In my 30-year eCommerce Career, I have somehow managed to work in the most fascinating industries at the most fascinating periods, whether it was via brilliant strategy or pure serendipity. Consumer goods and financial services dominated the 1980s for companies. I experienced the growth of IT marketing in the 1990s with companies like IBM, Cisco, and Yahoo! And I’ve been privy to the rapid globalization of digital over the past 15 years.
eCommerce Career Is Trending
If I were to start again today, I would work in eCommerce for the first three years. Not just because eCommerce would provide any young marketer with very valuable, “transportable abilities” that may advance their careers for the long run, but also because of the forecast for explosive revenue growth.
Five factors make me willing to stake my fledgling career on online retail:
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eCommerce offers a wonderful long-term global growth prospective.
The market is expected to increase at a rate of 17% annually and is now worth over $1 trillion. And we have only reached the very beginning. Although online shopping is already established in Sweden, emerging nations still offer tremendous room for expansion. Sweden’s expanding eCommerce industry currently generates $1 billion in sales per day. Imagine how the eCommerce industry will grow with additional rising economies.
Only a few years old, mobile commerce is now responsible for 20% of all eCommerce sales. In the next ten years, when tablets and smartphones become ubiquitous, what will happen to e-commerce? So, whether you decide to pursue a career in eCommerce full-time or not, three years there may equip you with knowledge and expertise that will be highly valued for at least the next 15 years.
2. eCommerce teaches you how to think like a general manager.
There isn’t any career that I can think of that is such a strong microcosm of all the essential business abilities. You can learn about product marketing, supply chain management, pricing and profit management, customer acquisition, cross-selling, up-selling, customer support, and much more through eCommerce. There are so many occupations that only let you view a little portion of the bigger picture. I like seeing resumes with eCommerce experience when I employ for my business. It implies that I am staring at a businessperson who understands how to make the till ring.
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You can get a “feel” for customers through eCommerce.
Along with developing your “hard talents,” an early job in eCommerce can help you develop your “soft skills.” The value of Brand Experience and Customer Experience is strongly encouraged by eCommerce. It improves your storytelling abilities. You are compelled to adopt a customer-centered perspective as a result. You are exposed to both what consumers promise to do and what they really do. It will increasingly shed light on the link between customers’ buying habits and their social interactions. These are excellent marketing abilities to develop early in a career.
4. eCommerce shortens the learning curve by providing real-time outcomes data.
The skill of testing has been forgotten by many businesses. They are not wonderful settings for education. Some firms conduct a lot of focused testing and learning, but it takes a very long time to gather data that can be used (Procter & Gamble was like this when I worked there). eCommerce enables you to test a lot, as you receive feedback from customers on a near-daily, if not hourly, basis. This continuous feedback loop significantly shortens the learning curve for marketing.
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eCommerce may have an impact on more than simply your day job.
You will seriously benefit from having put in the necessary work in eCommerce someday. You might wish to advertise your band. Or assist in raising money for your preferred charity. or establish your own business. Alternatively, make money off your preferred pastime. Being knowledgeable about eCommerce is a skill that is useful and applicable and may last a lifetime.