11 Best Ecommerce Merchandising Courses to Take in 2024
Your products are lovely things, lovingly crafted for their purpose and marketed by your team with glee. But, they need to be displayed just so to attract the right attention (and sales).
Ecommerce merchandising refers to the way you display and describe your products across your online store.
For instance, you categorize your products strategically so they can be found intuitively by customers and can be displayed with complementary items throughout the shopping experience.
It's also the product imagery, the product descriptions, the specs, the personalization for promotions and cross-sells and upsells. In short, it's important stuff.
Therefore, you need training so that it's second nature to you. We've got the courses to get you to that supreme level of merchandising expertise. Let's see 'em.
The 11 Best Ecommerce Merchandising Courses, a Handy Shortlist
Before we get into each one in detail, here's the list in all its glory:
- Ecommerce Merchandising Course (CXL)
- Digital Merchandising Certification (Santa Clara University)
- Creating an Optimal Ecommerce Search Experience (Shopify)
- Make the Sale: Build, Launch, and Manage E-commerce Stores (Google)
- Ecommerce Certificate (Lasell University)
- Digital Retailing Undergraduate Certificate (University of Arizona Online)
- 360 Ecommerce course to Launch/Scale your Online Business (Udemy)
- Ecommerce and Online Merchandising Training (Econsultancy)
- Buying and Merchandising for Online Retail Online Short Course (UAL)
- Create Your E-commerce Store With Shopify (Coursera)
- Visual Merchandising Trends for Digital Retail Online Short Course (UAL)
OK, on to all the words I've used to describe these courses.
The 11 Top Ecommerce Merchandising Courses to Level Up Your Displays
Below, you'll find a mix of paid and unpaid courses of varying lengths. Look at the details for each to know if it'll be best for you. You can certainly try to take all these courses, but I'm guessing that would be overkill.
1. Ecommerce Merchandising Course (CXL)
Led by Naheed Adl, these courses cover advanced ecommerce merchandising techniques, from strategically displaying products on product pages to leveraging algorithms, optimization, and personalization.
They focus on enhancing the online shopping experience, boosting retail sales, improving product findability, and optimizing the purchase path to increase conversions and revenue.
- Who It’s For: Individuals in B2C organizations or those looking to build a career in ecommerce enterprises
- Topics Covered:
- Omnichannel and instant gratification
- Influencer marketing
- Foundational software for tagging values
- Product Detail Page (PDP) optimization
- Merchandising strategies
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? Yes
- Duration: 40 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 40 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Subscription-based
- Monthly: $289 per month
- Quarterly: $177 per month
- Annual All-Acess: $125 per month
- Take The Course: CXL
2 . Digital Merchandising Certification (Santa Clara University)
The course offers comprehensive training in digital merchandising, focusing on key metrics, industry terminology, and practical experience with tools used by digital merchants.
It also provides insights into the role of digital merchants in creating engaging online experiences, utilizing automation, conducting A/B testing, and optimizing the customer journey while analyzing performance metrics.
- Who It’s For: SCU undergraduate students and RMI alumni
- Topics Covered:
- Digital merchandising introduction
- Digital ecosystem
- Search engine functionality
- Recommendation zones
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 2 days
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 7 hours (10:30 am to 2:00 pm each day)
- Eligibility Requirements:
- SCU undergraduate students and RMI alumni
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Santa Clara University
3. Creating an Optimal Ecommerce Search Experience (Shopify)
The course, developed with Klevu, focuses on optimizing site search for ecommerce websites, enhancing customer shopping experiences, and gaining insights into customer behavior through customer data.
It provides practical techniques for maximizing the effectiveness of search functions and integrating them with marketing campaigns to drive engagement and conversions.
- Who It’s For: Ecommerce business owners and managers
- Topics Covered:
- Search placement and positioning
- Merchandising
- Search accessibility
- Speed optimization
- Mobile search optimization
- Personalization and error handling
- Refinement and filtering
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 19 minutes
- How Many Hours of Instruction: 19 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Shopify Academy
4. Make the Sale: Build, Launch, and Manage E-commerce Stores (Google)
The course covers essential ecommerce strategies, explaining how online stores and platforms operate while teaching best practices for creating engaging customer experiences.
It provides practical insights into building effective ecommerce environments that enhance user satisfaction and drive sales.
- Who It’s For: Aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs and managers
- Topics Covered:
- Building ecommerce stores
- Launch strategies
- Store management
- Sales optimization
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 23 hours
- How Many Hours of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
5. Ecommerce Certificate (Lasell University)
This certificate program crafts a comprehensive digital commerce strategy to boost sales and conversions, using ecommerce merchandising, promotions, and site optimization analytics.
It also covers strategies for attracting potential customers, customer acquisition and retention, and developing a five-year innovation roadmap for sustainable and successful ecommerce growth.
- Who It’s For: Professionals looking to advance in ecommerce
- Topics Covered:
- Digital commerce strategy
- Merchandising presentation
- Promotional planning
- Product liquidation strategies
- Site navigation
- Conversion rate optimization
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 12 weeks
- How Many Hours of Instruction: Vary by course
- Eligibility Requirements: High school diploma
- Price: $1,485 for all 3 courses or $495 each
- Take The Course: Lasell University
6. Digital Retailing Undergraduate Certificate (University of Arizona Online)
This course offers training in digital marketing, retail merchandising, management, website development, and programming tailored for the digital retail industry, including both ecommerce and retail stores.
It focuses on preparing for the evolving digital landscape and addressing the demands of omnichannel services.
- Who It’s For: Individuals looking to enter or transition into digital retailing
- Topics Covered:
- Merchandise planning and control
- Shopper data and business analytics
- Digital retailing methods
- Omnichannel and multichannel retailing
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be a resident of the U.S. and select U.S. territories
- Price: $525 per credit
- Take The Course: University of Arizona Online
7. 360 Ecommerce course to Launch/Scale your Online Business (Udemy)
The course focuses on scaling a new business by covering branding, customer analysis, website performance, digital marketing metrics, and strategic budgeting.
It emphasizes building a strong foundation for growth, from understanding site journeys to leveraging SEO and PPC for improved sales and brand development.
- Who It’s For: For aspiring entrepreneurs, small startups, or those building an online presence
- Topics Covered:
- Setting Up an Online Store
- Understanding Market Research and Customer Behavior
- Developing a Digital Marketing Strategy
- Managing Inventory and Fulfillment
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 2 hours
- How Many Hours of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $19.99
- Take The Course: Udemy
8. Ecommerce and Online Merchandising Training (Econsultancy)
The course offers an intensive workshop on managing and optimizing ecommerce, focusing on online merchandising, and combining interactive exercises with best-in-class ecommerce examples.
It aims to shift thinking and inspire action through practical tips and hands-on learning.
- Who It’s For: For beginner to intermediate professionals and heads of ecommerce.
- Topics Covered:
- Brand and customer proposition
- The art of selling
- Product proposition
- Product recommendations
- Search and browse
- Key metrics and performance indicators
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 1 day
- How Many Hours of Instruction: 1 day
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Take The Course: Econsultancy
9. Buying and Merchandising for Online Retail Online Short Course (UAL)
The course focuses on ecommerce buying for fashion, including planning, purchasing, trading, and the latest technologies, with case studies for real-world application.
It offers practical insights into online retailing, essential for success in today's fashion industry.
- Who It’s For: Ideal for aspiring fashion buyers, merchandisers, ecommerce professionals, and those interested in fashion business skills or online retail.
- Topics Covered:
- Ecommerce; a business model.
- The online customer.
- Planning, managing, and driving growth online.
- Buying for ecommerce; sourcing, range planning, and brand mixes.
- The importance of styling and photography.
- Deliveries, trading, and analysis.
- Managing a global market, pricing, and exchange rates.
- Ecommerce vs Bricks & Mortar.
- Digital marketing - newsletters, videos, and social media.
- New technologies; how does the future look?
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 2 weeks
- How Many Hours of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Take The Course: UAL
10. Create Your E-Commerce Store With Shopify (Coursera)
The course teaches how to create a fully functional online store using Shopify, covering key aspects like product and inventory management, as well as managing customers and orders to streamline ecommerce operations.
- Who It’s For: Aspiring ecommerce store owners
- Topics Covered:
- Set up your account
- Add and organize products
- Manage inventory levels
- Create product collections
- Offer gift cards
- Customize your online storefront
- Process and manage orders
- Handle customer information
- Analyze store performance metrics
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 1 hour
- How Many Hours of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
11. Visual Merchandising Trends for Digital Retail Online Short Course (UAL)
The course focuses on applying visual merchandising techniques to ecommerce, showing how to recreate the in-store experience online to enhance customer engagement and drive sales.
It also includes a personalized assessment of your brand's digital presence.
- Who It’s For: Visual merchandisers, digital marketing teams, retailers, independent business owners
- Topics Covered:
- Key Visual Merchandising Principles for Ecommerce Retail
- Creating a strong digital brand presence to link to the physical experience instore
- Applying link selling to digital channels
- The importance of digital product positioning
- Creating your virtual shop window
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 2 hours
- How Many Hours of Instruction: 2 hours
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Take The Course: UAL
Start Merchandising Better (to Grow Sales)
Merchandising is an essential skill in both IRL and online retail. If your in-store displays are uninspired, so are your customers. For ecommerce, the whole experience is a visual feast—you need to be strategic about the products you show and where.
Every store page is a funnel toward a full cart and a happy customer. Use ecommerce merchandising to expertly drive customers through their ideal product mix, so they can easily find the perfect purchases in one go.
These courses are just the thing to help you get the skills you need to grow your brand.
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