The 8 TED Talks Every Ecommerce Marketer Needs to Watch

When you’re busy running an online store, dedicating time to reading, watching or listening to a piece of content – be it a blog post, infographic, ebook, video – can seem like a bit of a risky investment. Nobody likes to think that they’ve been robbed of five or more minutes of their time when they’re not gaining anything valuable in return.

Luckily for us, there’s TED. With over a thousand talks from experts ranging from former US presidents to leading academics to industry leaders that have accumulated over a billion views to date, it’s probably safe to say your time won’t be wasted.

Here are 8 fantastic talks that are relevant to your role as ecommerce marketer. Each video is under 25 minutes long – so why not grab a cup of tea and start your day feeling inspired?

1) Itamar Simonson: The decline of consumer irrationality at TEDxBayArea (2014)

Summary: Stanford professor Itamar Simonson argues that the internet has fundamentally changed consumer behaviour; that consumers are less likely to choose irrationally and now base decisions on reviews from other users, easily accessed expert opinions, price comparison apps, and other emerging technologies.

Run time: 18m 42s

2) Dan Cobley: What physics taught me about marketing (2010)

Summary: Dan Cobley addresses some interesting parallels between physics and marketing. He covers several key arguments: that the bigger a brand, the most difficult it is to reposition it; that measuring customer action is more effective than what they say they’ll do; that one bad week can undermine decades of good brand building and that brands are more dispersed than they think they are.

Run time: 7m 38s

3) Tim Leberecht: 3 ways to (usefully) lose control of your brand (2012)

Summary: Brands can no longer control their reputation. But hyperconnectivity gives them more control over these things they can’t control; to constantly listen in on what’s being said about them. Tim Leberecht offers three big ideas about accepting that loss of control, even designing for it — and using it as an impetus to recommit to your values.

Run time: 6m 30s

4) Joseph Pine: What consumers want (2004)

Summary: Still relevant ten years on, Joseph Pine argues that economic value is no longer based on commodities, goods or services; that experiences are what consumers are now interested in. How do you create (or ‘render’) authenticity? Pine covers three key rules.

Run time: 14m 19s

5) Sheena Iyengar: How to make choosing easier (2011)

Summary: Sheena Iyengar addresses the issue of decision paralysis. In this talk, she demonstrates how brands can improve the experience of choosing.

Run time: 16m 5s

6) Renny Gleeson: 404, the story of a page not found (2012)

Summary: Renny Gleeson takes us on a tour of 404 pages, arguing that every error is a chance to build a better relationship with your customers – that they can create ‘brand moments’.

Run time: 4m 7s

7) Seth Godin: The tribes we lead (2009)

Summary: Seth Godin argues that the internet has powered the re-emergence of ‘the tribe’. No longer is mass marketing the key to reaching people.

Run time: 17m 29s

8. Devora Rogers: The Science of Shopping & Future of Retail (2013)