Ecommerce is one of the fastest growing industries in the world right now. Who wouldn’t want to order stuff online and get things delivered to their doorstep without getting off the couch? The pandemic and the ensuing lockdown also fast-tracked this growth. At a time when you couldn’t even go out to buy groceries, ecommerce was a lifesaver. The internet comprises around 25 million ecommerce websites. This means that the competition is cutthroat, and stores need to stand out from the crowd to be successful. But how do you do that? The simple answer is by taking the help of ecommerce tools.Â
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What Are Ecommerce Tools?
Ecommerce tools are software that let you create, design, and manage your ecommerce website. These can be full pieces of software or extensions and plugins to your existing tools. These tools come with a ton of features that let you do so much with your ecommerce website and app.
The most basic type of ecommerce tool is an ecommerce platform. These are platforms where you essentially build your store from scratch. A platform can be based on code or the more recent, no-code structure. Both of these have different base structures but fulfill the same purpose; creating your store. No-code platforms have become very popular recently. This is because they offer more ease of use. You don’t need to have any prior experience in building a website. All you have to do is drag and drop elements and features onto your website, and voila, you’re done. No-code platforms have made ecommerce more accessible to SMBs and first-time entrepreneurs.
Why Are Ecommerce Tools Important?
Ecommerce tools are a necessary part of your tech stack if you’re running an online store. They help manage your website and streamline the store processes. On top of building the website, these tools enable store owners to manage day-to-day operations. A good platform will have features that let you manage inventory, billing, and shipping, among other organizational needs.
Ecommerce marketing tools will help get your name out there and attract potential customers. Such tools are essential to attract leads, convert them into customers and instill brand loyalty. But then you also need to handle customer support. Customer service tools will provide your customers with the best support and help you engage with them. The better your customer service, the more customers will return to buy more. Lastly, you need these tools to analyze your store. Ecommerce analytics will let you identify where you lack and how you can improve in those areas.
Best Ecommerce Tools
We’ve shortlisted the best ecommerce tools according to each category. Have a look:
Ecommerce Platform: Shopify
Shopify may be the most popular ecommerce platform in the market. It’s an all-in-one website builder that makes it so easy to create an ecommerce site from scratch. Shopify is a feature-rich platform that gives you a ton of options to play around with in your store. Customizing your store and web design is very easy on Shopify. It offers a vast library of themes and templates to kickstart your store. Most of these are free, but you can also pay for more if you don’t find anything you like. Shopify also has built-in marketing, CRM, SEO and analytics tools. Such a well-rounded tool eliminates the need for any supplementary tools. Shopify is best suited for SMBs and solopreneurs. Pricing starts at about $29.
Communications: Mailchimp
Once you’re done creating your ecommerce store, you need to get the word out. And the best communications tool for this is Mailchimp. It’s a very powerful email marketing tool. With a proper email strategy, you can open a direct line of communication with your audience and attract them to your store. With Mailchimp, you can build, manage and track an email strategy. The best thing about this tool is that it integrates well with Shopify. This means all the transactional data from your store can be imported to create a complete strategy. Mailchimp is also suited for small businesses. Prices vary according to the features you need. The basic email plan starts from $13.
Marketing: ContactCal
Social media is the easiest way to market your store and your brand. But you need high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience. And you also have to deliver this content to the right people at the right time. ContactCal is a content creation tool that offers versatile features that make this job very easy. It’s a content marketing platform that enables you to create, manage and track content for your social media and other marketing channels. ContactCal has an automated publisher that lets you create a content calendar. All your content gets posted at the right time, so you don’t have to lift a finger. Other features include keyword filtering, contact management and customer targeting. You will have to request a quote to get prices according to your needs.
Logistics: Veeqo
Once you start getting customers, that’s when things get tougher. Fulfillment, inventory and shipping are the bane of ecommerce storeowner’s existence. You need to manage orders, create invoices, track inventories and ship products. And all of this needs to be done in real-time. Veeqo is the best tool for the job. Veeqo is a fulfillment tool that does so much for you. Besides basic order fulfillment, Veeqo gives you real-time inventory updates so you never run out of stock. Veeqo will help you manage your orders more efficiently and streamline your internal processes. Lastly, it also provides sales analytics and forecasts future demand for your store. Veeqo is completely free, making it an excellent choice.
Payments: Klarna
The last tool your ecommerce store needs is for payments. This is a crucial step. You need to provide ease and convenience to your customers. The easier it is for customers to pay at your store, the more likely it is they’ll come back for repeat purchases. Klarna is a digital payments tool that offers this convenience to your buyers. It provides them with flexible payment options in the form of payment plans and Buy Now Pay Later. BNPL is a popular payment method where your customers will get their products first and can pay them off later on. Such flexible payment options attract more customers and help you retain your existing customer base. Klarna pricing varies on the features you get.
Get The Best Ecommerce Tools Now!
Ecommerce tools are a core part of your success as an online seller. These tools will help you build an interactive store, market your brand, manage your orders and provide convenience to your customers. If you want your store to be popular and provide great functionality to your customers, you need the help of these tools.Â
