9 ECommerce Books Every Small Business Owner Should Read in 2024

If you own an e-commerce business, you need some tips to increase your sales conversions! Starting a new business from scratch can be overwhelming, and you may not know where to begin with your business idea. We have compiled a list of books that can help you improve your business plan and reach out to your customers. 

Books about e-commerce marketing can be helpful in that sense if you are starting a new business and have some questions about it. These books can be about achieving customer success and growing your newly established company.

Let’s have a look at the nine best e-commerce marketing books we have compiled that will help you make your business better!

Best Ecommerce Books for Customer Success

DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson

Dotcom Secrets

DotCom Secrets is an e-commerce marketing book that focuses on e-commerce companies and the secrets behind their business success. Unlike other how-to books, this book guides business owners in applying sustainable business decisions and eventually achieving customer satisfaction of their marketing plan.

The author of this book, Russell Brunson, is a famous author who has a book series called “Secrets.” He writes different topics’ secrets and further explains these concepts related to e-commerce marketing. He founded his first online business when he was at college.  

Why should people have this book?

If you own a small business and want to step up your marketing game focusing on your customers, this book is for you. There are many examples of big companies and their successful e-commerce marketing strategies. In addition, you can get inspired by Brunson’s words since he is the founder of an online marketplace.  

Reader reviews: 

“This book is extremely helpful and gives plenty of information! I have never read a book that was able to keep me reading it for hours and hours! This is especially helpful for people who are new to marketing and can take you further into your marketing journey! I do dropship, so if you stumble over this book while doing dropshipping, this is amazing for branded stores; keep that in mind while reading!” 

“It’s an A-Z mastery guide to online marketing! How to get your business up and running, customer acquisition, marketing, sales, products, etc. Great overview!” 

Buy it on Amazon now!

Supermaker by Jaime Schmidt

Supermaker

Supermaker can be considered a success story with tips and tricks to grow your business by focusing on your customers. Though Schmidt founded it as a small business, Unilever later bought Schmidt’s Naturals. By reading this book, you can learn how to achieve customer success in your company. 

The author Jaime Schmidt is the founder of Schmidt’s Naturals. She is an entrepreneur who founded her own company in 2010.  

Why should people have this book?

Supermaker is for those curious about customer engagement and product development of e-commerce companies. Schmidt shares her own experiences while founding her successful web-based business Schmidt’s Natural.   

Reader reviews:

“Jaime is not only a successful businesswoman but also a phenomenal storyteller who isn’t afraid to be transparent about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. I could not recommend this book enough for anyone starting out and looking for guidance. She is full of wisdom.” -Jaclyn Johnson, CEO and founder of Create Cultivate.” 

“This is a fantastic book. It is full of tactical wisdom but reads like a highly engaging fiction novel – it’s hard to put down. Jaime’s voice shines through and she speaks in a compelling, modest manner about the personal and professional challenges of building from scratch. I will be purchasing several copies of this book for budding entrepreneurs.” 

Buy it on Amazon now!

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller

Building a Story Brand

Building a Story explains how to build a successful relationship with your customers. It gives importance to connecting with customers and making them happy with your products and services.  

The author of this book Donald Miller is the CEO of a marketing company called StoryBrand. He has many books about digital marketing plans which he talks about his own experiences as the CEO of StoryBrand. Miller writes personal stories and reflection books as well.  

Why should people have this book? 

The book further explains why a person buys a product. Business owners can pay attention to certain details while selling their products. The reason behind a customer deciding to buy a product is crucial, and the book gives ideas about forming your brand’s story accordingly. 

Reader reviews: 

“There are very few books that keep me glued and this is one of them. I read the entire book on a journey from Toronto to the UK. Whether you’re starting in business or have an established business, you need to buy this book to gain clarity in the message you deliver to your customers. The book is well written and comes with an online application for building your brand story. The app itself is brilliant and works the small investment in the book. Not only that, it’s clear that Donald not only talks the talk but implements the strategies he teaches in his own business. His book, website, app and upsells are crystal clear to understand. Time to start applying this stuff to my own business!”

Buy it on Amazon.

You Should Test That! by Chris Goward

You Should Test That

Increasing sales conversions focusing on your customer satisfaction is explained step by step in You Should Test That!. It can be considered a comprehensive guide to achieving customer success and growth in your e-commerce business.  

The author of this book Chris Goward is the founder of WiderFunnel. His company gives customer experience and conversion optimization services to make e-commerce companies better.  

Why should people have this book? 

Goward, in this book, emphasizes the importance of testing customer satisfaction regularly. In addition, he gives case studies and examples about customer satisfaction to achieve loyal customers as well. Since there is a lot of practical advice in this book, it can be helpful to reach out to your audience and make them loyal customers. 

Reader reviews:

“This is a great book for anyone who wants to increase conversion rates on their digital properties. Chris does a great job explaining how important continuous testing is to drive continuous business improvement. He provides an approach that is simple to understand and makes a lot of sense. Anyone involved in Persuasion Marketing and User Experience Design will find A/B/n testing to be the final piece of the puzzle for business optimization. HiPPO (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion) ’s beware of the competition who embraces the integration of art & science in Merchandising & Marketing. Well Done Chris!” 

“Chris Goward is able to give explanations and share his knowledge in such a way that even I can understand. If you own an online business or work on other people’s websites, you need this book.” 

Buy it on Amazon now!

Best Ecommerce Books for Growing Your Company

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber 

The E-Myth Revisited

The E-Myth Revisited is an excellent book since it has a comprehensive narration. The book was written in 1985 originally and it has been updated since then. It emphasizes the importance of consistency in the business world and focuses on how to grow a company step by step. 

Michel E. Gerber is a business skills company founder and an American author. He has several books about business skills and strategies, which most business owners read.

Why should people have this book?

As a small business owner, you should read this book because it can teach you how to improve your business strategies and achieve your marketing goals in a short period. 

Reader reviews:

“If you’re an entrepreneur – or think you are – this book will tell you how to get the full potential from your business. You may also learn you’re not really an entrepreneur by the author’s definition, but he gives you the process to get there. In reality, building a successful business isn’t as simple as the book makes it sound, but it’s a great framework to force you to think about how to optimize your business strategy, management and operations. This book is best suited for small businesses.”

“Though I’ve read this book once, I’m not done. The hardest part is implementation. This book is indeed what I have been missing to have a business instead of just a job. THANKS!!”

Buy it on Amazon now! 

Digital Marketing by Dave Chaffey, Fiona Ellis-Chadwick

Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing is one of the best e-commerce marketing books with many details about growing a company. In addition, the book serves as a complete guide to business owners on e-commerce platforms. Besides listing the digital marketing theories in detail, the book provides appropriate solutions for managers of e-commerce companies. 

It also focuses on the role of digital transformation of platforms and how they contribute to a company’s growth. 

One of the authors of this book, Dave Chaffey, is the publisher’s co-founder called Smart Insights. He has many books about e-commerce marketing strategies. The other contributor to this book, Fiona Ellis-Chadwick, is a marketing lecturer at Open University Business School. 

Why should people have this book? 

This book can accompany you if you aim to develop your company’s marketing strategies and achieve your marketing efforts. The book also suggests case studies and practice methods that can be beneficial while growing your business. 

Reader reviews: 

“Got this for my Digital Marketing diploma – a ton of info with lots of cross-referencing and further information and resources links. Well worth it for consolidating what you learn on the CIM course.” 

“I read this for the Digital Marketing module of the CIM Level 4 Certificate in Professional Marketing. It covers all areas of digital marketing with case studies and current examples. Useful for both theory and application. Highly recommend it!” 

Buy it on Amazon. 

Launch: How to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams by Jeff Walker

Launch

Launch focuses on building a business online and its processes. The author Walker emphasizes the importance of prep work before starting a business in this book. In addition, Walker gives practical advice for e-commerce start-ups with little investment and support. The author updated this book with new details after it was written in 2014. 

The book’s author, Jeff Walker, is a businessman who started his first e-commerce business in 1996. However, his launch formula still has a significant effect on owners of e-commerce businesses. 

Why should people have this book?

Walker advises about managing your time while starting a new business in his book. In addition, he advises about managing your budget and working more efficiently. If you don’t know how to start your business and get lost while even thinking about it, it would be stimulating if you read this book.

Reader reviews:

“I really appreciate this book isn’t just about business coaches launching business coaches. This book outlines approaches for launching services, products, and online and in-person communities. He meticulously collects data from the people he works with and puts that data into strategies that are doable and relevant in this book.” 

“I do enjoy reading this book. Direct, simple and effective. The examples are very inspirational. The Launch Process. is very well developed and explained. Sounds logical and simple to do. (Not easy, but it is understandable and executable).

In a few days, I’ll talk about the results because I’ll do my launch. 

Thank you very much Jeff.”

Buy it on Amazon now! 

Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

Don't Make Me Think

Don’t Make Me Think is about improving e-commerce websites for a better user experience. The book stresses web design rules and ideas about how to improve a website for customer satisfaction. Steve Krug also gives illustrations that can be helpful for designers and developers. 

The author of this book Steve Krug is a UX professional as well. He is a software developer specializing in user experience design and gives advice based on his experiences.  

Why should people have this book?

It would be best to read Don’t Make Me Think after learning the basic concepts of e-commerce marketing. Since it is about optimizing your website to achieve an efficient user experience, it would be great to read it after shaping your website’s brand identity and basic features.  

Reader reviews:

“This book covers the fundamentals of design, but that doesn’t mean it’s only for beginners and is below the scope of professionals. This book is a must-read for all designers, no matter how good a designer they are. Not just designers, web/app developers, product managers, CEOs, CTOs and pretty much everyone in the IT field should give it a read to understand the importance and fundamentals of good design.” 

“Love this book. I bought it as I am starting a new career in UX. A great addition to my learning.” 

Buy it on Amazon now! 

Get Rich Click!: The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet by Marc Ostrofsky

Get Rich Click

Being one of the best-selling e-commerce books, Get Rich Click! emphasizes how you can make money online with an e-commerce business simply. It has comprehensive instructions which can be understood easily. Ostrofsky explains starting an online business that gets many clicks with a step by step guide in this book.

The author Marc Ostrofsky is an American entrepreneur and author of two books, one of which is the New York Times BestSeller. Ostrofsky is an expert in researching and teaching those topics to anyone interested in them. He is the owner of operating websites and the founder of high-tech internet and telecommunications magazines.

Why should people have this book?

Get Rich Click! can inspire you to increase your e-commerce company’s web traffic and sales conversions.  

Reader reviews:

“I read this ten years too late. Still useful information for those that want to learn the basics and see how far the internet of things has come.” 

“Marc is amazing! This book literally has everything you need to know about marketing your brand, product, or service. It’s one of those ‘eternal’ books that you keep referring to, as it is packed with terrific resources, action checklists, and superlative strategies that every online marketer should employ. This is the ‘Bible’ of Internet marketing…and a must-read for anyone who wants to promote anything on the web.” 

Buy it on Amazon now! 

have a clearer understanding of the topic.


Frequently Asked Questions:


Why should you read e-commerce books?

If you are new to e-commerce or want to improve your business plan more, you can benefit from books related to this topic. Since experienced business people write these books, it would be helpful to see their perspective and vision to get inspired.  You can also improve certain parts of your business, such as customer success, design, and growth, by reading books related to these issues. 


What are the best books for e-commerce leaders? 

We have listed the nine best books for e-commerce leaders that you can read these days. Digital Marketing by Dave Chaffey and Fiona Ellis-Chadwick is one of the greatest e-commerce books leaders should read. Since it explains many important concepts about e-commerce and digital transformation, it can be considered as a practical guide. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber is another excellent book that e-commerce leaders should read with comprehensive guides and strategies for improving an online business. You can choose from the other books we have listed according to your needs and interests for sure. 


That is all for e-commerce book recommendations! 

In conclusion, you can add these nine best e-commerce books to your reading list while improving your online business. These books are comprehensive and can be read easily, thanks to their use of language. In addition, you can get inspired by the success stories of these authors, who are mostly entrepreneurs and founders of big companies.

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Alican Bektas

Alican Bektas

Alican is the Product Manager of UserGuiding, a code-free product walkthrough software that helps teams scale user onboarding and boost user engagement.