How to Hire the Right eCommerce Manager for Your Jewelry Business

Introduction

Hiring an eCommerce manager is a crucial step for the jewelry business and can be a challenge. Unlike large corporations, small businesses often lack experience in hiring specialized eCommerce personnel. However, the realities of the jewelry industry do not keep too many choices for jewelers—with the quick adaptation of eCommerce, selling jewelry online has turned from an opportunity into a survival kit for every jewelry business. 

We collected a First Aid checklist to help jewelers identify and onboard the right person to effectively introduce online sales in the company. 

No, a jewelry background is not mandatory. 

The first statement we often hear from jewelers struggling with finding an eCommerce manager is, “There are no such people in our industry.” The quick answer to this is simple – while previous experience in the jewelry industry is obviously a big advantage, it’s not crucial. Jewelry eCommerce has a lot in common with additional categories such as Luxury, Fashion, and Apparel. Therefore, it’s much more important to concentrate on a solid professional eCommerce foundation and personal “soft” skills while adding the jewelry-related “flavor” on the go. 

Main roles in the Digital/eCommerce department

Expanding a jewelry business into eCommerce or the digital realm requires multiple skills. For a small jewelry business, this step is frequently executed by one person. Admitting this, let’s discuss the basic requirements/positions in the established digital department in your jewelry business. 

1. Head Of Digital – create the digitalization/eCommerce strategy based on the existing business profile, communicate it with the owners, and initiate and own the execution.  Managing freelancers (such as designers and agencies). “Playing trainer”, with strong practical and analytical skills. 
2. Inventory person: responsible for the jewelry catalog’s digitalization, including measurements, data works, photography, costing, ongoing inventory handling, etc. 
3. eCommerce execution – daily eCommerce operation, SEO, PPC campaigns, sales channels management, customer service, and reporting. Strong technical skills and readiness to learn new topics. 

The three positions require quite a different set of skills. In the ideal world, trying to get all these in one person is unrealistic. Therefore, while starting jewelry eCommerce with a single “All-in-one” person, it’s important to have the right combination in mind to effectively acquire the right people once the operation allows this. 

Key Qualities to Look for in a Jewelry eCommerce Manager

An ideal jewelry eCommerce manager

• • Should have strong digital marketing and multichannel sales experience, be adaptable, and be eager to learn the intricacies of jewelry eCommerce.
  • Will operate as a one-man show. Therefore, he must be a problem-solver, able to handle various tasks without constant supervision and possess the ability to practice self-criticism.
  • In a small company, he should take full responsibility for the results and not for his efforts.
  • Prior experience with platforms like Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, and niche marketplaces is a plus.
  • Prior experience with the jewelry market is a big plus, but not a requirement. 

Top 12 Interview Questions

To assess candidates effectively, consider these key interview questions:

1. What was your most complicated technical task/goal/issue?

   • This question provides an idea of technical expertise. Pay attention to whether the candidate uses “I” or “we,” indicating whether they take ownership of challenges or rely on a team.

2. What was your biggest eCommerce achievement?

   • Look at how they measure success. Do they discuss significant tasks you would like to solve? “I completely executed 15 marketing campaigns on Meta in 3 months”.  Or some minor tasks “I updated 20 pages on the website”. If they mention team efforts, it could show lack of A-Z execution and ownership.

3. Where do you see yourself in 3 years in our company?

   • This question assesses their long-term vision and understanding of your company’s growth trajectory. Do they really want to be in this position? It helps gauge whether they align with your business goals.

4. What will be the 3 reasons you will leave our company immediately?

   • This helps understand their top values and potential deal-breakers, ensuring their values align with your work environment.

5. Define me your first days at work.

   • A well-prepared candidate should have a structured approach and realistic expectations. If they think in days (good), weeks (okay), or months (bad), it tells you how quickly they plan to get up to speed.

6. Name some products or services you would like to use.

   • This question evaluates their familiarity with eCommerce tools and platforms. A strong candidate should list preferred tools and justify why they find them effective. Also, it will help you to understand your budget for working with the candidate. 

7. Are you ready to be the one-man show and cover all your needs yourself, from Excel to Customer service?

   • Many small businesses require employees to wear multiple hats. A strong candidate should be willing to handle various tasks and not shy away from “dirty work.”

8. What will you need from our end?

   • Their response reveals how experienced they are and whether they are ready to take ownership of the process. They should request clear objectives but not rely too much on guidance.

9. What if nothing from what you tried in 3 months works?

   • This checks their resilience and problem-solving approach. Do they suggest seeking help from colleagues and experimenting with new strategies, or do they get stuck? Can they admit they might not get the expected results immediately? 

10. What is special about selling our kind of jewelry?

    • See if they’ve done their homework. A well-prepared candidate will mention market research, competitor analysis, or unique selling propositions specific to jewelry. 

    • Start explaining deeper. “Selling jewelry online varies for gold jewelry and bespoke diamond jewelry. While the first relies on frequent cost updates, the second requires more investment in branding, understanding the buyer’s emotion,” etc. See if the candidate gets bored or excited about the opportunity to learn more. 

11. How will you find out the best practices?
    • Look for a response that includes competitor research, industry reports, and networking. If they mention contacts in the same field, it’s a strong plus.

12. Our current CTR is 0.1%, while our STR is 0.4%. Is that OK?
    • A good candidate should either know industry benchmarks or be willing to research. If they admit they don’t know the right numbers for your niche but promise to find out, that’s a plus.

Red Flags to Watch Out For

• Over-reliance on a single platform – If they only have experience with one marketplace, they may struggle to adapt to a multichannel strategy.
• Lack of analytical skills – If they can’t talk confidently about performance metrics, they may not be able to optimize your sales.
• Inability to work independently – Small businesses need self-starters. If they require constant supervision, they might not be the right fit.

The “1-pager plan” step

The candidates come prepared for the interview. It’s very easy for them to use smart words and quote the latest news from the e-commerce world.

The key element in hiring the right person is asking the candidate after the first interview to send a short summary of what he plans to do. 

“Please draft a short summary on What will be the outcomes of your work in our company. First week, Second week, First month, and 2nd month” 

How does the 1-pager plan help hirig? 

1. This one-pager will allow you to identify candidates who are ready to invest in your company’s position.
2. It creates a background for further discussion of his performance in your company.
3. See if the topics the candidate mentions take reasonable time.
4. Use each one of the topics to start the conversation. Why did you choose this specific task in the beginning? Is it possible to complete this task in 50% of time? What if this doesn’t work? Why do you prefer this first and not the task that you put in the third week?
5. Discussion of the plan will allow you to see if the candidate is ready to communicate with you or takes a superhero approach and is not manageable and communicative. 

In addition, the first weeks plan becomes the base for your eCommerce manager performance evaluation. The candidate has to commit to reaching the goals he defined, and your company has the eCommerce roadmap ready!

Final Thoughts

Finding the right eCommerce manager is crucial for transforming your jewelry business.  This will allow you to optimize online sales, expand into new sales channels, and improve overall business efficiency. Expanding your jewelry business into the digital world requires additional skills and is the key to keeping your business relevant in the next 10 years. 

Good luck!