7 Best Books for eCommerce: Feed Your Mind to Fatten Your Wallet
When it comes to running an eCommerce business, constant learning is vital. The industry is continuously evolving, and what worked yesterday may not work today. These best books for eCommerce will help you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices as well as gain some pretty awesome insights from well-seasoned pros.
So, whether you’re a seasoned eCommerce veteran or just starting out, these seven books are sure to help feed your mind and fatten your wallet!
Here’s what’s in store for you today:
1. “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries
This book is an absolute classic in the world of entrepreneurship, “The Lean Startup” is completely packed with valuable insights and strategies for building successful businesses.
At its core, the lean startup methodology is all about creating a business that’s nimble and adaptable. This means focusing on rapid experimentation and feedback, rather than sticking to a rigid business plan. The idea is to create a “minimum viable product” (MVP) and test it with real customers, gathering feedback and iterating until you’ve created something that people actually want.
So how can eCommerce businesses apply the lean startup methodology? Well, one example would be to create a simple landing page with a product description and a call-to-action button and drive traffic to it through social media ads. Allowing you to test the demand for your product and gather feedback from potential customers, without investing a lot of time or money upfront.
Another key concept in the book is the “build-measure-learn” feedback loop. This involves building your MVP, measuring its performance and gathering feedback, and then learning from that feedback and using it to improve your product. This repetitious approach allows you to constantly refine your product and make data-driven decisions.
By following the lean startup methodology, entrepreneurs can avoid common mistakes like investing too much time and money in an unproven idea or assuming that they know what their customers want without gathering feedback. Instead, they can make better decisions based on real-world data, and build businesses that are lean, adaptable, and more successful.
2. “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini
This is like a Jedi mind trick for entrepreneurs, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” reveals the secrets of how to influence people and persuade them to take action.
The book outlines six key principles of influence: reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity. Each of these principles can be applied in eCommerce to improve product descriptions, increase conversions, and ultimately drive sales.
For example, the principle of social proof suggests that people are more likely to buy a product if they see that other people are buying it too. This can be leveraged in eCommerce by including customer reviews and ratings on product pages, or by displaying “trending” or “best-selling” products on your website.
Another principle, scarcity, suggests that people are more likely to act when they feel like something is rare or exclusive. This can be applied in eCommerce by creating a sense of urgency around limited-time sales or exclusive products.
By understanding these principles of influence and applying them in your eCommerce business, you can improve your product descriptions, increase conversions, and ultimately drive more sales.
3. “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Berger
Our next book on the list, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Berger spreads the key ingredients of viral success. The book provides a recipe for creating contagious ideas and products, outlining six principles of virality: social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories.
Each of these principles spreads the idea of driving brand awareness and sales in eCommerce. For instance, the principle of social currency makes people feel special or important when they share something. This can be used in eCommerce by creating exclusive products or experiences that people will want to share with their network.
Likewise, the principle of triggers is a reaction that is triggered by something else in the environment. In eCommerce, this can be applied by creating reminders, retargeted ads, or social media posts that remind customers about your brand or products.
By understanding these principles and applying them to your eCommerce business, you can unleash a virus that increases brand awareness, drives traffic to your site, and ultimately boosts your sales.
4. “The Ultimate Sales Machine” by Chet Holmes
A must-read for any eCommerce entrepreneur is “The Ultimate Sales Machine” by Chet Holmes. This book is like a boot camp for sales success, revealing the 12 key strategies that can transform your eCommerce business into a lean, mean, selling machine.
These strategies include creating a buyer persona, developing a sales funnel, and implementing time management techniques, among others. By applying these strategies in your eCommerce business, you can improve your sales processes, optimize your marketing efforts, and ultimately drive more revenue.
For example, creating a buyer persona can help you better understand your target customers, their pain points, and their preferences. Helping you to tailor your marketing messages and product offerings to better meet their needs and greatly increase your chances of making a sale.
Similarly, developing a sales funnel can help you guide customers through the buying process, from awareness to consideration to purchase. By optimizing this process, you can reduce cart abandonment rates, increase conversion rates, and ultimately boost your sales.
5. “The 4-Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss
Our next book is “The 4-Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss, and it’s all about maximizing your productivity and reclaiming your time in the world of eCommerce.
The book’s central idea is that you don’t have to be a slave to your business to be successful. You can automate and outsource tasks like customer service, product fulfillment, and social media management to free up your time and focus on the things that matter most.
Imagine being able to take a vacation without worrying about your business falling apart. With Ferriss’ tips and strategies, you can create a streamlined and efficient eCommerce operation that runs like a well-oiled machine.
By embracing automation and outsourcing, you’ll be able to work smarter, not harder, and focus on growing your business and increasing your profits.
6. “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” by Nir Eyal
Alright, cast your lines and reel in your attention for our next book, “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” by Nir Eyal. This book is like a fishing guide that teaches you how to hook your customers and reel them in for the long haul.
The book’s main idea is based on the “Hook Model”, which is a four-step process for building habit-forming products. First, you need to create a trigger that grabs your customer’s attention. Then, you need to provide them with a satisfying experience that keeps them coming back for more. Next, you need to create a bit of investment to keep them hooked, and finally, you need to encourage them to share their experience with others.
In the world of eCommerce, this model is essential for building products that customers will use time and time again. Whether you’re selling fishing gear or fashion accessories, you’ve gotta create a product that satisfies your customer’s needs and keeps them coming back for more.
7. “E-commerce Get It Right!: Essential Step-by-Step Guide for Selling & Marketing Products Online” by Ian Daniel
Attention eCommerce soldiers! Fall in line and get ready to get in shape with our final pick, “E-commerce Get It Right!: Essential Step-by-Step Guide for Selling & Marketing Products Online” by Ian Daniel. This book is like having a tough-as-nails drill instructor for your eCommerce business.
With this book, you’ll get put through your paces and given a complete boot camp for your online business, covering everything from building a strong foundation to executing precision marketing strategies. This is not for the faint of heart, but for those who want to take their eCommerce game to the next level.
You’ll get no-nonsense guidance and training and a battle-tested plan for success, along with tactics and maneuvers to overcome any obstacle that comes your way. This book is your field manual for eCommerce domination.
So, sound off and get ready to shape up your business! “E-commerce Get It Right!” is your drill instructor, pushing you to your limits and making you the best eCommerce soldier you can be.
Wrapping it Up
By taking some time to read these books, you’ll gain the knowledge and tools necessary to take your eCommerce business to unbelievable heights. But remember, the journey doesn’t end here. There’s always more to learn and more ways to grow your business.
So keep pushing, keep learning, and grow that eCommerce empire!
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Chad is a Freelance Copywriter & the Founder of Jensen Copy. He's an expert in SaaS, technology, and travel (he's also done data center network maintenance, underwater repair, and CDL driving professionally). He's best known for providing a humorous, knowledgeable, no-B.S. view to everything he writes. Plus, he's fun to drink with -- Maybe he'll buy you a beer sometime and tell you some stories that should probably never be printed.
