Learn how to scale your business and find out what it takes to succeed online with Master Ecommerce.

Please enter your details to register your interest for Master Ecommerce a five week video on demand training course from East Lothian Council.

Please note, places are limited.

* Your privacy is important to us. Your details will be stored by Learn Ecommerce which is a trading name for G1DM Limited (SC736944), and shared with East Lothian Council exclusively for the purposes of delivering the Master Ecommerce programme.

About the programme

Starting on Monday 8th September 2025, Master Ecommerce is for business owners and managers of established ecommerce websites, with a willingness to invest time and effort into business planning and the ability to execute the strategy.

This five part video on demand course is hosted by Gordon Black, founder of Black ID, an award winning digital marketing agency, and author of “Why you’re not selling on Shopify”. By the end of it, you’ll have a clear idea of what’s needed to achieve ecommerce success.

You’ll also understand what skills you’ll need to generate a fantastic income from a transactional website with year round international sales potential.

This fully funded programme also includes live interactive sessions with real business experts. And you can book one-to-one expert help with an ecommerce specialist.

The programme includes:

Five pre-recorded videos released on Monday 8th September, watch and learn at a time that suits you.

Learn from ecommerce experts who have run their own online stores and built successful agencies servicing the ecommerce industry. The videos cover topics like digital advertising and social media. We discuss marketplaces, from Amazon, Ebay, Etsy and more, we look at what’s required when it comes to running multiple marketplaces, warehouse management and stock control. We also cover data insights and what user information and customer details you should be capturing so you can use data insights to drive future business growth.

Live weekly interactive sessions

These weekly video calls offer you the opportunity to ask questions and chat to ecommerce experts about specific topics. This is also a great place to meet other business owners experiencing the same opportunities and challenges.

One2one expert help

Each signed up delegate can also receive one-to-one support from one or more of our ecommerce experts. Appointments can be booked online, more details to follow.

Master Ecommerce: What to Expect.

  • We dive into the foundational aspects of scaling your ecommerce business by focusing on optimising your website. We cover critical areas like improving User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design, conversion rate optimisation (CRO), and search engine optimisation (SEO).

    Additionally, we discuss content strategies, personalisation, merchandising, and the technical tools and platforms that can enhance your customer journey and overall website performance.

  • Rakesh discusses the critical aspects of managing stock levels and the importance of maintaining accurate SKUs in a multi-marketplace environment. He outlines the advantages of using a single stock list for efficient inventory management and highlights notable inventory management systems like Veeqo and Shopify Marketplace Connect.

    Rakesh also explains the nuances of marketplace integrations, the function of SKUs, and shares best practices for handling product listings and stock updates across various platforms.

  • The discussion centres around the strategic use of digital ads to boost business growth. Key points include the importance of defining a priority customer, utilising Meta's toolkit for targeted marketing, understanding and leveraging different social media platforms, and the critical role of both paid and organic content.

    It also covers the specifics of Google and Amazon ads, providing insights into optimising campaigns, managing costs, and improving conversion rates.

  • In this episode we learn about the importance of market research. We talk about localisation and how to analyse the market, gain insight and adapt your website accordingly. This video also covers logistics and shipping outside the UK. Find out about the Amazon Universe and how to get the most from your Amazon listing.

    Finally, we look at financial and risk management, learn how to get a reliable reading on progress and understand the true value of your ecommerce business. Learn when to ignore vanity measures and what to focus on for long-term growth and stability.

  • In the final episode in the series we cover customer behaviour analysis by looking at customer purchase patterns, sales and revenue trends and how to monitor sales data to identify high-performing products. This video also covers how to review and improve conversion rates on different pages. We also look at how to act on customer feedback, a crucial element in ecommerce success.

    Learn how to encourage, collect and analyse customer data from the first click all the way through the purchase cycle. Finally, we consider the importance of brand and reputation management and how to build and manage a resilient brand.