With AI reshaping customer experience and competition heating up, store owners everywhere are asking:“How do I stay ahead without burning out?”
One answer might surprise you: Learn from people who’ve already figured it out.
The best ecommerce books pack years of hard-won lessons, breakthrough strategies, and real-world insights into a few hundred pages. To help you find the ones worth reading, we asked top ecommerce practitioners to share the books that shaped how they think, build, and grow.
You’ll find recommendations that go way beyond growth tactics to cover messaging, marketing, customer relationships, systems, and mindset—because running a successful store takes more than just knowing how to drive traffic.
How we chose the top 20 ecommerce books
With thousands of ecommerce books published and more launching weekly, knowing where to start feels impossible. Cut through the noise with this curated list of reads that are actually worth your time.
To make our list, each book had to deliver real-world value (not just theory), earn strong reviews from readers and industry experts, reflect today’s ecommerce landscape with current content, and offer actionable insights you can implement in your store right away.
We also included a mix of proven business classics and newer standouts that are already making waves. Some work great for beginners. Others dive deep into specific areas like branding, growth marketing, or logistics.
We’ve organized everything into helpful categories—marketing and customer engagement, business growth, and mindset—so you can jump straight to what matters most for your store right now.
Essential ecommerce strategy books
- The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
- E-commerce 2023-2024: business. technology. society by Kenneth C. Laudon and Carol Guercio Traver
- The Future of E-commerce: Innovations and Developments by Grzegorz Chodak
- The Wolf of Ecom: How I Built an 8 Figure E-Commerce Empire by 25 by Christian Del Guidice
1. The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
Skip the expensive MBA and get straight to what matters. The Personal MBA breaks down entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, negotiation, operations, and systems design into simple mental models you can actually use in your business.
You’ll learn concepts like the four methods to increase revenue, the iron law of the market, and the pricing uncertainty principle—frameworks that help you make smarter decisions without going through costly trial and error.
🏅 Best for: Freelancers, solo founders, or anyone running an online business who wants a clearer, more confident grasp of business fundamentals.
🧠 Lesson learned: “This book teaches you about business, but it’s also about self-care, overcoming cognitive biases, and protecting your boundaries,” says Nick Disabato, designer, writer, and founder of interaction design consultancy Draft. “It helps you adopt the mindset of a business owner, especially in ecommerce, where thinking is usually short-term and driven by fear.”
2. Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
Zero to One focuses on creating something entirely new rather than improving what already exists. If you want to build an ecommerce business that dominates its space and shapes your industry’s future, this book shows you how.
The core idea: True innovation means going from zero to one, not from one to many. It's about creating unique value in the marketplace instead of competing in crowded spaces.
🏅Best for: Ambitious entrepreneurs building ecommerce brands that aim to stand out, not blend in. Perfect for long-term thinkers who want to create breakthrough businesses.
🧠 Lesson learned: “The most valuable lesson for ecommerce businesses is that they must differentiate themselves from competitors to succeed in a crowded space,” says Gabe Mays, founder and CEO of AI habit tracking app HabitGraph. “Don’t know how to differentiate your brand? This book will give you ideas.”
3. E-commerce 2023-2024: business. technology. society by Kenneth C. Laudon and Carol Guercio Traver
E-commerce 2023-2024: business. technology. society is a comprehensive guide exploring how business, technology, and society intersect in the ecommerce world. Think of it as a complete primer on the online business ecosystem.
The book covers everything from behind-the-scenes technology to ecommerce’s broader impact on society. It’s packed with case studies, insights, and trends that help you understand the bigger picture beyond day-to-day tactics.
🏅Best for: Shopify partners, ecommerce agency owners, or anyone who wants to understand the wider forces shaping online retail.
🧠 Lesson learned: “What resonated with me is the emphasis on customer centricity in ecommerce,” says Steve Pogson, Shopify partner and founder of ecommerce agency First Pier. “In an era of increasing digital competition, it’s not just about having a strong online platform, but understanding customer needs and responding to them.
“We’ve applied this at First Pier through personalized tools like the Shopify product recommendation quiz, which uses customer understanding to give customized recommendations and improve the customer experience.”
4. The Future of E-commerce: Innovations and Developments by Grzegorz Chodak
This one’s for anyone curious about what’s coming next in ecommerce.
In The Future of E-Commerce, Chodak explores how technologies like AI, virtual and augmented reality, and machine learning are changing the way we shop, sell, and interact online. He breaks down what these technologies actually do in real-world retail—like how virtual try-ons could transform fashion, or how AI personalization engines might reshape customer journeys.
It’s a thoughtful, research-backed look at where things are headed, with plenty of global case studies and practical implications for businesses of all sizes.
🏅Best for: Ecommerce professionals, product teams, or founders who want to stay ahead of the curve and understand how emerging tech will shape the future of online shopping.
🧠 Lesson learned: Build your ecommerce operation to be modular so you can experiment with different technologies. A composable architecture lets you quickly plug in (or swap out) logistics, payment, AI, or immersive-commerce technologies as they mature.
Chodak explains that brands poised to win over the next decade are those who can pivot the fastest and provide exceptional customer experiences, no matter where shoppers discover or buy.
5. The Wolf of Ecom: How I Built an 8 Figure E-Commerce Empire by 25 by Christian Del Guidice
The Wolf of Ecom reads like a personal playbook mixed with a behind-the-scenes look into high-stakes ecommerce entrepreneurship.
Del Guidice shares what he calls “an internet millionaire’s secret formula,” including what worked (and what didn’t) while growing online stores and brands. You’ll get a sense of the day-to-day hustle, plus actionable strategies for building brand equity, setting up ads that convert, and differentiating your store in a crowded market. It’s especially relatable if you’re in the early stages and want guidance from someone who’s been through the rollercoaster and is willing to show the messy bits, not just the wins.
🏅Best for: New or early-stage ecommerce founders who want straight talk and practical strategy from someone who's been in the trenches.
🧠 Lesson learned: Be driven by the numbers. Know your contribution margin, ship imperfect ideas, and don’t rely on one single channel for traffic. If you’re ruthless and guided by data, you’ll turn a regular storefront into a scalable, sellable ecommerce brand.
Customer engagement and digital marketing books
- Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
- Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
- Influence by Robert Cialdini
- DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson
6. Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
Everybody Writes is a practical guide for anyone who writes for an audience—whether you’re writing emails, product pages, social media captions, or blog posts. Handley focuses on writing that feels human and clear, not overly polished or robotic. It’s packed with ecommerce tips, examples, and simple frameworks to help you write better and with more confidence, even if you don’t consider yourself a “writer.”
🏅Best for: Founders, marketers, and ecommerce folks who want their copy to sound less like corporate-speak and more like a real conversation. Especially helpful if you’re handling your content yourself.
🧠 Lesson learned: “For DTC founders, this book is a great way to learn these best practices,” says freelance marketer and ecommerce writer Tina Donati. “The truth is, writing shows up in everything you do. There’s copy all over your website—in your emails, in the content you create, on your social channels. It’s so woven into the ecommerce experience that it’s important to do it well.”
7. Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
Building a StoryBrand breaks down the seven universal elements of powerful stories to help you attract customers more effectively.
You’ll learn the real reason customers make purchases and ways to simplify your brand message so customers can understand and connect with it. This helps you cut through the noise and engage customers to see real ecommerce results.
🏅Best for: Product-based founders, ecommerce marketers, and anyone struggling to explain what makes their brand different in plain English.
🧠 Lesson learned: “This book is packed with great lessons, especially for founders who might not have a marketing background,” says Troy Petrunoff, director of retention and lifecycle marketing at superfood brand RYZE. “For example, ‘If you confuse, you’ll lose.’ You can have the best product ever, but if you don’t present it with clear, concise, and informative copy—not muddled down with flowery, marketing language—you’ll find attracting customers particularly hard.”
8. Influence by Robert Cialdini
Influence explores the subtle but powerful art of persuasion. It breaks down the psychology behind why people say yes into six universal principles: reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, social proof, and liking.
This book dives into stories and real-life examples of persuasion science so you can run an influential brand and a profitable business.
🏅Best for: Anyone writing product copy, designing a sales funnel, or trying to boost conversions through better customer understanding.
🧠 Lesson learned: “The most significant lesson is the importance of understanding human behavior and decision making,” says Emma Zerner, cofounder and content strategist of men’s jewelry brand Icecartel. “We’ve used these principles to optimize our product pages, design persuasive call-to-action elements, and build our marketing strategies to connect with our target audience.”
9. DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson
DotCom Secrets is the result of thousands of tests the author ran to understand what makes an online business successful. It’s packed with processes, funnels, and scripts he used to scale companies online.
This book helps you understand the psychology behind consumer behavior, tell stories, and build relationships. With it, you’ll create or rebuild your marketing system, define your ideal customer, and scale your online store.
🏅Best for: Ecommerce founders and marketers who want to improve their sales funnels and customer journeys, especially if you sell more than one product or want a more structured approach to growth.
🧠 Lesson learned: “Selling anything is hard, and the more expensive your product gets, the tougher it is to convince customers to buy from you as soon as they hear about you,” says Connor Gross, an ecommerce founder with a seven-figure exit and co-host of the podcast The Next Generation. “So your best bet is to start by giving away free content to get people to engage early. Eventually, you’ll want to sell them more and more expensive products, and you’ll build trust with them for the long run.”
Customer experience and retention books
- Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
- Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey Coleman
- The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
10. Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
Don’t Make Me Think focuses on web design and usability, but it’s really about making your customers’ lives easier. Krug shows you how clarity and simplicity in navigation, information architecture, and design can transform your store’s performance.
You’ll learn about intuitive layouts, usability testing, and how tiny design decisions can make or break a customer’s experience. It’s packed with visual examples and no-nonsense advice that you can apply immediately.
🏅Best for: Ecommerce founders, designers, or marketers who want to improve conversions on their store.
🧠 Lesson learned: “Krug puts you in your website visitors’ shoes,” says Daniel Kroytor, director of merchant account provider TailoredPay. “He highlights designs that cause problems, showcases navigation details that create smooth experiences, and explains how to build pathways for efficient conversions and checkout.”
11. Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey Coleman
Never Lose a Customer Again zooms in on the first 100 days of your customer’s journey—the make-or-break period that determines whether someone becomes a loyal fan or disappears forever.
Coleman breaks down eight phases of the customer experience and shows you practical ways to make people feel appreciated and supported throughout their journey. It’s about building real connections by making customers feel seen, heard, and valued from day one.
🏅Best for: DTC businesses that want to turn one-time shoppers into long-term fans.
🧠 Lesson learned: “Many books focus on getting the first sale rather than customer retention and loyalty,” says Benjamin Beck, marketing director at travel gear brand Tortuga. “Coleman gives you a step-by-step approach to keep customers for life, and when acquiring a new customer can cost several times more than upselling a current one, that’s invaluable.”
12. The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
The Art of Gathering isn’t your typical business book, but it’s incredibly relevant for ecommerce leaders. Parker argues that while coming together matters more than ever, most of our gatherings fall flat and miss their potential.
Drawing from years of facilitating high-stakes meetings worldwide, she shows you what works, what doesn’t, and why. For ecommerce leaders, this translates to creating meaningful experiences—whether that’s team meetings, customer events, or partner gatherings.
🏅Best for: Leaders, community builders, and anyone hosting events or building customer communities.
🧠 Lesson learned: “This book helped me rethink the expectations I put on myself when meeting with people,” says Caitlin Teed, former program manager at Shopify. “I learned it’s OK to be vulnerable, and it’s OK to say no to events that don’t align with you.
“It helped me think outside the box and raise the bar on what great gatherings look and feel like. How we gather matters. As a business owner, it helps you reconnect with how you approach meetings within your team and beyond.”
Business growth and operations books
- 12 Months to $1 Million by Ryan Daniel Moran
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
- Supermaker by Jaime Schmidt
- Ecommerce Evolved: The Essential Playbook to Build, Grow & Scale a Successful Ecommerce Business by Tanner Larsson
- House of Bricks by Jason Portnoy
13. 12 Months to $1 Million by Ryan Daniel Moran
12 Months to $1 Million is a roadmap to seven-figure revenue in a year or less. Moran shares his journey while teaching you to spot profitable opportunities, create products people actually want, and sharpen your marketing efforts.
His one-year plan breaks into three four-month stages: build a strong foundation, hit 25 sales daily in stage two, then reach at least 100 daily sales for sustainable success.
🏅Best for: Early-stage ecommerce founders who want structure, motivation, and a step-by-step approach to launching and scaling a brand.
🧠 Lesson learned: “There's so much valuable content here for ecommerce businesses,” says Shlesha Pandey, founder and chief strategist at ecommerce copy and email marketing agency Banyan Agency, “but one crucial lesson for me is the deep dive into achieving product-market fit. The step-by-step guidance to identify products that connect with customers and drive sustained sales is why this book is a winner for me.”
14. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
The E-Myth Revisited tackles a trap that snares most entrepreneurs: getting buried in daily tasks instead of building a business that runs without you. Gerber shows you why systems, documentation, and consistent processes form the backbone of any scalable company.
This updated edition of the 1985 original dismantles the assumptions and expectations that sabotage your chances of running a successful company.
🏅Best for: Business owners who feel swamped by operations or are ready to evolve from “busy founder” to actual CEO.
🧠 Lesson learned: “Create consistent processes and systems and you’ll get consistent, predictable results,” says Michelle Ebbin, founder of sensory clothing brand Jettproof. “It’s not the exciting answer most people want, but once you start implementing it, the value is enormous. Consistency creates a framework that builds value and trust. As Gerber writes, ‘Documentation is an affirmation of order.’”
15. Supermaker by Jaime Schmidt
Supermaker tells the story behind Schmidt’s Natural—how Jaime Schmidt built her natural products brand into more than 30,000 stores before Unilever acquired it in a nine-figure deal seven years later.
Schmidt shares practical advice on branding, product development, social media campaigns, PR, customer engagement, and scaling. It’s a rare look at what building and selling a major CPG brand actually takes.
🏅Best for: CPG founders, bootstrappers, and anyone building a mission-driven ecommerce brand who wants to see the complete journey.
🧠 Lesson learned: “It really showed me what a truly founder-led company looked like and opened my eyes to the potential of great CPG brands,” says ecommerce adviser and community builder Kristen LaFrance. “The best lesson? An honest look at how incredibly hard it is to develop a longstanding, highly successful brand, and that founders are some of the most resilient and brilliant people.”
16. Ecommerce Evolved: The Essential Playbook to Build, Grow & Scale a Successful Ecommerce Business by Tanner Larsson
Ecommerce Evolved covers everything from choosing the right products and setting up your site to crafting offers, managing logistics, and boosting long-term customer satisfaction.
What stands out is how hands-on it gets, with direct advice from someone who’s clearly worked in the trenches. It’s especially valuable if you’ve already launched and want to grow without burning out or breaking your systems.
🏅Best for: Bootstrapped founders and solo store owners who need practical, no-nonsense scaling guidance.
🧠 Lesson learned: Growth doesn’t come from constantly chasing new traffic. It comes from back-end systems that maximize each customer’s lifetime value. Build upsells, email automation, and tight operational processes into your store so every buyer becomes a repeat customer.
17. House of Bricks by Jason Portnoy
Released in 2025, House of Bricks takes a refreshing approach compared to flashy, fast-growth ecommerce books flooding the market.
Portnoy focuses on building your business like a house—one solid brick at a time. The book explores systems, operations, supply chains, and the unglamorous parts of ecommerce that actually drive long-term success.
New and seasoned store owners will find lessons here, especially if you want to move from chaotic hustle to smooth, sustainable operations.
🏅Best for: Founders who’ve grown quickly and now need to clean up behind the scenes.
🧠 Lesson learned: Don’t rush to scale. Make sure every “brick” of your store—product-market fit, offer, retention, traffic sources—is solid enough to stand alone. When your fundamentals are strong, growth becomes predictable for new and veteran ecommerce brands.
Mindset and productivity books for entrepreneurs
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- Linchpin by Seth Godin
18. Atomic Habits by James Clear
Atomic Habits is the definitive guide to building habits and changing your daily behaviors for the long haul. Clear focuses on making small improvements consistently rather than dramatic, sweeping changes—because those tiny improvements compound into enormous impact over time.
You can apply this book to build deeper focus at work, read more, journal regularly, reflect on your progress, strengthen relationships with colleagues and employees, establish a fitness routine—anything that helps you become your best self, at work and beyond.
🏅Best for: Anyone trying to get more consistent in life or business, especially entrepreneurs juggling multiple priorities at once.
🧠 Lesson learned: “The lesson is that before you can successfully manage a business, you have to learn how to successfully manage yourself,” says James Sowers, former director of The Good, a portfolio of tools for ecommerce companies.
“Time, energy, finances, mental capacity—it’s all important and all in limited supply. Atomic Habits helped me build the discipline and routines to become a more effective business leader and entrepreneur.”
19. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People builds around seven foundational habits that help you lead with more clarity, purpose, and calm. From “Begin with the end in mind” to “Put first things first,” each habit focuses on making decisions with intention—whether you’re managing yourself, a team, or an entire company.
It’s less about quick productivity hacks and more about developing the character and mindset that sustains long-term success.
🏅Best for: Founders, team leads, or solo operators who want to lead intentionally and create a stronger foundation for long-term growth.
🧠 Lesson learned: “When running an ecommerce business, you constantly make big decisions about where to focus your time, energy, and resources,” says Michael Rosenbaum, founder and CEO of parking and storage marketplace Spacer. “The chapter ‘Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood’ is a philosophy I use every day when managing my team, speaking with stakeholders, and fostering a culture of true efficiency.”
20. Linchpin by Seth Godin
In Linchpin, Godin defines linchpins as people who figure out what to do when there’s no rulebook. They love their work, challenge and delight their peers and customers, and land the best opportunities.
Linchpins are indispensable—they’re the key building blocks of exceptional companies. Your ecommerce business can thrive by hiring and nurturing linchpins, and this book helps you create a culture where they flourish.
🏅Best for: Entrepreneurs building a brand from scratch, or anyone who wants to carve out a role that matters.
🧠 Lesson learned: Become an indispensable asset to your clients or employer. Even if your creative work feels risky or imperfect, ship it anyway. Delivering a constant flow of good ideas transforms you from a replaceable cog in the machine to a linchpin.
How to make the most of your ecommerce reading
Reading ecommerce books is valuable, but the real transformation happens when you actually apply what you’ve learned. If you’re running a Shopify store, every book on this list contains actionable insights you can implement immediately. Here's how to turn reading into results:
- Flag ideas you can test right away: While reading, keep a running list of practical takeaways. For example, if Building a StoryBrand inspires you to clarify your messaging, rewrite your Shopify homepage headline so it instantly shows what you sell and why that matters to your customers.
- Map concepts back to your customer journey: Books like Never Lose a Customer Again offer retention frameworks you can apply immediately. Walk through your customer’s experience from first click to post-purchase and identify moments where you can add value. Could you enhance your confirmation email? Create a follow-up quiz to help customers maximize their purchase?
- Strengthen your automations: Books like DotCom Secrets or Influence help you refine email flows, landing pages, and upsells. If you’re using Shopify Email or Klaviyo, try new approaches to build trust and create urgency—like scarcity-based emails for limited stock, or a welcome series that shares your founder story.
- Transform your daily workflows: Use habit-building principles to tackle business areas you typically avoid, like writing compelling product descriptions or batching social content. Schedule weekly CEO time to work on your store instead of just in it.
- Turn insights into team conversations: If you have a small team (or even if you’re flying solo), discussing insights or creating mini-projects helps cement the ideas and creates accountability.
Your next ecommerce read is on this list
Whether you want to boost conversions, streamline operations, build a stronger brand, or simply become a more focused founder, this list has a book that can help.
Before choosing your next read, ask yourself:
- What’s my biggest business challenge right now?
- What skill do I most need to develop?
- Where am I feeling stuck or overwhelmed?
Maybe you’re optimizing email flows, learning how to delegate effectively, or planning your next product launch. Once you identify your focus, you can choose a book that addresses it directly.
For example:
- Struggling with retention? Never Lose a Customer Again is your answer.
- Want clearer website copy? Choose Everybody Writes or Building a StoryBrand.
- Need a strategic growth plan? 12 Months to $1 Million could be perfect.
- Ready to build better systems? The E-Myth Revisited will transform how you think.
You don’t need to devour these books in marathon sessions. Set a realistic goal—one chapter weekly, or 10 minutes daily—whatever works alongside running your store. Highlight ideas you want to implement, and maintain a simple Book Notes document or Notion page to capture key takeaways.
Then, choose one insight and test it on your Shopify store. This might mean rewriting product page headlines, adjusting post-purchase emails, or building a checklist for recurring processes.
As your business evolves, your challenges and questions will shift. Bookmark this list and return to it quarterly—you’ll likely discover new books that speak to your current stage.
Ecommerce books FAQ
What is an ecommerce book?
An ecommerce book gives you the chance to master a specific area of ecommerce you want to improve, often for as little as $15. Authors pack their careers’ worth of experience into a few hundred pages, so you can immediately implement what took them years to figure out.
What are the four areas of ecommerce?
Ecommerce operates through four types of transactions between sellers and buyers:
- Business-to-business (B2B), such as a cleaning product manufacturer selling to professional cleaners
- Business-to-consumer (B2C), like a shoe manufacturer selling running shoes to end customers
- Consumer-to-consumer (C2C), where individuals sell to each other, like on an online marketplace
- Consumer-to-business (C2B), where individuals sell their products or services to companies, like design elements, photographs, or music
Is ecommerce still profitable?
Yes—the average gross profit margin for online retailers is more than 40%. Ecommerce has fewer barriers to entry and expansion compared to brick-and-mortar businesses. To scale your ecommerce store, you don’t need additional physical locations or tons of new staff—just smart online marketing strategy and smooth order fulfillment processes.
What are the latest trends for ecommerce in 2025?
In 2025, ecommerce is being shaped by AI-driven personalization, social media marketing campaigns (especially through TikTok and Instagram), and more immersive shopping experiences like virtual try-ons and AR product demos. Sustainable shopping and ethical brand values are also playing a bigger role in consumer decisions, especially among Gen Z and younger millennials.
What is the best book on ecommerce?
It depends on what you’re trying to learn. Here are five of the best, depending on your focus:
- Ecommerce Evolved by Tanner Larsson is excellent for building and scaling your store with a clear, hands-on playbook.
- The Future of E-commerce by Grzegorz Chodak is ideal if you want to understand how AI, AR, and other emerging technologies will shape ecommerce.
- 12 Months to $1 Million by Ryan Daniel Moran works best for early-stage founders who want a step-by-step plan to grow quickly and sustainably.
- Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey Coleman is perfect if you want to improve retention and create a standout post-purchase experience.
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber is essential if you’re ready to move from founder chaos to systems and consistency.
