Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Management and business operations / 13-1199.06

Online Merchants

Conduct retail activities of businesses operating exclusively online. May perform duties such as preparing business strategies, buying merchandise, managing inventory, implementing marketing activities, fulfilling and shipping online orders, and balancing financial records.

US jobs
1,087,090 (SOC 13-1199 group, "Business Operations Specialists, All Other")
Median wage
$83,050 a year
Job family
Management and business operations

Can agents do the work of online merchants?

We read the evidence for the whole job family, Management and business operations: Some tasks (first measured in the last 12 months)

Agents complete 20% or more of the tasks (or projects) on a direct benchmark.

Evidence: SOP-Bench, 72.4% of tasks completed.

4% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark (figures for the SOC 13-1199 group).

  • 8%Develop contingency or emergency response plansNot measured
  • 6%Develop marketing or promotional materialsNot measured
  • 5%Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activitiesNot measured
  • 5%Advise others on business or operational mattersNot measured
  • 5%Analyze business or financial dataNot measured
  • 4%Analyze business or financial risksNot measured
  • 4%Purchase goods or servicesNot measured
  • 4%Develop sustainable organizational or business policies or practicesNot measured

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in management and business operations, not always this occupation's tasks.

Direct evidence

Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.

  • AutomationBenchby ZapierTask level · Pass rate (task_completed_correctly)
    42.5%Claude Opus 5.5 (default fallbacks, Max) · Sep 2026
    Emerging
  • SOP-Benchby AmazonTask level · Task success rate
    72.4%Claude 4 Opus (ReAct agent) · 23 Feb 2026
    Strong
  • Vending-Bench 2by Andon LabsProject level · Final bank balance
    $15,515GPT-6 Astra · 7 Sep 2026
    Unrated

Also relevant

These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.

Context only

These benchmarks span many occupations, or they test how agents behave. They give context but do not set the step.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Fill customer orders by packaging sold items and documentation for direct shipping or by transferring orders to manufacturers or third-party distributors.
  • Receive and process payments from customers, using electronic transaction services.
  • Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
  • Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
  • Correspond with online customers via electronic mail, telephone, or other electronic messaging to address questions or complaints about products, policies, or shipping methods.
  • Purchase new or used items from online or physical sources for resale via retail or auction Web site.
  • Determine and set product prices.
  • Calculate purchase subtotals, taxes, and shipping costs for submission to customers.
  • Compose descriptions of merchandise for posting to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
  • Compose images of products, using video or still cameras, lighting equipment, props, or photo or video editing software.
  • Upload digital media, such as photos, video, or scanned images to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
  • Calculate revenue, sales, and expenses, using financial accounting or spreadsheet software.
Other job titles for this occupation (46)

Online Services Manager · E-Commerce Account Manager · E-Commerce Administrator · E-Commerce Analyst · E-Commerce Assistant · E-Commerce Associate · E-Commerce Business Analyst · E-Commerce Business Channel Specialist · E-Commerce Clerk · E-Commerce Coordinator · E-Commerce Developer · E-Commerce Digital Marketing Manager (Electronic Commerce Digital Marketing Manager) · E-Commerce Manager · E-Commerce Marketing Manager · E-Commerce Merchandiser · E-Commerce Merchant · E-Commerce Operations Manager · E-Commerce Personal Shopper · E-Commerce Product Manager · E-Commerce Project Manager · E-Commerce Retailer · E-Commerce Sales Analyst · E-Commerce Sales Associate · E-Commerce Sales Clerk · E-Commerce Sales Coordinator · E-Commerce Sales Manager · E-Commerce Sales Product Manager · E-Commerce Sales Specialist · E-Commerce Specialist · E-Commerce Supervisor · E-Merchant · E-tailer · Fulfillment Associate · Internet Merchant · Internet Retailer · Marketplace Manager · Merchandiser · Online Merchant · Online Retailer · Personal Shopper · Retail E-Commerce Sales Associate · Sales Associate · Store E-Commerce Supervisor · Transaction Coordinator · Web Merchant · Web Retailer