How to Start an eCommerce Business Book: 5 Expert-Recommended Reads for eCommerce Beginners

• Build-Measure-Learn: This feedback loop allows you to start small, test, and improve rapidly.
• Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Launch with just enough features to gather early feedback.
• Pivot or Persevere: Make decisions based on real data. You either change direction or continue refining your product.
• Validated Learning: Focus on learning what your customers need and want. Do not just assume.

It’s a must-read for any beginner who wants to be smart and efficient. The language is clear, and the advice? Spot-on.

• Evolutionary Approach:Focus on continuous improvement in your store. Don't aim for perfection from the start.
• Three-Tier Business Model: For a sustainable eCommerce business, having a front-end, middle, and back-end structure is important.
• Optimization and Conversion: Optimize every aspect of your store to boost conversions.
• Traffic Diversification: Don't rely on one source of traffic. Learn how to generate traffic from multiple channels like paid ads, organic search, and affiliates.
• Customer Value Maximization: Learn strategies to increase your customer lifetime value. This includes upsells, cross-sells, and retention tactics.

It’s like having a mentor beside you, showing you the ropes. And the best part? It’s written in a way that’s easy to understand, making it perfect for beginners.

• Sales Funnels: Build effective sales funnels that guides potential customers from interest to purchase.
• Value Ladder: Learn how to structure your products and services. This will help customers move up from lower-priced items to premium offers.
• Attractive Character: Create a persona or "attractive character" for your brand. This is the key to connecting with your audience and building trust.
• Traffic Sources: Brunson breaks down different ways to drive traffic to your site, including paid traffic, organic traffic, and earned traffic.
• The Hook, Story, Offer Framework: Understand how to craft compelling hooks and engaging stories to pair with irresistible offers, making your product or service stand out.

Even if the idea of "sales funnels" sounds complicated, don’t worry—he makes it simple. With this book, you’ll learn to turn visitors into buyers.

And before you know it, you’ll have a system that practically runs itself.

• Clarify Your Brand’s Message: Simplify your business's message so customers instantly understand what you offer and why it matters.
• Customer as the Hero: Focus on making the customer the hero of your story, with your brand serving as their guide.
• Seven-Part Framework: Follow the StoryBrand framework. It includes the customer, their problem, a guide (your brand), a plan, a call to action, the avoidance of failure, and their ultimate success.
• Value Proposition: Make your value proposition crystal clear. Focus on how your products solve a specific problem for your customers.
• Effective Communication: Use simple, direct language to connect with customers and address their needs.
• Call to Action: Be clear about what you want your customers to do next. Is it to purchase, sign up, or take another action?
• Storytelling Power: Craft a compelling story that connects with customers. This drives deeper engagement with your brand.

Another great thing about this book is that it’s easy to follow, even if you’re new to eCommerce. The steps are simple, and Miller provides plenty of real life examples, so you can see exactly how to apply the principles to your own business.

• Three Phases of Marketing: Focuses on these phases of marketing—attract, convert, and retain customers.
• Customer Targeting: Identify and target the right audience for your product. This avoids wasting marketing efforts on uninterested customers.
• Crafting the Right Message: Deliver a clear and compelling message that speaks directly to your ideal customers.
• Sales Process: Map out a simple and effective sales process to convert leads into paying customers.
• Automation: Discover how to automate parts of your marketing strategy so you can focus on scaling your business.
• One-Page Framework: The beauty of the book lies in its simplicity—putting everything onto one page helps you keep your marketing focused and actionable.

Dib explains how to get the right message to the right people at the right time. You’ll learn how to attract, convert, and keep customers.

The best part? It’s all actionable advice that you can apply right away, no matter how new you are to eCommerce.