Amazon operations: misunderstandings and truths about non-technical positions

Amazon operations is an important position in the e-commerce field, and its roles and responsibilities are often mistaken for being non-technical. However, by analyzing the job postings and the complexities of their day-to-day tasks, it becomes clear that this career is far more technical than it appears on the surface.

Basic requirements for disclosure of recruitment information

Among several randomly selected recruitment information, Amazon operation positions have relatively loose requirements for academic qualifications and experience, but the core responsibilities revolve around sales, store management and product quality. Operations personnel need to frequently interact with a series of key indicators such as ODR (order defect rate), conversion rate, inventory turnover rate, ACoS (advertising cost to sales ratio), and traffic. In addition, the position also requires good foreign language skills, such as Japanese N2, English level 4 or 6, or German B2 level, etc. This seems to be a sign that the technical content of the position is low.

Differences in platform models and technical backgrounds at home and abroad

Platform mode differences

As a B2C platform, Amazon’s profit model mainly relies on commissions and management fees, while domestic e-commerce platforms such as Taobao rely more on advertising revenue. Although JD.com and Tmall are both B2C platforms, they pay more attention to brand building. In contrast, Amazon pays more attention to the quality of products and services themselves.

Differences in technical background

Amazon has invested heavily in research and development, and its on-site search engine A9 algorithm ensures the discoverability and trading opportunities of high-quality products, giving small sellers the opportunity to achieve good sales performance. On the contrary, on domestic e-commerce platforms, “brush orders” or paid advertising have become one of the important means to increase sales. This is due to the significant difference in the accumulation of search engine technology at home and abroad.

Correct use of third-party auxiliary tools

Many sellers rely too much on third-party software to make decisions, including product selection, keyword analysis, and listing. The correct approach should be to regard these tools as auxiliary means and apply them flexibly according to the specific situation. Efficient use of tools is itself a technical ability; if you can independently develop relevant tools, it is a sign of senior operational talents.

Understanding the importance of operations from a technical perspective

Amazon’s product display has strict standardization requirements, which limits the operator’s freedom in page design. Therefore, how to achieve the best results among limited choices has become the key to testing the operator’s technical level. For example, accurately filling in product titles and keywords requires not only understanding the working principle of the A9 algorithm, but also mastering the influence of keyword length, title length and other factors on search results.

In summary, although the entry threshold for Amazon operation positions is low, if you want to become an excellent operator, you must deeply understand the technical logic of the platform, apply it to actual work, and gradually establish a systematic operating strategy. In the future, only those operators who can combine technology and experience will stand out in the fierce market competition.


The above content is compiled from reference articles, aiming to reveal the technical factors hidden behind Amazon’s operations and help readers better understand the essential characteristics of this profession.