Podcasts are quick, fun, and easy ways to learn while on the go, which make them the perfect educational tools for busy professionals looking to level-up their business strategies. These audio “shows” have been gaining traction in recent years; a whopping 75% of Americans are now familiar with the format. And can you blame them? The medium provides an avenue for subject matter experts to directly address an audience in their own words and on their own terms, and often captures the essence of conversations far better than written content.
With podcasts being all the rage, it’s no surprise that there are dozens of ecommerce-themed shows available. Plenty of them are fine, but when you’re sweating the details as a small online retailer, you only have time for the best of the best, right? That’s why we scoured the web and put together this list of the best podcasts for small ecommerce business owners. Be sure to add at least a few of these shows to your own audio library for best results.
Host: Andrew Youderian
Who it’s for: Anyone in the ecommerce industry looking to scale
The Cliffs Notes: Since 2013, Youderian has produced more than 400 episodes of eCommerceFuel, a weekly show that provides detailed information on launching and growing an ecommerce business. He taps other industry experts for their insights and covers a range of topics from general industry trends to brand-specific stories, always served up with a side of humor. The podcast is part of the larger eCommerceFuel network, the largest business development community for 7- and 8-figure online retailers.
Host: Stephen Peterson
Who it’s for: Sellers, especially those using Amazon, eBay, and Etsy
The Cliffs Notes: Peterson got started in ecommerce as a way to build up his sons’ college fund and always enjoyed listening to podcasts while he worked. It wasn’t until he spoke to a networking group that he realized there was a common theme among his peers: getting “stuck.” There were sellers who kept running into hurdles, but the successful ones found ways to move forward. That was all the inspiration Peterson needed, and he turned it into his Ecommerce Momentum podcast, where he interviews Amazon, eBay, and Etsy sellers about moving past roadblocks and improving their businesses.
Host: Felix Thea
Who it’s for: Ecommerce entrepreneurs looking for fresh perspectives
The Cliffs Notes: Shopify Masters, the marketplace’s podcast, uses a case study approach to tell the stories of experienced entrepreneurs leveraging the platform. Host Felix Thea interviews a diverse group of sellers from around the world, but the show is not exclusively about using Shopify. Guests also talk about the business risks they’ve taken, the other tools in their tech stacks, and the marketing strategies they’ve found surprisingly successful. If it has to do with selling online, it’s probably fair game on this popular podcast.
Hosts: Jason Goldberg and Scot Wingo
Who it’s for: Entrepreneurs interested in retail
The Cliffs Notes: Self-proclaimed “Retailgeek” Jason Goldberg (Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis), and Scot Wingo (CEO of Get Spiffy of Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor) co-host this interview-style show, which takes deep-dives into the world of commerce and retail. The Jason & Scot Show focuses mainly on the news that’s taking the industry by storm, and they discuss everything from retail technology to brand strategy with the expert insights that come from spending years in the industry. These are the influencers who coined the term “Shipageddon” to describe holiday sales’ strain on the shipping carrier network—they know their stuff.
Host: Brett Curry
Who it’s for: Ecommerce business owners looking for what’s new and next
The Cliffs Notes: Ecommerce Evolution is a weekly podcast from marketing agency OMG Commerce that features inspiring stories from successful online retailers. Host Brett Curry interviews merchants, vendors, and other industry experts, and garners actionable tips sellers can use to plus-size their businesses. Tune in every other week for “an in-depth look at what’s new and what’s next in ecommerce.”
Host: Steve Hutt
Who it’s for: Shopify sellers
The Cliffs Notes: Startup founder Steve Hutt is familiar with the ups and downs of running a Shopify business—he’s a member of the Shopify Merchant Success team, after all. His podcast, Ecommerce Fastlane, is a “proven roadmap to your success” where Hutt discusses cutting-edge marketing strategies and the latest tactics to inspire customer loyalty. The show has hundreds of five-star ratings and glowing reviews from sellers who rave about how much they’ve learned while listening.
Host: Kiri Masters
Who it’s for: Ecommerce veterans
The Cliffs Notes: Hosted by Kiri Masters of Amazon agency Bobsled Marketing, Ecommerce Braintrust “gives you access to the world’s best brains” in the online retail industry. Masters and her guests discuss the nuances of Amazon and marketplace selling, but often that’s just a jumping-off point for conversations about the larger ecommerce landscape. And while the show is geared toward those who already have ecommerce experience under their belts, it’s also a friendly place for newer sellers to pick up some of the basics.
Host: Steve Chou
Who it’s for: Ecommerce beginners
The Cliffs Notes: The backstory for this podcast is simple: Like the title says, Steve Chou’s wife quit her corporate job so the couple could focus on the ecommerce empire they were building. The brand now exists as a website full of resources that help any aspiring entrepreneur learn about the world of ecommerce and how to launch a business. On the My Wife Quit Her Job podcast, Chou asks the hard questions to discover the exact strategies brands use to succeed online. In the process, he’s built a wealth of knowledge, with over 300+ episodes.
Host: Eric Bandholz
Who it’s for: Anyone interested in brand stories
The Cliffs Notes: Ecommerce Conversations is a go-to resource for learning about the growth strategies that worked for successful brands in the online retail space. Hosted by Practical Ecommerce, this weekly podcast discusses the realities of selling online with real people who have made it their careers. Industry practitioners and entrepreneurs discuss everything from hiring a team to marketplace strategies to ecommerce accounting, and the guests share plenty of tips and tricks for other sellers to implement in their own businesses.
Host: Kunle Campbell
Who it’s for: Ecommerce sellers focused on business growth
The Cliffs Notes: As an ecommerce advisor, Kunle Campbell is committed to helping other online sellers expand their businesses using the latest marketing strategies. His brand, 2X Ecommerce, is both a business development community and a podcast that tells the stories of high growth, 7- and 8-figure online retailers and ecommerce experts. Previous guests have included the founders of SNOW Teeth Whitening, EVE Sleep, and Oliver Cabell.
Hosts: Jason Suder,Bart Mroz, and Brittany Blackman
Who it’s for: Anyone in ecommerce looking for quick industry updates
The Cliffs Notes: The name eCommerce Minute is appropriate for this short daily podcast that gives updates on the online retail industry in roughly seven minutes. New episodes are released Monday through Friday, and they cover a surprising number of topics in their short time frames. It helps that hosts Jason Suder, Bart Mroz, and Brittany Blackman stay high-level when discussing concepts and avoid getting into the weeds with specific analyses and strategies.
Host: Drew Sanocki
Who it’s for: All business owners and entrepreneurs
The Cliffs Notes: An established and trusted podcast in the online retail world, Nerd Marketing is mostly about ecommerce marketing, but it also touches on other topics like finance, travel, and private equity. Host Drew Sanocki offers insights into entrepreneurship via his current and previous experiences, and he interviews other podcasters from the ecommerce industry on a range of topics. The latest example? Andrew Youderian joined Sanocki to discuss leveraging physical postcards as a standout marketing tool.
Host: Austin Brawner
Who it’s for: Ecommerce newcomers
The Cliffs Notes: As a brand, Ecommerce Influence is centered around providing resources that help business owners boost their online stores’ conversion rates. The podcast fits right in with that theme, touching on a wide variety of marketing topics and profiling successful entrepreneurs, marketers, freelancers, and more. Better yet, all the episodes are organized by keyword so listeners can pick and choose which episodes will be the most relevant to them.
By guest contributor Taylor Knauf