by Andy Green
As a growing eCommerce merchant, you have to learn fast. You’re going to be experimenting with new techniques, tools and channels all of the time, so being aware of what’s happening in the world of eCommerce is essential. Reading eCommerce blogs is a vital part of that.
There are a plethora of fantastic eCommerce blogs out there, all of which can give you valuable insight for running your business.
You don’t just have to stick to eCommerce blogs either, a good online merchant should stay on top of everything from the wider retail industry to entrepreneurship blogs.
To save you trawling through the internet for useful blogs, we’ve collated the best we could find here for you. Here are our 16 essential eCommerce blogs:
Online Retail Industry Blogs
Understanding trends in eCommerce customer behaviour, as well as the wider retail industry as a whole is very important. You need to understand how and where customers are spending their hard earned money, and these blogs will help you to do just that.
Internet Retailing
Internet Retailing is a powerful voice in European eCommerce. Here you’ll find everything from online success stories to the latest consumer trends. They also produce a wide array of whitepapers, webinars and events that are a must for any serious merchant.
eCommerce Fuel
eCommerce Fuel is a community for experienced, successful merchants, and their blog has some fantastic insights from leading industry figures. Their regular podcasts are another great way to stay up to date with eCommerce trends on the go.
Tamebay
Tamebay is a fantastic resource for merchants who also sell on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. You’ll find all of the latest news, along with regulation and ‘terms of service’ changes for key marketplaces. Vital for making the most of everything marketplace selling has to offer.
eCommerce & Technical Blogs
For technical help and insight, there are some fantastic blogs out there. Every merchant needs some help to make the most of the tools and channels available to them, and these blogs can help.
Shopify Blog
Shopify is an eCommerce platform that’s well focused on helping you grow a successful business, and their blog continues that ethos. Here you’ll find plenty of inspiring eCommerce success stories, along with a wide range of advice and insight for creating your own success story.
A Better Lemonade Stand
A Better Lemonade Stand is run by eCommerce merchants who’ve been there and done it. It offers tips on sales, marketing, technical issues and everything else you need to keep your store running smoothly and sales flowing in.
BigCommerce Blog
The blog for eCommerce platform BigCommerce is full of great case studies, perfect for inspiring your own eCommerce journey. If your store is based on BigCommerce, you’ll also find advice for getting the most from it and implementing some advanced features.
Entrepreneurship & Business Blogs
Having a deep understanding of eCommerce is vital, but a great merchant also needs to understand how to run a successful business. These blogs can give you some inspiration and guidance for making a success of your venture.
Shopify Entrepreneurship Blog
As well as their standard blog, Shopify also produces an entrepreneurship blog focused around an app for iOS and Android. It’s filled with inspirational stories from successful merchants, perfect for hitting on new ideas for growing your own business.
Entrepreneur
When it comes to entrepreneurship blogs, none are more established and respected than Entrepreneur. You’ll find regular contributions from real industry experts, thought leaders and business masters.
Marketing Blogs
If you don’t market your eCommerce store well, you’ll have no customers. It’s as simple as that. Keeping an eye on these marketing blogs will help you target customers in the best way possible and keep on top of the latest best practices.
eConsultancy
eConsultancy is a market leader when it comes to marketing trends. Their blog is filled with fantastic consumer data and marketing examples, as well as news from the biggest brands and agencies.
Kissmetrics
Getting your head around analytics and using data to grow your business can be complicated, and Kissmetrics aims to make it simpler. Following their blog will help you use your store’s data to market and analyse customer behaviour.
The Drum
The Drum may just be the most respected blog out there when it comes to marketing. It’s contributors are some of the most influential voices in the industry and are sure to provide you with invaluable marketing knowledge that could have a real impact on your business.
Moz Blog
If you’re looking for help with SEO, Moz is the first and last place to go. Their SEO tools lead the industry and their blog is no different. You’ll find detailed insight and comprehensive data evaluation for making the most of your store’s search ranking.
Niche eCommerce Blogs
As well as the general eCommerce, business and marketing blogs above, there are also some great niche blogs that can provide useful advice on specific areas of your store like loyalty schemes and inventory management.
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor’s blog is a great read for getting the most from your email marketing campaigns. Here you’ll come across useful tips for maximising engagement, relevance and ultimately boosting your sales.
Smile.io
If you’re trying to build a strong loyalty scheme for your store, Smile.io’s blog is a great place to start. They analyse loyalty schemes from top brands like Lego, as well as provide insight into making the most of their own loyalty tools.
Bunting
Personalisation is an increasingly important part of every eCommerce strategy, and the blog from personalisation app Bunting has some useful content that can help you implement personalisation for your own store.
Brightpearl
Brightpearl are passionate about omni-channel retail, and their blog has some valuable advice on managing your different sales channels. You’ll also find a plethora of retail and eCommerce news, as well as guest blogs from around the eCommerce industry.
LoyaltyLion
Another great loyalty tool for stores, LoyaltyLion’s blog has plenty of information on eCommerce, loyalty and wider customer retention strategies. Repeat custom is the key to many stores’ success, and this blog can help you boost your customer retention.
In Summary…
The key to staying up to date with eCommerce is a good mix of different information sources. By picking a variety of different blogs and news sites, you’ll be able to develop a strong understanding of where eCommerce is heading, and how to run a successful store.
The advice and insights of industry experts and your fellow merchants can be invaluable for helping your business grow, avoiding common pitfalls and making the very best of the resources you have available.
