What Is a Product Listing Expert? A Guide for Australian Businesses

What is a product listing specialist?

Australians spent a record $82.6 billion online in 2025, up 14% on the year, according to the Australia Post eCommerce Report.

Online? Online accounted for 24% of total retail spend, and 9.8 million households shopped digitally.

That’s a massive catalogue. Even SMBs are seeing (and will be seeing) demand grow, and grow hungry. Your catalogue has to feed that demand with utensils marked with preparation: pages that are accurate, consistent, and easy to find.

This guide covers what the role of a product listing coordinator involves. We delve into the consumer law and barcode rules behind the work, and which responsibilities are no longer theirs but the e-commerce manager’s.

Here’s what the role costs in Australia, and how a remote hire fits into an Australian team.

 

What Should a Master Product Record Contain?

Every product listing needs a reliable source of information. The specialist should be able to pull the details they need from one master record, rather than checking several spreadsheets or going back to the supplier for information that’s already been provided.

Include the following:

• Product name and brand
• SKU and GTIN
• Materials and product specifications
• Item and carton dimensions (keep these separate)
• Available sizes, colours and other variations
• Links to approved product images
• Verified product claims
• Approval status, including who checked the information and when

A few details need extra care. Don’t describe a cover as removable until the supplier confirms it. The same goes for claims such as machine washable. If there’s no supporting information, leave the claim out of the product title and description until it’s verified.

Images need checking. What appears in the main product photo should be what’s actually included.

Clothing and furniture are good examples of why these records need to be accurate. Every clothing size and colour must match its SKU and corresponding photo. Furniture listings, meanwhile, need separate measurements for the actual item and its packaging.

One helps shoppers decide whether it fits their home; the other helps with delivery arrangements.

 

Why Does Product Listing Accuracy Matter Under Australian Consumer Law?

A product page is advertising, even when it’s just a few lines of copy and a handful of photos. The ACCC requires online businesses to provide truthful and accurate information about product descriptions, prices, images, shipping options and delivery times.

Australian retailers have already faced penalties over misleading product information.

Two examples for some more context:

Grays: The online auction business was ordered to pay $10 million in penalties over misleading car descriptions, including incorrect details about make, model, features and undisclosed faults.

Michael Hill: The retailer paid a penalty over a “25% off Sitewide” advertisement that included products that weren’t actually part of the sale.

For product listing specialists, the lesson applies to everyday catalogue work. Check the SKUs included in a promotion, make sure product dimensions haven’t been confused with carton measurements, and confirm that the main photo doesn’t show accessories sold separately.

Don’t Overlook Consumer Guarantees

Under the Australian Consumer Law, customers can seek a refund, repair or replacement if an item doesn’t match its description. Regardless of where your headquarters are. They apply as long as you’re selling to Australian consumers.

Approval boundaries. The very thing the person maintaining the catalogue has to be consistently on top of. The one authorised by the business to do a final check before publication.

 

 

What Is a GTIN? Why Do Product Listings Need One in Australia?

A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is a unique number used to identify products internationally. You’ll also come across terms such as UPC, EAN, and barcode numbers.

According to GS1 Australia, marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping ask sellers for unique product identifiers. GS1 Australia also states that it’s the only officially licensed barcode provider authorised to supply GTINs for Amazon’s Australian marketplace.

What Happens If a Product Doesn’t Have a GTIN?

A blank isn’t blank in the sense that it’s something null and void. Nor is it without consequence. It can cause problems, especially when selling happens on multiple platforms.

On Amazon: Without a GTIN, other sellers may be able to sell the same product under their own listings, unless the brand has registered and claimed ownership of its Amazon listing.

An ASIN identifies a product within Amazon, but it doesn’t replace a GTIN across other marketplaces.

On Google Shopping: GS1 Australia warns that a Merchant Center notification stating “item requires a GTIN” can stop Shopping ads for affected products within 30 days if the correct number isn’t supplied.

Correct identifiers can also help sales

GS1 Australia cites a Google Ads marketing director who says that supplying the correct GTIN can improve a product’s conversion rate by up to 20%.

Of course, having a number in the spreadsheet’s good, just not enough. It has to belong to the right product. Copying a GTIN into the wrong cell or buying cheap numbers from unofficial sellers can lead to rejected listings and incorrect product information.

This is one of the details a product listing specialist needs to get right every time.

 

Product Listing Specialist vs E-commerce Manager: Where Does the Job End?

Product listing specialists concentrate on the product catalogue: creating listings, checking product information, managing variations, improving descriptions, researching keywords, and keeping details consistent across sales channels.

Their work is usually hands-on and focused on getting individual products ready for customers.

E-commerce managers have a wider set of responsibilities. They may oversee the online store’s performance, merchandising strategy, sales targets, promotions, and customer experience. This extends to the people responsible for day-to-day catalogue work.

Depending on the business, they may also use tools such as Shopify and GA4 (Google Analytics) to monitor performance and guide decisions.

Australian job advertisements show how these responsibilities can overlap:

• Pestrol, an Australian online retailer, advertised a product listing role at $70,000–$90,000 plus super. The position included keyword research and listing diagnosis, with the specialist serving as a final checkpoint before product information reached customers.

• Australian bicycle retailers, recruiting through an external agency, advertised an e-commerce product coordinator role focused on high-volume SKU creation and catalogue integrity. Employers requested two years of experience and advanced Excel skills.

• Hello Molly advertised a content and merchandise specialist position reporting to an E-commerce Manager, with Shopify and GA4 among the required tools.

The simplest way to draw the line: the product listing specialist looks after how products are presented and maintained online; the e-commerce manager is responsible for how the online store performs as a business.

 

Responsibilities of a Product Listing Expert vs Ecommerce Manager and Other Roles

Writing the boundary into the job ad stops a narrow role from seeping through the cracks of advertising, customer support, and store management.

Some duties can be combined in one remote role. Provided the job ad names them. Scenarios where a hire that’s brought in to maintain descriptions only later discovers that paid advertising results are also on their plate.

Detail responsibilities before anything else.

 

 

What Should a Product Listing Specialist Job Description Include?

Stronger postings name the platform and the approval rights, along with the expected monthly volume. Below are some examples:

The bicycle retailer’s coordinator posting asks for at least two years in e-commerce or product coordination, advanced Excel skills, and the ability to follow standard operating procedures consistently.

Pestrol’s version states that shortlisted candidates complete a practical listing review assessment as part of the interview, which tells applicants early that accuracy will be tested.

Tailoring It To Your Own Job Description

Your business’s job description for this opening can borrow or take from that structure:

Write down the channels. Estimate how many SKUs a month will be created or updated. List the tools involved. Say which changes need approval. Add the time zone and the hours for any overlap with the Australian team.

The more specific the posting, the fewer unsuitable applications arrive.

 

What Skills Does a Product Listing Specialist Need?

The skills that predict good catalogue work are fairly plain:

Spreadsheet fluency: Pivot tables and organising data; and that list describes the daily reality of most catalogues

Plain writing: Specifications should be readable copies; no gaining claims the supplier never made

Platform knowledge: Each channel has its own fields and rules – a good specialist knows where to look when they change

Search awareness: Some businesses include experience in using keyword research tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush, then turning the findings into specific listing changes

Written communication: Remote product listing work and its ins and outs need to be communicated and delegated clearly; questions, status updates, and notes about how handover happens and among whom

 

 

How Do You Test A Product Listing Specialist Before Hiring?

A Short, Paid Test

Let candidates create a brief containing one missing measurement, one image that contradicts the spec sheet, and a product with two options will do. The useful output is a draft plus a list of questions, because a candidate who fills every missing detail without asking has already shown how they will treat real data.

…plus a Spreadsheet

If your store’s on Shopify. Shopify’s overwrite option replaces existing values with whatever the file holds. Any blank cell is a bomb waiting to go off, with a blank cell in a non-required column able to overwrite the matching value with a blank.

Product files also cannot exceed 15 MB; larger catalogues have to be split.

Shopify advises keeping a backup of product data before importing. And if a candidate exports first and uploads a small batch before the full file, they understand the risk.

Once the person is hired, measures worth tracking include:

Approval-ready listings. Correction rate. Completed fields. How long issues stay open.

Sales can be reviewed alongside listing changes, though a catalogue specialist cannot take credit for every movement.

 

How Much Does a Product Listing Specialist Cost in Australia?

There’s no reliable published salary average for the exact job title, so individual job advertisements offer a useful starting point. Two listings give us different examples: an Australian retailer looking for an on-site specialist and an Australian bicycle retailer recruiting a remote product coordinator in the Philippines.

Australian Salary Calculation (From the Australian Taxation Office)

The Australian salary calculation uses the current 12% superannuation guarantee rate, which has applied since 1 July 2025. From 1 July 2026, employers must also pay super on payday under the new Payday Super rules – take a look at the Payday Super Employer’s Guide.

The salary advertisements in the table are references – treat them as such. They’re not accurate representations of the market average.

Philippines-based roles, too. There are differences with high-volume catalogue work in the different e-commerce platforms.

Look at the figures only as historical advertised rates.

Your Actual Hiring Budget

It will depend on the catalogue size, number of product variations, sales channels involved, and whether you also need keyword research or analytics reporting.

The required working hours and overlap with your Australian team can affect the final quote, too.

Extra Read: Thinking of outsourcing a no-code specialist? Find the role and have a better understanding of the Best No Code Website Builders for Australian businesses.

 

How Does a Remote Product Listing Specialist Work With an Australian Team?

Remote listing work runs on written instructions. Everything the specialist needs to publish correctly should be in a document, shared sheet, or the platform itself, since nobody is available for a quick question across the desk.

What the Specialist Needs Before the First Listing

Have these ready before work begins:

• The master product sheet, with confirmed facts kept separate from details awaiting checks.
• Platform access with role-based permissions.
• A named contact in Australia for product questions.
• A written list of what can be published without approval.
• Clear approval responsibilities for changes that need a second pair of eyes.

Who Approves Which Changes?

Time Zones

The Philippines does not observe daylight saving, so the time difference changes depending on which Australian city your team is in. Naming the city in every deadline or meeting request saves a lot of back-and-forth.

Daylight saving generally runs from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April in participating states.

Task States and the Exception Queue

Three shared labels are enough to keep everyone informed without constant messages:

• Awaiting information: Your specialist needs a missing detail before proceeding.
• Awaiting review: Needs approval before the next move.
• Published: The listing is live and has been checked on screen.

Anything requiring input from the Australian team goes into an exception queue. The specialist can finish the confirmed fields and leave an unverified claim unpublished while waiting for an answer.

The Style Sheet

A one-page style sheet should cover Australian English spelling (such as “colour”), measurement units and approved product terminology. It saves the specialist from having to guess how your business wants its listings presented.

Good First Projects

Start with a manageable batch before handing over the entire catalogue. Here are three useful options:

• New range: Turn approved specifications and images into a batch of draft listings for review
• Catalogue audit: Find missing dimensions, inconsistent naming, and mismatched images; Do a sweep on errors versus details that need checking
• Variation check: Use the master record as a basis for comparing sizes, colours, SKUs, etc.; Suggest corrections before anything goes live

Starting with one collection gives you a chance to see how the specialist handles incomplete information. Once the first batch has been reviewed and approved, you can gradually expand their publishing permissions.

 

Manage Your Hiring With a Managed Provider

Too many resumes on top of work that’s already getting way too much in volume. You need to grow your workforce. You know it. You know you need a product listing manager. But finding the right one’s something else entirely.

Remote Staff has placed remote product listing specialists with Australian businesses for 18 years, and catalogue work is a role where our screening gets knitty-gritty. Candidates are checked for hands-on experience before an employer sees a profile, meaning the platforms they have published on and the product data they have maintained.

Payroll and onboarding are handled by us, and not just.

Remote Staff offers continuous, long-term support for business growth. As your business, and your team (inevitably), expand, we’ll be there to continue bringing your ideal candidates for roles that’ll open up.

 

FAQs About What Is a Product Listing Specialist

Extra Read: The Rise of E-commerce and Digital Retail in Australia.

 

Thoughts on Outsourcing Your Product Listing Specialist

And you’ve thought about it. You made it to the end of this article.

Product pages carry legal weight and depend on correct barcode numbers. The spreadsheets behind them need someone to keep them honest. Product listing specialists do that work every day, and the clearest hires come from a written scope and a small test.

The demand is very obviously, very rapidly rising as people do their shopping and conduct transactions online.

Don’t wait until your catalogue’s sweating it, trying, but failing to accommodate the demand influx. Prepare your brand for success with a successful hire. Find your product listing specialist and Request a Callback today.