When I worked on the marketing team of an athletic attire company, I suggested we partner with a media and electronics company. This seemed like a stretch to most people because it was not directly related to fitness or athletics. Shoes, health food, and gear were more obvious partners. My idea was to personalize the media to match the attire. A yoga outfit, for example, was coordinated with a calming playlist and portable speakers. The running gear, on the other hand, was paired with more upbeat music and portable headphones. The consumer really grasped this concept and both companies benefited from the promotion.
2. Tell us what is the term “Web Hosting”?
Web hosting is a way to gain a presence on the internet. The web hosting company should be capable of providing you with the level of service that you need to maintain your Web Store.
3. Explain me what is C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer)?
These kind of transactions are usually done at an individual level. Payments can be done with the help of online systems like PayPal.
4. Explain me should the head of e-commerce report directly to the c-suite?
There is no one correct answer, but before beginning the search, it is important to consider how reporting lines will impact the qualified candidates' perception of both the role and the organization's commitment to the e-commerce initiative. Two likely expectations of candidates will be that P&L responsibility for e-commerce will come with the job and that the position will report directly to the CEO or president. Without these two conditions in place, it's possible that some high-caliber candidates may opt out of the process.
This isn't about ego on their part; having the e-commerce leader report directly into the same level of command as the head of retail and merchandising sends a clear message that the development of e-commerce is a company priority and that the candidate will be the business owner. This type of reporting ensures that the e-commerce leader will be directly involved in executive conversations and planning sessions that drive the direction of the company. It also indicates that e-commerce is a priority for the CEO and the board and broadcasts a message throughout the organization that the leadership team is embracing the channel. This is not to say this model is right for all organizations, but companies should give serious consideration to organizational structure in order to attract the right level of experienced leader. Another way to reassure candidates about the company's commitment is to establish an on-call board member who can provide reassurance and answer questions about the e-commerce strategy during the final recruitment stages.
5. Please tell me about yourself as Ecommerce Manager?
This question is one of the most frequently asked questions. Where do you start? What do they really want to know? Are you to begin from elementary school or college? You have to be very careful on how you answer this question because your answer here sets the tone for the rest of the interview. This question is mostly asked as an icebreaker but if you did not prepare for it, it becomes a real problem.
The right approach to this is to discuss your key strengths and how they relate to the job. Talk about a few of your accomplishments. Talk about your current employer and then tell them how you see yourself fitting into a position at their company.
6. Explain me how do you keep staff members motivated as Ecommerce Manager?
Questions about delegating tasks and motivating staff are quite common in management job interviews. Your emphases should be on team building when answering this question. You can say something like “I always endeavor to show recognition to members of staff that meet goals and in my experience, I have seen that this keeps them motivated to take on more tasks. Where possible, I make the tasks delegation interdependent so that staff members can learn to work with each other and improve one another to get the best out of themselves.”
7. Tell me have you ever fired anyone? What were the circumstances?
If you have - explain why you made the decision and you handled it with dignity.
8. Can you describe your management style?
Are you a micro manager? Are you a manager that empowers other people? If you're the latter, how do you do so? Do you set a clear goal for the team?
9. Tell us how would you effectively promote our brand using social media?
Successful promotion on social media takes effort and strategy. When I worked for my previous company, we participated in several loop giveaways that were unsuccessful. We learned quickly that these giveaways boosted our following initially, but not long term. From these efforts, I learned that social media promotions are more effective when they are well thought out and they make sense. I like the idea of partnering with like brands. The chances of gaining a return from your efforts are higher when you do this.
10. Tell us how E-commerce works?
1. When a consumer wants to buy a certain product, he go to the website and selects the product he wants to buy.
2. Once the product is selected, the consumer transaction is moved to the online transaction server where he places an order.
3. The informations is exchanged over a secure channel through a private gateway to a processing network.
4. The networked banks accept or reject the transaction.
5. All this happens in just a matter of seconds.
6. eCommerce is a very secure due to the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology.
The basic steps involved in becoming Commerce Enabled are:
☛ 1. Getting an Internet Merchant Bank Account
☛ 2. Web Hosting
☛ 3. Obtaining a Digital Certificate
☛ 4. Finding a Provider of Online Transactions
☛ 5. Creating or Purchasing a Shopping Cart Software
11. Tell us the various applications of E-commerce?
Following are a few products where Ecommerce can be used:
☛ Computer products (hardware, software, accessories)
☛ Books
☛ Music
☛ Financial Services
☛ Entertainment
☛ Home Electronics
☛ Apparel
☛ Gifts and flowers
☛ Travel services
☛ Toys
☛ Tickets
☛ Information
12. Tell us what are the company's e-commerce goals?
In order to identify and recruit the right talent, clients should be ready to articulate their key goals around e-commerce and determine how they align with the larger business goals. For example, how big is the e-commerce business expected to get? What are the multi-channel strategies (e.g., order online, return in stores; development of comprehensive CRM strategies to maximize customer loyalty and value)? What is the time frame for getting there? How much of an investment will it take to reach these goals? These strategy points are vital because the candidate who can build a business from scratch typically is very different from one able to triple an existing $50 million enterprise. An alternative candidate would be required to scale a $300 million business into a $1 billion enterprise. Building from scratch versus optimizing an existing business, or building large-scale, competitive capabilities requires very distinct skills and demands different talent.
Identifying these long-term objectives and strategies is one of the most important challenges for a company embarking on a talent search. For example, it's becoming increasingly common for a company to consciously hire someone who is “too big” for its existing business with the knowledge that it is hiring a leader capable of handling its future size.
13. Explain me what are the most essential skills and competencies to look for in candidates?
Web experience and a proven track record of scaling an e-commerce business, of course, constitute the foundation of any viable candidate. However, outstanding e-commerce general managers will possess several specific competencies and leadership traits:
They must be strategic in mindset. An ideal e-commerce candidate envisions long-term market potential and business opportunities, generates strategies for addressing future market scenarios, and positions the business to capitalize on them using innovative and analytical thinking. Strategic executives will be adept at employing research and customer data and drawing upon best practices to drive the business. The strategic leader also seeks out opportunities that are game-changing for the business.
They must have operational expertise. Strategic thinking is indispensable, but an e-commerce leader also must have an excellent track record of driving results. The ideal candidate cannot only project the vision and mission of the organization but needs to know how to turn it into viable plans. Personality traits that serve this role well are pragmatism and adaptability, and the candidate will possess the ability to focus and execute in a competitive and fast-paced environment. In addition, successful leaders in this field will make useful and sensible recommendations outside their area of expertise to their colleagues. The ideal candidate is one who accepts responsibility for results and expects the rest of the e-commerce team to follow suit. Successful operational leaders can balance the drive for business urgency with the ability to motivate, attract and retain strong talent that will form the backbone of a successful team.
They must be skilled at influencing colleagues and building relationships. This trait is critical for success in e-commerce, a unit that often requires strong partnerships with merchandising, marketing, technology and retail operations. Without effective and strong coalitions, e-commerce will not thrive. We've found that the most successful people in this realm possess both personal confidence and a willingness to listen to other ideas. They are tenacious but also have high emotional intelligence, traits that allow them to push the business forward while building consensus along the way.
Discuss your method of assigning responsibility to the best candidates. How you communicate with employees to make them understand what is expected of them and how you make sure that the employees have the resources needed to carry out specific tasks. You should also chip in your follow-up procedures.
Do you prioritize your activities in the office or are you reactive to emails coming in? Discuss how you would spend the morning and afternoon on your top 3 priorities and how you would execute on them.
As a manager, I hope to create an atmosphere of open communication. I want people to feel comfortable sharing their problems and hope that everyone can work together towards a common goal. If I have a problem with an employee, I plan on taking him or her aside for a one-on-one talk. I believe in being firm when necessary, but also try to offer support so I can create good relationships.
17. Do you know what is electronic payment procedure?
☛ 1. The merchant submits a credit card transaction to the Payment Gateway on behalf of a customer via secure connection from a Web site, at retail, from a MOTO center or a wireless device.
☛ 2. Payment Gateway receives the secure transaction information and passes it via a secure connection to the Merchant Bank's Processor.
☛ 3. The Merchant Bank's Processor submits the transaction to the Credit Card Interchange (a network of financial entities that communicate to manage the processing, clearing, and settlement of credit card transactions).
☛ 4. The Credit Card Interchange routes the transaction to the customer's Credit Card Issuer.
☛ 5. The Credit Card Issuer approves or declines the transaction based on the customer's available funds and passes the transaction results, and if approved, the appropriate funds, back through the Credit Card Interchange.
☛ 6. The Credit Card Interchange relays the transaction results to the Merchant Bank's Processor.
☛ 7. The Merchant Bank's Processor relays the transaction results to Payment Gateway.
☛ 8. Payment Gateway stores the transaction results and sends them to the customer and/or the merchant. This communication process averages three seconds or less.
☛ 9. The Credit Card Interchange passes the appropriate funds for the transaction to the Merchant's Bank, which then deposits funds into the merchant's bank account. The funds are typically deposited into your primary bank account within two to four business days.
18. Tell us does the business' compensation model support or undermine its goals?
In an ideal world, a compensation model should be developed before an e-commerce search begins. From a basic planning standpoint, that is obvious. However, there is another, more critical reason. Compensation models that focus almost exclusively on increasing online sales can cause internal strife at the company. Since an online sale may come at the expense of a store sale, retail-side leaders may feel threatened by e-commerce initiatives in a battle over the customer. According to the 2009 State of Retailing Online report from Shop.org, companies have adjusted their management and incentive structures to better align the online division with the rest of the company and vice versa.
One important area to address will be assigning credit for in-store revenue generated online. Successful compensation models also may emphasize shared credit for revenue performance and multi-channel sales, as well as companywide strategies around buyer loyalty and customer satisfaction. Not only will a successful compensation model avoid debilitating, money-losing rivalries, but it will incentivize cooperation across business lines. When recruiting e-commerce talent, the candidate will inquire about how his or her bonus will be measured.
19. Do you know what are the most common pitfalls when recruiting e-commerce leaders?
The new hire isn't a good cultural fit. One of the most important competencies in an e-commerce leader is the ability to be a change agent but also mesh culturally within the organization. What will make a successful e-commerce leader is the ability to deftly navigate the existing culture while simultaneously executing the e-commerce strategy.
Under- or over-hiring. If an organization is going to go through the considerable effort of conducting a comprehensive search, it stands to reason that retaining the successful hire would be extremely desirable. This is why right-sizing the candidate for the opportunity is critically important. As laid out in No. 2, it's important for organizations to thoroughly evaluate their needs so that they pick the right candidate.
No two e-commerce businesses are the same-success at one dot-com doesn't necessarily translate to another. Generally speaking, evidence of past success does predict future success, but it's important to know more than the broad strokes of a candidate's experience. In order to make sure a candidate's past will translate well to a new business, context is essential. For example, how big was the e-commerce business at the previous company upon arrival? Inquire about revenue and order volume because large revenue dollars can mask operational inefficiencies. This will help determine if the candidate has the required experience for a complex logistical environment.
Your answers should focus on how well you can review relevant facts, consider various options and select the most appropriate option. Discuss how you factor in variables such as constraints and resources.
21. Tell me what do you do when you're having trouble with an employee?
You need to discuss the issue openly with the employee to come to a resolution.
22. Tell me where do you see yourself in 5 years? Or what are your career goals?
It is crucial that you discuss your objectives and how you intend to achieve them.
For instance: I would like to be the best in my department or I'd love to be the person my colleagues can rely on. I also feel I would be skilled and experienced enough to handle whatever responsibilities might come my way.
23. Tell me where will the e-commerce team work-headquarters or dot-com talent centers?
For many CEOs, the answer to this question may seem obvious. Most organizations believe it is imperative that the e-commerce organization reside at headquarters in order to build rapport and partnerships with cross-functional colleagues. This will help support an integrated business culture that will legitimize e-commerce within the rest of the organization and ensure that it stays close to the center of the business.
However, some retailers, including one well-known big-box brand, have built e-commerce teams in locations away from the company headquarters, reasoning that it would be easier to attract top talent to an alternate city. For example, the San Francisco area, because of its wealth of relevant talent, has become a popular spot for locating these separate e-commerce units. One catalyst for locating the team away from headquarters might be when a medium-sized e-commerce organization is growing to the next level, and will require more sophisticated e-commerce expertise and leadership-leadership that may not be easily attracted to the headquarter's location. Some retailers have concluded that for an e-commerce organization to thrive, it needs to sit elsewhere to get out of the shadow of the stores-truly making it a separate division-and that, again, means locating it near e-commerce talent centers.
I love working with people, and all of my previous jobs have included interacting with others. In my previous role, I had to work with the Vice President of Sales to create a marketing campaign that would help increase sales by 10 percent. Part of this task involved presenting ideas to the sales team. Once they chose a campaign, I had to work daily with the sales team to make sure it ran smoothly. My people skills enabled me to coordinate with my team and the sales team. The campaign was successful and the sales team was able to meet their goal.
25. Tell us what is C2B (Consumer-to-Business)?
In this, a consumer places the product on the net. The companies willing to buy this product bid for it. The comsumer can then decide, depending upon the bid, which company to sell it to.
