You found our list of the best e-commerce books.
E-commerce books are publications that provide insights into the trade of goods or services over an electronic network. Examples include Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug and Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares. The purpose of these books is to guide individuals on the best business practices in the e-commerce industry that will result in success.
E-commerce books can give you insight into business considerations like future workplace trends and cost-saving ideas for businesses. These examples are similar to startup books, content marketing books, and digital marketing books.
This list includes:
- e-commerce books for beginners
- electronic commerce books
- books about online selling
- books about online retail
Here we go!
List of e-commerce books
E-commerce books provide diverse strategies to help you achieve your goals and thrive in the ever-evolving online sector. From One Click by Richard L. Brandt and The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, here is a list of the best e-commerce resources.
1. Ecommerce Evolved: The Essential Playbook to Build, Grow & Scale a Successful Ecommerce Business by Tanner Larsson
Ecommerce Evolved tops the list of e-commerce books for beginners. Tanner Larsson educates readers on the outdated tactics of online business and encourages individuals to take on modern strategies. Larsson argues that simply building a store with products and driving traffic is a recipe for business disaster. Instead, the author provides a simple and proven formula to help businesses scale even in the most competitive markets. Ecommerce Evolved provides lessons in customer acquisition, product packaging, and customer service.
Notable quote: “The lesson here is that you cannot hate marketing if you’re in business! It’s 100% a mentality issue. You may have the best product in a specific niche, but you can’t be successful until you accept that your business is marketing and the product is just the thing you sell.”
Read Ecommerce Evolved.
2. DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online by Russell Brunson
One of the major problems that businesses experience is insufficient traffic to online platforms or minimal conversion rates. DotCom Secrets unveils ways that businesses can increase traffic and conversion numbers. Russel Brunson teaches readers the importance of the value ladder, with the first step being the bait. Readers will also get vital insights on funnel hacking, email communication, and the power of “free.” As a digital marketing entrepreneur, Brunson uses his years of experience working with businesses to provide lasting solutions.
Notable quote: “One of the fundamental rules of marketing is that a confused mind always says no.”
Read DotCom Secrets.
3. Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
Don’t Make Me Think is a great resource for business owners who want to capitalize on website usability. First authored in 2000, the best-selling book continues to provide insights into information design and intuitive website navigation. Steve Krug focuses on good web design and user experience fundamentals and urges businesses to treat websites like organized stores. The short read is also an excellent book for developers or business leaders influencing the feel and look of commercial web pages.
Notable quote: “In reality, though, most of the time we don’t choose the best option—we choose the first reasonable option, a strategy known as satisficing.”
Read Don’t Make Me Think.
4. One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com by Richard L. Brandt
One of the best books about online retail that details real-life experiences is One Click. Richard Brandt talks about the history of Amazon from the perspectives of employees, observers, and competitors. The book also entails Jeff Bezos’ decision-making process and how each choice influences the success of Amazon. For instance, the author explains the significance of negative product reviews in earning shoppers’ trust. Readers will also get insights into why Amazon is the only dotcom from the early 2000s still thriving. One Click is an excellent read for individuals who want to avoid costly mistakes in the e-commerce industry.
Notable quote: “The site had to be simple, fast, and intuitive.”
Read One Click.
5. The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd by Allan Dib
If you want to build a successful, unique business, then The 1-Page Marketing Plan is an excellent read. Allan Dib urges entrepreneurs to divert from random marketing and develop a reliable and sustainable plan to expand their businesses. Seeing that creating a marketing plan is a difficult task for business owners, the author reveals tips for creating and implementing business plans. Through the plan, entrepreneurs can map out sophisticated strategies that will propel the business. The author also discusses tips for closing sales without being pushy, how to work with limited budgets, and setting prices.
Notable quote: “Consultative, advisory selling is the most cost-effective, the most enduring, the most impactful and the most powerful marketing strategy a business owner could ever devise.”
Read The 1-Page Marketing Plan.
6. Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams by Jeff Walker
Launch is a fantastic pick of books about online selling. The publication helps entrepreneurs build businesses fast and create a powerful positioning in the market. Jeff Walker explains that there is no shortcut to success, and entrepreneurs must work hard and smart. Some of the notable e-commerce marketing segments that the author touches on are product launches, email marketing, the art of storytelling, and how to use mental triggers. The book entertains readers with real-life success and failure stories while delivering nuggets of wisdom.
Notable quote: “If you want to make your business and your marketing memorable, then your marketing needs to tell a story.”
Read Launch.
7. The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
The Startup Owner’s Manual is a fantastic read for individuals looking for e-commerce books. Steve Blank and Bob Dorf provide methodological and scientific lessons that also include over ten years of experience in e-commerce. The authors also offer detailed and practical growth instructions to scale web and physical products. The Startup Owner’s Manual also has lessons that will help businesses determine the right distribution channel and get traffic to online platforms. The book is an excellent guide for testing, launching, and growing diverse business models.
Notable quote: “When a web/mobile startup plans to first focus on amassing huge numbers of users, eyeballs, or clicks and to ‘figure out the revenue model later,’ this implies a multi-sided market.”
Read The Startup Owner’s Manual.
8. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
Featuring interviews with founders of some of the most successful businesses, Traction is a great choice of electronic commerce books. The authors argue that founders and employees do not think about traction. Instead, most companies focus on building a product, which results in random and unstructured marketing tactics. The publication provides guidance on the best marketing channel based on industry and business stages. Traction covers major e-commerce marketing channels, such as search engine marketing, offline ads, content marketing, and email marketing. The book also guides on sectors like viral marketing, public relations, offline events, and community building.
Notable quote: “Determining the success of a customer acquisition idea is dependent on an effective tracking and reporting system, so don’t start testing until your tracking/reporting system has been implemented.”
Read Traction.
9. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
The story of Amazon, one of the most successful e-commerce companies globally, contains life-changing lessons for business owners. Brad Stone tells Amazon’s journey from the era of delivering books to becoming a global industry leader. The author includes Jeff Bezos’s challenges in growing the business and his journey to adapting to the daily changes in the market. Stone argues that focusing only on the customer will not result in the ideal results. Rather, businesses must understand the complete ecosystem. The Everything Store also touches on the importance of decentralized decision-making, data-driven meetings, and customer satisfaction.
Notable quote: “The production philosophy pioneered by Toyota calls for a focus on those activities that create value for the customer and the systematic eradication of everything else.”
Read The Everything Store.
10. 12 Months to $1 Million: How to Pick a Winning Product, Build a Real Business, and Become a Seven-Figure Entrepreneur by Ryan Daniel Moran
12 Months to $1 Million is one of the best e-commerce books for beginners. Ryan Moran recognizes the work it takes to build real, profitable, and sustainable enterprises. The author also notes that most founders lack the necessary knowledge and commitment to build successful businesses. Moran provides a proven strategy to help entrepreneurs make wise and fast decisions. The one-year business plan contains a step-by-step guide from inception to the one-year mark.
Notable quote: “The key to your product probably won’t be that it’s new. It’ll be that it’s different, even if it’s just in one small way.”
Read 12 Months to $1 Million.
11. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
The Lean Startup aims to change ways of building businesses and product launches. Eric Ries takes an approach that produces capital-efficient businesses and leverages human creativity. The book focuses on counterintuitive practices that can shorten product development cycles and rapid scientific experimentation. Through these practices, firms can shift directions and adapt before it is too late. In addition, readers will learn why they must avoid vanity metrics and respond quickly to customer feedback.
Notable quote: “The ability to learn faster from customers is the essential competitive advantage that startups must possess.”
Read The Lean Startup.
12. What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest by Denise Lee Yohn
Building a successful brand is one of the most challenging tasks for startups. What Great Brands Do simplifies business-building tips based on renowned global brands. Denise Yohn demystifies the belief that successful brands like Nike or Apple scale because of visionary leaders or a magic formula. Instead, the author provides specific approaches and principles to scale any business. What Great Brands Do also includes business strategies to enhance brand identity, improve company culture, and boost profit margins. The book is an excellent read for entrepreneurs, marketers, or organization leaders.
Notable quote: “To make an emotional connection with any customer, it follows that you should segment the market in a way that is needs-based, and connect with prospects at the moments when those needs are greatest.”
Read What Great Brands Do.
13. Supermaker: Crafting Business on Your Own Terms by Jaime Schmidt
Supermaker is a great guide for entrepreneurs who want to avoid costly marketing mistakes. Jaime Schmidt shares how business owners can leverage branding, social media marketing, product development, customer engagement, and PR. The acclaimed entrepreneur uses her experience to help businesses turn brands into household names. Schmidt also discusses female entrepreneurs’ difficulties and how to navigate the challenges. Supermaker is a perfect read for aspiring entrepreneurs, creatives, and individuals interested in digital markets.
Notable quote: “If you’re on a mission to make a name for yourself, to better your own business or workplace, or to contribute to a more responsible and equitable society, then you are a supermaker.”
Read Supermaker.
14. You Should Test That: Conversion Optimization for More Leads, Sales and Profit or The Art and Science of Optimized Marketing by Chris Goward
Converting leads is one of the most prevalent challenges in online businesses. You Should Test That is a good bet of electronic commerce books that will help enterprises boost website visitors’ conversion. Chris Goward uses a website creation approach that combines science and art to develop testing procedures. The book entails tricks for fine-tuning website navigation elements such as images, headlines, and buttons. Goward also guides readers on creating an optimization strategy through online experiments and analytics tools.
Notable quote: “Remember, people make a purchase emotionally and defend the purchase rationally. You must create the emotions necessary to close the sale backed up with the logic of the decision to defend it.”
Read You Should Test That.
15. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
Delivering Happiness provides real-life lessons about running e-commerce businesses. Tony Hsieh talks about his experience at Zappos, one of the most successful online retailers. The author talks about the lessons that will help entrepreneurs navigate online markets. Hsieh encourages businesses to figure out the right balance between passion, profits, and purpose both in business and life. The publication also includes the importance of building a strong company culture, delivering better customer experience, and fostering creativity.
Notable quote: “Your personal core values define who you are, and a company’s core values ultimately define the company’s character and brand. For individuals, character is destiny. For organizations, culture is destiny.”
Read Delivering Happiness.
16. Digital Marketing Analytics: Making Sense of Consumer Data in a Digital World by Chuck Hemann and Ken Burbary
Digital Marketing Analytics tops the list of books about online selling that provides lessons on leveraging data. Chuck Hemann and Ken Burbary argue that while digital data provides a competitive advantage, businesses barely capitalize on it owing to the difficulties. The book provides tools that will help businesses pinpoint major problems and ways to solve the challenges. Digital Marketing Analytics will help readers measure the social media ROI. Entrepreneurs will also learn how to track the performance of all social media channels for strategic planning and product development.
Notable quote: “In our experience, brands are aware of at least 90% of issues that the company could face. These issues could come from operational challenges, customer service complaints, product disputes, and so on.”
Read Digital Marketing Analytics.
17. Successful Analytics E-Book 1: Gain Business Insights by Managing Google Analytics by Brian Clifton
Successful Analytics E-Book 1 is a publication perfect for businesses struggling with digital strategies. Brian Clifton recognizes that while Google analytics provides data, companies fail to leverage the insights. The author then encourages entities to focus on the analytics teams who will find valuable data and translate it into actionable information. Successful Analytics E-Book 1 is also an excellent read for managers or business owners who need a detailed overview of the principles of website measurement. In addition, the book contains handy tips for beginners or advanced online marketers.
Notable quote: “Improving your website comes down to understanding the two key factors I define that determine success—visitor expectations and the user experience.”
Read Successful Analytics.
18. Retail Recovery: How Creative Retailers Are Winning in Their Post-Apocalyptic World by Mark Pilkington
Retail Recovery is a comprehensive guide providing insights businesses can use to recover after diverse challenges. The book entails changes affecting how consumers buy products and experience brands. The author includes case studies and interviews with renowned entrepreneurs who provide key learning points for diverse businesses. In addition, readers will learn how to navigate difficult times like recessions and changes in government policies. Retail Therapy is also a top choice of books about online retail that touches on new technology and innovative techniques for creating product excitement.
Notable quote: ”That putting the consumer at the heart of the business model required seeing the different channels as the consumer saw them—not competing, but complementary to each other.”
Read Retail Recovery.
Conclusion
As the world experiences the convenience of online transactions, e-commerce is becoming a significant part of modern business. As a result, individuals must leverage e-commerce to remain competitive in today’s market. Business owners must master the industry’s latest trends, technologies, and best practices. E-commerce books are some of the best resources individuals can use to grasp vast industry knowledge quickly. Whether you are an experienced business owner or just starting, check out our list of e-commerce books.
Next, check out our list of customer experience books, sales books, and business strategy books.
Grace He