Note: This article introduces Japanese-language books on running an online shop. These books are written in Japanese and may not be available outside Japan.
Many people who want to start an online shop, or who have just started one, aren't sure what to study first.
Running an online shop is made up of many combined elements — preparing to launch, developing products, generating traffic, improving sales, and building repeat business. There's no shortage of information out there, but the reality is that fragmented know-how alone makes it hard to grasp the big picture.
Using books to organize the fundamentals is one way to approach this.
This article introduces books that are easy to read even for beginners, organized by purpose and phase.
* This article uses affiliate advertising.
Points to Check When Choosing a Book About Online Shops
"Online shop" is a broad term that covers many themes — preparing to launch, product design, traffic generation, advertising, repeat-customer strategy, and more.
For that reason, it's more realistic to pick one theme that matches your current challenge, rather than searching for a single book that covers everything.
For example, it helps to think along these lines:
- I want to know how to get started first
- I want to understand why my sales aren't growing
- I want to learn traffic-generation methods for marketplaces
- I want to learn how to build a brand
Also, since platform and media specifications and tool operations change quickly, it's realistic to use books mainly as a way to understand the basic thinking and overall flow.
[By Purpose] 5 Recommended Books That Are Easy to Read Even for Online Shop Beginners
Here, we introduce books about online shops organized by purpose and phase.
For Those Who Want to Start an Online Shop With a Small Launch
Home-Based Entrepreneurship: From a 4.5-Tatami-Mat Room to ¥700 Million
This book is based on the author's real experience of growing an online shop after starting it from home.
It concretely walks through the process of turning a personal passion into a product and growing sales while building a fan base. What stands out in particular is the way it touches on strategies unique to a small-scale start, such as product development and shaping a brand's world.
Rather than teaching systematic marketing theory, the content centers on real-world examples. It's a good fit for those who want to start an online shop, or who lean toward small business.
For Those Who Want to Understand the Overall Picture of Launching an Online Shop
The Home Online Shop®
This is an introductory book that explains the process of launching an online shop step by step.
It organizes the points beginners commonly get stuck on, from preparing to open a shop, to product design, pricing, and the basics of traffic generation. Technical terms are explained in relatively plain language, making it easy to follow even for first-timers.
It doesn't go into advertising optimization or advanced data analysis. It's a good book for those who first want to grasp the overall picture.
For Those Who Want to Seriously Grow Their Business as an EC Operation
How to Sell! Managing and Running an E-Commerce Business
This book is written from the perspective of growing an online shop as a full-fledged "business," not just a side hustle.
It organizes the management perspective needed to grow EC continuously — product strategy, KPI design, organizational structure, and data use. It's useful not only for on-the-ground staff, but also for a phase where you're running things as a team.
It's a good fit for those who want to seriously grow their online shop as a business.
For Those Who Want to Reach ¥100,000 a Month With Handmade or Side-Hustle Sales
The Book for Earning ¥100,000 a Month Selling Handmade Goods Online as a Side Hustle
Centered on handmade products, this book explains concrete steps for individuals to sell online.
It focuses on practical topics — choosing products, pricing, product photography, building a sales page, and choosing a sales channel. It presents a realistic sense of the numbers, assuming a small-scale side hustle.
It isn't written with large-scale expansion or organizational growth in mind. It's aimed at those who first want to build up a certain amount of sales as a side business.
For Those Who Want to Grow Sales on Rakuten Ichiba
The Ultimate Guide to Winning on Rakuten Ichiba
This is a practical guide specifically for Rakuten Ichiba.
It's explained in line with the sales structure specific to this marketplace — on-platform SEO, using Rakuten's events, advertising operations, and product-page optimization. The content centers on concrete tactics for Rakuten sellers. It's a book for businesses that treat Rakuten Ichiba as their main battlefield.
For Those Who Want to Improve the Quality of Their Product Photos
Product Photos That Pop on Social Media, Online Shops, and Flea-Market Apps: Shooting With Your Phone
This is a practical guide focused on "product photography," an essential element of selling on online shops and social media.
Assuming you're shooting with a smartphone, it explains the basics of lighting, backgrounds, composition, and styling with concrete examples. It's packed with shooting examples by category — accessories, food, people, interiors, and more — making it easy to picture how to apply it in practice.
Because it organizes points you can improve without special equipment, it's a good fit for those just starting an online shop, or those who want to raise the overall quality of their photos.
Start With Just One Book on Online Shops
Running an online shop covers a wide range of areas — preparing to launch, product design, traffic generation, advertising, CRM, product photography, and more.
That said, most people searching for "books on online shops" are likely beginners who first want to understand the big picture.
So there's no need to cover every specialized book from the start. The first step is to read one introductory book on launching a shop, such as "The Home Online Shop," and grasp the overall picture.
From there, once your challenges become clearer, it's a good idea to fill in specialized books by theme, such as:
- A photography book if you want to improve your photos
- A Rakuten- or Amazon-specific book if you want to grow on a marketplace
- A management-focused book if you're aiming to grow your business
