30 Great Small Business Resources for Ecommerce Companies
Here’s an eye-opening statistic: There are currently 7.9 Million Online Retailers in the world and 2.1 Million of them are in the United States. That’s a lot of eCommerce businesses competing for the attention of online buyers. With so many online options for consumers, small eCommerce businesses can struggle to keep up. So how can they grow their business, stay on top of trends, and learn how to compete more effectively? One way is to stay informed! Thankfully, there are many great free small business resources for eCommerce companies.
30 Resources for Small Business Ecommerce Companies
From the best eCommerce books and blogs to small business podcasts and webinars, here’s a look at 30 of the best small eCommerce business resources you may want to consider following or looking into.
Ecommerce Books
1. E-Business & E-Commerce Management | Dave Chaffey
Now in its 4th edition, this textbook covers both the technical aspects and soft skills you will need to succeed as an eCommerce retailer. It is one of the best small business books on how to manage a team, the importance of proper planning, and other fundamental topics.
2. Launch | Jeff Walker
Just starting out or looking to grow? This small business book is meant to build your business fast! The author is a veteran of the eCommerce industry and he provided a roadmap that will help you launch a brand and products, even if you’re still operating out of your own basement.
3. Get Rich Click! | Marc Ostrofsky
You’re in the business of making money – this New York Times bestseller teaches you how to make more of it! You’ll learn hundreds of ways to make money online with social media sites as well as ways to profit from domain names and digitally based products.
4. Crushing It! | Gary Vaynerchuk
To succeed today, you need to have a social media presence. This book covers each social media platform and teaches you how to leverage social media channels to grow both personally and professionally.
5. SEO 2020 | Adam Clarke
You can build an eCommerce site, but without proper SEO, most consumers will never find you. This eCommerce book covers the fundamentals of search engine optimization, teaching you how to choose keywords, strategize, adapt to changes, and get more customers. It also covers how to build a mobile-optimized site, which is critical in our smartphone-focused world.
Online Ecommerce Publications
6. Entrepreneur
This publication wants to help you “Start, run and grow your business.” While not entirely eCommerce-focused, it offers advice, insight, and guides that can help established and aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners worldwide.
7. Practical Ecommerce
Since 2005, the mission of this privately-held site is to publish expert insights and instruction to help eCommerce companies. Its authors, who are leading eCommerce practitioners, consultants, and journalists, cover topics such as analytics, marketing, design, online payments, social media, cross-border shopping, and much more.
8. Internet Retailer
One of the leading sources for eCommerce news, Internet Retailer offers a wealth of research and insights on various business and eCommerce strategies and trends, as well as valuable facts, figures, and analyses on all things eCommerce.
9. SmallBusiness.com
This website is designed to help small business owners and managers respond to everyday challenges and opportunities. Its content emphasizes how-tos, tips, guides, explanations, and insights from those with something valuable to share.
10. Small Biz Trends
This award-winning online publication is great for small business owners operating online stores and brick-and-mortar shops. Along with the regular editorial staff, the site has more than 400 outside experts who offer their knowledge and insights, while sharing their successes and failures.
Ecommerce Podcasts
11. QA Selling Online Podcast
This eCommerce podcast is a must for online retailers who need answers! Listeners can ask anything from selling on Shopify, Amazon FBA, WooCommerce, and any other platform. The podcast also covers selling online and sales funnels.
12. Nerd Marketing Ecommerce Podcast
A “no fluff, no BS” podcast filled with valuable eCommerce information you can implement today to grow your business. It offers clear, actionable, data-driven strategies you can use to boost your bottom line.
13. Ecommerce Minute
Like information to be quick and to-the-point? The eCommerce Minute, hosted by John Suder, Bart Mroz, and Brittany Blackman, is a weekly podcast that averages about 10 minutes in length, perfect for catching up over a cup of coffee.
14. The Fizzle Show Podcast
Since 2013, The Fizzle Show podcast has been providing weekly insights for online retailers and small business owners. It has a humorous bent, but it is very informative, focusing on current business trends, self-employment motivators, customer growth, content marketing, work-life balance, and other important aspects of owning a business.
15. Shopify Masters
This “Ecommerce Business and Marketing Podcast for Ambitious Entrepreneurs” is hosted by Felix Thea. Each week, he interviews entrepreneurs and experts who share their business experience and inspirational stories, providing practical advice for growing an online business on Shopify.
16. Mixergy Podcast
Ecommerce entrepreneur Andrew Warner hosts this podcast, which boasts more than 1,000 interviews with eCommerce experts. He asks them the tough questions so that online retailers understand the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to running an eCommerce business.
Ecommerce Networking Sites
17. Alignable
This social network for local businesses allows business owners to connect and collaborate, join online discussions, refer customers to one another, and learn and share with peers.
18. Meetup Internet eCommerce
Meetup is a service used to organize online groups for in-person or virtual events for similarly-minded people. There are currently more than 704,000 eCommerce Meetup group members, with 1,719 meetups happening across 531 cities. It's perfect for learning and networking.
19. Linkedin
This site needs no introduction. Since 2003, Linkedin has been used for professional networking, as well as posting jobs and resumes.
Ecommerce Webinars
20. Big Commerce
This eCommerce platform has a nice library of webinars to watch, with topics ranging from “Holiday Readiness” to “Ecommerce Agility.” They also have upcoming webinars that you can sign up for to watch live.
21. Score
This website, which also allows you to get free business advice from experienced mentors, has a wealth of resources including workshops. Their library of webinars includes topics such as “Search Engine Optimization Strategies” and “How to Build a Solid Digital Marketing Foundation.”
22. Digital Commerce 360
This B2C and B2B research site continues to hold webinars that can be joined live, or you can search their online library for topics. Some of the more recent recorded webinars to view include “3 Key Elements to a Successful Ecommerce Data Strategy in 2021” and “How to Gain Repeat Customers with First-Party Data and Personalization.”
Ecommerce Blogs
23. TurnTo
A leading platform for Customer-Generated Content (CGC) solutions for brands looking to connect with their customers, TurnTo also features two robust blogs: “Good Turns” and “Company”. The former inspires with stories about everyday heroes, while the latter provides many useful tips and strategies for eCommerce marketers.
24. Shopify
The popular sellers' platform also features a regularly updated blog that is dedicated to eCommerce marketing, running an online business, and giving updates to Shopify’s eCommerce community. It’s an invaluable resource for anyone starting or running an online store.
25. A Better Lemonade Stand
This blog strives to help eCommerce business owners make better and easier business decisions. It serves as both a resource and a community to inspire, educate, and support entrepreneurs in the initial stages of their business journey.
26. ECommerce Nation
This site is a collective community devoted to assisting eCommerce business owners worldwide. The blog includes resources and case studies to help with store setup, online marketing, conversion, logistics, and internationalization.
27. EcommerceFuel
Use this site to supercharge your online store with eCommerce insights and gain access to easy-to-understand guides for getting started in the business. The site’s owners also run a private, vetted forum for store owners and eCommerce professionals.
28. Tidio
Tidio is a platform for connecting with customers, however, its blog is also a great knowledge hub for eCommerce businesses looking for practical solutions to generate new leads and sell more. The content team explains complex technology, such as chatbots, in simple terms and shows you step-by-step how to use it.
29. Hubspot Inbound for eCommerce
Inbound marketing, sales, and customer service platform Hubspot has a blog dedicated to Inbound eCommerce, offering inbound marketing how-to and tips and more specifically written for online retailers and marketers.
30. The Fulfillment Lab
We’d be remiss not to include our own blog! We publish about two blogs per week, focused on a variety of topics. Many blogs highlight fulfillment – after all, that’s what we do! – and are designed to show you how to create a fulfillment strategy, choose packaging, save on shipping, manage returns and inventory, select a 3PL, and much more.
There you have it! 30 resources to help you grow and thrive as an eCommerce retailer. Ready to partner with a fulfillment company, or switch from your current provider? The Fulfillment Lab is here to help! Contact us today.
