Inside the Commerce department: The roles of Key Account Managers and Category Owners at Allegro

At Allegro, we concentrate on improving services to bring e-commerce to a brand-new level. With the help of over 1000 experts from the Commerce department, we focus on supporting platform development and the growth of merchants’ stores in order to increase total sales on the Allegro platform.

In a nutshell: Our mission is to help Allegro grow in numbers.

And to do that - we need superheroes!

So, here’s a glimpse into what the roles of Category Owners and Key Account Managers look like at Allegro.

“As a Category Owner, you take care of a wide selection of products on the platform, their display, and promotion. Your goal is to ensure that consumers have the best shopping experience. You're responsible for the category structure, identifying buyer needs, analyzing the assortment, developing key brands in the industry, co-organizing marketing campaigns, and driving technological initiatives. It sounds like a very broad range of activities, and that's exactly what it is. All of this is aimed at further improving product sales on Allegro.

I'm responsible for the Beauty Category. It primarily involves focusing on two areas. First, the Consumer - we strive to provide the best shopping experience and the widest range of products for buyers of cosmetics. Second, the Brands - to support sales and enhance the visibility of their offers.”
Dagmara Gołek, Junior Manager, Group Category (Beauty)

“The Key Account Manager is in charge of the comprehensive business collaboration with the largest sellers on Allegro within a specific category. Together with our Business Partners, we create development plans, plan marketing communication for their products, and prepare them for upcoming changes. In addition to this, we also provide support for the everyday challenges that sellers face in relation to selling on Allegro. Just like with Category Owners, all these activities are geared towards enhancing sales, but KAMs focus on the development of the Sellers they oversee, rather than entire categories.”
Joanna Studzińska, Key Account Manager

What if… you could share knowledge with the best?

Being a part of the Commerce department also means you get to work with real professionals who will help you develop different business projects.

Effective cooperation between Category Owners and Key Account Managers is crucial. The Category Owner sets the direction, shares information about the assortment and brands we lack, and identifies focus areas for specific sales seasons, while a Key Account Manager strives to acquire those products and brands to the platform.

So, who else does a Key Account Manager or Category Owner collaborate with?

“The quickest answer to this question is - all of them. When organizing campaigns, it involves teams such as marketing, advertising, and the Sourcing team. For other tasks, we work with the Allegro Academy team, preparing training materials for sellers. We collaborate with a Technology department that examines consumer needs and implements products to enhance Allegro. We also work with the category tree team, enabling consumers to refine their search using filters.”
Dagmara Gołek, Junior Manager, Group Category (Beauty)

“From the Key Account perspective, the answer to this question is also "all of them" :) Marketing and advertising when planning promotional and advertising activities for specific products from our Sellers. With the CX (customer experience) team, we handle service-related matters concerning accounts and post-sales support for Sellers. With the DEX (delivery experience) team, we address all issues related to logistics support: couriers, parcel lockers, and shipping settings. We also have the opportunity to collaborate with the technology team, maybe not to the extent of Category Owners, but in implementing products that enhance Allegro from the Seller's perspective – definitely.”
Joanna Studzińska, Key Account Manager

What if… you had data for everything?

We create an e-commerce platform for thousands of professional sellers, and the effects of our job reach millions of users monthly. Hence, measuring the outcomes of our work is crucial. What are the success criteria for our activities?

“Our market share, all the fundamental eCommerce indicators, but we also consider the perspective of the category – how wide a range of products we present to our consumers, whether the offers are attractively priced, and how user-friendly the purchasing journey is for them.”
Dagmara Gołek, Junior Manager, Group Category (Beauty)

“A Key Account Manager's success is measured by the good sales performance of the Sellers they oversee, and this is how we're evaluated. We also have a range of other goals that we need to achieve within a quarter.”
Joanna Studzińska, Key Account Manager

What if… opportunities were just around the corner?

Developing ourselves and trying new things is another significant part of our work. Discover the exciting opportunities that await you.

“I am particularly pleased with the collaboration with the international team I work with on the matter of acquiring brands from all around the world to the platform. One of the results of this collaboration is the availability of cosmetics directly from South Korea.”
Dagmara Gołek, Junior Manager, Group Category (Beauty)

“For me, so far, the most interesting project I have been involved in was the preparation and realization of a course for the Allegro Academy. Allegro Academy is a platform where you can find free courses related to effective selling on Allegro. I prepared an entire course focused on selling in the Sports category, and then, what was probably the coolest part, I went to Poznań for the recordings. Working on the set, with a professional team, was very exciting. You can see the results on the Allegro Academy - the course titled Sports Category - check it out here”.
Joanna Studzińska, Key Account Manager

What if… you could be one of us?

Learn about the skills and competencies that make a candidate a good match for our team.

“In my opinion, a Key Account Manager must first and foremost enjoy working with people. This job primarily involves interacting with others, so candidates should be communicative, capable of building relationships, and able to handle stressful situations – let's not kid ourselves, not every collaboration is easy and pleasant, some situations demand incredible composure and diplomatic skills ;) Additionally, this role is for individuals who can organize and plan their own actions.”
Joanna Studzińska, Key Account Manager

“For individuals with analytical skills who can make quick decisions based on a large amount of data. We're a data-driven company, which means we don't just prepare reports and studies – we interpret them, embed them in a business context, and then make informed decisions. Effective communication, openness, creativity, and a willingness to collaborate with others are all important traits. Due to the amount of project work, having a team-player mindset is crucial.”
Dagmara Gołek, Junior Manager, Group Category (Beauty)

What if… you knew what to expect after application?

First, a phone call with our recruiter - we would like to know you better & talk about your motivation, check your English level, and ask a few formal questions (about notice period, salary expectations).
Next, you’ll be invited to an interview with your potential peers to talk about your previous experience and professional knowledge.
If everything goes well, you will meet with the Hiring Manager and Recruiter at the final online interview. You’ll be asked to present a business case (which you will receive before the meeting).

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