Ready to launch an online store? Or perhaps you’re looking for the best ways to kick-start your ecommerce business? Either way, you need the right tools.
In today’s digital age, steady growth is not possible without cutting-edge software.
Whether you’re building a website yourself or working with experts, it’s crucial to use eCommerce website tools. Their role is to help you develop, monitor, and expand your online presence.
Online sales will reach $523 billion by 2020 in the U.S. alone. About 79 percent of Americans go shopping online. As a business owner, you need tools to track customer behavior and turn prospects into buyers.
The question is: which ones are right for you? Let’s take a quick look at the most popular ecommerce tools and their role:
Types of Tools Every ecommerce Business Needs
Do you already have an online store, or are you planning to build one? Are you going to sell products or services? What does your target audience look like?
Ask yourself these questions before getting started. Decide what you’re going to offer, set goals, and make a plan. Also, decide whether you’re going to operate locally or reach a global audience.
Next, look at the different types of ecommerce tools available. These fall into several categories:
- Website building tools
- List building/traffic tools
- SEO tools
- Analytics tools
- Mailing automation tools
- Supply chain management tools
- Inventory management tools
- Customer service tools
- Team collaboration tools
- Payment processing tools
Website building tools, for instance, make it easier to set up your online store. WordPress, Shopify, and WooCommerce are just a few examples. These platforms offer convenient, customizable features for eCommerce businesses of all sizes.
Mailing automation tools, such as GetResponse and MailChimp, allow marketers to create and send out newsletters.
If you’re managing a remote team, use Trello, WorkZone, and other tools to share information in real time.
These online platforms make teamwork easier and more efficient. Your stuff can create a public or private virtual workspace for viewing, editing, and exchanging files.
You also need analytics tools to track user behavior and monitor your campaigns. Google Analytics and Piwik provide accurate data on your traffic stats, bounce rate, click-through rate, and other metrics.
With so many options available, choosing the best tools isn’t easy. After all, you don’t want to spend a fortune on services you don’t need.
To help you out, we’ve put together a list of ecommerce tools that deliver results without breaking the wallet:
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform on the web, installed on more than 2.2 million websites worldwide which makes up 42% of eCommerce websites.
The platform is exclusive to websites using WordPress, through an easy to install plug-in. Many themes are available both from WooCommerce and top theme designers. Because it is built on WordPress, it provides blogging capabilities as well.
WooCommerce is very customizable, due to it’s open-source nature, and many developers are familiar with the platform, including our own in-house web development team!
Through easy-to-add extensions, you can get automatic shipping rates from USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc..
Also, you can set up delivery costs by location, product weight, etc as well as take payment from all major credit cards, ewallets, including Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, and ApplePay, to name a few.
LiveChat
Customer service can make or break your business. The people who visit your site are unlikely to buy unless they receive answers to their questions fast.
More than half of customers say a business needs to be available 24/7. About 92 percent prefer live chat because it allows them to talk with an agent in real time.
Whether you run a new or an established business, integrate live chat into your site. This will lead to more sales and higher customer satisfaction.
Consider using LiveChat to engage your prospects and turn them into buyers. This service comes with a 30-day free trial, so you can try it at no extra charge before subscribing.
Users have access to chat and ecommerce tools, analytics, web apps, and more.
Additionally, they can request feedback through chat ratings and post-chat surveys. You can track key data, such as chat duration, response times, and sales.
Crazy Egg
As a business owner, you want to know what drives people away from your site and what draws them in. This is where Crazy Egg comes in handy.
This service tracks online user behavior in real time. It shows how users click and scroll through your site, what pages keep them engaged, and which ones make them leave.
Use this information to improve your SEO efforts and learn more about your audience.
For instance, if most people leave your Services page within seconds, it may need some tweaks.
Crazy Egg provides valuable insights and makes A/B testing easier. It also takes digital snapshots of your web pages, so you can better understand customer behavior.
Try it yourself – it’s affordable and easy to use.
MailChimp
With MailChimp, sending newsletter and promo emails is a breeze.
Once you write the copy, you can choose a template and schedule your emails through the platform. This allows you to plan your campaigns and customize them for the targeted audience.
Marketers can use it to create targeted email campaigns and automate product follow-ups. MailChimp also delivers reports that enable users to refine and optimize their online strategy
Make sure you check out the A/B and multivariate testing tools provided. This way, you will know what subject lines work best and which emails have the highest open rates.
Users can create and test up to eight different email campaigns.
Google Analytics
SEO and ecommerce go hand in hand. No matter how great your products are, customers won’t find them online unless your site ranks high in search results.
With Google Analytics, you can see exactly how many people are visiting your store. Plus, you’ll find out where they come from and how much time they spend on your site.
Customer age, location, device, and browser are just a few of the metrics readily available.
This is one of those ecommerce tools that every business needs. It collects data on all aspects of the site’s use, such as traffic, conversions, and user behavior. Not to mention that’s completely free!
Harness the Power of Ecommerce Tools
Running an ecommerce business can be challenging. You can set one up now in less than a minute, but it takes weeks or even months to get the first sale.ad
Luckily, there are plenty of tools to make your job easier. Some can save you time by automating the most daunting tasks. Others can help with SEO and email marketing.
So, what are you waiting for? Try these ecommerce tools and let us know how it goes! If you need help, contact us for a free SEO consultation!