Ecommerce Certificate

eCommerce Certificate

The eCommerce Certificate is a 12-week professional certificate program comprised of three courses that provide students with a comprehensive overview of the online retail industry while developing the necessary skills including digital acquisition to retention strategies. Because this industry evolves so quickly, our faculty, who are local seasoned professionals, will prepare you with an understanding of both current industry needs and future trends.

Skill-based approach

Learn about all phases of online retail from the introduction user funnel, to targeting verticals, best practices, and trend and market analytics, which all lead to a holistic understanding of how the industry works.

Upon completion of the certificate, students will have a tactical understanding of the entire user lifecycle, behaviors, and approaches to convert prospective buyers to clients.

Professional Advantage

69% of U.S. consumers shop more with brands that offer consistent experiences in-store and online.* Get ahead in this highly competitive field. The certificate in eCommerce will give you an expert understanding of AI to map customers' journeys, leading to personalization, conversion, and consumer loyalty. Yearly trends indicate continued growth in eCommerce and will be defined by new technologies that will redefine how consumers interact with brands*.

*forbes.com

What students have to say...

"I feel like I'm gaining information that I can apply to real-life projects as I am currently interviewing with an e-commerce company. This program has reaffirmed my desire to transition into digital merchandising. The topics covered are so helpful, and the assignments and readings are really going to help me build my skillset in analytics to confidently speak to KPI's in my current role." - Brittany '20

"The eCommerce Certificate program opened my eyes to website best practices for personalization and sales optimization. I'm seeing things now that I didn't see before. I am absolutely gathering valuable data that I'll take back to my web team." - Justin '20

"I really enjoyed the last class. Digital Marketing is actually where I have spent the least amount of time professionally and I actually learned I knew more than I thought I did. If I only had taken this course earlier maybe I wouldn't have hated my previous role so much. I will say I almost didn't take the class because of it falling in FASH, I worried it wouldn't cover digital holistically but it definitely does. I have told a few peers about the class already and will continue to talk it up!" -Stephanie '22

eCommerce Curriculum

This non-credit curriculum is designed to provide the knowledge, skills, and tools that can be applied immediately to your profession.

What does it cost?

The eCommerce Certificate costs $1,485 for all 3 courses or $495 each. It takes just 10 minutes to register below. Admission documents are not required. A high school diploma is required.

Courses Offered

FASH924 - Digital Merchandising

Dates offered:

• Sept 2 – Oct 2, 2025
• Jan 15-Feb 15, 2026
• May 26-June26, 2026

This course is designed to help students learn how to develop a comprehensive merchandising strategy for the web. Digital merchandising is a rapidly growing area in the eCommerce space and is the art & science of displaying products and content throughout the user journey to help drive sales and conversion for online retailing businesses. This hands-on course will teach students the best practices of web merchandising presentation, promotional planning & execution, product liquidation strategies, fundamentals of site taxonomy & web navigation, conversion rate optimization/testing, and how to make strategic decisions based on analytics.

FASH925 - Attracting & Retaining Your Digital Customer

Dates offered:

• Oct12- Nov 12, 2025
• March 1- April 1, 2026
• July 1-Aug 1, 2026

Designed to teach students digital acquisition and retention strategies. Students will learn how to attract new prospective customers and how to retain and build a loyal customer base online. This hands-on course will provide a comprehensive overview of each digital marketing channel and associated metrics, direct response copywriting & design best practices, creating & developing a customer segmentation strategy, and how to measure, test, and optimize campaign performance.

FASH926 - Developing Digital Commerce Strategies

Dates offered:

• Nov 30-Dec 30, 2025
• April 1`5-May 15, 2026
• Aug 15-Sept 15, 2026

Designed to teach students digital commerce strategies. Students will learn how to plan digital businesses for future growth by using strategic planning processes used by industry professionals. This hands-on course will show students how to plan an eCommerce business based on data-driven decisions, by executing business cases & forecasts. Students will be researching the latest digital trends & and vendors will evaluate these different technologies and will come out of the course with a 5-year innovation roadmap to help support financial eCommerce growth plans.

Group Accommodations

We are happy to accommodate groups that would like to take this class or organizations that would like to be invoiced for the course. Email us at profstudies@lasell.edu.

About the Instructor

Chelsey Plumb is a graduate of Lasell University, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Retail Merchandising, and Master of Science in communications with a concentration in Integrated Marketing.  Working in the corporate retail industry for over 8+ years, she specializes in eCommerce, digital marketing, content strategy, and consumer experience.  Currently, Ms. Plumb (Chelsey) works at Wolverine Worldwide in the Sperry eCommerce division as a Senior Content Manager.  As an Adjunct Professor at Lasell University, she teaches in both the Fashion Merchandising and Business Management Departments at the undergraduate and graduate level. Chelsey (Ms. Plumb) has developed many online classes for the University as well as the curriculum for the graduate eCommerce certificate.   In addition, she does part-time consulting and marketing work for a community development non-profit located in the Quaboag Valley area.