What does an eCommerce Marketplace Manager do?

At cranberry panda, we are seeing an increasing demand for eCommerce marketplace managers. It's a diverse role, especially as more niche marketplaces join the eCommerce world.

Marketplace Managers within eCommerce businesses might have a broader role across multiple marketplaces or they might specialise in one - for example, the Amazon Marketplace Manager is now a well-established role in the eCommerce space.

In 2025, we’re also seeing rising demand for managers who specialise in TikTok Shop, Zalando, and other emerging marketplaces. With social commerce becoming a huge part of online shopping, Marketplace Managers are expected to bring expertise that goes beyond Amazon and eBay.

The role of an eCommerce Marketplace Manager

The job role of an eCommerce Marketplace Manager is an important one within any eCommerce team. This person is required to have extensive knowledge of how each marketplace works and how they can become a profitable channel for the company. 

Often, an eCommerce Marketplace Manager will start their career journey in an eCommerce assistant or executive role, getting to grips with the broader responsibilities and tasks. From here, they can continue in a broader eCommerce role or branch out to marketplaces, online merchandising or online trading.

Increasingly, marketplace managers are also expected to be data-driven. With the rise of automation tools and responsible AI in eCommerce, the role now demands the ability to analyse customer behaviour, spot performance trends, and act quickly. Using AI for price optimisation, competitor tracking or customer targeting is becoming standard practice.

If this is a role you are hiring for within your eCommerce team, here are some responsibilities and requirements expected of an eCommerce Marketplace Manager...

• Manage the day-to-day running and development of all third-party online channels
• Manage all relationships with partners and vendors
• Set achievable goals and strategy for growth expansion
• Create sales reports and feed back to the wider team on a weekly basis
• Define a clear and lean sales strategy for onboarding new partnerships
• Determine why certain products are trending up or down, clearly articulate observations and propose strategies to troubleshoot problems
• Develop strategies to increase sales, reduce costs and drive conversion rate of acquired products including price optimization, PPC (for example, Amazon PPC), packaging/inserts, coupons and deals, customer communications, creative, changing package dimensions, subscribe and save, removing unprofitable products and more
• Partner with internal teams to develop a go-to-market strategy and facilitate successful, impactful product launches and international expansion.
• Coordinate with supply chain teams to ensure products are always in stock, premium quality, have updated packaging, and have all appropriate required certifications
• Leverage automation and AI-powered tools for reporting, advertising, and optimisation to save time and increase accuracy
• Keep on top of new marketplace algorithms, especially within Amazon and TikTok Shop, adapting strategy quickly as platforms evolve
• Collaborate with digital marketing teams to align PPC, influencer activity, and paid social campaigns with marketplace performance

These responsibilities will of course vary depending on the needs and goals of a business, but it's a good summary of what the marketplace manager can achieve for the team. It shows that this role is not easy and requires an analytical person who understands eCommerce. Managing multiple marketplaces and evolving with them requires a strong multitasker. 

A person who can integrate with the many different teams and make sure everyone is on the same page will be really important. If products need launching, removing or editing, the marketplace manager will need to liaise with many teams to keep the marketplaces perfectly up to date.

In 2025, the role also calls for someone who can adapt to the global nature of marketplaces. International expansion is a major focus for eCommerce businesses, meaning marketplace managers often need expertise in cross-border trade, regional compliance, and localisation strategies.

Hiring eCommerce Marketplace Managers

When it comes to hiring eCommerce talent, it's always about matching the right person who understands the business goals and how their skills will contribute towards success. The right culture fit is important, so finding that all-rounder isn't always easy.

That's where we can help - with more candidates within the eCommerce marketplace specialism enquiring with our team, we are seeing a steady growth for this specialism within our candidate pool. Click below to get in touch with the team and let's discuss how we can help with your upcoming hires.