Is an eCommerce Operations Manager the Missing Piece in Your Business?
Quick Summary
This guide covers everything you need to know about the eCommerce operations manager role, from responsibilities to day-to-day tasks.
We have listed the must-have technical, analytical, and leadership skills required for this role, along with 2025-2026 salary benchmarks across major markets.
The blog also explores the main operations of an eCommerce business and the tools most managers rely on to run them easily.
Practical tips to improve your eCommerce operations and guidance on choosing the right manager or agency partner are also included.
In the eCommerce business, you need a lot more than just great products and attractive websites. This is to stay ahead of the competition. Behind every successful online store is a team of eCommerce experts who guarantee that everything runs as it should. One key player in this team is the eCommerce operations manager.
This role is crucial for managing day-to-day operations and processes, as well as handling most other areas. Be it logistics or customer service. If your business is growing, an eCommerce operations manager can help simplify workflows and enhance the customer experience.
In this blog, we will explore what an eCommerce operations manager does, their responsibilities, and how to choose the right one for your business.
What is eCommerce Operations?
eCommerce operations is all the behind-the-scenes work required to accept an order, fulfill it accurately, deliver it on time, and handle any issues that come afterward.
This usually includes:
Managing product and inventory data
Receiving and storing stock (warehousing)
Processing orders and payments
Picking, packing, and shipping
Handling returns and exchanges
Syncing data across marketplaces and channels
Reporting on performance and costs
In simple terms, marketing brings customers to your store. But it is the operations that ensure everything works after they click Buy.
What is an eCommerce Operations Manager?
An eCommerce operations manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of an online store. This profile is responsible for making all the operational parts work together smoothly. Basically, they are the conductorof your eCommerce supply chain.
Warehousing fulfillment: in-house or 3PL, picking/packing rules.
Shipping and logistics: couriers, SLAs, costs, delivery speed.
Platform operations: catalog integrity, order flows, and integrations.
Customer service support: escalations, refunds, and issue resolution.
Data and reporting: dashboards, KPIs, and improvement plans.
They do not usually run ads or design campaigns. But they make sure that marketing promises can actually be delivered in real life.
In short, an eCommerce operations manager is the key person who takes accountability for regular, well-performing operations.
What Does an eCommerce Manager Do Day to Day?
In many brands, the roles of eCommerce manager and eCommerce operations manager overlap. A typical day touches both performance and operations.
Common daily tasks are, but not limited to:
Checking weekend / last-day sales, conversion, and operational KPIs.
Reviewing pending orders, delayed shipments, and open tickets.
Coordinating with the warehouse or 3PL on today’s picking and dispatch.
Adjusting stock levels, lead times, and product availability.
Monitoring the health of marketplace accounts (Amazon, Flipkart, etc.).
Fixing product data or pricing errors across channels.
Working with customer support on escalated issues.
Preparing short reports for leadership with key risks and wins.
In this Reddit thread, eCommerce managers describe their day-to-day activities. Mostly, as mentioned above, it is a mix of order processing, inventory updates, and constant coordination with warehouse and management teams.
Why The Role of an eCommerce Manager Matters So Much?
As competition and customer expectations rise, operations become a major driver of growth. A strong eCommerce operations manager helps you:
Ship faster and more reliably to improve customer satisfaction and reviews.
Reduce operational costs by cutting errors, returns, and manual work.
Scale to new channels like Amazon, B2B portals, and international markets.
Free up founders and marketers to focus on strategy and growth.
Protect margins when shipping costs or ad costs rise.
In short, this role turns a working store into a repeatable, growing eCommerce engine.
Responsibilities of an eCommerce Operations Manager
An eCommerce manager wears many hats to ensure the smooth running of an online business. Their roles span across various areas, from logistics to customer experience, and they are pivotal in ensuring the company operates easily. Below are the major responsibilities of an eCommerce operations manager:
Multi-Client Project Management
Manage retention marketing projects across many channels simultaneously.
Coordinate campaign timelines, deliverables, and client communications across multiple accounts.
Ensure all client projects stay on track, on budget, and meet established KPIs.
Serve as the primary point of contact between internal teams and clients for project-related matters.
Facilitate cross-functional collaboration between strategy, creative, and execution teams.
Data Analysis and Client Reporting
Extract and analyze performance data for each client to measure the effectiveness of the retention campaign.
Create comprehensive client reports showing campaign performance, customer behavior insights, and ROI metrics.
Manipulate and synthesize data from multiple sources to provide high-level strategic analysis.
Identify trends, opportunities, and optimization recommendations based on data analysis.
Present findings and recommendations to clients in clear, actionable formats.
Campaign Coordination and Execution
Oversee the execution of email marketing campaigns through ESP platforms.
Coordinate customer segmentation strategies and personalization initiatives.
Manage campaign calendars and ensure the timely delivery of all retention marketing activities.
Monitor campaign performance and proactively identify areas for optimization.
Ensure brand consistency and compliance across all client touchpoints.
Documentation and Process Management
Maintain detailed project documentation and client records.
Create and update standard operating procedures for client onboarding and campaign management.
Organize tasks, deadlines, and team collaboration across all client accounts.
Develop and maintain project templates and workflows to ensure consistency and efficiency.
Document best practices and learnings to improve agency operations.
Other Major Dependencies
Managing tools and technologies, and efficient budget management.
Ensuring compliance standards across all the major operations channels.
Managing inventory and supply chain, along with optimizing customer service.
Simply put, the eCommerce Operations Manager is the backbone of an online business. If you are having difficulty finding the right team for your online store, hire our eCommerce experts for the best results.
What are the Main Operations of an eCommerce Business?
To better understand the role, let’s break eCommerce operations into key building blocks.
If this part fails, customers see incorrect stock levels, incorrect information, and more returns.
Order Management
Order capture from your website, marketplaces, and POS.
Order routing (which warehouse/3PL fulfills which order).
Payment confirmation and fraud checks.
Order status updates and tracking links.
A good eCommerce operations manager ensures the OMS is correctly set up, so every order lands in the right place at the right time.
Warehousing, Fulfillment, and Shipping
Inbound receiving and put-away.
Picking strategies (batch, wave, zone).
Packing rules (bundles, fragile items, inserts).
Shipping method selection and label generation.
Handover to couriers and tracking.
This is where speed, accuracy, and cost are balanced. For omnichannel brands, this also includes ship-from-store, click-and-collect, and returns to store.
Returns can be your biggest cost leak if not managed well. A strong operations manager treats returns data as a goldmine of product and CX insights.
Customer Service and Experience Support
While customer support teams handle direct conversations, operations:
Provide accurate ETAs and inventory data to support.
Help define SLAs (response times, resolution times).
Ensure policies are operationally realistic.
Fix root causes behind recurring complaints.
Customer satisfaction for eCommerce often hovers around 75–85%, and operational issues are a major reason when it drops.
Compliance, Risk, and Finance Support
Tax and invoicing rules for different regions.
Export/import and customs paperwork (for cross-border sales).
Fraud detection workflows.
Cost tracking and allocation for shipping, warehousing, and packaging.
Here, many small businesses use government or educational resources to understand best practices.
Tools Used by Most eCommerce Operations Managers
You cannot scale eCommerce operations on spreadsheets alone. A typical tech stack is a mixture of several key systems.
For Inventory Management Systems (IMS), Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), or Order Management Systems (OMS), there are many options. Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and NetSuite also offer strong OMS capabilities and integrations. But UniCommerce, Extensiv, and Zoho Inventory are among the most popular tools.
For shipping and logistics, ShipStation, Shippo, and Easyship/AfterShip are key players. For data analytics and reporting, Google Analytics (GA4), Glew.io, or Looker Studio are quite popular in the industry. Shopify Flow and Zapier are used mostly for automation.
Lastly, for project management and communication, there are many tools like Slack, Basecamp, and Notion. Further, if specific communication-first platforms are a priority, then Zendesk, Klaviyo, and Intercom are good platforms.
Pro tip: Stores usually hit a wall when they try to scale with half-connected tools. The biggest wins often come from clean integrations and clear data flows, not just adding more apps.
Must-Have Skills for an eCommerce Operations Manager
Most job descriptions for eCommerce Operations Manager roles ask for a blend of technical, analytical, and people skills.
Technical and Analytical Skills
Supply chain and logistics basics: Lead times, safety stock, and carrier performance.
Data analysis: Using Excel, BI tools, and dashboards to spot trends and issues.
Platform knowledge: Hands-on with Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Amazon Seller Central, etc.
Systems thinking: Understanding how OMS, WMS, ERP, and CRM interact.
Process and Project Skills
SOP creation: Turning chaos into clear, step-by-step processes.
Process improvement (Lean/Six Sigma mindset): reduce waste, rework, and delays.
Project management: roll out new tools, warehouses, or carriers on time and within budget.
Risk management: building contingency plans for stockouts, carrier failures, or spikes in demand.
People and Leadership Skills
Cross-functional communication: bridging marketing, sales, warehouse, finance, and IT.
Vendor management: keeping 3PLs, couriers, and SaaS partners accountable.
Coaching and delegation: developing coordinators and supervisors.
Calm under pressure: peak seasons, system outages, and bad weather will happen.
Apart from that, financial acumen, customer-focused mindset, problem-solving mentality, and time/priority management matter a lot too.
Pro tip: Many great eCommerce operations managers grow from warehouse supervision, supply chain, or eCommerce coordinator roles. Hands-on experience with real operational fires is often more useful than a perfect CV.
In short, an eCommerce operations manager must be a well-rounded individual with a combination of technical, leadership, and strategic skills.
Salary Expectations for eCommerce Operations Managers
Compensation depends on company size, location, channel complexity, and many other factors. See if the title is eCommerce Operations Manager or broader eCommerce Manager.
Based on data for 2025-2026, the salary for an eCommerce operations manager:
USA: Typically ranges from $50,000 to over $110,000 annually, with an average of $63,000-$86,000, particularly for experienced professionals in hubs like New York or California.
UK: Generally ranges from £30,000 to £70,000 per year, with higher salaries, often exceeding £60,000, for roles in London.
Canada: Typically ranges from CA$55,000 to CA$110,000 annually, with an average of approximately CA$100,000 for experienced managers.
India: Usually ranges from ₹10 Lakhs to ₹30 Lakhs+ per year, with an average of ₹18 Lakhs-₹22 Lakhs, depending on experience.
Practical Ways to Improve Your eCommerce Operations
Even if you do not have an eCommerce operations manager, here are practical steps to improve your operations.
Tip 1: Map Your End-to-End Order Flow
Draw the full path: order placed → payment → OMS → warehouse → courier → delivery → returns.
Mark each handoff and system involved.
Identify where delays, errors, or manual work appear.
This simple map often reveals surprising bottlenecks.
Tip 2: Clean Up Product and Inventory Data
Standardize SKUs, naming rules, units, and attributes.
Make sure stock in your WMS/IMS matches reality through regular cycle counts.
Sync inventory across all channels from a single source of truth.
Dirty data is one of the top drivers of overselling, negative reviews, and warehouse chaos.
Tip 3: Tighten Fulfillment and Shipping
Set clear SLAs for picking, packing, and dispatch. Track order cycle time and on-time delivery weekly. Work with multiple couriers and implement rules to pick the best option based on destination, speed, and cost. Introduce packaging standards to reduce damages and DIM weight penalties.
Tip 4: Make Returns Less Painful (For You and the Customer)
Add a clear returns page with easy steps and conditions. Use a simple RMA tool or portal to capture reasons and photos. Analyze top return reasons monthly, size issues, misleading images, quality problems, and fix root causes. Decide when to restock, refurbish, or write off returned items.
Tip 5: Automate Repetitive Work
Look for tasks like:
Manually emailing tracking numbers
Updating stock in marketplaces
Routing every order by hand to warehouses
Copy-pasting data into spreadsheets
Most modern OMS, WMS, and integration tools can automate these steps. Start with one or two high-impact automations and expand from there.
Tip 6: Track a Small, Focused Set of KPIs
Instead of 50 metrics, track a short list that drives decisions, for example:
Fulfillment accuracy (%)
Average order processing time
On-time delivery rate
Return rate and top 3 reasons
Inventory turnover and aging stock
CSAT or NPS around delivery and returns
Use these to prioritize improvements every month.
Tip 7: Use Authoritative Resources to Build Expertise
If you or your team need deeper operations knowledge:
The US Small Business Administration (SBA) offers practical guidance and programs for eCommerce exporters and small businesses going online, including tools to plan logistics and digital payments.
MIT’s supply chain courses (including modules on eCommerce and omnichannel fulfillment) cover global logistics, inventory planning, and last-mile optimization in depth.
This mix of practical and academic resources keeps your operations team sharp and up to date.
Choosing the Right eCommerce Operations Manager for Your Business
When you are ready to hire for this role, focus less on buzzwords and more on how they solve real problems.
Key Things to Look For
Hands-on experience with ecommerce operations, not just theory.
Evidence that they have fixed broken processes or scaled from low to high order volumes.
Comfort working with your main platforms (e.g., Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Amazon).
Ability to explain complex flows (inventory, shipping, returns) in simple language.
Calm, structured thinking when things go wrong (peak season, courier issues, stock errors).
When to Partner Instead of Hiring?
If you are:
A small or mid-size brand without in-house ops expertise
Expanding to new regions, channels, or B2B ecommerce
Re-platforming while also trying to fix logistics
Then partnering with an eCommerce development company can be better than hiring a full senior team from day one.
Ending Notes on the eCommerce Management
The role of an eCommerce operations manager is crucial for the success of any online business. They are responsible for many endpoints, and it is important to take various aspects into account before hiring one.
When choosing the right eCommerce manager for your business, prioritize key skills such as problem-solving, leadership, technical proficiency, and data analysis. These skills will help your business stay competitive and efficient.
Q1. How does an eCommerce operations manager improve customer satisfaction?
By ensuring smooth order fulfillment, optimizing delivery times, and promptly addressing customer issues, an eCommerce operations manager helps improve the overall shopping experience, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Q2. What tools do eCommerce operations managers use?
eCommerce managers use a variety of tools, including inventory management systems (such as TradeGecko or NetSuite), customer relationship management (CRM) software (such as Salesforce), and analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to streamline processes and improve performance.
Q3. How do I know if I need an eCommerce operations manager?
If your eCommerce business is growing and you are struggling to manage the complexity of logistics, inventory, customer service, or process optimization, hiring an eCommerce manager can help streamline operations and improve workflow efficiency.
