Info Share: 15 Helpful Forums for Online Merchants

When you’re looking for advice on any subject, the best place to go is direct to the source. This holds true for just about everything from health and wellness to technology support. So what about e-commerce business owners? For help in navigating the world of online and offline marketing, sales and management, it’s still a good idea to go direct to the source. So we’ve rounded up 15 different venues for you to find the connection, support and help you need.

Management, Sales & Marketing

Want help with the dynamic side of e-commerce? Check out these forums that focus on sales tactics and marketing strategies.

eCommerce Fuel — The eCommerce Fuel community is focused on high volume and traditional sales tactics. Their community can be pretty intimidating and the requirements to get in include running an online shop that brings in a minimum of $250k per year.

Web Retailer — The Web Retailer forum is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Their members come from a wide range of backgrounds, so no matter what sales or marketing help you need, you’re likely to find it here.

LinkedIn — Looking for help that includes advice and insight from professionals from every walk of life? Hit up LinkedIn, the ultimate networking website for professionals. They have an entire forum dedicated to marketing help for smaller companies.

Small Business Big Marketing — Want insight on the tactics used by larger companies to see how they translate to a smaller business? Hit up the aggressive pros over at Small Business Big Marketing.

Warrior Forum — Warrior Forum is the perfect place if you want to take your marketing to the next level. These guys are serious when it comes to marketing so they can come across pretty strong. But don’t let their intensity put you off — their knowledge of how to increase traffic and convert visits into sales is invaluable.

SEO Chat — Want to learn how to use SEO content without compromising quality? SEO Chat can help you get started.

MBA Depot — If you already have an MBA and want to learn how to best use that to grow your business and improve management within the company, the MBA Depot will be your perfect forum.

12Manage — Looking for help with literally any aspect of management? 12Manage has resources and forums with contributors from companies and disciplines all over the world.

Small Business Forum — One of the best and most comprehensive forums on the list. Small Business Forumattracts entrepreneurs from every point on the spectrum giving users diverse opinions, debates and conversations.

The Nitty Gritty

Want help with the mechanics of selling online? Get help from the big players in online commerce, as well as those who have made a fortune using them wisely.

WordPress — Over at WordPress Forums you can find help with everything from how to format your posts to monetizing projects and promotions.

BigCommerce — BigCommerce bills itself as a one-stop shop for e-commerce platforms. They offer everything from shopping carts to online payments and they’ve also added an active forum that covers their own products as well as ideas from members.

PrestaShop — PrestaShop is a smaller e-commerce platform but what they lack in size, they make up for in connectivity. Their community offers comprehensive help with their products and plenty of input from owners around the world.

Shopify Ecommerce Community — There’s a reason why Shopify is so popular. Their robust coding, versatility and hands on approach to owner empowerment means they deliver on a grand scale. Check out their online community for help on everything from Shopify functionality to getting feedback on your shop.

Web Design Forums — This community is perfect for companies working to improve their current website and sales portals. Get help on making your online channels attractive and more likely to attract buyers.

Designers Talk — Find out what designers WISH they could tell their clients. The Designers Talk forum opens the doors for you to find out about how to best approach design and network with professionals at the same time.