How to become an online merchant
Official title: Online merchant
Also called: Ecommerce co-ordinator, Ecommerce specialist, Ecommerce executive, Ecommerce content specialist, Ecommerce digital marketing specialist, Ecommerce and digital specialist, Ecommerce merchandiser
Online merchants manage an online store's products, finances and marketing through a website or ecommerce platform.
Main tasks
- Manage online store sales
- Collect payments for goods and services
- Buy products and services
- Answer customer questions and deal with complaints
- Create marketing materials
- Set prices for goods and services
- Use data to improve sales
- Create images for products and websites
How to become one
You usually need experience to become an online merchant and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a Bachelor of Commerce or similar; a Diploma in Digital Marketing or similar.
Ways in
- University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in purchasing, warehousing and distribution. TEC links this job to study in other management and commerce studies. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Supply Chain Management, NZ Dip in Supply Chain Management. Usually 6 to 9 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $63,000 a year one year after study; 86% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $51,000 to $86,000 a year (median $64,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $133,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 1,400 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Sales supervisor
- Parts salesperson
- Wholesale and retail buyer
- Advertising sales representative
- Sales representative
- Solar sales representative
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Questions people ask
How do I become an online merchant?
You usually need experience to become an online merchant and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a Bachelor of Commerce or similar; a Diploma in Digital Marketing or similar.
How much does an online merchant earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $64,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $51,000 to $86,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as an online merchant grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026