If you are looking to create an ecommerce website, whether it’s for a small business or just for yourself, you most likely want the best software for your ecommerce business. There are a few options to consider before actually starting your project. Most of the available platforms are based on the same concept of creating an online store with no main differences in the philosophy behind them. The main point is to have everything you can think about when creating a website packed inside one easy-to-use platform.
As an ecommerce business, you want to optimize the use of resources – both human and financial. Shortages in either can lead to lower productivity and even losses in your business. Here are the top ecommerce tools that will be crucial as you venture into this powerful sales channel of online retail.
You run an online business, but do you prefer using paper to track your business metrics? Are you currently using a spreadsheet software like Excel for writing your marketing emails? If yes, then it’s time that you should simplify your ecommerce business by switching to ecommerce tools driven by artificial intelligence or simply CRM softwares. These tools are effective and beneficial for all size of ecom businesses and that is the reason why leading brands use them to run their business.
Ecommerce is a billion-dollar industry. Over the past decade, traditional stores and the internet have changed drastically. Now there are more tools than ever before to help your ecommerce business thrive. In this article, we’ll share some of the best tools on the market. We’ll also let you know what features you can expect from each one.
Choosing The Right Tools
When choosing the right tools for your e-commerce business, here are some other aspects to consider:
- The total cost of using these tools over a period of time, versus the benefit of doing so. For example, you may be paying someone else to do the job that these tools do more accurately. This can become expensive and even riddled with errors in the long run.
- What other retailers have to say about these tools. Compare peer reviews and see what features other retailers are talking most about.
- How these products can scale with you over time. You need flexible tools that won’t penalize you for choosing to grow/ shrink your business.
When all is said and done, there’s no denying the fact that using the right e-commerce tools — or partnering with one of the top eCommerce design companies — can definitely give your business a big boost and support you well in the growth phase. Which of these tools will you be using for your retail business?
Shopify
Shopify is perhaps the best ecommerce tool out there.
Want to know the reason for its popularity?
Read on to find out…
Key features
- A fully-hosted package that takes care of everything from backups to updates
- Drag-and-drop website builder
- Built-in marketing tools to run campaigns on Facebook and Google
- A single dashboard to manage everything from orders to shipping and payments
Cost
- Basic Shopify: $29/month
- Shopify: $79/month
- Advanced Shopify: $299/month
- Shopify Lite: $9/month
- Shopify Plus: Pricing available on request
Pros
- Easy integration with loads of third-party payment gateways
- Sell everywhere from your ecommerce store to online marketplaces and social media
- Excellent site performance
Cons
- Advanced features at high prices
Image via Shopify
Tool level
Independent business owners, high-volume merchants, large enterprises
Usability
Ecommerce, inventory management, marketing
Case study
A lot of brands such as Cee Cee’s Closet NYC have built flourishing businesses with Shopify.
Are you still confused about how to start your online business?
Here’s a pro tip for you.
Pro Tip: You can also hire a Shopify Expert to help you with everything from store setup to SEO.
BigCommerce
If we’re talking about the best ecommerce business tools, the list wouldn’t be complete without BigCommerce. It is a powerful platform that offers endless opportunities to build, innovate, and grow your online store.
Want to learn about its key features?
Let’s take a look at them.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop design elements
- Flexibility to innovate with an open SaaS platform
- Easy integration with third-party apps
- Powerful analytics for valuable customer insights
- Best-in-class uptime and server response with Google Cloud Platform
- Storefront conversion features such as coupons, digital wallets, etc.
Cost
- BigCommerce Enterprise pricing available on request
Pros
- Easy to use
- Flexible, reliable, and secure platform
Cons
- You may find it expensive.
Image via BigCommerce
Tool level
From small businesses to enterprises
Usability
Ecommerce store
Case study
Brands like WOOLRICH, Skullcandy, and Burrow trust this ecommerce software solution.
Pro Tip: If you are looking for an all-in-one ecommerce solution with tons of built-in features, BigCommerce is the right fit for you.
JungleScout
What differentiates Jungle Scout from the other platforms on this list? Jungle Scout is one of the best ecommerce tool for those who want to start selling on Amazon. From product research to product launch, it can help you build and grow your Amazon business from scratch.
Key features
- Product research to identify high-demand products
- Keyword research to optimize product listings
- Analytics tool to track daily sales, revenue, and other key business metrics
- Targeted email campaigns to boost product sales
Cost
- Jungle Scout: $49/month
- Jungle Scout & Extension: $69/month
- Extension: $39/month
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Extensive product data
- 100% free educational resources to get you started
Cons
- Some bugs in their web app integration and Chrome extension
Image via JungleScout
Tool level
First-time sellers, existing Amazon sellers, brands, and agencies
Usability
Selling on Amazon, email marketing, inventory management
Case study
Jungle Scout boasts 250,000 successful Amazon sellers.
Pro Tip: You should use Jungle Scout’s Beginners’ Guide to make the best use of this ecommerce solution.
Wix
When your budget is strapped, Wix is a strong option. A truly exceptional ecommerce website builder, it competes with WooCommerce and Shopify in the number of features offered. For ease of use, it’s as good as you can hope for from a free ecommerce platform, although if your store grows quickly, however, it can be a little tough to scale.
WooCommerce
For ecommerce store owners who love WordPress and are comfortable with it, WooCommerce is a good pick. A free option, it’s a little difficult to scale but scores well for site visitor experience. You’ll need to buy upgrades if you want all the bells and whistles, but a site built on WooCommerce can compete with those built on some of the more expensive paid carts.
SEMRush
Ecommerce business owners who want insight into their page’s performance, top keywords in their niche, and their competitors can benefit from SEMRush. This ecommerce research tool tracks more than 106 million keywords and tracking more than 87 million domains.
You can audit your own site or your competitors and receive a report indicating strengths and weaknesses of a complete site, compare sites in your niche, improve SEO and identify keywords, or analyze ad campaign performance. Prices range from a monthly subscription of $69.95 to a yearly fee of $5,499.50 based on the number, purpose, and depth of reports you need.
Magento
Source: Magento
It’s hard to beat Magento when it comes to building scalable websites. It’s one of the best ecommerce tools out there.
Magento is free to download because of its open-source design, and can be scaled very easily. It has an excellent backend user interface that gives you a litany of features to choose from. The customization options are endless: you can easily adjust the template or the theme however you wish with minimal hassle. Plus, the community is excellent, and the forums offer plenty of help to first-time website builders.
Magento also supports a series of payment gateway options right out of the box. Thus, as an ecommerce store owner, you can integrate multiple payment solutions with ease, making it one of the best ecommerce tools for growing your store.
You will have to buy hosting separately, however. That limits your support options, unless you choose the enterprise package, which costs a pretty penny.
Ahrefs
Source: Ahrefs
Ahrefs started off as a link building tool, but the company quickly evolved from that being its primary offering. From its range of keyword filters to the massive array of metrics that it can track, Ahrefs is one of the best ecommerce tools for researching keywords and analyzing different keywords.
The Site Explorer allows you to analyze organic traffic and all backlinks to a website. There’s also a Backlink Checker, which creates a comprehensive backlink profile for each of the links leading to your website. You can view backlinks with a higher Domain Authority, or filter them any other way as well.
If you were to invest in a high-quality research tool to comprehensively understand where you stand in an ecommerce niche, Ahrefs is all you need. It’s well worth the cost of entry! Ahrefs is easily one of the best ecommerce SEO tools right now.
KWFinder
Source: KWFinder
If you are serious about growing your presence online, you need to invest in a high-quality keyword research tool. For a deep dive into different keywords that lets you make an informed decision about which keywords to target, go with KWFinder.
KWFinder comes with a range of excellent features, like filtering results or analyzing SERPs. It also has an intuitive UI that gives you a bird’s eye view of different variations and their effects. Plus, the dashboard is streamlined for neat data presentation.
It may not offer extensive analyses like Ahrefs does (Ahrefs can also calculate keyword intersect and find virtually every single keyword that your competitors rank for). However, while KWFinder doesn’t give you the big picture like Ahrefs, it still does a pretty fine job of showing you where you stand.
Rewind
If you use popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce to run your business, there are instances where your business could be vulnerable to data loss.
You could inadvertently delete entire product categories instead of individual items. A theme upgrade or an app update could crash your database; or a disgruntled employee could intentionally delete your entire SKU-line.
Rewind is a tool that captures daily backups of your database and lets you restore deleted files with just a few clicks. This protects your site from hours of potential downtime, and effort in restoring your website.
What are the tools you experienced in e-commerce?
A farmer uses his tools and equipment to make the best out of his soil. Without tools, farming becomes near impossible. Even if it were possible, profits and progress would be severely hindered. The e-commerce world is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.
To hold your own, you also need tools in other to make the best out of whatever you have. These tools which assist manage and promote your e-commerce presence could be referred to as e-commerce tools.
E-commerce has changed our lives, with the rise of online shopping. Online retailers have created a personalized experience for consumers that enables them to shop anytime, anywhere. With the help of tools such as marketing automation software and content management systems, online marketers can now create and deploy complex campaigns in minutes.
There are several tools that e-commerce businesses should consider before starting up their business. These tools help them in making a smooth transition from offline to online operations. The most important tool for e-commerce businesses is an analytics tool which helps them see what works on the website and what doesn’t work on the website.
E-commerce as a tools are essential for success in this industry. They help businesses track their performance, improve customer satisfaction, and streamline operations.
Conclusion
The Internet is full of software meant for ecommerce business, and choosing the right among them can be pretty overwhelming. A good number of ecommerce businesses are dealing with this problem every day, only to find themselves spending a lot more time than they should at the end of the day.
If you own an e-commerce business, then you definitely need to invest in the best tools for ecommerce business today. There are plenty of free and paid tools available for creating a successful online sales channel. But here is the problem: e-commerce businesses have high cart abandonment rate and thin profit margins, which means that they can’t afford to waste money on bad tools.