Online Merchants
Conduct retail activities of businesses operating exclusively online. May perform duties such as preparing business strategies, buying merchandise, managing inventory, implementing marketing activities, fulfilling and shipping online orders, and balancing financial records.
Also called: Online Services Manager
Median pay (national)
$81,270
$46,230–$147,830 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
1,128,200
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+3%
~108,200 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for online merchants shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $147,830 versus $46,230 at the bottom 10% — 3.2x. The median of $81,270 leaves roughly 82% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +3% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 108,200 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 53 states with released data, District of Columbia pays the most for this role (median $106,810, +31% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $45,510 — a 135% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Fill customer orders by packaging sold items and documentation for direct shipping or by transferring orders to manufacturers or third-party distributors.
- Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
- Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
- Purchase new or used items from online or physical sources for resale via retail or auction Web site.
- Calculate purchase subtotals, taxes, and shipping costs for submission to customers.
- Cancel orders based on customer requests or inventory or delivery problems.
- Order or purchase merchandise to maintain optimal inventory levels.
- Promote products in online communities through weblog or discussion-forum postings, e-mail marketing programs, or online advertising.
- Maintain inventory of shipping supplies, such as boxes, labels, tape, bubble wrap, loose packing materials, or tape guns.
- Receive and process payments from customers, using electronic transaction services.
Tools & technology
- Google Analytics
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Shopify software
- Adobe Photoshop
- AJAX
- Apple macOS
- C#
- Extensible markup language XML
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- Intuit QuickBooks
- JavaScript
- jQuery
- Linux
Knowledge areas
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
- Customer and Personal Service
- Communications and Media
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
- Mathematics