In simple language, e-commerce tools are applications with characteristics that improve your website’s usability and performance. As a result, you may accomplish your company goals with the help of e-commerce software and solutions, which facilitate development and scalability while saving time and money. In addition to assisting companies, these resources enable consumers’ discovery of new items and provide a streamlined purchasing experience all the way through the buyer’s cycle.
Thanks to e-commerce, you can buy anything from anywhere in the world. This has changed everything about how things are done and business operations worldwide. However, managing an online store is quite different from a physical one. Because of the rising popularity of online purchasing, businesses need to use the best E-commerce tools and insightful data to serve their consumers better.
Why Softwares and Tools are Important for E-commerce Entrepreneurs
According to McKinsey, the number of people who buy things online has grown by 15–30% since COVID-19. This shows that e-commerce is here to stay, and they are going to grab the potential market as a whole. Moreover, tools and software made it super easy to provide great value for the customers in the E-commerce sector. Therefore, this colossal growth rate of E-commerce implies the durability of this sector in the market.
Regarding e-commerce, business owners are constantly searching for new methods to boost revenue and differentiate their company from the competition. For small to prominent entrepreneurs, this is a must to have a well-organized organizational structure and implementation of the right tools and software.
Categories of Tools Required for E-commerce Entrepreneurs
E-commerce platforms are pieces of software that help business owners run their online stores. They make it possible for business owners to sell goods and services online. They let businesses keep track of their stock, take payments, and collect sales taxes. Small businesses and big companies like Amazon and Walmart both use e-commerce platforms.
In this article, I have chosen the e-commerce platforms below based on how well-known and trustworthy they are. They have all the features, functions, and services we might need to run our business online. Businesses can use these tools to improve the customer experience in their stores. They can also be used to sell things like ebooks, ebooks with pictures and explainer videos, games, and many more operations.
E-commerce Platform
This is uber existing to start an E-commerce business. The first thing needed for an E-commerce business is an e-commerce platform. An e-commerce platform is a company’s software to handle all its operations (B2B) and (B2C). Most importantly, it gives you media of product pages, transactions, order placement, customer support, customer reviews, and return policies. Some mentionable E-commerce platforms are below:
1. Shopify
The most widely known and most used platform in the e-commerce sector is Shopify. Any start-up or big company can use it. Despite being a reasonably sophisticated platform, it has a highly user-friendly interface. Everyone who has used Shopify has praised how simple it is to operate, particularly for those just starting out. In addition, Shopify offers more apps and professional themes than any other competitor.
Basic : $29/month
Shopify : $79/month
Advanced : $299/month
In addition to the 3 packages mentioned above, there is the Shopify starter package for only $5/month and Shopify Plus.
2. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a top e-commerce platform that gives online stores a lot of room to grow. It is one of the best ways to do business online, and it has a strong and useful interface. BigCommerce gives merchants enterprise-level customization, performance, and functionality that is simple and easy to use. In addition, BigCommerce has a lot of plugins and apps that work well with it and make it easy to manage orders, set up stores, do marketing, and customize websites.
Standard : $29.95/month
Plus : $79.95/month
Pro : $299.95/month
3. Wix
Wix is also a remarkable e-commerce platform in today’s market. It offers drag-and-drop editing for the owners. It’s solid and has many features, but some of its technology is pretty locked down. It’s perfect if you want a builder that doesn’t have a steep learning curve comes with many useful extras, and gives you a lot of room to be yourself. Wix is used by a lot of business owners, bloggers, and other entrepreneurs.
Combo : $16/month
Unlimited : $22/month
Pro : $27/month
VIP : $45/month
4. Squarespace
Squarespace offers both a classic website builder and an extensive online store builder. Its visually appealing products are designed to aid the realization of imaginative goals. With this program, you may create an unlimited number of pages, galleries, and blogs and invite as many people as you like to contribute content. Squarespace is a fantastic platform that is ideal for organizations that want templates with a plethora of new and unique images.
Business : $18/month
Commerce : $26/month
Personal : $8/month
5. Uvodo
Uvodo is a modern eCommerce platform that has recently entered the market, equipped with built-in conversion tools that are designed to enhance sales performance. One of the standout features of Uvodo is its free plan, which allows businesses to create an online store and start selling without any upfront costs. Additionally, it charges no commissions and no transaction fees on any plan. Furthermore, the platform offers mobile-first design and optimized themes, ensuring that your online store looks great and functions seamlessly on any device.
Free
Economy $19 /mo
Business $39 /mo
Premium $99 /mo
Research tools and Softwares
If you want to participate in the market competition and sustain in the market, there is no alternative to extensive research on your competitors and their strategies. You will be able to identify your target market niche and know how to improve your quality with the help of research tools. For research purposes, the following tools and software will be a great help.
6. Ahref
In SEO, Ahref is a master. This tool helps you to research your competitor, integration, internal or external backlinks, domain rating, web page rating, organic traffic analysis, and many more. You can write quality content with the help of ranked keywords for your required market niche. It also maintains the most extensive backlink index. Ahref can be a game changer for your marketing department.
Web Master tool : Free
Lite : $99/month
Standard : $199/month
Advanced : $399/month
7. SEMRush
SEMRush is good for SEO, research, and paid promotion for small and large businesses. It has useful tools such as a traffic report, keyword research, backlink research, and many more. SEMRush has an excellent user interface and provides you with detailed insight. You can trust the information you acquire from Semrush because it is dependable, accurate, and correct.
Free
Pro : $199.95/month
Guru : $229.95/month
Business : $449.95/month
8. Google Keyword Planner
This software was previously known as the Google keyword tool. Google itself offers this tool, and it is entirely free to use. You can get ideas for your blog and keywords from google keyword planner. This is best for the small enterprise marketing department.
To use Google Keyword Planner you must have a Google Ads account.
Marketing tools and Softwares
Marketing policy and strategy create value for your e-commerce. Your proficiency in marketing tools will make you a strong brand in your competitor’s minds. Determining the need, want, and demand is very easy with marketing tools. Also, disseminating your products to the mind of the customer. Through these marketing tools and software, you will be able to make a good relationship with the customer.
9. Icereach
For any e-commerce entrepreneur, you will need more manpower and building relationship with personnel. In that case, Linkedin can be a great platform to hire your employees and also let people know about your e-commerce. Almost 80% of B2B marketing leads are generated from Linkedin, so there is no alternative to using Icereach to get leads by reaching out. You can use these automation tools to turn your prospect into leads.
Icereach seat : $79/month
10. HubSpot
HubSpot is one of the best CRM software for e-commerce ventures. Hubspot makes clients’ lives easier by sending emails, creating landing pages, forms, blogs, and content creation tools, and monitoring web addresses. HubSpot Marketing is incredibly strong and excels at all of these tasks.
Marketing Hub Free : Free
Marketing Hub Starter : $50/month
Marketing Hub Professional : $800/month
Marketing Hub Enterprise : $3200/month
11. Google Ad
Marketing departments can use Google Ads to promote their products on the online platform. This tool is completely web-based and will integrate with many other SEO features of google, such as Google Keyword Planner, Google Analytics, and many more. This is an excellent combo for marketing tools to use Google Ad and its sister tools. The marketing department can make specific decisions by analyzing the Google analysis while using Google Ad.
It will cost on an Average Cost Per Click basis. The range is from $1- $2 and it may vary.
Business tools and Softwares
Your company’s day-to-day operations, logistics, finance, accounting, and projects must be managed effectively and accurately. With the help of business tools, any e-commerce entrepreneur can track down and perform their business work accordingly. There is some special software for business operations below.
12. Trello
A complete project management software for e-commerce entrepreneurs. Trello allows users to track their projects effectively. It is an effective solution for managing work and workflows across teams and external partners. This web-based project management tool helps e-commerce entrepreneurs to gain productivity and efficiency.
Free
Standard : $5/month
Premium : $10/month
Enterprise : Contact vendors
13. Legislate
Building e-commerce entrepreneurs has never been an easy task to perform though it sounds more interesting. For starting a new venture, you need to maintain specific rules and regulations, be involved in contracts, follow legal guidelines, set terms and policies, and many more. In that case, legislate will help you to make all your contract in five simple steps. This software has pay-as-you-go and monthly pricing according to the features. In the business feature, you will have unlimited contracts and unlimited members.
1 contract : £9.95
10 contracts : £100
30 contracts : £200
Business : £100/month
14. ControlHippo
ControlHippo is a free simple, convenient SaaS management platform (SMP) that assists businesses in managing their SaaS applications. It helps you to work on your SaaS Apps, keep track of SaaS licenses, monitor SaaS subscriptions closely, reduce your SaaS expense, and many more.
It is free to use for a lifetime.
15. Split Dragon
Searching for categories in your online shop is possible with Split Dragon. It collaborates with global e-Commerce enterprises and online merchants to assist them in improving their performance on Shopee, Daraz, Lazada, and other international marketplaces. With the help of this tool, users may see automatic product ratings based on industry best practices, and they can learn precisely what to change to improve their positions in search engine results.
Improve : $29.99/month
Optimize : $49.99/month
Business : $99.99/month
Power seller : $199.99/month
16. LOCAD
LOCAD is an end-to-end e-commerce fulfillment solution that automates the entire logistics journey of products sold online. Through their network of warehouses and logistics partners across Asia-Pacific integrated in a tech platform, LOCAD empowers e-commerce brands to enjoy localized storage, automated fulfillment, and faster shipping. Trusted by over 100 brands in Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Australia, LOCAD delivers 2 times faster shipping at a 70% lower cost.
Start-up Plan : $500/month
Flexi Plan : $1,000/month
Professional Plan : $3,000/month
17. Receipt Makerly
Receiptmakerly is a tool that is used to create customized receipts for different industries. With this easy-to-use tool, you can quickly generate receipts and invoices on the screen while editing them. Different types of receipt templates can be found, including fast food receipts, hospital bill receipts, restaurant receipts, grocery receipts, and hotel receipts. You can customize your receipt with your brand colors and logos using Receipt Makerly. As a result, your customers are more likely to trust your business.
Weekly. : $4.9/week
Monthly : $ 8.9/month
Yearly : $47/Year
Social media management tools and Softwares
Nowadays, social media has become an emerging factor for e-commerce factor. Customer niches can be easily found on social media platforms by analyzing algorithms. With the help of social media management tools and software, social media can be managed effectively and gain more sales.
18. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is social media management software that helps you to manage multiple accounts at the same time. This software will get planning features, post ideas, and time selection. Automatic post scheduling enables you to set any post and be relaxed. Social Ad analytics, Social Ad management, and employee reporting are also possible with this software.
Professionals : $49/month
Business : $179/month
Enterprise : $739/month
Team : Contact vendors
19. Buffer
Buffer is one of the most used social media management tools. It has excellent user interference and intuitive features. It helps in landing page building, draft collaboration tools, exporting reports, engagement tools, analytics tools, and many more. In addition, buffer is widely known as the best tool for scheduling posts.
Free
Essentials : $6/month
Team : $12/month
Agency : $100/month
20. Canva
Canva is a multipurpose design app. This software helps small company owners in acquiring an excellent design application that enables them to create advertisements, marketing campaigns, social media posts, reels, edit photographs and videos, and more. It includes a diverse selection of templates, some of which are free and others paid. If you are an E-commerce business owner with no prior design experience, Canva will help you become a professional designer. You need not hire an expert to carry out the task.
Free
Pro : $12.99/month
Enterprise : $36/month
21. Groupboss
Facebook is a great source of your potential customers. Yes, that’s right!! Facebook has billions of users with versatility in nature and characteristics. You can manage your Facebook groups by using Groupboss. This is an excellent tool for Facebook lead generation. You can export your group members’ answers to use them for future sales or marketing purposes.
Monthly : $19
Yearly : $99
Unlimited : $189
Analytical tools and Softwares
It is important to have accurate information regarding your e-commerce. If you are launching a new firm, you may be missing out on some crucial analytics. You will be able to observe whether everything you are doing is the right path or not. These analytics tools will assist you in maintaining your competitive edge.
22. Glew.io
E-commerce analytics needs a robust tool like Glew. It helps an e-commerce enterprise to organize, analyze the data and give a correct evaluation of it. It has unlimited user-created custom segments, creating own report, data warehouse, full managed ETL, and many more features.
Glew starter : $19
Glew pro : $99
Glew plus : $189
23. Supermetric
Using Supermetrics, e-commerce businesses may aggregate data from several sales and marketing platforms, such as Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, and Instagram, into a single platform for reporting, analytics, and storage. In addition, Supermetrics assists in obtaining data from numerous ad platforms for elemental analyses.
Data Studio : $69
Google Sheets : $99
Enterprise plans : Contact vendors
24. Woopra
Woopra allows e-commerce to analyze beyond traditional views. Woopra is the best choice for any company that wants to improve the customer experience by targeting each person and sending them personalized messages. Direct connectors make this possible. In addition, customers liked how easy it was to use the software and set it up.
Core : $0/month
Startup : $349/month
Pro : $999/month
Enterprise Edition : $5000/month
Communication
Communication plays a significant role in the overall e-commerce venture. A clear and concise communication system can decrease the wastage of time and expenditure. Communication starts with clients, suppliers, employees, customers, sales, post-sales services, and many more. The following tools and software can significantly help you communicate with your employees and customers.
25. Slack
Slack is a communication platform where you can communicate with your teammates, colleagues, clients, and partners and integrate with many other applications. It has an exact and intuitive communication feature. It offers public and private channels both. It is currently the best team chat app for e-commerce employees.
Free : $0/month
Standard : $6.67/month
Plus : $12.50/month
Enterprise Grid : Contact vendors
26. Zoom
During the COVID-19 pandemic, everybody of us has to stay at home. So we could hardly arrange a meeting in our office. Fortunately, we found Zoom, a great video conferencing app. With zoom, e-commerce enterprises can communicate with in-house employees and also their clients. Moreover, zoom offers to record their meeting, schedule meetings, and many more features.
Basic : $0/month
Pro : $14.99/month
Business : $19.99/month
Enterprise : $19.99/month
27. Crisp
The best solution for the customer support platform is crisp. It provides you with an all-in-all solution for customer relationships. In addition, crisp offers accessible communication with customers. Crisp is an exceptional live chat and communication platform for customer service and sales. It is easy to use, has a mobile app, and integrates with other platforms such as Twitter Direct Messages, Telegraph, and Line.
Basic : $0/month
Pro : $25/month
Unlimited : $95/month
28. Mailbird
Solopreneurs and small business entrepreneurs are usually wearing multiple hats. They manage their team, they speak with customers as well as vendors. That means that they handle incoming messages from various email accounts and social media channels. The desktop email client Mailbird is a masterful way for business owners to streamline their communication in one place. The app allows you to add an unlimited number of email accounts from almost any provider, and view them as a unified inbox or separately.
Personal : $39/Year
Business : $59/Year
29. Moonshot
In today’s work environment, team collaboration is a key competitive advantage for remote and hybrid teams. By building strong relationships and communication channels within the team, remote and hybrid teams can work more effectively and efficiently to achieve their goals. Moonshot is an award winning virtual team training tool that encourages problem solving and communication via high-tech virtual the puzzles. This award-winning team building tool is fun and can be utilized from anywhere in the world.
Standard : $30/ user
Delux : Contact Vendor
Conclusion
E-commerce is a great business field in the present context. But entering this sector without the required tools and software is never imagined. These tools and software not only increase sales but also increase the user experience. Remember, when you first set up e-commerce, you may not have an adequate budget. Then you need to select the right tools at the right time. Otherwise, you will find significant loss, and getting a decent ROI won’t be easy.