The Rise and Struggles of Smaller E-Commerce Sellers: Lessons from 2015 to Now [Podcast]

In this episode, following a conversation that Renaud had with a client, we decided to discuss the dramatic shift that small e-commerce sellers have undergone over the past decade. We cover the post‑2015 boom powered by dropshipping and low‑cost advertising, through the COVID‑driven explosion in online shopping, to today’s harsh reality of rising ad costs, fierce competition from big brands, and increased platform fees. The hosts dissect how the e‑commerce ecosystem has changed and highlight what smaller sellers must do to stay afloat.

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Show sections

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 01:28 – From 2015 to 2020: The e-commerce gold rush
• 03:08 – The dropshipping and ODM model: Opportunities and pitfalls
• 06:17 – Post-COVID Challenges
• 07:38 – Advertising Costs and Market Changes
• 09:02 – Online ads were cheap… until they weren’t
• 10:34 – Big brands enter e-commerce and dominate paid ads
• 11:00 – Brand trust drives better ROAS and lower ad costs
• 12:49 – Rising CPC trends from Google, Amazon, and Meta
• 15:26 – Ad costs spike during peak seasons, another burden
• 16:00 – Amazon’s costs and risks: Fulfillment, storage, bad reviews
• 19:47 – Challenges for small sellers vs. household-name brands
• 21:06 – Bigger budgets = better ad performance due to AI
• 23:39 – Strategies for Small E-Commerce Sellers
• 27:02 – Platform dependence: Sellers get squeezed from all sides
• 34:34 – Can small sellers still succeed—and how?
• 42:10 – Building a Brand and Community

Extra resources

• Google Ads Statistics for 2024: Usage, Demographics & CPCs – DemandSage
• Top Cost Per Click (CPC) Statistics 2024 – Amra and Elma LLC
• Brand Performance: Maximizing Ad ROI – Search Engine Land
• Branded vs Non-Branded Keywords: The Impact on Your Marketing Strategy – QuickCreator
• The TikTok Shop Era of Super-Subsidies Is Ending – WIRED
• 2025 Trend: Mounting Pressure to Squeeze the Long Tail in Retail Media – eMarketer
• The Ecommerce Experiment: How I Spent $11K and Sold 4 Items on Amazon – Business Insider

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