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Career

Online Merchants

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $83,050 Median per year · $39.93/hr Most earn $47,880–$150,010

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Disclose merchant information and terms and policies of transactions in online or offline materials.
  • Transfer digital media, such as music, video, or software, to customers via the Internet.
  • Participate in online forums or conferences to stay abreast of online retailing trends, techniques, or security threats.
  • Create or distribute offline promotional material, such as brochures, pamphlets, business cards, stationary, or signage.
  • Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
  • Prepare or organize online storefront marketing material, including product descriptions or subject lines, optimizing content to search engine criteria.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Numerous Job Openings

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 98,700 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Federal government, excluding postal service18.1%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals5.3%
  • Management of companies and enterprises5.1%
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools4.7%
  • Management, scientific, and technical consulting services4.5%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Online Merchant is usually not a first job. Most people first earn a certificate or complete an apprenticeship, then work 1 to 2 years in a related retail or online sales role before taking on the merchant duties. Your path could take roughly 2 to 4 years after high school.

  1. High school diploma plus a certificate in e-commerce, retail, or marketing

    About 1 year

    A short certificate teaches the basics of selling online, managing inventory, and running a storefront, which employers look for when hiring.

  2. E-commerce Assistant

    1-2 years

    In this entry role you help list products, process and ship online orders, answer customer questions, and track sales numbers, which builds the day-to-day skills merchants use.

  3. Online Merchant

    Ongoing

    You now run the online store end to end: planning strategy, buying products, managing inventory, promoting sales, and balancing the books.

Where it can lead

  1. Purchasing Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move from choosing products for one store to managing buying decisions and supplier contracts across a bigger business, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree.

  2. Sales Manager

    4-6 years of experience first

    You lead a team and set revenue targets for the whole sales operation, so you need proven results and strong leadership experience.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take business, computer, or marketing classesThese courses build basic skills in selling, using software, and understanding customers that you will use in any online business.
  • Run a small online or school sales projectSelling items through a school store, a class fundraiser, or an online marketplace gives you practical experience with pricing, shipping, and customer service.
  • Get a starter job in retail or customer serviceA part-time job at a store teaches you how inventory, sales, and customer needs work in real life, and it looks good on future job applications.
  • Join a business club such as DECA or FBLA if your school offers oneClubs like these teach marketing and business planning and often include competitions where you can practice presenting ideas.
  • Build basic spreadsheet skillsTracking sales and inventory in a spreadsheet prepares you for the financial record-keeping that online merchants handle.

In college

  • Take courses in e-commerce, marketing, or supply chainClasses in these areas teach online selling, promotion, and inventory management, which are the core skills of this job.
  • Get an internship or part-time job at an online retailerWorking with a real online store lets you see how orders, shipping, and product listings are handled every day.
  • Earn a certificate in e-commerce or digital marketingA certificate from a college or training program can help you qualify for entry-level online sales roles, which is the typical first step.
  • Join a marketing or entrepreneurship student groupStudent organizations give you chances to plan events, manage budgets, and work with others on sales projects.
  • Learn data tools like spreadsheets and basic sales dashboardsReading sales data and tracking inventory helps you make smart buying and pricing decisions as a merchant.

Tips for getting started

  • Get hands-on experience with an online store, even a small one you run for a club, a family business, or your own project, since employers value real results over classes alone.
  • Learn basic spreadsheet skills and how to read sales and inventory reports, because balancing financial records and managing stock are core parts of this job.
  • Ask people who work in online retail what certificates they found useful, and check local job ads to see which skills employers ask for most.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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