Why Successful E-Commerce Brands Are Hiring Global Talent

Why E-Commerce Businesses Are Going Global – And Why The Balkans.

While e-commerce markets in the US and UK are showing signs of saturation, a new wave of opportunity is emerging in Europe—particularly in the Balkans.

This region is becoming a hotspot for global operations, with skilled professionals, cost-effective infrastructure, and a growing community of e-commerce leaders ready to scale with global brands.

If your hiring or expansion strategy doesn’t include the Balkans, you may be missing one of the biggest untapped opportunities of the next decade.

We can anticipate this shift, but to truly validate it, we need to look at the numbers and real-world signals.

One key indicator is the growing impact of regional events like the Balkan E-Commerce Summit, held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in April 2025.

We had the privilege to attend. Our Founder and CEO, Biljana Dimitrievska, served as a Brand Ambassador and witnessed the region’s momentum firsthand—from world-class speakers to high-impact networking in the e-commerce industry.

The event was brilliantly organized by Nikola Ilchev, a leading figure in the Balkan e-commerce scene.
His efforts transformed the summit into not just a professional gathering, but a celebration of innovation, e-commerce talent, and cross-border collaboration and proving one thing:

The Balkans are more than ready to compete and collaborate on the global stage.

(And if you missed it—don’t make the same mistake in 2026.[Here’s the recap.])

Staying local-only is becoming a constraint. If your business can’t deliver 24/7 support, tailor offers by region, or communicate in multiple languages, you risk falling behind competitors who can—and are already doing so.

Photo Source: Balkan E-Commerce Summit

Where Global Talent Fits In—Even If You’re Not Expanding.

Remote professionals bring cost-efficiency, agility, and diverse expertise to the table.

Whether it’s handling customer inquiries overnight, producing multilingual content, or optimizing product listings for various platforms, global e-commerce talent adds value at every stage of business growth.

This is where virtual assistants (VAs), freelancers, and outsourced specialists come in.

These professionals work remotely—often across different time zones—and offer support in areas such as administration, marketing, customer service, content creation, and everything else that can be done online.

All of this comes without the overhead cost and commitment of full-time, in-house staff.

You don’t need to be shipping products worldwide to benefit from global hiring.

Why Global Talent Is Smart, Scalable, and Strategic.

Hiring remote talent isn’t just about cutting corners—it’s about scaling strategically.

By tapping into regions with lower costs of living, you can access highly skilled professionals without compromising on quality.

Many of these remote experts specialize in key e-commerce tools like Shopify, Klaviyo, Amazon, and Meta Ads. Their knowledge is niche, practical, and immediately valuable.

Remote hiring also gives you the flexibility to scale your team up or down based on workload or seasonal needs.

There’s no need to commit to long-term contracts—you can bring in support when needed and scale back just as easily.

Another major advantage? Project-based and outcome-based work. Freelancers and virtual assistants typically operate with clearly defined deliverables, which makes performance easy to track.

Plus, you avoid the complexity of local labor laws, employee benefits, and rigid HR procedures, reducing your administrative burden and increasing your operational agility.

And if you classify these workers properly—for example, if you’re a U.S. business hiring a freelancer who completes a W-8BEN form—their payments can often be written off as business expenses.
I talk more about the classification and misclassification of Freelancers in this article here.

Where and How to Find E-Commerce Global Talent.

Platforms like SkillSpotterZ, Fiverr, and OnlineJobs.ph offer access to a wide range of freelancers and remote workers of all types.

What sets SkillSpotterZ apart is its dual approach:
You can either browse a pre-vetted pool of talent directly, or request our personalized recruiting help.
We specialize in connecting e-commerce businesses with remote professionals who align with your tools, time zone, and brand voice.

And here’s why I can confidently say SkillSpotterZ is different:

You won’t waste time scrolling through thousands of irrelevant profiles.

Every profile is manually reviewed, and only the most qualified candidates are filtered to the top—clearly marked with a ⭐ for your convenience.

Most In-Demand E-Commerce Roles to Hire Remotely.

Some of the most common roles e-commerce businesses look to fill with remote professionals include:

• Customer Support Representatives – for real-time and after-hours support
• Store Managers / Product Listing Specialists – to manage and optimize product catalogs
• Email Marketing Experts – especially skilled in platforms like Klaviyo
• Meta/Facebook Ad Buyers – to manage paid acquisition
• Operations & Logistics Coordinators – for backend efficiency
• SEO Content Creators – to improve organic reach

The Critical Roles for Scaling an E-Commerce Business.

As your business grows, you’ll likely need to expand your remote team with more specialized roles such as:

• Customer Service Reps – to uphold consistent, high-quality customer experience
• Digital Marketers – for SEO, PPC, and social growth
• Product Researchers & Sourcers – to find profitable products and reliable suppliers
• Creative Content Creators – to produce engaging ads, videos, and listings
• Operations & Fulfillment Managers – to streamline warehousing, shipping, and tracking
• Data Analysts – to help optimize performance and decision-making

All of these roles can be filled by experienced freelancers and virtual assistants, giving you access to top-tier e-commerce talent without the high costs of traditional hiring.

First Hire Advice for New E-Commerce Entrepreneurs.

Start by identifying the biggest bottleneck in your business.

If you’re burned out, wearing too many hats, and constantly shifting from one task to another—without seeing real progress—it’s time to hire help. Growth comes when you step out of the weeds and focus on what truly moves the needle.

Ask yourself:
What’s draining your time and energy the most?
Is it customer service? Order processing? Content creation?
That’s your starting point.

Your first hire should be someone who can relieve you of that pressure, allowing you to work on strategy and revenue-generating activities.

Ideally, they’ll be flexible enough to support multiple areas but experienced enough to require minimal guidance.

What to look for in your first e-commerce hire.

• Proven experience in e-commerce
• Strong communication and responsiveness
• Reliability and adaptability
• Fast learner with initiative

After years of sourcing and hiring for the e-commerce space, I’ve seen a clear pattern emerge:

The most successful first hire for e-commerce entrepreneurs is an E-commerce Virtual Assistant—specifically someone who understands your business model and tools.

This role is essential because it ensures your daily operations are covered while giving you the space to focus on growth, marketing, and profitability.

What to look for in your E-commerce Virtual Assistant:

• In-depth knowledge of platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, etc.
• Solid grasp of digital marketing (SEO, paid ads, email marketing)
• Ability to analyze performance data and make informed decisions
• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Up-to-date with the latest e-commerce trends and tools

Hiring the right e-commerce Virtual Assistant early on can be a game changer.

It’s not just about saving time—it’s about creating a strong operational backbone so your business can scale.

Spotlight: The Balkans as a Talent Powerhouse.

The Balkans have quietly emerged as one of the strongest regions for sourcing high-quality remote talent.

With strong English proficiency, solid work ethics, and competitive rates, countries like Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Romania, and Bulgaria are producing top-tier professionals in tech, marketing, e-commerce operations, and customer support.

Many of them hold university degrees and have years of experience working remotely with EU and US and UK -based businesses.

What Sets Balkan Talent Apart?

• Cultural compatibility with Western clients
• Timezone alignment with Europe
• High motivation and reliability, often driven by limited local job prospects
• Diversity in thought and experience, bringing fresh ideas and market insight

According to Eurostat and OECD data:

Serbia and Bulgaria have some of the highest English proficiency rates in the region.
Macedonia and Bosnia have seen a 30% increase in remote workers over the past 3 years.

What makes Balkan professionals uniquely valuable is their long-term mindset.

Many have invested in building proper home office setups, completed international certifications, and honed their skills through remote experience—often with a deep commitment to delivering consistent, high-quality work.

Because stable, well-paying local opportunities are rare, many in the region have two choices: go abroad or go remote.

Remote work offers them the chance to stay close to their families, while building careers that matter.

In return, these professionals often treat your business as their own—going the extra mile, staying loyal, and becoming key long-term contributors to your team.

Trends and Insights in E-Commerce Hiring & Training.

As global hiring grows, so does the importance of structured onboarding and cross-cultural communication.

Remote hiring alone isn’t enough—the true value emerges when your remote team is trained, supported, and fully integrated into your company’s operations.
This is how you unlock their full potential and productivity.

In a remote setup, training isn’t optional—it’s essential. And it leads to:

• Faster onboarding
• Higher engagement
• Better project outcomes
• Long-term retention

Without proper onboarding and training, even highly skilled freelancers can feel disconnected, resulting in underperformance or early turnover—issues that are often preventable.

Our Founder and CEO Biljana dives deeper into this topic in a guest article for Ecommerce Bridge EU, where she shares real-life examples and case studies on how structured training and development can directly impact the success of your e-commerce business.

And to stay on top of e-commerce trends- especially if you’re planning to scale or expand into the Balkans or the broader EU market- we highly recommend following Ecommerce Bridge Europe. It’s an excellent resource for industry news, hiring insights, and expansion strategies.

The Rise of Social Commerce: A Trend That’s Here to Stay.

Social media is no longer just for chatting and sharing videos—it has evolved into a powerful channel for buying and selling.

This transformation has given rise to what we now call Social Commerce, and it’s reshaping the way e-commerce businesses reach customers.

For freelancers and global talent, this presents a major opportunity.
Many are positioning themselves as influencers, content creators, and social sellers—promoting products in authentic, engaging ways without sounding overly salesy.

Their goal is simple: create fun, relatable content that drives sales—whether it’s directly related to the content or cleverly embedded.

For e-commerce businesses, this is a strategic opportunity to:

• Partner with micro-influencers who have loyal niche audiences
• Hire content creators who understand platform-specific engagement (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook Shops)
• Set up and manage social storefronts to stay competitive and scale effectively

Hiring professionals who understand how to market and sell directly through social platforms will give you a serious edge over competitors stuck in traditional marketing channels.

We began noticing this shift when more freelancers started signing up on our platform with the skill of “Social Commerce Specialist.”

They’re now offering services such as:

• Social commerce setup and integration
• Platform-specific storefront management
• Analytics and performance reporting
• Influencer identification and collaboration strategies

As this trend continues to grow, one thing remains critical: proper onboarding and cultural alignment.

Even the most skilled remote workers need guidance to represent your brand accurately and drive real results.

Final thoughts: Make Remote Talent Part of Your Growth Strategy

Remote talent doesn’t just cut costs—it fuels scalable, strategic growth.

Whether you’re just launching your e-commerce store or scaling an established operation, don’t underestimate the power of global hiring.

With the right support and structure—you can build a reliable, skilled team that aligns with your brand, delivers real results, and evolves with your business.

The future of e-commerce is:

• Digital – run from anywhere
• Global – supported by talent worldwide
• Talent-first – driven by the right people, not just tools

Your biggest growth asset isn’t your product—it’s your people and their ability to market. And the right people aren’t always local.

SkillSpotterZ

And if you need a hand in sourcing the right Global and Remote Talent:

Browse from our vetted talent and hire them yourself on your terms, or request our personalized Recriter’s Match Service.