Ecom Warrior Academy Review (2026): Matthew Lepre's AI Ecom Business + Alternatives

In this Ecom Warrior Academy review:

I look into Matthew's AI ecom business model.
I include third-party online reviews to save you time looking for them.
You get a list of what's included in the program, like the 12-module training and 1-on-1 coaching.
You'll also learn about Matthew Lepre's journey from working 3 jobs to dropshipping cosmetic products.
I compare dropshipping with the more sustainable local SEO lead generation alternative.

In my experience, the Shopify dropshipping model that Ecom Warrior Academy teaches reminds me of Guy Kawasaki’s strategy. In his The Art of the Start 2.0 book, he encourages entrepreneurs to use all available tools to launch businesses quickly and with minimal resources. Using available AI tools reduces the resources and time required to launch and manage your dropshipping business. But the book’s approach becomes less unique when more people adopt the same methods.

The lowered entry barrier made Shopify dropshipping even more saturated. AI-generated copy also tends to be generic. You need to find ways to stand out to be competitive. For example, Matthew Lepre hired a PR who published an article on Daily Mail which went viral and led to a lot of course sales. He also hired a photographer for $55K to take photos of him during his travel. The photos were used for luxury-lifestyle marketing, which grew his following substantially.

Public Review Sentiment

Sentiment is based on public reviews, discussions, and independent analysis available at the time of publication. Percentages reflect identified positive, negative, and neutral sentiment by platform.

Reddit (200 reviews)

Mostly negative

Positive: “Mathew Lepre is NOT A SCAM. I did the course and it was detailed paying $500 every month. They actually run the courses.”

Negative: “It's a scam! Unfortunately I lost $6k AUD for one of his courses after multiple phone calls.”

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Negative: “ECOM WARRIOR ACADEMY IS A SCAM! I enrolled in Ecom Warrior Academy, paying $2,700 for their program.”

Negative: “I'm so disappointed I signed up to this crap! they DO NOT help you find products, they DO NOT help you build a store.”

Positive: “So far it's laid out quite nicely, the training is in depth and worth it (so far).”

80% 20%

YouTube (14 reviews)

Mixed and skeptical

Positive: “Overall, the Ecom Warrior Academy by Matthew Lepre offers a solid foundation for those serious about dropshipping.”

Negative: “Do I recommend this program? I would say probably not right now.”

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Neutral: “Matt is the real deal... he's not a scam artist, nothing like that. His program is legit.”

Neutral: “The only thing I would say that I don't like is that they focus on Facebook Ads.”

Negative: “The high cost combined with the fact that Matthew Lepre isn't as hands-on as you might expect makes it a bit of a gamble.”

44% 56%

Reviews.io (137 reviews)

Highly suspicious

Positive: “I am satisfied with the overall experience.”

Negative: “Dont Go to ecom warrior Academy. Its a scam!”

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Positive: “The program provides a solid learning foundation.”

Positive: “A very smooth and well-managed learning experience.”

Positive: “I found the program to be both informative and practical.”

10% 90%

Trustpilot (1101 reviews)

Potentially manipulated

Positive: “I've been with Ecom Warrior Academy for nearly 2 years, and my experience has been very positive.”

Negative: “Although I learnt the skill of drop shipping through these people I made no money whatsoever.”

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Negative: “They refuse to refund your money and even request a $600 cancellation fee.”

Negative: “I had a terrible experience. I lost a lot of money and despite being with them for over a year, they never helped.”

Positive: “My coach, Kingy is amazing.”

14% 86%

What Are the Pros and Cons of Ecom Warrior Academy?

Pros	Cons
Ecom Warrior Academy offers unlimited 1-on-1 coaching with any of the available coaches.	Ecom Warrior Academy does not teach any unique strategies that can give you an edge against the competition.
It comes with a monthly list of trending products.	The program does not have a community where you can network and get support.
Its strategy of using AI quickens the launch process.	Matthew Lepre is not involved in the coaching at all.

Price: Ecom Warrior Academy costs $1,497 AUD for the Gold Level package. The Diamond Level package costs $5,000 AUD.

Refund Policy: Ecom Warrior Academy offers a full refund if you launch 4 products but make no sales within 90 days.

Origin: Matthew Lepre founded Ecom Warrior Academy in 2018.

What Is Ecom Warrior Academy AI Ecom business?

Ecom Warrior Academy’s AI Ecom business model is the strategy of using AI tools to reduce the learning curve and quicken the launch. You use AI tools to create the:

Store names.
Product images.
Product descriptions.
Legal pages.
Marketing campaigns.

The AI Ecom model lowers the starting costs and makes launching easier. The old way would be to hire freelancers to build your site and create the copy and images. AI also automates simple ongoing tasks, which frees up your time.

However, there is nothing unique about Ecom Warrior Academy's AI Ecom business model. It is basically dropshipping with heavy use of AI. The use of AI is already common place in ecommerce. NVIDIA reported that 91% of retail and consumer-goods businesses were either using or assessing AI.

What Do You Get With Ecom Warrior Academy?

The easy-to-follow 12-module video training. It tackles everything from product research to scaling and automation.
A step-by-step actionable plan on how to launch your business within a weekend.
A 1-on-1 Kickstart Coaching call on day 1. You can ask questions related to the business model and the program.
Unlimited 1-on-1 coaching with one of the Ecom Warrior Academy coaches. This is only available with the Diamond Level package.

Bonuses:

A monthly list of trending products.
A list of the ecommerce tools that you’ll need.
Access to the network of “sourcing agents.”
Influencer marketing training.

I don’t think the contents of the course justify its price. That’s because the quality of the coaching will depend on the available coach. Unfortunately, Matthew Lepre is not involved in the coaching, and you don’t get direct access to him. Instead, you’ll be learning from different random coaches.

Who Is Matthew Lepre?

Matthew Lepre

Matthew Lepre is an ecommerce entrepreneur who specializes in Shopify dropshipping. He is the founder of Ecom Warrior Academy. Matthew claims he was making $150K a month from dropshipping before he shifted to coaching. Forbes reported his net worth to be over $5 million.

Matthew studied dentistry at the University of Melbourne. However, he dropped out in just 2 weeks. He returned to Sydney and worked 3 jobs. He was stacking boxes at a cordial factory, working as a dockhand, and gardening on a farm in Leppington. 6 months later, Matthew invested $2,000 into a dropshipping business. He started selling beauty products for men and women. He also sold e-books and PDF guides for medicine and dentistry students.

In 2017, Matthew won an award for the AM2 Better Your Best Entrepreneurial Contest. He moved to online coaching in 2018 and founded Ecom Warrior Academy. Matthew became a Forbes Business Council member in 2020. He currently spends his time traveling the world.

What Is Matthew Lepre's Million Dollar Product Accelerator?

Matthew Lepre's Million Dollar Product Accelerator is a 2-module self study course. It teaches you how to find the winning product on AliExpress within 45 seconds. Matthew says that finding the right product is 90% of what makes a dropshipping business successful. The Million Dollar Product Accelerator costs $27 AUD and comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee.

Final Verdict: Does Ecom Warrior Academy’s AI Ecom Business Model Teach You How to Lower Costs?

Ecom Warrior Academy’s AI Ecom business model teaches you how to lower costs by using AI tools instead of outsourcing work. However, AI tools are also getting more expensive. It may be better to spend a little more to get quality work by hiring professional freelancers. Low costs doesn’t directly translate to high profits. Your earnings depend on your sales. Your marketing campaigns will not stand out if rely too much on AI. These are the reasons why I prefer local SEO lead generation. I don't need to sell or advertise anything to earn.

How Does Ecom Warrior Academy Compare to AB Inner Circle?

Ecom Warrior Academy is better for launching a Shopify dropshipping store quickly using AI. AB Inner Circle is better for dropshipping using Google Ads and Google Merchant Center. Ecom Warrior Academy focuses on using AI to build, launch, and manage your store. AB Inner Circle focuses on getting Shopify listings into Google Shopping results.

How Does Ecom Warrior Academy Compare to Brandify?

Ecom Warrior Academy is better for building an AI-centered Shopify dropshipping store. Brandify is better for building a branded dropshipping store. Ecom Warrior Academy uses AI to replace freelancers and automate everyday tasks. Brandify uses AI for product research and ad testing.

How Does Ecom Warrior Academy Compare to Creato?

Ecom Warrior Academy is better for building a Shopify store in a weekend. Creato is better for using TikTok or Instagram to dropship viral products. Ecom Warrior Academy focuses on AI marketing campaigns and influencer marketing. Creato focuses on organic and paid social media marketing.

How Does Shopify Dropshipping Compare to Local SEO Lead Generation in Profitability?

Shopify dropshipping is less profitable than local SEO lead generation. AutoDS reports that the average profit margin of Shopify dropshipping is 10% to 30%. The average profit margin of local SEO lead generation is 90% to 95%.

Shopify dropshipping costs include:

AI tools
Product costs
Shipping fees
Advertising costs
Transaction fees

Local SEO lead generation costs include:

Website hosting
Call tracking software.

In my opinion, comparing Shopify dropshipping to local SEO lead generation is like a Subway franchise versus a songwriting credit on “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” A Subway owner pays for ingredients, staff, equipment, and franchise fees every month. You only cover those bills if you keep your sales up. In contrast, you get royalties regularly years after Mariah Carey sang the hit song. Similarly, you earn regularly as long as your Local SEO lead generation site is at the top of the search.

How Does Local SEO Lead Generation Create Low-Risk Income?

Local SEO lead generation creates low-risk income because of the low starting and ongoing costs. You can start with as low as $500 and maintain it with as little as $30. You don’t have to worry about high competition, and you do not run expensive ads. You can earn $500 to $3.5K a month from 1 website.

You start by building a website that targets local service-based searches. For example, “roof repair in Tulsa” or “plumber in Scottsdale.” You use free SEO tactics to rank it on Google. Your website will show at the top of the search results when someone searches for those keywords. You turn free traffic into leads by capturing their contact information. You then sell or rent these leads to local-service businesses who handle fulfillment.

local SEO lead generation

For example, I have a site for Long Beach Electric Gates & Custom Metal, 6632 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach, California 90805, 562-586-4355, https://longbeachelectricgates.com/. It delivered 15 leads worth $24,670 to my client in 1 month. I earned $2,467 from the 10% commission agreement I have with the company. Check out local SEO lead generation to learn how to create passive income without the high risks of Shopify dropshipping.