It is a well-known fact that ecommerce is a steady-rise industry. It is no wonder then that there are wealth of tools, resources and content to enable ecommerce entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses—so much so, in fact, that keeping track of them can be overwhelming. So, where do we start? If we’re using an ecommerce platform to host our business, chances are they curate a blog.
Beyond that, there are a ton of resources to inform, teach and inspire you in your entrepreneurial journey, from the technical nitty-gritty to the big picture stuff. Here are some ecommerce blogs to keep track.
1. Shopify blog
It is an ecommerce entrepreneur, you probably already know Shopify as the platform that gives you all the tools needed to effortlessly build an online store. In the process of helping about 380 thousand merchants launch their online businesses, it turns out Shopify has learned a thing or two about success in ecommerce—and they generously share that know-how in their blog. Check it out for business ideas inspiration; resources on how to get started with your new business; financial and accounting advice on increasing profitability; best-practice tips on acquiring new clients on various channels; targeted advice around different types of ecommerce businesses based on industry; and inspirational stories of ecommerce entrepreneurs’ struggles and successes.
Wix is one of the most popular web platforms for non-tech entrepreneurs building their businesses online. Their wide-ranging blog has a wealth of e-commerce content: both on the tech side—such as tips on improving your website design, UX and SEO to drive higher sales and conversion—and on the content side—such as ecommerce trends and success stories.
Our favorite: Building Your E-Commerce Marketing Strategy
3. Magento blog
Much like Shopify, Magento is an ecommerce platform that, on top of allowing entrepreneurs to build highly customizable online stores, provides high-quality ecommerce content. Navigate to their blog to read best practices, customer stories, and small business focused content and technical spotlights. As a bonus, if you want to take things from online to IRL, they host dozens of events annually around the globe.
Our favorite: Small Business Retailers: 5 Tips to Prepare for Success
Are you shooting to hit the million-dollar mark with your ecommerce business? E-Commerce Fuel can help. Principally a members-only community for successful store owners, E-Commerce Fuel maintains a blog geared towards entrepreneurs striving dollar sales. They only post once a week, but it’s high-quality content that deep dives into all the important ecommerce topics, including store operations, SEO and marketing, product sourcing and design, teams and outsourcing, etc. As a bonus, they have a podcast with over 200 episodes and as many lessons learned.
It is our business a passive income one, meaning that, once our product or service is built, it keeps generating income without significant real-time additional effort or maintenance? For instance,
we may be selling an E-book which, once produced, can be purchased with one click over and over. If so, Smart Passive Income is the blog to bookmark. It features many tips, tricks and tools to setup a smooth growth engine that keeps working for us. Without our needing to lift a finger—every entrepreneur’s dream. For those preferring listening over reading, SPI offers insightful interviews with successful passive income entrepreneurs.
Be honest: are you running this ecommerce business from your parents’ basement while working shifts at Sephora? If the budget is tight, or if this business is—at least for now—a side project, Bootstrapping Ecommerce is your friend. The blog, featuring handy tips and tools for getting things up and running on the cheap, highlights that little time and money forces you to get creative and should be used as strength.
Dr. Ruchi Singhal
Associate Professor
