{"id":4336,"date":"2021-03-22T10:54:52","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T10:54:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/?p=4336"},"modified":"2025-05-21T13:57:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T13:57:14","slug":"10-essential-retail-skills-when-it-comes-to-ecommerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/blog\/10-essential-retail-skills-when-it-comes-to-ecommerce","title":{"rendered":"10 Essential Retail Skills When it Comes to Ecommerce"},"content":{"rendered":"

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E-retail sales made up <\/span>14.1% of all retail sales globally<\/span><\/a> in 2019, and the ecommerce market continues to grow. It\u2019s predicted that the figure will reach <\/span>22% by 2023<\/span><\/a>. Yes, the online retail sector is thriving.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re an ecommerce business owner, that doesn\u2019t mean you can sit back and relax. You need to stay on top of <\/span>industry trends<\/span><\/a> and statistics. Otherwise, your venture won\u2019t grow and scale efficiently, or remain competitive.<\/span><\/p>\n

One facet of staying on top of your game is fostering key retail skills. There are a host of retail skills that are essential when it comes to ecommerce. These span both soft and hard skills and are skills that will make your online enterprise stand out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you wondering whether your online retail business possesses these skills? Read on to find out ten of the most vital retail skills, and decide for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, a little ecommerce background.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rise of Ecommerce<\/span><\/h2>\n

Many physical stores are struggling because of factors such as rising rents and declining sales. Some blame ecommerce. For others, it presents a solution. Whichever camp you sit in, increasing numbers of transactions are being made online.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may own brick-and-mortar stores and are thinking about diversifying into the online arena. Or you may be a fully-online enterprise looking to boost revenue. Whatever business angle you\u2019re coming from, we\u2019re living in an increasingly digital marketplace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ecommerce retail skills are in greater demand than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, the required expertise is diverse, covering a broad umbrella of skills related to the digital world. From data analysis and search engine optimization (SEO) to <\/span>brand communication<\/span><\/a>, you need a varied bunch of employees. The aim is to utilize their capabilities to generate as much profit as possible for your online retail store.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go through these essential ecommerce retail skills one by one.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Soft Skills<\/span><\/h2>\n

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When you\u2019re starting out as an ecommerce entrepreneur, you may well be a one-man-band doing everything yourself. At that time, skills such as being able to write well, the ability to learn new skills, and networking are important. And active listening rather than passive listening is also key.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As your online retail business expands, you\u2019ll probably need to hire retail workers to help manage that. And the staff required to support your online business will need to possess certain important skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ecommerce businesses are different from physical stores. There aren\u2019t any cash registers, in-house store managers, on-site retail managers, or in-store sales associates. There are fewer face-to-face interactions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless, you still need retail associates with a customer-first mindset. As part of that, <\/span>soft skills<\/span><\/a> are crucial.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defining soft and hard skills<\/span><\/h3>\n

Hard skills are gained by education or training. They\u2019re generally quite easy for an employer to define, assess, and measure. They include languages, numeracy, design, and computing skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Soft skills are harder to characterize. They\u2019re things like personality traits and interpersonal skills. Because they\u2019re harder to define, in an interview you may be asked to describe a particular occasion when you displayed a soft skill.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, the interviewer may want you to talk about a time you showed particularly good communication skills. Or a moment that highlights your time management skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now we\u2019ve made that distinction, let\u2019s get back to soft skills as an essential retail skill when it comes to ecommerce.<\/span><\/p>\n

Soft skills can make or break a conversation and are strongly related to customer service<\/a> skills. Why? Because to deliver <\/span>excellent customer service<\/span><\/a>, communication and interpersonal skills are vital. To carry out a retail job effectively, it\u2019s also important to talk clearly, and be patient, empathetic, and friendly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Good timekeeping, adaptability, and multitasking capabilities are also important soft skills. These all come in handy when juggling multiple customers, each with different issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

By displaying these soft skills and providing excellent customer service, you help build a base of loyal customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, your salespeople require certain intangible qualities as part of their sales skills. For instance, let\u2019s say a customer is browsing your website and isn\u2019t sure whether a product is right for them. Your salespeople need to be able to persuade them to make a purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, the role of the ecommerce salesperson is evolving. These days, as well as helping sell goods and services, they also sell your brand. For example, a quality salesperson suggests website improvements to enhance the customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

To help your staff communicate better from a technological standpoint, you may want to invest in a unified platform. An all-in-one solution that integrates messaging, video, and phone calls helps teams stay organized. It also means they can work together more easily.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a cloud-based provider, it\u2019s hard to beat 3CX on price, so it would help to look into <\/span>the best 3CX alternatives, ranked for small businesses<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unified communications can also help <\/span>bridge IT skills gaps<\/span><\/a>. How? By improving collaboration and cooperation between teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s more on technology and software in the next section.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back to soft skills: as a business owner, you have a role to play there, too. As well as sharpening up on the already mentioned soft skills, there are others you need to think about.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, you\u2019ll need to build on your leadership skills, particularly if you have a growing team. There\u2019s a big difference between leading and ordering. Which camp do you want to be in?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ecommerce business owners should lead through being understanding and inspirational. Your employees should feel empowered, safe, and included. Try to stay in the loop about their career goals and how you can help them progress.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from leadership, you also need a continued desire to learn. To help with that, keep an open mind, and listen to suggestions from your employees.<\/span><\/p>\n

Possessing excellent soft skills will help you and your employees connect with your customers and each other. For example, teamwork will be easier if you communicate well and multitask. Utilizing soft skills also helps forge bonds with stakeholders, potential partners, and merchandisers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without these soft skills, your customer service team and your salespeople will be less successful. Ultimately, that means your ecommerce store will be less prosperous, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, you and your employees must have first-rate product knowledge as well, but soft skills still rank highly.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Technology<\/span><\/h2>\n

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The range of ecommerce technology on the market has exploded in recent years, and it\u2019s something business owners need to understand and learn as much about as possible. From <\/span>sales order management<\/span><\/a> and payments to shipping and fulfillment services<\/a>, there\u2019s technology galore to help you and your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, an <\/span>omnichannel retail management system<\/span><\/a> offers a robust, centralized infrastructure. You can use it to house your inventory<\/a>, orders, financials, point of sale, and customer relationship management in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Choosing a one-stop system consolidates operational data. It provides software with service and adapts to existing workflows. It also supports operational agility and helps to boost sales.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a different technological note, you\u2019ll likely want to invest in video conferencing technology<\/a>, too. That way, you can communicate with your team online. To help get the most out of your video calls, make sure you know <\/span>how to do screen share<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

By doing that, you can share things like monthly reports and product launches with the rest of your team. Screen sharing also helps explain topics more clearly and allows for enhanced brainstorming.<\/span><\/p>\n

When considering screen sharing options, think about whether the platform is easy to use. And does it integrate with existing technology?<\/span><\/p>\n

More advanced features include being able to choose how much of your screen you want others to see. There may also be the option to share content from a second camera. Through these features, the host has complete control and can customize each meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a handful more tools to consider investing in:<\/span><\/p>\n