New career opportunities exist for family and consumer sciences (FCS)professionals as traditional formats for shopping service, and information transition to a virtual environment. The requisite competencies and skills necessary for effective online operations are identified. Interactions with industry personnel and supporting literature revealed six important concepts: e-merchandising strategies, consumer segmentation, design architecture, analytic aptitude, communication proficiency, and computer expertise. These competencies and related skills provided the framework for the development of an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in e-merchandising. Recommendations for FCS program implementation are presented. (Contains 2 figures.)