We all know the current boom in the e-commerce industry. It is growing and fast and holds immense opportunities for a fresh graduate. So is its success that Jeff Bezos of Amazon recently became the richest man in the world and Young Trendz, an online tee shirt selling start-up became a million-dollar company in a matter of 2 years. If you are fresh out of any of the top mass communication courses after 12th standard, the ecommerce sector is definitely right choice to launch your career. It has the potential to take you to any heights and high salary is generally not an issue.
And just like each sector has their own skillset requirement, so does the e-commerce industry. You must learn a few things extra to gain an upper hand in this competitive world. The following are the top 6 skills that recruiter value in the e-commerce sector and you should have a basic know-how of these if not to an expert level. Select your field of work and develop one or more of these before applying.
- Content creation and marketing
Any website requires content to survive in the digital space and this is a key skill that e-commerce employers look for. The sector requires writers for product descriptions, blogs, webpage content and so on. Writing for a website, however, is very different from the general offline publications. You will learn the basic writing skills from your journalism courses after 12thand brushing up on a few pointers may help the cause. With good content skills, you become a valuable candidate almost instantly.
- Coding
As a mass comm student, you are definitely not expected to code to an expert level but a few bits here and there will make you stand out. You will not be required to develop an entire website but a basic knowledge of CSS or HTML will help you to scan through a website’s backend. If you can post your own content on the website or position the image, it will boost your CV than others and increase your chances.
- Graphic design
Again, not to an expert level but companies do prefer a bit of photoshop skills. Images are an integral part of any e-commerce website and being able to tweak with the same solidifies your case further. Unique pictures are necessary for the site itself, social media postings, print ads and so on. If you can chip in with this extra skill, you will definitely become an asset to the company. Even if you do not actually design the images, having a basic knowledge can enable you to give valuable inputs.
- Search engine optimisation
Ranking a website in Google brings in free traffic and all companies look forward to acquiring the coveted top spot. If you develop SEO skills over time, it will act as an added star in your collar. You can choose to be a full-fledged expert or act as a consultant. E-commerce SEO is high in demand and there’s no better time to step in with your expertise. You can either pursue an SEO course along with your degree or learn it in the field itself.
- Tracking tools and analytics
An expertise with tracking tools is also high in demand. For instance, Google analytics provides data on which pages are getting the most hits, where all are your traffic coming from and how long are they staying on a particular page. Depending on these reports, you can suggest changes to the website that will retain the visitors and ensure higher conversion. Currently, professionals with this technical skillset are lacking in the market and you can definitely use this as your opportunity to make a mark.
- Marketing automation
This is the skill of the future. If you are considering joining any of the top mass media courses after 12th, considering taking a course on marketing software simultaneously. It can be in email marketing, social media marketing or any other platform. The need of the hour is to automate every possible task as much as possible and big e-commerce firms are looking to do just the same. With millions of products on display, a software decides which product to send to its customers and you can acquaint yourself with the algorithm at work. It might not be your field of expertise but the skill will certainly make you valuable.
Along with these, also look into a bit of advertising, copywriting and maybe photography. You will get all the required exposure when you join one of the top institutes like LLDIMS, a premier IP University collegein South Delhi and can easily pursue a career in the growing and ever-expanding e-commerce industry. You may even sell your own products on platforms like Shopify and become an entrepreneur. The choice is yours on how you want to use your skills. So, focus on developing them and never ever look back.