E-commerce manager

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work as an e-commerce manager for a company that focuses on selling and manufacturing textiles and printed products. My work includes handling customer orders, serving customers, and maintaining our online shop. Handling customer orders includes tasks such as cutting fabrics, packing products and posting them to customers. Customer service mainly takes place via e-mail. Maintaining the online shop includes reviewing stock levels and updating the product range.

As I work for a small business, my tasks may include almost anything from modelling at a photoshoot to displaying and selling products at various events.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

I’ve wanted to work in the handicraft sector since I was a child, but I hadn’t really considered textiles before beginning my studies. I became enthusiastic about sewing when I was pregnant, as sewing children’s clothes was very popular in Finland at the time. In the past, I’ve worked as a self-employed seamstress, at a laundry and as a salesperson at a motorcycle equipment store that also had an online shop. When Nuppu published the job advertisement for an e-commerce manager, I realised that the competence and work experience that I had accumulated in recent years were perfect for this position.

Describe your typical working day or week.

At the office, my day begins with checking my email and the online ordering system. I check any new orders and reply to customer emails and then start handling orders.

First, I print a list of all the products that have been ordered. Then I cut all the ordered fabrics in one go. I also check fabric stock levels when I notice that we’re low on a specific fabric. Once all the fabrics have been cut, I sort the fabrics by order. Each order is wrapped in tissue paper. We spend time and effort on packing products to make sure that the end result is as beautiful as possible. When the packages are ready, I take them to the post office downstairs.

Towards the end of the day, it’s time for maintenance tasks, such as adding fabrics to the online shop. In a small business, there’s also always something to sort or tidy up.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I work at our office and at home. I can usually work from home one day a week. You get exposed to textile dust at the office, so I wouldn’t recommend this job to anyone with allergies or asthma.

We have flexible working hours, but the post office closes at 5 p.m. and the day’s orders have to be posted before that. This sets the rhythm for my days. At events, such as fairs, you have to work long hours.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

Useful skills for an e-commerce manager include being systematic and being able to solve problems. Attention to detail is also important, so that you can handle multiple orders at the same time and take different things into account before dispatching an order. I’m currently the only employee in our office, so I have to be able to make decisions independently. Stress tolerance is needed too, as a sales campaign may result in hundreds of orders during a single weekend, and the customers expect to receive the products as soon as possible.

Customer service requires getting along with all kinds of people. You also need to be in good physical condition. I have to walk to and fro between the warehouse and the packing room and I often have to lift heavy packages. Nimble fingers are needed, especially in packing.

What is the best thing about your profession?

I love being surrounded by beautiful things and seeing customers create beautiful clothes and interior textiles from our fabrics. Seeing customer projects on social media inspires me and many others. Sewing is a dear hobby to many people, and it’s nice to have a part in bringing joy to people. Positive feedback also warms my heart.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

Sometimes there are moments when the job feels monotonous. This can happen when there are so many orders that I don't have time to do anything else except cut and pack fabrics for several days in a row, or when I have to calculate how much of each fabric we have left before a big sales campaign.

In a small business, you can sometimes feel lonely. At times, I’m alone at the office for days on end. Fairs provide an opportunity to interact with other people, but they also require a lot of work: preparations take time, the event takes up the entire weekend, and you have to work long hours.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a E-commerce manager?

In the e-commerce sector, jobs vary depending on the size of the company. If you work for a large online store, your job may consist solely of packing products. In a small store, you have to be able to manage the entire ordering process. An e-commerce manager working for a small business gains valuable experience in a wide range of tasks. This may prove useful later on in life.

You might think that customer relationships would be impersonal in an online store, but at least in our business this is not the case. We have a lot of regular customers who feel familiar to me, even though I’ve never met them. I’ve just learned to know their preferences over the years. It’s interesting to observe the relationship between sales and online product placement.

It’s good to be aware that jobs are scarce in the textile sector. It’s a pity, as Finland has had strong expertise in the textile sector, but production has largely shifted abroad. Self-employment is the most common route to finding a job, but it’s not an easy option.

How do you see the future of your profession?

Online shopping is here to stay, but the popularity of handicrafts goes up and down. In tight times, hobbies are often the first thing that people cut back on. However, I believe that sustainable, high-quality materials designed in Finland will overcome the popularity of unethical fast fashion in the long run.