E-Commerce Operations VA

### Shopify, Product Sourcing & Social Media
**Part-Time | 10 Hours Per Week | Potential for Hours & Responsibilities to Grow**

## ABOUT HOUSE OF SPLOOTS

House of Sploots is a new Australian e-commerce brand specialising in **beautiful, practical dog accessories and dog-friendly homewares**.

We are creating a brand for people who adore their dogs but also care about how their homes look.

Our goal is to offer thoughtfully selected products that are comfortable and practical for pets while also being attractive enough to sit naturally alongside the rest of the furniture and décor in a modern home.

House of Sploots is inspired by my dog Nyla, a Staffy/pit bull cross, and by my own experience trying to find dog products that were practical, comfortable and genuinely attractive.

### We are currently PRE-LAUNCH.

The Shopify website is being built and developed now and **has not yet gone live to customers**.

This is an important part of the role because the person joining me will have the opportunity to help properly organise and prepare the store for launch rather than simply maintain an already established website.

I am looking for an **experienced, highly capable and proactive E-Commerce Virtual Assistant** who can work directly with me as the founder.

This is **not a basic data-entry VA position**.

I am looking for someone who understands e-commerce, Shopify, product sourcing and social media and who is comfortable taking genuine ownership of their work.

I do not want to provide step-by-step instructions for every single task.

I want someone who can be given an objective, investigate the best way to achieve it, complete the work carefully, identify problems along the way and communicate clearly about what has been completed.

---

# THE ROLE

The position will initially be approximately:

## 10 HOURS PER WEEK

Your responsibilities will primarily fall into three areas:

### 1. Shopify & E-Commerce Operations
### 2. Product & Supplier Sourcing
### 3. Social Media & Content Management

You will work directly with me and help prepare House of Sploots for launch and then assist with the ongoing operation and growth of the business.

---

# 1. SHOPIFY & E-COMMERCE MANAGEMENT

Strong hands-on Shopify experience is essential.

You will help build, organise, check and maintain the House of Sploots Shopify store.

Responsibilities may include:

- Adding new products
- Editing existing products
- Creating professional product titles
- Writing and formatting product descriptions
- Adding product images
- Organising product images
- Optimising images for website use
- Adding product videos where available
- Creating product variants
- Correctly entering pricing
- Managing SKUs
- Updating inventory settings
- Creating collections
- Creating automated collections where appropriate
- Creating product categories and subcategories
- Correctly tagging products
- Managing product types
- Managing vendor information
- Using Shopify metafields where appropriate
- Ensuring products appear in the correct collections
- Creating and updating navigation menus
- Checking store filters
- Checking search functionality
- Maintaining collection pages
- Updating homepage sections
- Updating promotional areas
- Creating and editing website pages
- Maintaining FAQs
- Updating customer information pages
- Adding SEO page titles
- Writing meta descriptions
- Adding image alt text
- Creating SEO-friendly URLs
- Checking internal website links
- Identifying broken links
- Testing desktop presentation
- Testing mobile presentation
- Testing buttons
- Testing menus
- Testing forms
- Checking the customer journey
- Helping install and configure Shopify apps
- Troubleshooting basic Shopify and app issues
- Liaising with app support when required
- Maintaining a clean and organised Shopify backend

A product being uploaded is **not enough**.

Every product needs to be correctly presented, categorised, priced, tagged and connected to the appropriate collections so that the entire online store makes sense to the customer.

---

# SHIPPING & PRODUCT INFORMATION

Accurate shipping and product information is extremely important.

You may be responsible for researching and maintaining information including:

- Supplier shipping costs
- Shipping to Australia
- Dropshipping arrangements
- Supplier processing times
- Estimated delivery times
- Shipping profiles
- Product weights
- Product dimensions
- Shipping restrictions
- Oversized-product shipping requirements
- Regional restrictions
- Tracking availability
- Supplier returns
- Damaged-product procedures
- Replacement procedures
- Customer return implications

You must be comfortable investigating information rather than simply copying whatever a supplier has written.

If something does not make sense, I expect you to investigate it.

If shipping information is contradictory, unclear or missing, I want it identified before the product goes live.

---

# 2. PRODUCT SOURCING

A significant part of the role will involve helping me source products for House of Sploots.

You must have strong online research skills and ideally have previous experience sourcing products for e-commerce businesses.

We will use platforms and suppliers including:

- **Alibaba**
- **Syncee**
- Australian wholesalers
- Australian dropshipping suppliers
- International manufacturers
- International dropshipping suppliers
- Other suitable supplier platforms where appropriate

Experience using **Alibaba and Syncee is highly desirable**.

You should understand the difference between:

- Dropshipping
- Wholesale purchasing
- MOQ purchasing
- Private labelling
- Custom manufacturing
- Supplier fulfilment
- Australian-held stock
- Overseas-held stock

---

# THE TYPES OF PRODUCTS WE ARE LOOKING FOR

House of Sploots is **not intended to become another generic pet store filled with hundreds of random products**.

Every product needs to fit the brand.

Products should ideally be:

- Useful
- Well designed
- Visually appealing
- Suitable for modern homes
- Comfortable and practical for dogs
- Commercially viable
- Capable of producing healthy retail margins
- Available from reliable suppliers
- Appropriate for Australian customers

Potential categories include:

- Dog beds
- Dog sofas
- Elevated pet beds
- Pet furniture
- Feeding products
- Bowls
- Feeding stations
- Collars
- Leads
- Harnesses
- Travel products
- Dog blankets
- Pet storage
- Home protection products
- Dog-friendly homewares
- Selected cat products where appropriate
- Lifestyle products for dog owners

Having a good eye for products, interiors and design is important.

I am **not** looking for someone who searches “dog products”, selects twenty random Alibaba listings and considers the job completed.

---

# SUPPLIER RESEARCH

When evaluating products and suppliers, you may need to investigate:

- Product cost
- MOQ
- Sample cost
- Dropshipping availability
- Whether MOQ 1 is available
- Custom branding
- Private labelling
- Custom manufacturing
- Packaging
- Custom packaging costs
- Supplier location
- Stock location
- Shipping costs to Australia
- Production times
- Processing times
- Delivery estimates
- Tracking
- Stock availability
- Supplier reviews
- Supplier order history
- Supplier reliability
- Alibaba Trade Assurance where applicable
- Product materials
- Product specifications
- Available colours
- Available sizes
- Supplier images
- Supplier videos
- Whether supplier branding can be removed
- Return policies
- Replacement policies
- Damaged-product procedures

You may also communicate directly with suppliers to obtain missing information.

Strong written English is therefore essential.

---

# PRODUCT PROFITABILITY & COMMERCIAL RESEARCH

I do not just want attractive products.

Products need to make commercial sense.

You may help maintain product sourcing spreadsheets containing information such as:

- Product
- Supplier
- Supplier location
- Product cost
- Shipping cost
- Estimated landed cost
- Suggested retail price
- Estimated gross margin
- Competitor pricing
- MOQ
- Processing time
- Delivery time
- Dropshipping availability
- Branding options
- Stock location
- Supplier rating
- Risks
- Concerns
- Notes
- Recommended next action

For example:

If a product looks fantastic but costs almost as much to ship to Australia as the product itself, I want that identified.

If one supplier has a cheaper unit price but another supplier gives us a much better landed cost, I want you to recognise that.

Your job is not simply to find products.

Your job is to help identify **good products from good suppliers that make commercial sense for the business**.

---

# COMPETITOR & MARKET RESEARCH

You may also research:

- Australian pet brands
- International pet brands
- Successful e-commerce stores
- Successful Shopify stores
- Trending dog products
- Emerging pet-home trends
- Competitor pricing
- Product positioning
- Customer reviews
- Common customer complaints
- Gaps in competitors' ranges
- Social media trends
- Potential new product categories
- Products gaining traction overseas that may suit the Australian market

The objective is not to copy competitors.

It is to understand the market and identify opportunities.

---

# 3. SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTENT MANAGEMENT

You will also help establish and manage the House of Sploots social media presence.

Platforms may include:

- Instagram
- TikTok
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- YouTube Shorts where appropriate

You should ideally be comfortable using:

- Canva
- CapCut or similar video-editing software
- Meta Business Suite
- Social media scheduling tools
- Shopify
- ChatGPT and other AI tools when used appropriately

---

# SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSIBILITIES

Tasks may include:

- Creating content calendars
- Planning weekly content
- Creating Instagram posts
- Creating Reels
- Creating TikToks
- Editing short-form videos
- Creating Stories
- Creating carousels
- Creating Pinterest content
- Creating simple graphics
- Adding captions to videos
- Adding on-screen text
- Researching appropriate trending audio
- Writing captions
- Writing hooks
- Writing calls to action
- Scheduling content
- Uploading content
- Using relevant hashtags
- Using appropriate social and search keywords
- Monitoring comments
- Assisting with customer DMs where authorised
- Monitoring competitor content
- Researching content trends
- Repurposing content across multiple platforms
- Maintaining a content calendar
- Tracking basic social media performance

I will be able to provide product information, photographs and footage, including footage involving Nyla.

You should be comfortable taking existing material and turning it into polished, engaging content.

---

# HOUSE OF SPLOOTS BRAND STYLE

House of Sploots should feel:

- Warm
- Playful
- Stylish
- Modern
- Confident
- Human
- Useful
- Authentic
- Relatable

We love dogs.

That does **not** mean every sentence needs to contain a dog pun.

The brand should combine an elevated homewares aesthetic with the reality of actually living with dogs.

Visual consistency and attention to detail are important.

---

# DAILY WORK REPORTING

Clear reporting is a requirement of this role.

At the end of every working session, I expect a short written update explaining:

- What you completed
- What you reviewed
- Any problems you identified
- Any supplier responses received
- Anything you are waiting on
- Anything that needs my approval
- Anything that needs my decision
- What you plan to work on during your next session

I want **outcome-based reporting**, rather than vague activity reporting.

For example, instead of:

**“Worked on Shopify today.”**

I would prefer:

**“Reviewed 12 Shopify products, corrected collection assignments on five products, identified three products with missing Australian shipping information, contacted those suppliers for clarification and updated four product descriptions to match the House of Sploots brand.”**

I want to be able to clearly see what has been achieved during the hours worked.

---

# WEEKLY REPORTING

At the end of each week, I would also like a concise weekly report covering:

- Everything completed
- Products added or updated
- Supplier communication
- Product sourcing completed
- Social media work completed
- Issues discovered
- Tasks still outstanding
- Tasks waiting on suppliers or third parties
- Tasks waiting on me
- Recommendations
- Opportunities you identified
- Priorities for the following week

I want to understand exactly where the business stands without having to chase you for information.

---

# INITIATIVE & PROBLEM SOLVING

I do not expect you to know everything.

I **do expect you to investigate problems**.

If you discover an issue:

1. Identify the problem.
2. Determine whether you can safely resolve it.
3. Research the available options.
4. Explain what you found.
5. Recommend what you think should happen next.

One of the most valuable things you can say to me is:

**“I noticed this wasn't working properly, so I investigated it and this is what I found.”**

That is much more valuable than:

**“I didn't do it because I wasn't sure.”**

You should never make major commercial, financial or supplier decisions without my approval.

However, routine operational work should not require permission at every step.

---

# ACCURACY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

House of Sploots will be selling physical products to customers.

You must never invent, guess or assume:

- Product materials
- Dimensions
- Product specifications
- Stock availability
- Delivery times
- Shipping costs
- Certifications
- Guarantees
- Product benefits
- Supplier claims
- Return policies

If information is unclear, investigate it.

If you cannot verify it, flag it.

I would rather delay publishing a product than publish incorrect information.

---

# TASK MANAGEMENT & ORGANISATION

You should be comfortable working from shared spreadsheets, task lists or project-management systems.

Tasks may be organised by:

- Priority
- Status
- Supplier
- Product category
- In progress
- Waiting on supplier
- Waiting on approval
- Completed
- Next action

Your work should be organised well enough that I can quickly see what is happening without needing to ask you for a separate explanation.

---

# QUALITY OVER SPEED

I am not looking for someone who rushes through as many tasks as possible.

I would rather have:

**10 products researched, categorised and presented correctly**

than:

**50 products uploaded badly that then need to be fixed.**

Attention to detail is extremely important.

---

# SECURITY & CONFIDENTIALITY

You may receive access to business systems including Shopify, supplier platforms, social media accounts and shared business documents.

You must:

- Keep business information confidential
- Never share account access with another person
- Never share login details
- Use secure passwords
- Use two-factor authentication where available
- Protect customer information
- Never unnecessarily download or retain customer information
- Immediately report suspicious account activity
- Never provide another contractor with access without my permission

You must never, without prior approval:

- Purchase products
- Place supplier orders
- Subscribe to paid software
- Start paid advertising
- Commit to paid supplier services
- Spend business funds

---

# WORKING HOURS

This position will initially be approximately:

## 10 HOURS PER WEEK

I prefer these hours to be spread across several days rather than completed in one large block.

For example:

### 4 days per week × approximately 2.5 hours per day

There is flexibility around the exact days and hours.

The reason I prefer the hours to be spread throughout the week is because Shopify issues, supplier communication, social media and product sourcing often require follow-up.

I am based in Brisbane, Australia, so some overlap with Australian business hours would be helpful.

---

# POTENTIAL FOR THE ROLE TO GROW

This position begins at approximately **10 hours per week**.

It is **not currently a full-time position**.

However, there is genuine potential for the position to grow.

If I am happy with your:

- Quality of work
- Reliability
- Communication
- Initiative
- Accuracy
- Productivity
- Ability to work independently

then the hours may increase as House of Sploots develops and grows.

I am also an entrepreneur developing and operating other business interests, so there may eventually be opportunities to assist with additional businesses.

I do not want to promise something that does not yet exist.

However, if I find someone excellent, I would much rather increase that person's hours, responsibilities and involvement than continually recruit new people.

---

# WHO I AM LOOKING FOR

You may be a great fit if you are:

- Proactive
- Highly organised
- Detail-oriented
- Resourceful
- Commercially minded
- Creative
- Reliable
- Comfortable learning new platforms
- Confident with Shopify
- Good at independent research
- A strong problem solver
- Comfortable communicating directly with a founder
- Able to follow brand guidelines
- Good at managing multiple tasks
- Comfortable documenting your work
- Reliable with deadlines
- Comfortable taking responsibility for your work

I particularly value people who notice things that I may not have noticed myself.

---

# REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Please apply only if you have genuine hands-on experience in several of the following areas:

- Shopify
- E-commerce
- Product merchandising
- Shopify collections
- Shopify navigation
- Shopify apps
- Product sourcing
- Supplier research
- Alibaba
- Syncee or similar supplier platforms
- Dropshipping
- Google Sheets or Excel
- Canva
- Social media management
- Instagram
- TikTok
- Facebook
- Short-form video editing
- E-commerce research

### Strong Shopify experience is essential.

This position is not suitable for someone whose only Shopify experience comes from watching tutorials or completing an online course.

---

# BONUS SKILLS

These skills are not essential but would be highly valued:

- Australian e-commerce experience
- Pet industry experience
- Homewares or interiors experience
- Shopify theme editing
- Basic HTML/CSS
- Shopify SEO
- Email marketing
- Klaviyo
- Shopify Email
- Pinterest marketing
- Meta Business Suite
- Meta Ads
- Google Merchant Centre
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Customer service
- Supplier negotiation
- Private-label sourcing
- Alibaba manufacturer sourcing
- Graphic design
- CapCut
- AI tools
- Workflow automation

---

# COMPENSATION

Please include your **expected hourly rate in USD** when applying.

I am interested in finding the right person rather than simply finding the cheapest person.

Someone who works efficiently, thinks independently and produces accurate work is considerably more valuable to me than someone who requires constant supervision or whose work needs to be corrected.

---

# HOW TO APPLY

Please read the instructions below carefully.

Applications that clearly have not read the job advertisement may not be considered.

To show me you have read the entire posting, begin your application with:

# SPLOOT READY

Then answer the following questions:

1. What is your name and where are you based?
2. How many hours per week are you currently available?
3. What is your expected hourly rate in USD?
4. How many years have you worked with Shopify?
5. Please provide examples of Shopify stores you have worked on.
6. What exactly were you responsible for on those stores?
7. What experience do you have sourcing products?
8. What experience do you have using Alibaba?
9. Have you used Syncee or another supplier integration platform?
10. Tell me about one product you previously sourced and how you evaluated the supplier.
11. Please provide examples of social media accounts or content you have worked on.
12. Please provide examples of Canva, Reels, TikTok or short-form video work.
13. Have you previously worked with Australian, New Zealand, UK, US or other international clients?
14. What computer and internet setup do you use?
15. What other skills do you believe would make you valuable to this business?

### I would also particularly like you to answer this question:

**Tell me about a time you discovered a problem that your client or employer had not noticed. What was the problem, what did you do about it and what was the result?**

I am very interested in your answer to this question.

---

# SHORT VIDEO APPLICATION

Please also provide a short:

## 2–4 MINUTE LOOM VIDEO

Please include:

- A brief introduction
- Your Shopify experience
- An e-commerce project you have worked on
- Your responsibilities on that project
- Your product sourcing experience
- An example of social media or content work
- Why you think you would be a good fit for this role

Please do not spend hours creating or editing your video.

It does not need to look professionally produced.

I am interested in how you communicate and in understanding your actual experience.

If you cannot show previous client work because of confidentiality, that is completely fine. Explain the work you completed instead.

---

# SHORTLISTED APPLICANTS

Shortlisted applicants may be asked to complete a **small paid practical assessment**.

The assessment may involve something such as:

- Researching one potential House of Sploots product
- Comparing several suppliers
- Reviewing product and shipping costs
- Explaining which supplier you would choose and why
- Structuring a sample Shopify product listing
- Explaining how you would categorise the product
- Creating a simple social media concept

### This will be a paid assessment.

I am not looking to obtain free work from applicants.

I simply want to understand how you:

- Research
- Organise information
- Identify problems
- Think commercially
- Make recommendations
- Communicate your reasoning

---

# WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

After working with you, I should be able to see that:

- The Shopify store is becoming increasingly organised
- Products are correctly categorised
- Product information is accurate
- Supplier information is properly documented
- Shipping information is clear
- Product sourcing decisions make commercial sense
- Social media content is being consistently prepared
- Problems are identified early
- Tasks are followed through
- I know what has been completed
- I know what still needs to happen
- I spend less time fixing operational problems

Ultimately:

## I AM LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO MAKES THE BUSINESS EASIER TO RUN.

---

# FINAL NOTE

House of Sploots is currently in its **pre-launch stage**.

The Shopify website is being built and developed now, and the business has **not yet launched to customers**.

This means the person joining me will be coming in at an important stage and will have the opportunity to help build and organise the store properly before launch — including product sourcing, supplier research, shipping information, product organisation, merchandising, social media and launch preparation.

I am looking for someone who combines:

**E-commerce knowledge + organisation + creativity + initiative.**

There is genuine potential for the role and the number of hours to grow if we work well together and I am happy with the quality of the work.

If you are genuinely good with Shopify, enjoy researching products and suppliers, understand social media and enjoy helping build an e-commerce business from **pre-launch onwards**, I would love to hear from you.

Remember to begin your application with:

# SPLOOT READY