Key Takeaways
The US e-commerce industry is expected to grow at a 5.59% CAGR until 2029, creating profitable opportunities for online retail businesses.
Virtual e-commerce assistants can handle administrative, marketing, sales & customer support responsibilities for your e-commerce store, while costing less than in-house employees.
70% of shoppers want AI-powered shopping features such as virtual try-ons, voice-enabled search and automating reordering.
The US e-commerce market is booming right now. It’s expected to reach $1.3 trillion in revenue in 2025 and continue growing through 2029.
Online retail sales are also projected to rise at a 5.59% CAGR between 2025 and 2029, with the number of worldwide e-commerce users hitting 4 billion!
For online businesses, the opportunities to profit are better than ever.
But to capitalize on great opportunities, you must prepare for upcoming challenges. With the expected market growth, new competitors will emerge. Attracting new clients and retaining existing customers will become more difficult.
Want to outperform competitors effortlessly? Hire e-commerce virtual assistants (VAs) who help you increase sales, boost profits and strengthen your brand reputation.
What Is an E-Commerce Virtual Assistant?
An e-commerce virtual assistant is a remote professional who handles routine and technical tasks for your online retail store. They can support your e-commerce store on Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Facebook Marketplace and other platforms.
Virtual assistants handle over 300 tasks, including administrative, marketing, sales and customer service responsibilities.
They also cost less than in-house employees, making them a budget-friendly solution for overworked store owners.
Here are some signs you need an e-commerce VA:
- You’re wasting time replying to emails every day instead of core tasks.
- You’re neglecting product strategy because you’re too busy managing orders and inventory.
- Your listings have poor visibility on e-commerce platforms and you’re not selling enough.
- You want to increase revenue, but don’t know how to manage content or social media to boost conversions.
- Customer queries go unanswered for days because you can’t afford in-house customer service agents.
If you face similar challenges, it’s time to overcome them and scale operations with an e-commerce virtual assistant.
Here are some skills an e-commerce VA will add to your team.
How Do Virtual Assistants Help E-Commerce Businesses?
An e-commerce virtual assistant can help streamline the entire purchasing process for your customers.
From informing leads about your products to suggesting bestselling items, guiding them on payment modes and resolving their complaints—VAs can do it all!
Here’s a breakdown of all the tasks virtual assistants can handle for your e-commerce business.
Administrative Assistance
Administrative duties, such as market research and inventory management, waste productive hours daily. These tasks are also dull and exhausting.
If you had to choose the best use of your time, what would you pick?
A) Relaxing with friends and family.
B) Budgeting and forecasting revenue.
C) Researching competitors.
D) Replying to repetitive queries about your refund policy.
If your choices are already listed in order, a virtual administrative assistant for e-commerce is all you need!
They handle back-office tasks to free you up for high-priority work or personal commitments.
1. Handling Emails
Administrative VAs manage your emails for effective communication with customers, vendors and other relevant parties.
They can:
- Draft helpful answers for routine questions and automate replies to reduce response time.
- Share in-depth information about your store’s products and policies with customers to prevent confusion.
- Sort emails into separate labels (complaints, inquiries, feedback) for fast and accurate information retrieval.
- Notify you about priority conversations, ensuring you don’t miss time-sensitive deals or discussions.
- Delete spam messages and unsubscribe from irrelevant, risky email lists to prevent cyber fraud.
With their support, you can avoid email overload and find time for strategic thinking and planning.
2. Researching Trends, Products and Competitors
Virtual assistants can research e-commerce trends to help you develop effective marketing and sales strategies. They compile information on relevant topics from Google Trends, news websites and industry reports.
For example, imagine you sell electronic items online. Your VA can research upcoming events where you can expect an increase in demand for your products, such as Black Friday. This helps you prepare and execute a data-driven plan to increase sales!
Virtual assistants also identify in-demand products through market research. They assess trending keywords on e-commerce platforms and find the products most suited to your store’s niche. You can add these items to your inventory to match your offerings with what customers want.
Additionally, virtual assistants can track your competitors. VAs review your rival brands’ products, prices and policies to identify overlooked or overutilized areas. Based on this information, you can optimize your product listings to increase conversions.
3. Stocking Inventory
Stocking inventory for your store is a vital task you can delegate to your e-commerce virtual assistant. Experienced in research, they identify reliable vendors and wholesale suppliers. VAs can also place orders and maintain product records, saving you time.
Here’s a three-step process describing how e-commerce VAs restock inventory:
- They assess your inventory to identify understocked and overstocked items and research market trends to spot in-demand, high-margin products.
- They place orders for low and empty stocks and coordinate with multiple suppliers to source in-demand products.
- They organize all listed products in a spreadsheet and use inventory management tools, such as Sortly, to automate future restocking processes.
With virtual assistants managing your inventory on multiple e-commerce platforms, you can always meet customer demands without wasting time.
Marketing Services
You can increase the demand for your products by marketing your store’s services online. Eye-catching photos and compelling product descriptions help attract more buyers.
According to 90% of shoppers, high-quality product images are the most important factor when buying things online.
Virtual assistants can handle creative tasks like designing lucrative visuals, writing informative blogs or engaging with followers on social media to build trust with customers.
Once their trust grows stronger, your reputation is built. And in the digital age, reputation is more expensive than anything.
Pooja Agnihotri, Marketer and Author
Specialized VAs, including writers, graphic designers and social media managers, offer support for multiple marketing channels. Their expertise not only increases sales but also boosts your reputation, helping your store go global!
Here’s how creative virtual assistants grow your e-commerce business.
4. Drafting Product Descriptions & Blogs
56% of customers return products when items don’t match their description. Content writer virtual assistants can write accurate product descriptions and web content to improve your e-commerce store’s reach. They can:
- Research core phrases customers use to search for products and use these keywords to optimize promotional content.
- Draft persuasive, SEO-optimized blogs, highlighting your products’ features and benefits to increase search rankings and product visibility.
- Create supplementary content around a product to enhance audience engagement and interaction. For instance, publishing an article about various ways to style an outfit that customers buy from your store.
- Include compelling call-to-action (CTA) phrases within textual content to drive conversions and website traffic.
With a content writer VA by your side, you can solve readers’ problems and persuade them to buy your products.
5. Designing Graphics
Professional visuals can also convince customers to trust your e-commerce store.
Clear, high-quality product pictures engage viewers for longer. Graphic design virtual assistants can create stunning illustrations for product listings and social media posts.
They can:
- Edit product photos to ensure their contrast, colors and focus highlight key features without stressing viewers’ eyes.
- Design customized posters, packaging and product brochures for targeted campaigns or high-value clients.
- Create informative infographics, charts and graphs to complement textual content, improving readers’ understanding of complex concepts.
Graphic design VAs can use tools like Canva to create captivating visuals and enhance brand image–literally (by designing logos) and figuratively (by improving promotional photos).
6. Engaging With Your Social Media Community
Gen Zers and Millennials often rely on social media for product recommendations. They decide what to buy based on influencer endorsements and user-generated content like unboxing videos or reviews.
So you must leverage social media platforms to reach these demographics, grab their attention and earn their trust.
16% of businesses are prioritizing hiring a social media coordinator for this purpose.
They can help you communicate with followers across channels, including Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok.
Pinterest is especially great for retail businesses since most Pinners are shoppers! 83% buy from brands they see on Pinterest.
Consistent interaction across platforms can help you build credibility and strengthen customer relationships.
Social media virtual assistants upload content regularly across multiple platforms during peak engagement hours. They’re also familiar with scheduling tools, including Buffer and Hootsuite. This fast and targeted posting can help increase social sales.
VAs also monitor brand mentions, answer inquiries and react to positive comments on social media. They also address genuine complaints with empathy and remove spam comments to maintain a welcoming, helpful community.
Read more: How Virtual Assistants for Facebook Posts Help Your Brand Stand Out
Sales Support
While marketing attracts people to your store, it’s not enough to provide real returns. You need smart sales strategies to convert leads into paying customers.
A sales virtual assistant for your e-commerce store can help with lead conversion. From listing products to nurturing leads and processing orders, VAs can manage multiple sales tasks efficiently. Here’s how they help your business.
7. Optimizing Product Descriptions
Virtual assistants utilize SEO strategies to write product descriptions on multiple e-commerce websites.
Your VA will identify trending keywords for each website using research tools, such as Ahrefs or Semrush. Then, they use these search phrases to describe your products’ applications, advantages and qualities. Their clear, concise and benefit-driven language ensures an increase in your product’s rankings.
For example, imagine a customer searches for ‘100% organic cotton shirt’ on Amazon. If you sell such shirts, but your product descriptions only mention ‘cotton shirt,’ they’re less likely to appear in the customers’ search results.
This highlights the importance of SEO-optimized product descriptions. Omission of just two words can lead to missing out on sales. But if you hire an e-commerce virtual assistant, you can reach more customers quickly.
8. Upselling and Cross-Selling Products
When your e-commerce store is visible to a wider audience, you can persuade more people to buy multiple products.
Suggesting complementary or premium items to customers is a great way to increase sales.
For example, when customers inquire about a smartphone, your VA can suggest them:
- A premium version of the same model. Some clients may stick to their original choice, while others prefer the advanced features of the higher-priced product. This upselling can increase revenue and profit.
- Additional items, such as a phone cover and a power bank. Customers may want to buy these extra products, especially if you offer them small discounts for package purchases. This cross-selling can help increase sales volume!
Customer Support Services
As per research, customer acquisition is 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing customer! Thus, retaining customers is as important as converting leads.
You must ensure prompt support to existing customers to boost brand loyalty. This also helps build trust with new customers, which can lead to repeat purchases.
To provide helpful and customer-first support, you can hire customer service virtual assistants for your e-commerce business. They can resolve post-purchase issues to boost client satisfaction. Here are two key customer support duties VAs can handle for your e-commerce store.
9. Providing Live Chat Support
Virtual chat professionals can respond to queries via live chat tools. They inform customers about your return, refund or cancellation policies. Live chat VAs also resolve basic customer complaints swiftly and forward complex cases to dedicated support teams.
By including live chat support alongside traditional customer service channels, you increase the range of help people can gain from your e-commerce store. This enhanced accessibility improves customer confidence and boosts your brand’s reputation.
10. Resolving Queries and Complaints
Customer service virtual assistants resolve complaints received via email and helpdesk systems. They can generate tickets for complaints, automate replies for routine inquiries and track priority issues. This organized communication reduces response time and accelerates resolution.
E-commerce support VAs accurately investigate complaints to prevent customer dissatisfaction and financial losses.
VAs can coordinate with relevant parties (e.g., shipping partners) to review and process requests (e.g., replacements for damaged products). Based on the findings, they schedule replacements or refunds in line with your policies.
With swift, precise decision-making, your VA saves you from hours of boring work. During this free time, you can plan your store’s future. With e-commerce virtual assistants providing operational advantages, you can execute your scaling strategy fast!
Benefits of Hiring E-Commerce Virtual Assistants
You gain various benefits by hiring e-commerce virtual assistants, including cost savings, greater productivity and fast, scalable support. You also save time and energy by delegating routine tasks. These VA advantages can simplify e-commerce store management while boosting revenue.
Increase Productivity
Hiring an e-commerce virtual assistant allows you to avoid repetitive tasks. Instead of answering routine queries, you can devise collaboration strategies to partner with bigger retail brands. This can help bring your products to local physical markets, increasing revenue and reputation!
With administrative VAs managing daily operations in your e-commerce store, you also find time for personal work. You can rest, exercise or spend time with family. By taking time off, you also reduce fatigue and prevent burnout.
Reduce Expenses
Virtual assistants cost far less than traditional, in-house employees. As VAs work remotely, you don’t have to rent office space or provide them with new equipment. Recruiting them eliminates infrastructure and utility expenses, saving significant resources for your e-commerce business.
The next table compares in-house and virtual e-commerce assistants on multiple expense factors.
| Cost Factor | In-House Assistant | Virtual E-Commerce Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Salary and Benefits | Full-time salary plus Medicare, Social Security and other benefits. | Affordable wages and no benefits or bonuses. |
| Recruitment | Pay for job ads, recruiter fees and background checks. | Pay a fixed fee only for the service you need. |
| Overhead | Rent office space and parking area and provide daily supplies and utilities. | Entirety remote–slash overhead costs, including rent, equipment and internet expenses. |
Boost Sales
Specialized virtual assistants for your e-commerce store can boost sales via omnichannel strategies.
They can use SEO practices to publish blogs and boost search rankings, improving your store’s online visibility and attracting higher traffic.
VAs specializing in email marketing can also promote your products via newsletters. This cold outreach helps inform customers about your products and enhances brand awareness.
You can even ask your live chat VAs to recommend new products or suggest upgrades to customers. For instance, if you’re selling smartphones, your VA may recommend the latest version or advise buyers to purchase earbuds as well.
These cross-selling and upselling strategies help sell more and boost profits.
Gain Affordable Access to Global Talent
A survey by Indeed reveals that 56% of businesses struggle to find the right employees. If you want to be in the remaining 44%, seek rare talent worldwide instead of just locally.
You can gain access to specialized skills at affordable rates by hiring an overseas virtual assistant for your e-commerce store.
These VAs from low-cost-of-living countries are way more budget-friendly than local, in-house employees. Plus, since they are remote, there are no overhead expenses for rent, equipment or utilities.
Scale Fast With Dedicated Support
Scaling your business is tough when you’re bogged down with everyday tasks.
If your whole day goes by in processing orders, uploading listings and managing inventory, there’s no time left for strategy and innovation.
Dedicated virtual assistants take over the day-to-day store operations, freeing you to focus on bigger priorities.
Whether you want to enter international markets, launch new products or optimize your finances, VAs give you the peace of mind to chase your goals and grow faster.
How To Hire a Virtual Assistant for Your E-Commerce Store
Similar to how your store operates online, you can also hire a virtual e-commerce assistant online. You only need to prepare a job description and select a reliable virtual assistant agency to streamline the hiring process.
List Your Requirements
Review all the tasks in your e-commerce business and rank them based on their frequency and importance. You can also create two task categories, urgent and non-urgent.
Urgent responsibilities can include stocking inventory and listing products, whereas non-urgent duties can include creating sales reports and scheduling social media posts. This classification can help decide the right tasks to delegate to your virtual assistant.
Besides tasks, you must also decide how much to spend on recruitment.
Set a reasonable budget depending on the number and type of virtual assistant you want to hire. While deciding on the compensation package, remember that specialized VAs, such as graphic designers, may cost more than general VAs.
Contact a Virtual Assistant Agency
Share the job description with a reliable virtual assistant agency. Companies specializing in recruitment, like Zenius, help e-commerce businesses hire educated, experienced virtual assistants.
We assess your needs and search the global talent pool for exceptional candidates within your budget. Our expert interviewers screen each applicant to ensure they’re technically qualified and interpersonally confident. You can also evaluate our pre-vetted candidates with custom assessments for peace of mind!
How to Onboard and Manage E-Commerce Virtual Assistants
While leading virtual employees, offering them technical support and professional encouragement can help enhance their performance. Here are three key steps you can take to connect and build a productive relationship with your e-commerce virtual assistant.
Discuss Daily Responsibilities
When onboarding your new e-commerce virtual assistant, you must:
- Clearly describe their daily responsibilities to prevent confusion and misunderstandings from affecting routine workflow.
- Specify the key metrics used to measure their future performance, so you can hold them accountable if needed.
- Guide them through a sample task to help them settle and ensure effective collaboration for future projects.
Provide Access and Training
Always provide your virtual e-commerce assistant with access to relevant tools and training. These details enable them to adapt to your workflow, boosting their confidence and focus.
For example, ensure your social media VA has the login credentials for all platforms you want to post on. You can also share brand voice guidelines to help them engage with your community in line with your policies.
Share Actionable Feedback
Assess your VA’s initial performance and share specific, actionable feedback to enhance their productivity. For example, while judging an illustration, don’t just say ‘this doesn’t work’ to your graphic designer. Instead, tell them ‘which colors work best’ for your brand.
You should appreciate your VA’s good performance to boost their confidence and loyalty. This can help increase employee retention and productivity, ensuring long-term success for your e-commerce business.
How Is E-Commerce Changing in 2025?
E-commerce is evolving faster than ever. From AI-driven personalization to social media shopping and the demand for subscription models, customer expectations are shifting.
Here’s what businesses need to know to stay competitive.
AI adoption
AI has become an integral part of every business. 7 in 10 shoppers want AI-powered shopping features!
This includes virtual try-ons, AR shopping experiences, voice-enabled search and automating reordering.
AI can also completely transform the customer experience by recommending personalized products to each buyer. 45% of millennials and Gen Zs wish for tailored product recommendations.
In addition, by using AI chatbots for customer service, businesses can respond faster, stay available 24/7 and keep shoppers satisfied.
Of course, you still need human expertise to get the best out of AI. While AI chatbots can handle routine queries, a customer service VA can resolve more complex issues with empathy and professionalism.
Tech-savvy virtual assistants can use AI tools to optimize product listings, research keywords and maintain optimal stock levels at all times.
Social Shopping
Shoppers are increasingly relying on social media to find, explore and buy products.
56% use social media to discover new products and 93% say reviews influence their buying decisions.
Rather than believing what brands advertise about themselves, shoppers these days are turning to authentic opinions from customers and influencers.
Therefore, meaningful influencer partnerships and user-generated content are the way to your customers’ hearts.
An e-commerce VA makes this easier. They can research top influencers in your niche and compile customer testimonials to help you establish a credible brand identity.
Subscription Models
Subscriptions are another way modern shoppers want personalization.
Businesses are expected to offer subscription models tailored to customers’ habits and purchasing patterns.
In fact, the global e-commerce subscription market is projected to reach $904.28 billion by 2026.
Subscriptions enable customers to enjoy automated deliveries instead of going through the hassle of reordering every month. This is ideal for items that people restock regularly, such as toiletries, snacks or cleaning supplies.
Your e-commerce VA can help you seamlessly meet the needs of subscribers and streamline your operations. They can track recurring orders, suggest subscription models to repeat buyers and ensure shipping is on time.
Final Thoughts
Running an e-commerce business is complicated. Handling inquiries, managing inventory, listing products and supporting customers drains energy and time. Even after doing all this, shifting market trends and increasing competition can affect your store’s sales.
Want to scale your online retail business risk-free?
Virtual e-commerce assistants can help streamline your store’s operations. With deep research, accurate analysis and efficient administrative task handling, VAs help reduce risks and maximize profits.