Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for an E-commerce Technician
💰 $55,000 - $85,000 Annually (Estimated)
🎯 Role Definition
As an E-commerce Technician, you are the technical guardian of our digital storefront. You will be responsible for the day-to-day management, maintenance, and optimization of our e-commerce platform and its associated technologies. This hands-on role involves troubleshooting technical issues, implementing new features, managing product data, and ensuring a seamless, secure, and high-performing online shopping experience for our customers. You will bridge the gap between our marketing, customer service, and development teams, ensuring the e-commerce ecosystem functions flawlessly to support our business growth.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- IT Support Specialist
- Junior Web Developer
- Digital Marketing Coordinator
- Data Entry Clerk (with a technical focus)
Advancement To:
- Senior E-commerce Specialist / Manager
- E-commerce Platform Architect
- Technical Project Manager
- E-commerce Developer
Lateral Moves:
- Digital Analytics Specialist
- UX/UI Specialist
- Technical SEO Analyst
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Manage the day-to-day technical operations of the e-commerce platform (e.g., Shopify Plus, Magento, BigCommerce), including configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
- Oversee the installation, configuration, and maintenance of third-party applications, plugins, and extensions to enhance site functionality and performance.
- Execute product information management (PIM) tasks, including bulk product uploads, data enrichment, attribute setup, and ensuring data accuracy across all listings.
- Monitor and manage inventory levels, performing regular synchronization with ERP or inventory management systems to prevent stock discrepancies.
- Implement and manage pricing updates, promotional rules, and discount code configurations in alignment with marketing campaigns and sales strategies.
- Perform regular front-end and back-end quality assurance checks to identify and resolve bugs, display issues, and broken links across various browsers and devices.
- Diagnose and resolve technical issues escalated by customer service, such as order processing errors, payment gateway failures, or user account problems.
- Optimize website performance by monitoring site speed, compressing images, minifying code (CSS/JS), and implementing best practices for fast load times.
- Assist in the customization of e-commerce themes and templates using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to implement design mockups and improve user experience.
- Manage and configure website navigation, category structures, and on-site search functionality to ensure an intuitive and efficient customer journey.
- Implement and maintain technical SEO best practices, including schema markup, XML sitemaps, robots.txt, 301 redirects, and canonical tags.
- Monitor website security, apply necessary patches and updates, and respond to any potential security vulnerabilities or threats in a timely manner.
- Set up, manage, and troubleshoot tracking scripts and pixels for analytics and marketing platforms, such as Google Analytics (GA4) and Meta Pixel, via Google Tag Manager.
- Manage API-based integrations between the e-commerce platform and other business-critical systems like ERP, CRM, 3PL, and email marketing platforms.
- Support the merchandising team by setting up and managing product collections, cross-sells, up-sells, and product recommendation engines.
- Conduct regular site audits to ensure content, product data, and promotional materials are displayed accurately and are up-to-date.
- Collaborate with the marketing team to provide technical support for landing pages, A/B tests, and new content module implementation.
- Prepare and maintain detailed technical documentation for platform configurations, processes, and standard operating procedures.
- Act as the primary technical point of contact for external agencies or freelance developers working on specific site enhancements or projects.
- Pull and format performance reports, analyzing key e-commerce KPIs such as conversion rate, average order value, and cart abandonment rate to identify areas for improvement.
- Ensure the platform is compliant with accessibility standards (WCAG) and data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA).
Secondary Functions
- Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to uncover insights into customer behavior and site performance.
- Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by identifying opportunities for better data collection and utilization.
- Collaborate with business units to translate data needs and marketing requirements into tangible engineering tasks and technical specifications.
- Participate in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and other agile ceremonies within the e-commerce and development teams.
- Research and evaluate emerging e-commerce technologies, applications, and trends to recommend strategic improvements.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Deep expertise with major e-commerce platforms such as Shopify Plus (including Liquid), Magento (Adobe Commerce), or BigCommerce.
- Proficient in front-end web technologies, including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript (ES6+).
- Strong experience with Google Analytics (GA4) for tracking, reporting, and analysis of e-commerce metrics.
- Hands-on experience with Google Tag Manager for implementing and managing marketing and analytics tags.
- Understanding of REST and/or GraphQL APIs for managing integrations between different systems.
- Solid knowledge of technical SEO principles and their practical application within an e-commerce context.
- Experience with product information management (PIM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and their integration points.
- Basic understanding of database management and ability to write simple SQL queries for data extraction.
- Familiarity with version control systems, particularly Git, for managing code changes.
- Experience with image editing software (e.g., Adobe Photoshop) for basic image optimization and resizing.
- Knowledge of data formats like CSV and JSON for bulk data manipulation and import/export tasks.
Soft Skills
- Meticulous Attention to Detail: Ability to spot minor errors or inconsistencies in data, code, or front-end display that others might miss.
- Systematic Problem-Solving: A logical and analytical approach to diagnosing, troubleshooting, and resolving complex technical issues.
- Clear Communication: Capable of explaining technical concepts and issues to non-technical stakeholders (e.g., marketing, customer service).
- Proactive & Self-Motivated: A strong sense of ownership and the ability to independently manage tasks and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Collaborative Team Player: Works effectively with cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals and project milestones.
- Adaptability: Ability to quickly learn new technologies, platforms, and processes as the e-commerce landscape evolves.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- Associate's Degree or equivalent vocational training and practical experience in a relevant field.
Preferred Education:
- Bachelor's Degree
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Computer Science
- Information Technology
- Web Design & Development
- Business Information Systems
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of hands-on experience in a technical e-commerce role.
Preferred: Direct experience managing a high-traffic, direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce website. Proven track record of improving site performance, user experience, and operational efficiency.