Apprenticeship in E-Commerce

In retail there are retail salespeople, in wholesale there are wholesale merchants. And in E-Commerce? For a long time, there was no dedicated apprenticeship for this field until, in 2018, due to the E-Commerce boom, the dual apprenticeship with a focus on E-Commerce was introduced.

The most important facts at a glance:

• E-Commerce clerks are all-rounders for online shops
• During the apprenticeship in E-Commerce, you are involved in the entire value chain 
• The areas of responsibility for E-Commerce clerks vary greatly between companies 
• In E-Commerce, annual salaries up to €70,000 – sometimes even more – are possible
• After your apprenticeship in E-Commerce, you have many opportunities for further education

What tasks do you have during the apprenticeship in E-Commerce?

E-Commerce clerks are all-rounders and take on different activities and areas of responsibility depending on the company. Overall, they are responsible for the conception, development, and implementation of online trading strategies. Typically, the areas of responsibility of most E-Commerce clerks include the following activities.

Product Management

Similar to retail, E-Commerce clerks are responsible for product management, but online. Specifically, this means you select the products to be added to the shop and monitor their stock, prices, and availability. Often, you have free rein in how you present them in the shop.

Marketing and Advertising

So, the right products are in the shop, what now? Now comes the advertising! In E-Commerce, you have to develop and implement marketing and advertising strategies. There are disciplines that mainly belong to the Online Marketing Manager (to find out what an Online Marketing Manager does, click here). For example, placing ads on Google, producing videos for YouTube, and creating content strategies for social media. This depends entirely on the company. Larger companies, such as corporations, may have a strict separation between E-Commerce and marketing, so this aspect may be less present in your E-Commerce apprenticeship. 

Customer Support

During your apprenticeship in E-Commerce, you will inevitably have a lot of customer contact. Just like in a physical store, you have to advise customers and answer their questions – but by phone, email, or chat. Often, these are general questions about shipping, products, or returns. You will learn these processes during your apprenticeship and be able to explain them.

Data Analysis & Webshop Development

Of course, in E-Commerce, you deal with your own webshop. But what does that look like? Usually, you use common analysis tools like Google Analytics to identify trends, behavioral data, and patterns. Do people often abandon their purchases at certain points? How do users navigate through the shop? Which pages are the most popular? You need to be able to answer these questions in E-Commerce based on data and then drive optimizations, for example, to reduce the abandonment rate. Therefore, it is important to have an affinity for numbers and data during the apprenticeship in E-Commerce. It's not about advanced algebra, but about being able to evaluate and interpret numbers. This is something you will naturally learn during your apprenticeship in E-Commerce. 

Logistics and Shipping

E-Commerce clerks are often involved in the entire value chain of the webshop, including shipping. In E-Commerce, you are responsible for logistics and shipping, which does not mean you have to pack the goods yourself. It's more about organizing shipping, working with suppliers, and monitoring deliveries. 

What operational differences are there in E-Commerce? 

If you want to start an apprenticeship in E-Commerce, the company you apply to is the decisive factor. The tasks mentioned above can vary greatly from company to company. In corporations of a certain size, areas of responsibility can be strictly separated. While you take care of the webshop, a completely different department is responsible for marketing. In other companies, as described above, you could be a central organizational hub in E-Commerce.
At our company, the focus of the E-Commerce apprenticeship is on online marketing, as well as data analysis and the resulting webshop development. In some areas, such as payment processing and product management, we take on more of a consulting role and support our clients in making the right decisions for their webshop. Logistics and shipping are not part of our apprenticeship, and customer support does not refer to end customers in the respective shop, but to our contacts in the respective companies who have questions and requirements regarding existing marketing campaigns and the further development of the webshop. How exactly this works for us is explained by Fabricio in our video: E-Commerce Clerk: A Day in the Life at an Agency.
 

What qualifications do I need in E-Commerce?

There are many paths to success. To join us, you don't need a university degree. We have had very good experiences training ambitious people. We train both marketing communication clerks and E-Commerce clerks. Like many employers, we pay less attention to grades or degrees and more to the attitude and passion someone brings to the job. Of course, you can also study. There are many options here as well. A classic business administration degree with a focus on marketing or a marketing or E-Commerce degree. The classic degree programs usually have less to do with marketing but give you a taste of what to expect.

What do E-Commerce clerks earn?

This depends entirely on your level of experience. However, it can be said that, regardless of your level, you can expect a decent salary. Here is a rough overview:

Apprentice in E-Commerce

Depending on the company and year of apprenticeship, salaries range from around €600 gross in the first year up to €1,100 gross in the third year.

Junior E-Commerce Manager

This is your salary level right after graduation or a successfully completed apprenticeship. You will typically stay in this level for 2-3 years, depending on your talent. Usually, you can expect a salary range between €30,000 - €40,000 per year.

E-Commerce Manager

The mid-level salary class. By now, you usually have a few years of experience and have proven yourself in various projects. Here, your salary can grow up to €60,000 per year.

Senior E-Commerce Manager

In most companies, this is the highest salary level, with a few exceptions such as board members or CMOs. Regardless, at this point, you can decide to take on additional personnel responsibility. Up to €70,000 per year is possible here. But as already mentioned, this depends greatly on the company and your responsibilities. Even higher salaries are possible. Either way: A successful E-Commerce Manager does not have to worry much financially.

Further education in E-Commerce

As the name suggests, E-Commerce clerks also complete a classic commercial apprenticeship. This means that some elements of economics and accounting are included in your training. This knowledge is mainly taught at vocational school. Thanks to the commercial apprenticeship and the broad range of topics in E-Commerce, you have many opportunities for further education after your training.
One option is further training to become a specialist and then a business administrator. Due to the all-rounder nature of this apprenticeship, you also have the opportunity to further educate yourself in the fields of business, E-Commerce, logistics, and marketing. Specialization in one of these areas or an additional degree is also possible.

As you can see, the learning doesn't stop after the apprenticeship. Lifelong learning is a big deal in E-Commerce. Once you internalize that, all doors are open to you.

Conclusion

The apprenticeship in E-Commerce is probably one of the most future-oriented professions. Not only because online retail is here to stay, but also because simple tasks are being automated and replaced by AI, making networked and interdisciplinary thinking more important than ever. Thanks to their broad skill set, trained E-Commerce clerks have nothing to fear for now. In addition, the profession offers a wide range of opportunities for further education and development after the apprenticeship. And what is Fabricio's conclusion? After 3 years of apprenticeship, he and Noah look back on their journey and share their thoughts on the apprenticeship in E-Commerce & Marketing.