Career guide
Retail Marketing Jobs: Retail and Ecommerce Marketing Roles and How to Get One
Retail marketing jobs get shoppers into stores and onto websites and apps, then bring them back. The main roles are ecommerce marketing manager, CRM and loyalty, promotions and campaign marketing, in-store and visual marketing, performance and retail media, and social and content, at retailers, direct-to-consumer brands and marketplaces.
Key takeaways
- Retail marketing jobs sit at department stores, specialty and big-box retailers, grocery chains, direct-to-consumer brands, marketplaces and the agencies that serve them.
- An ecommerce marketing manager grows online sales by running site traffic, conversion, email and promotions for a retailer or brand's online store.
- Retail marketing runs on a promotional calendar built around seasons, holidays and big sale events, so retail marketers plan months ahead and move fast during peaks.
- The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials bans fake reviews and buying positive reviews, which matters for any retail marketer who works with ratings and reviews.
- Store experience, ecommerce tools and a feel for promotions are the skills retail marketing interviews test most often.
What is retail marketing?
Retail marketing is the work of getting shoppers to visit, buy and come back, in stores, on websites and apps, and on marketplaces. It covers the brand and campaigns, the weekly promotions, the store experience, the online store and the loyalty program that ties them together.
Today most retail marketing is “omnichannel": a shopper might see a social post, browse the app, check stock at a nearby store and buy online for pickup. Retail marketers plan for all of those steps rather than one channel at a time. If you like fast feedback, lots of data and seeing your work on a shelf or a homepage, it’s an energizing place to build a career.
Who hires for retail marketing jobs?
Retail marketing jobs sit at retailers of every size, at brands that sell directly to shoppers, and at the marketplaces and agencies around them.
| Employer type | What marketing does there | Typical roles |
|---|---|---|
| Department stores and specialty retailers | Campaigns, promotions, loyalty, store and online experience | Brand and campaign marketing, CRM, ecommerce |
| Big-box, grocery and pharmacy chains | Weekly offers, circulars, apps, loyalty, retail media | Promotions, loyalty, retail media, digital |
| Direct-to-consumer brands | Grow online sales, mostly through paid social, email and creators | Ecommerce marketing, performance, CRM, creative strategy |
| Marketplaces | Grow shoppers and sellers on the platform | Growth, CRM, product marketing |
| Consumer brands selling through retailers | Win at the shelf and on retailer websites | Shopper and trade marketing, ecommerce |
| Agencies | Run media, retail media, creative and CRM for retail clients | Account roles, paid media, analytics |
For examples of how retail and consumer brands market themselves, see our Sephora and Nike teardowns.
What are the main retail marketing jobs?
The main retail marketing jobs are ecommerce marketing, CRM and loyalty, promotions and campaigns, in-store and visual marketing, performance and retail media, and social and content. The table shows what each does and the usual way in.
| Job | What you do | Where it sits | Entry route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecommerce marketing manager | Grow online sales: traffic, site merchandising, promotions, email, conversion | Retailers, DTC brands | Ecommerce coordinator, digital marketing specialist |
| CRM and loyalty manager | Run the loyalty program, segments, email, SMS and app messages | Retailers, DTC brands | CRM, email marketing |
| Promotions and campaign marketing | Plan the promotional calendar, sale events and seasonal campaigns | Retailers | Marketing coordinator, merchandising |
| In-store and visual marketing | Signage, displays, store events and the in-store experience | Retailers with stores | Store roles, visual merchandising |
| Performance marketing and retail media | Paid search, paid social, shopping ads and ads on retailer websites | Retailers, brands, agencies | Performance marketing, PPC |
| Social media and content | Product content, creator partnerships, launches, community | Retailers, DTC brands | Social media jobs, creative strategist |
| Conversion and site optimization | Test product pages, checkout and site search | Online retailers | CRO specialist, analytics |
| Marketplace marketing | Grow sales on third-party marketplaces with listings, ads and reviews | Brands selling online | Ecommerce coordinator, account management |
What does an ecommerce marketing manager do?
An ecommerce marketing manager owns the growth of a retailer’s or brand’s online store: getting the right shoppers to the site, helping them find and buy products, and bringing them back. A typical week mixes planning and quick fixes.
- Plan the site’s promotions and homepage features with merchandising.
- Review traffic, conversion rate, average order value and revenue by channel.
- Brief email and SMS campaigns, and check results from the last send.
- Work with paid media on budgets for search, shopping and social ads.
- Test a product page, a checkout step or a promotion banner.
- Check that product listings, prices and stock are right before a big sale.
The role is a great fit if you like numbers and retail at the same time. Our growth marketing manager and lifecycle marketing manager guides cover neighboring roles.
What’s different about marketing in retail?
Retail marketing is different mainly because it runs on a promotional calendar with big peaks, and because every decision ties directly to sales you can see the next day. A few other things shape the work.
- The calendar is everything. Back to school, the holiday season, big sale events and seasonal launches set the rhythm. Planning starts months ahead, and peak weeks are intense.
- Marketing works with merchandising. What’s in stock, what’s on promotion and what margin it carries all shape the campaign. Good retail marketers get along well with merchants and planners.
- Data is plentiful. Loyalty programs, apps and ecommerce give detailed data on what shoppers buy, so CRM and analytics skills are valued.
- Retail media is growing. Many retailers sell ad space on their own websites and apps to the brands they stock. Our shopper marketing guide covers this side.
- Reviews have rules. The FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule bans fake reviews, buying positive or negative reviews, and undisclosed reviews from company insiders. See the FTC’s questions and answers on the rule. Retail marketers who run review programs follow it closely.
- Creators and influencers need disclosure. Retail brands work with creators a lot, and the FTC expects paid relationships to be disclosed. Our influencer marketing jobs guide covers how that works.
How do you get a retail marketing job?
You get a retail marketing job by showing you understand shoppers and can move sales. Store and ecommerce experience both count, so you may be closer than you think.
- Use store experience. Working on a sales floor teaches you what shoppers ask, what sells and how promotions land. Put it on your resume in marketing terms.
- Learn ecommerce basics. Know conversion rate, average order value, repeat purchase rate and customer lifetime value, and how a promotion changes them. Our marketing KPIs guide explains the terms.
- Learn a store platform and an email tool. Experience with an ecommerce platform or a CRM is a strong signal for coordinator roles.
- Run something small. Sell a few products online, run a shop’s email list, or help a local store with social for a season. Track the results. Our marketing portfolio guide shows how to present them.
- Start in an adjacent role. Merchandising assistant, ecommerce coordinator and visual merchandising roles often lead into retail marketing.
- Tailor every application. An ecommerce role and an in-store marketing role want different proof. Our marketing resume guide shows how to lead with results.
If you work in a store now, start with step 1 today: write down one promotion you saw land well and why. That’s a resume line and an interview story in one.
What should you research before a retail marketing interview?
Research the retailer the way a shopper would, because retail interviewers want to hear you already know their store, site and promotions.
- Visit a store if there’s one nearby. Notice signage, displays, what’s on promotion and how busy it is.
- Shop the website and app. Search for a product, add it to the cart and look at delivery and pickup options.
- Sign up for emails and the loyalty program. See what arrives in the first week.
- The promotional calendar. What they’re promoting now and what’s coming up.
- Social channels and creators. How they show products and who they work with.
- Reviews and ratings. What shoppers praise and complain about.
Our guide to researching a company before an interview covers the general method. Bring one idea tied to something you noticed, like a loyalty offer or a product page fix. Tell it as your own shopping story ("I tried to buy X and here’s what happened") rather than a formal pitch; it’s specific, it’s memorable and it shows how you think.
How much do retail marketing jobs pay?
Retail marketing pay follows the job and the size of the company, and BLS has no separate figure for retail or ecommerce marketing. Use the nearest occupation: our marketing manager salary page for manager roles, marketing specialist salary for coordinator and specialist roles, and advertising manager salary for media leadership roles.
Tailor your resume to the retail role
Retail postings ask for proof in sales terms: revenue, conversion, average order value, repeat customers, loyalty sign-ups. Lead with the result that matches the posting. Recon reads the posting and your resume and suggests rewrites using only what’s already true on your resume.
FAQ
What’s the difference between retail marketing and ecommerce marketing?
Retail marketing covers everything a retailer does to bring in and keep shoppers, in stores and online. Ecommerce marketing is the online part: site traffic, conversion, email and promotions for the online store. Many retail marketing teams now plan both together.
What does an ecommerce marketing manager need to know?
Ecommerce marketing managers need to know site analytics, conversion and average order value, email and SMS, paid search and social, and how promotions affect margin. Knowing an ecommerce platform and a CRM tool helps a lot.
Is retail marketing a good career?
It can be, especially if you like fast feedback, data and seeing your work in stores and on websites. Peak seasons are busy, and the skills you build (CRM, ecommerce, performance marketing) carry over to many other industries.
What entry-level retail marketing jobs are there?
Marketing coordinator, ecommerce coordinator, CRM or email coordinator, social media coordinator, visual merchandising assistant and retail marketing internships. Our list of entry-level marketing jobs explains each kind of entry role.
Can you move from a store job into retail marketing?
Yes. Store experience teaches you shoppers and promotions, and many retailers post marketing roles internally first. Learn an ecommerce or email tool, help with local store marketing if you can, and show results in sales terms.
Are there remote retail marketing jobs?
Yes, mostly on the digital side: ecommerce, email and CRM, paid search and social, content and analytics roles at retailers are often remote or hybrid. Store marketing, visual merchandising and field marketing roles need you near the stores. Our remote marketing jobs guide and ecommerce marketing jobs guide cover where to look.