Retail and eCommerce operations rarely struggle in isolation. As order volume grows, WISMO inquiries and delivery exceptions increase with it. Returns require more processing. Chargebacks bring hard deadlines. Catalogs need constant updates. Then a promotion hits, volume spikes, and teams already stretched across multiple workflows absorb the additional load.
We have seen these pressures firsthand. For a fashion wholesale platform serving customers across four regions, we built a 10-person multilingual support operation that achieved 96% CSAT and a 15-second average chat response. For a global eCommerce retailer’s Japan business, our CX analytics team helped increase CSAT from 58.7% to 85.9% in five months while reducing support contacts by 23%.
The lesson is not simply to add more people. Retailers need to determine which recurring workflows can move to dedicated teams, which processes are creating unnecessary customer contacts, and which responsibilities should remain with internal teams.
That separation creates room to scale customer support and operational execution without pulling your core team away from merchandising, growth, vendor relationships and other work that requires their judgment.
01
Order status, delivery exceptions, address changes, cancellations and reship requests across chat, email and voice. High-volume, rule-driven work that can quickly consume your internal support team's capacity.
02
Return authorizations, policy exceptions, refunds and store credit decisions within your stated thresholds, plus warehouse coordination and dispute escalation. Your policy, our execution.
03
Evidence assembly, representment filing against issuer deadlines, and reporting on win rates and loss reasons. A structured process helps protect filing windows and gives your team visibility into recurring dispute drivers.
04
Product data entry, attribute and variant setup, image and copy QA, pricing and promotion updates, plus ongoing cleanup of duplicate and orphaned listings.
05
Listing health monitoring, suppressed and stranded inventory recovery, marketplace support cases, buyer messages within SLA windows, and account health tracking.
06
Review responses within your brand guidelines, policy-violation flagging, seller feedback removal requests, and escalation of recurring product quality signals to your merchandising team.
07
Contact driver tagging, DSAT analysis and recurring reporting back to operations. The goal is not only to handle customer contacts efficiently, but to identify why they are happening and where recurring issues can be eliminated.
Key Roles
The right team depends on the workflows you need to move, your coverage hours, language requirements and the systems they will work in. These are some of the roles we commonly build into retail and eCommerce teams.
Role
What they own
Where we typically place
eCommerce Customer Support Specialist
Order, WISMO, returns and general support across chat, email and voice
Philippines, Colombia, South Africa
Returns & Disputes Associate
RMA processing, refund decisions, chargeback representment
Philippines
Catalog / Listing Specialist
Product data, attributes, images, pricing and promotion updates
Philippines, India
Marketplace Operations Coordinator
Listing health, suppressed inventory, marketplace cases and buyer messages
Philippines
CX Analyst
Contact driver tagging, DSAT analysis, weekly reporting to operations
Philippines, Colombia
Teams are built around your coverage requirements, not a single default location. For a fashion wholesale platform serving customers across the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan, we distributed support across the Philippines, Morocco and Germany to provide coverage across all four regions.
Cost advantage
Role
United States
Philippines
eCommerce Customer Support Specialist
$46,245
$10,830
eCommerce Catalog / Listing Specialist
$75,430
$9,433
*Sources: Salary.com and Comparably for United States figures, MultiplyMii and regional market data for Philippines and Colombia, current as of mid-2026.
Cost is only one factor in choosing a talent market. A bilingual support specialist in Colombia, for example, runs roughly $13,000 to $22,000 in base salary against the same U.S. benchmark, while offering greater working-hour overlap for U.S.-based teams.
From improving customer experience to building global support teams and filling critical roles, our work with retail and eCommerce companies shows what the right workforce strategy can deliver.
Japan business unit of a global eCommerce retailer, five-month CX analytics engagement.
Fashion wholesale SaaS platform, 10 agents across EU, US, Asia and Australia coverage.
Las Vegas eCommerce company making its first North American hire ahead of a market launch.
Their data-driven approach was exactly what we needed. 1840 & Company helped us uncover the true causes of customer frustration and solve them permanently.
CX Manager, leading global eCommerce retailer
Security
Remote professionals work within your systems and follow the access, authentication and information-security requirements established for their role. Access requirements can be aligned with your existing security policies and infrastructure.
Remote workers execute applicable employment and engagement documentation, including confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations, before beginning work. Additional requirements can be incorporated based on the engagement and jurisdiction.
Access to marketplace accounts, order-management platforms and other business systems can be structured around the responsibilities of each role and the security requirements established by your organization.
For teams using employee-owned devices, 1840 offers an optional managed BYOD security solution designed to help protect devices used to access company systems and data.
Clients can add an optional managed VPN with encrypted connections, threat protection and secure access to company resources, or use their own VPN and security infrastructure.
The right talent market depends on the work, coverage hours, language requirements and budget. These are three markets we commonly consider for retail and eCommerce operations, with access to talent available across 150+ countries.
A strong market for customer support, catalog and marketplace operations, finance and other process-driven work. The Philippines also offers a mature outsourcing ecosystem and can support coverage outside standard U.S. business hours.
77%
Typical cost savings
A nearshore option for U.S. companies that prioritize working-hour overlap and bilingual English-Spanish capabilities. Well suited to customer-facing roles and teams that collaborate frequently with U.S.-based operations.
72%
Typical cost savings
A strong option for English-language customer support and other customer-facing roles, with working hours that can complement U.S. and European coverage requirements.
57%
Typical cost savings
Across our client base we have placed retail and eCommerce talent in the Philippines, Morocco, Germany, India and North America, and we build multi-country teams when coverage requires it.
Two models, and most retail clients use both over time.
We source and vet full-time eCommerce professionals who work as a dedicated extension of your team. You manage their day-to-day priorities and performance while we support the global workforce infrastructure.
Outsource defined eCommerce workflows to a dedicated team managed by 1840. We oversee day-to-day delivery, team performance and execution while your organization retains visibility into the operation.
Top-rated by Clutch
We’re proud to be named by Clutch as a trusted leader in outsourcing and staffing.
High-volume, repeatable workflows with clear processes are often strong candidates for eCommerce outsourcing. These can include order and WISMO support, returns and RMA processing, chargeback support, catalog and listing management, marketplace operations, review moderation, and CX reporting. The goal is to determine which workflows can move to a dedicated team while keeping work that requires strategic judgment or internal ownership with your core team.
Yes. Retail and eCommerce teams can be built around baseline demand and scaled as coverage requirements change. Planning ahead of seasonal peaks, promotions, or periods of rapid growth gives more time to source, vet, onboard, and prepare additional talent rather than reacting after queues and workloads have already increased.
It depends on the role, required skills, language needs, working hours, and budget. Offshore markets such as the Philippines can be well suited to customer support and process-driven back-office operations, while nearshore markets such as Colombia can provide greater working-hour overlap for U.S. teams. 1840 can source talent across 150+ countries and recommend markets based on the requirements of each role.
Yes. Teams can be distributed across talent markets to align coverage with your customer base. For one fashion wholesale platform, 1840 placed support professionals across the Philippines, Morocco, and Germany to serve customers across the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Japan. The operation maintained 96% CSAT, with a 15-second average first response time for live chat.
1840 can source and vet talent based on your specific workflows and requirements. Examples include eCommerce customer support specialists, returns and disputes associates, catalog and listing specialists, marketplace operations coordinators, and CX analysts. Candidates can be evaluated for role-specific skills, industry experience, software experience, language proficiency, communication skills, and time-zone availability.
Both models are available. With Global Staffing, you receive full-time, dedicated professionals and manage their day-to-day work, priorities, and performance. With 1840-managed BPO, 1840 manages the outsourced operation or team. BPO engagements require a minimum of three dedicated resources.
For applicable staffing searches, 1840 can typically source, vet, and present candidates within 3 to 5 business days, with a typical total hiring timeline of approximately 1 to 2 weeks depending on the role. Actual timing depends on the position, market, requirements, and interview process. In one documented engagement, a six-person global data team was sourced, vetted, and onboarded in 14 days.
What Our Clients Are Saying
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Manger Of Training, Homelight
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VP of Client Services, Pentius
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Owner, Carve Financial
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VP Finance, Bluestone Lane
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HR Manager, Tech Company
Casey H
Manger Of Training, Homelight
Danielle R
VP of Client Services, Pentius
Mike M
Owner, Carve Financial
Andrew C
VP Finance, Bluestone Lane
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CEO, Startup Incubator
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Senior Vendor Manager, Ooma
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Senior Vendor Manager, Ooma
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HR Manager, Tech Company
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CEO, Startup Incubator
Andrew C
VP Finance, Bluestone Lane
Mike M
Owner, Carve Financial
Danielle R
VP of Client Services, Pentius
Casey H
Manger Of Training, Homelight
Casey H
Manger Of Training, Homelight
Danielle R
VP of Client Services, Pentius
Mike M
Owner, Carve Financial
Andrew C
VP Finance, Bluestone Lane
Undisclosed
CEO, Startup Incubator
Undisclosed
HR Manager, Tech Company
