Top 14 Ecommerce Influencers You Need to Follow to Level Up Your Site Experience
If it seems like ecommerce changes by the day (or the hour), you’re right.
It’s an industry that’s always evolving—with a new announcement, algorithm change, or new way to prepare your store’s UX for shopper expectations at every turn.
So how is an ecommerce manager/merchandiser supposed to keep up?!
To help you stay on top of the latest news and best practices for everything from scaling your store’s operations, to evolving your brand, and trends in the DTC space, we’ve created this list of top ecommerce influencers and industry resources for you to follow. Everyone we’ve featured has a pulse on all things ecommerce and regularly share hot takes on the changing landscape.
Without further ado, here’s our curated list of influential ecommerce experts and resources.
Or jump right in:
- Web Smith
- Tracey Wallace
- Eddie Revis
- Kristen LaFrance
- Kaleigh Moore
- Grace Clarke
- Nik Sharma
- Tina Donati
- Andrew Youderian
- Future Commerce (podcast)
- DTC Pod (podcast)
- Commerce Shift (video series)
- Retail Brew (newsletter)
- Retail Dive (newsletter)
Note: This list isn’t ranked in a particular order. These are all terrific folks to follow/add to your newsfeeds!
Ecommerce influencers
1. Web Smith
Follow Web for his takes and insights on the ecommerce space, web3, and more:
Web’s knowledge and experience of the ecommerce space runs far and wide. He is the founder of ecommerce newsletter and paid membership, 2PM, and a co-founder of performance menswear brand Mezzin + Main.
Web is a go-to resource for trend-spotting and forecasting, making sense of the ever-evolving landscape, and all things digital commerce. Following Web will fill your feed with thought-provoking content on the state of commerce, consumerism, and the world.
Notable media featuring Web:
- Ecommerce and the Vanishing Middle with Web Smith | The Deep End podcast
- Web Smith on the Future of Media | The Pomp Podcast
Where you can learn more from Web:
Follow him on Twitter: @web
Join his paid membership, 2PM: https://2pml.com/
2. Tracey Wallace
Follow Tracey for SMS and email marketing insight:
Tracey Wallace is currently the Director of Content Strategy at Klayvio, and has worked for BigCommerce, Eterneva, and MarketerHire. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs and even started her own DTC pillow brand Doris Sleep.
Tracey is a treasure trove of information on everything from ecommerce and startups to content marketing, SMS marketing, and more. Following Tracey, you’ll learn actionable advice on how to elevate SMS and email marketing for your brand, inspiration for your next campaign, and more.
Notable media featuring Tracey:
Where you can learn more from Tracey:
Subscribe to her newsletter: Contentment
Follow her on Twitter: @TraceWall
3. Eddie Revis
Follow Eddie for his expertise in CPG ecommerce branding and design:
Eddie has a long history of building some of the most iconic brands in ecommerce: Method, Chobani, and most recently, Magnolia Bakery.
His extensive experience in ecommerce branding, design, and growth makes him a must-follow for scaling brands. Following Eddie, you’ll not only learn the importance of branding in CPG ecommerce but the power of inserting your brand in subtle ways (like a Magnolia Bakery cake featured in Taylor Swift’s All Too Well short film) and not-so-subtle ways (like a recreation of the 2007 viral “Muffins” video).
Notable media featuring Eddie:
Where you can learn more from Eddie:
Follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardrevis/
4. Kristen LaFrance
Follow Kristen for customer retention and community building:
Kristen is a pillar in the commerce community. She’s currently the Director of Community at Repeat.
You may know Kristen from hosting Resilient Retail—Shopify’s podcast. In her role at Repeat, she runs CPG House—a by-application community for CPG operators—where she connects industry folks all over the world.
Her unending knowledge of building A+ customer experiences, customer loyalty, and retention make her a must-follow for brands and marketers looking to up-level this part of their business.
Notable media featuring Kristen:
- How to Adapt to New Customer Expectations with Kristen LaFrance | Customer Show
- Advice on How to Humanize Your Brand from Resilient Retail’s Kristen LaFrance | DTC Growth
- How to Create and Measure an Omnichannel Ecommerce Strategy by Kristen LaFrance | The Marketing Analytics Show
Where you can learn more from Kristen:
CPG House: Learn more
Follow her on Twitter: @kdlafrance
Follow DTC Fam: @dtc_fam
5. Kaleigh Moore
Follow Kaleigh for DTC and retail trends:
Kaleigh has been a freelance writer for B2B SaaS and ecommerce brands for 8+ years. Her in-depth knowledge of how brands can implement storytelling and connection into their shopping experience—not to mention the countless articles she’s written on the topic—make her a must-follow.
Follow Kaleigh to keep a pulse on what’s happening in the DTC and brick-and-mortar spaces alike, her takes on what makes a strong ecommerce experience, and more.
Notable media featuring Kaleigh:
- Bringing DTC brands into the subscription space with Kaleigh Moore | Playing for Keeps
- Attracting New Customers Through Content Marketing – Kaleigh Moore | The Ecommerce Insights Show
Where you can learn more from Kaleigh:
Follow her on Twitter: @kaleighf
Subscribe to her newsletter: https://www.kaleighmoore.com/newsletter
Listen to her podcast: https://www.freelancewritingcoachpodcast.com/
6. Grace Clarke
Follow Grace for her insights on ecommerce brand strategy and innovation:
Grace Clarke is a marketing and brand consultant for CPG, DTC, and ecommerce brands. She previously worked at Madewell as a digital content editor and Derris—a brand consultancy that’s worked with brands like Warby Parker, Everlane, and more—as their head of content.
Grace’s experience both in-house and on the agency side make her well-versed in both sides of the ecommerce coin and how scaling brands can create the best possible online shopping experiences.
Follow Grace to learn how you can supercharge your branding and become a go-to brand for your customers.
Notable media featuring Grace:
Where you can learn more from Grace:
Follow her on Twitter: @graceclarke
Visit her website: https://www.grace-clarke.com/
7. Nik Sharma
Follow Nik for his DTC tactics, learnings, and advice to scale:
Nik Sharma is known industry-wide as “The DTC Guy” and for good reason. He’s an ecommerce investor, advisor, and operator and has worked with brands like Cadence, Haus, and Judy.
Nik’s vast experience in ecommerce and DTC makes him a gold mine of insights, advice, and industry forecasting. Following him on social or subscribing to one of his newsletters is a great way to not only stay up to date with what’s happening in the industry but a great way to learn actionable takeaways you can employ right now for more store revenue fast.
Notable media featuring Nik:
- How to Create a Great Landing Page That Converts | The Marketing Millennials
- Customer Acquisition, Seamless Experiences, and Scaling with DTC Expert Nik Sharma | Up Next In Commerce
- MarketerLive: The First hire For Early-Stage DTC Brands | Marketing is Broken
Where you can learn more from Nik:
Follow him on Twitter: @mrsharma
Subscribe to his Sunday Branding newsletter: https://www.nik.co/subscribe
8. Tina Donati
Follow Tina for ecommerce automation best practices, how-tos, and more:
Tina is a true ecommerce expert. She currently heads up content at Alloy Automation and, before that, worked for Fuel Made, Smile.io, and Octane AI.
Tina is constantly tweeting and sharing about how ecommerce brands can automate various aspects of business—making things easier for both you and your customers. A win-win. She offers a fresh perspective on the changing industry and is constantly connecting folks.
Tina also shares her expertise in content marketing and writing—two valuables for any growing business.
Notable media featuring Tina:
Where to learn more from Tina:
Follow her on Twitter: @Tina_Donati
Check out her work on the Alloy Automation blog: https://runalloy.com/blog/
9. Andrew Youderian
Follow Andrew for his advice on scaling your 7+ figure brand:
Andrew is the founder of the 1,000+ member ecommerce community eCommerce Fuel. This community is for experienced operators looking to level up and includes forums, networking events, a podcast, and more.
In addition, Andrew also shares his ecommerce knowledge and experience on Twitter. Being part of eCommerce Fuel—and following Andrew—helps you tap into some of the best and brightest minds in the industry with access that’s hard to get otherwise.
Notable media featuring Andrew:
Where you can learn more from Andrew:
Follow him on Twitter: @youderian
Check out his community: https://www.ecommercefuel.com/
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Ecommerce expert resources
10. Future Commerce podcast
The Future Commerce podcast is a weekly podcast that explores the impact of extensive consumerism, capitalism, and more in DTC, retail, and ecommerce. In their words, “We are a collective of ecommerce operators who have helped build digital commerce channels for some of the world’s most recognizable brands.”
Why you should listen
Future Commerce features guests that offer thought-provoking takes, radical insights, and everything in between. Hosts and co-founders Phillip Jackson and Brian Lange take listeners through the often-turbulent and always-evolving industry and discuss current trends, happenings, and more.
Notable episodes
- Recapping Shopify Editions (Feat. Gil Greenberg, Checkout Promotions)
- Economists Fight Club (The Great Reshuffle)
- “The Uncorkening”
#cta-paragraph-fe#Learn even more from Future Commerce co-founder and VP of Commerce at Rightpoint, Phillip Jackson, by tuning into his Commerce Shift episode. Listen here: https://getshogun.com/commerce-shift
11. DTC Pod
DTC Pod is a twice-weekly podcast geared towards ecommerce operators and founders building brands in the consumer, commerce, and creator areas. Episodes include advice on how to grow and build a thriving DTC business.
Why you should listen
For those fascinated by all things DTC, this podcast will help you stay on top of trends and best practices, as well as dive deep into what’s happening weekly in the space.
Notable episodes
- Oren Aks: Marketing Fyre Festival, The Viral Campaign of the Decade
- Terry Lee, Rosaluna: Building the Best Brands in DTC – From MeUndies to Mezcal
- Cynthia Plotch, Stix: Building the DTC Women’s Health Stack, OBGYN Approved
12. Commerce Shift
At Shogun, we aim to create content that inspires and educates ecommerce operators. We launched season one of our on-demand video series Commerce Shift in early 2022, and we’re gearing up to launch season two soon.
Why you should tune in
Commerce Shift features insights from ecommerce operators, agency experts, and other industry pros on the changing tides of commerce, DTC, and beyond. Learn from experts like Eddie Revis, CMO at Magnolia Bakery, and Alex O’Byrne, Co-founder and director of We Make Websites on how to navigate unique challenges ecomm brands face.
Notable episodes
#cta-paragraph-fe#Get notified when season two drops by subscribing here: https://getshogun.com/commerce-shift
13. Retail Brew newsletter
Retail Brew is part of the Morning Brew family. If you know anything about Morning Brew, you know any sub-brand of theirs will be exceptional. Retail Brew is a daily newsletter profiling the current events in the retail industry—from DTC to brick-and-mortar stores to TikTok stars and inflation.
Why you should read
Ecommerce and retail change by the day. Retail Brew is a great way to keep up with what’s happening industry-wide in an easy-to-read, TL;DR-style newsletter. It’s a predictable and reliable way to stay on top of what’s happening in the field.
Subscribe here: https://www.retailbrew.com/
14. Retail Dive newsletter
Retail Dive is a robust newsletter covering a vast array of ecommerce and retail topics. Subscribers have the choice to sign up for five different kinds of Retail Dive newsletters: Daily Dive (M-F), Marketing Weekly (every Wednesday), Tech Weekly (every Thursday), DTC Weekly (every Tuesday), or Operations Weekly (every Monday).
Why you should read
Retail Dive’s journalistic approach to what’s happening in the retail industry makes it an invaluable asset to any ecommerce operator’s dose of news.
Subscribe here: https://www.retaildive.com/signup/?signup_location=header&signup_path=/
Keep up with the changing ecommerce landscape with these experts
There are a lot of resources and experts to keep up with in this space. But, when you find the resources you love in the format that works best for you and your team, your feeds and inboxes will become so much better (and manageable!).
#cta-visual-fe#<cta-title>Get the best of the Shogun blog right to your inbox.<cta-title>Subscribe and don’t miss a thing! Sign up
Kaitlyn Ambrose
Kaitlyn works on all things content at Shogun. ⚡
