With 2.71 billion active shoppers worldwide and 267.83 million in the US alone, retailers can’t turn a blind eye to the power of eCommerce. However, the problem is that running such a complex ecosystem as an online store is a lot of work. Doing everything manually can rob you of the precious time you’d otherwise spend on improving and scaling your business, which would also mean even more manual work. How to get out of this rut?
The best eCommerce tools not only take over repetitive tasks, but they can also streamline your workflows and processes, enabling you to sell more and scale your business.
Table of Contents
- What Are eCommerce Tools?
- Best SEO Tool for eCommerce: Ahrefs
- For Targeted Messaging: Optimizely
- Best eCommerce Tool for Small Businesses and Beginners: MailChimp
- Best Social Media Engagement Tool: Sprout Social
- Best eCommerce Tool for Coupons: The Automated Coupon
- Best Tool for Customer Service: Zendesk
- Best Tool for Internal Organization: Coda
- Best eCommerce Tool for Automation: Zapier
- Fantastic Tool for Content Creation: Canva
- For Logistics: Shipwire
- Conclusion
- Best eCommerce Tools FAQs
What Are eCommerce Tools?
Tools for eCommerce are plugins, eCommerce platforms, apps, and other pieces of software that help online stores function correctly. There is a myriad of different eCommerce tools, and they all have one shared goal: to help the retailer organize, streamline, and automate the processes of the virtual storefront in every way possible.
Usually, tools for eCommerce can help in the following areas:
- Marketing
- Content creation
- Video editing
- Tracking
- Shipping & payment
- Customer support & management
In short, eCommerce tools allow you to customize and personalize the shopping experience, gather relevant customer data, create content, market your store, and more.
Comprehensive eCommerce guides always list tools as online store building blocks, and below, we rounded up ten of the best tools you can use for eCommerce.
1. Best SEO Tool for eCommerce: Ahrefs
ECommerce SEO takes the optimization to a complex level and can best be handled by a reliable eCommerce agency with seasoned specialists. Several pages must be appropriately interlinked, and meta descriptions and tags must be managed. You need to put keywords in our product descriptions, and this is only scratching the surface.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use the best eCommerce tools for SEO. This is where Ahrefs pops in the picture. Being one of the most reputable names i the world of SEO, their tool boasts a highly advanced keyword explorer, comprehensive site and technical SEO audits, backlink tracking, with content and competitor analysis.
The robust suite focuses almost exclusively on optimization, with features such as the Content Explorer helping you build authority. Apart from helping you brainstorm ideas for your content marketing strategy, it also highlights possible link opportunities.
On the flip side, the pricing might not be the most competitive, and some experts may be quick to point out that it has limited integrations and offers a somewhat steeper learning curve. Despite these limitations, the platform is still among the best options for SEO, as the valuable insight it offers will always outweigh the possible drawbacks.
Pricing:
- Lite: $83/$99 per month billed yearly/monthly
- Standard: $166/199 per month billed yearly/monthly
- Advanced: $333/$399 per month billed yearly/month
Pros:
- Advanced keyword explorer features
- Content analysis/explorer
- Backlink analysis
Cons:
- Limited integrations
- Pricey
- Steep learning curve
2. For Targeted Messaging: Optimizely
Optimizely is among those comprehensive eCommerce analytics tools that enable you to deliver personalized messaging on your store for site visitors thanks to features such as A/B testing,
The tool enables you to experiment with variables across your entire store and stack, from your content to web, apps, and over-the-top (OTT) services. Fine-tuning these aspects lets you create hyper-personalized messaging and targeted rollouts in which you can control which features your segmented audiences see.
The software also helps implement more impactful development changes with readily available code, making collaboration with your dev and other teams more seamless to improve your site’s conversion rates.
Pricing:
- Retailers must request a quote
Pros:
- Comprehensive testing with easily readable results
- Readily available code for dev-related changes
- Great customer service
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
- Prone to technical issues
- Expensive
3. Best eCommerce Tool for Small Businesses and Beginners: MailChimp
Mailchimp is a great automation tool that doubles as a one-stop shop for marketers and retailers. The software offers automated solutions for a wide range of marketing workflows, with a profound focus on email automation.
Mailchimp, apart from covering marketing essentials such as campaign management and A/B testing, offers email automation and email generation with the help of artificial intelligence. It also provides audience segmentation and a comprehensive reporting console where you can measure the success of your campaigns.
Pricing:
- Free basic plan
- Essentials: starts at $13/month
- Standard: starts at $20/month
- Premium: starts at $350
Pros:
- Great template editor for emails
- Google Analytics integration and comprehensive reporting
- Offers 500 integrations and add-ons.
Cons:
- No email scheduling with free plan
- Subscription plans are expensive
- Platform will charge for lost subscribers
4. Best Social Media Engagement Tool: Sprout Social
Sprout Social offers comprehensive social media management that helps eCommerce retailers engage more effectively with their audiences on social channels.
Apart from content scheduling and essential customer relationship management, Sprout Social offers a few handy features, such as the Smart Inbox, which integrates all incoming DMs into one centralized inbox from all social channels, saving time for retailers to address customer concerns/queries.
Sprout Social also offers review management and the unique Social Listening feature, which helps store owners find out what their target audience is talking about. This can help businesses create content that connects better with readers. It's also handy for getting ideas on what kind of content to post and which topics to cover.
Pricing:
- Standard $249/month
- Professional $399/month
- Advanced $499/month
Pros:
- Robust analytics
- 30-day free trial
- Social listening
Cons:
- Expensive plans
- No free plan
- Possible scheduling issues
5. Best eCommerce Tool for Coupons: The Automated Coupon
The Automated Coupon, a versatile HubSpot app, seamlessly integrates with your WooCommerce store to streamline coupon management. You just need to set up the coupon rules on HubSpot Workflows, and the tool generates the coupons automatically when triggered by specific events.
The eCommerce tool offers high coupon targeting and personalization levels with tailored, group- and user-specific campaigns with flexible rules and unique attributes. It lets you effortlessly establish coupon rules, including coupon name, expiration dates, product applicability, and more, in just a few clicks.
Pricing:
- Basic: $25/month
- Advanced: 49/month
- Ultimate: 99/one-time fee
Pros:
- Highly customizable coupons
- Generous one-time fee
- Automated triggers
Cons:
- Only for WooCommerce
- Poor customer support
- Possible technical issues
6. Best Tool for Customer Service: Zendesk
Zendesk is your comprehensive customer support platform. If you’re asking what tools large eCommerce sites use, Zendesk is a prime example of software that can handle everything from small online stores to massive enterprises.
Zendesk offers a one-place ticket hub for all channels: email, phone, social media, and chat. It also features embedded live chat with Shopify-powered platforms. Zendesk provides features that enable you to establish a scalable support system, focusing on creating FAQs and community forums. It even offers a Zendesk Sell CRM system, comprehensive reporting, and analytics.
Pricing:
- Support Team: $25/month
- Support Professional: $59/month
- Support Enterprise: $125/month
- Suite Team: $59/month
- Suite Growth: $99/month
- Suite Professional: $125/month
- Suite Enterprise: $199/month
- Suite Enterprise (Custom): $215/month
Pros:
- All-in-one tickets hub
- Multiple available languages
- Easy setup
Cons:
- Complicated pricing plans
- High-tier plans get the best support features
- Rigid, not-so-intuitive interface
7. Best Tool for Internal Organization: Coda
Coda is a feature-rich productivity tool that can help with your internal organization. Its exceptional flexibility and user-friendly interface distinguish it from other project management tools. Customizing your workflow to suit your requirements is a notable benefit, while its seamless integration with third-party applications enhance productivity by further streamlining your workflow.
Coda offers everything from simple task management to content calendars to CRM, to-do lists, and project dashboards for better project trackability. Coda also supports many document formats, be it simple text or images and video. The tool offers three plans and several templates that can be customized for several different teams — not just eCommerce.
Pricing:
- Free
- Pro: $12/month
- Team: $36/month
- Enterprise: Custom
Pros:
- Seamless Shopify integration
- Free option
- Custom sliders, unique graphs, and charts
Cons:
- No desktop app
- Possible technical issues
- Doesn’t work well with Safari
8. Best eCommerce Tool for Automation: Zapier
Zapier is an online automation tool that connects popular apps like Slack, Gmail, Mailchimp, and others, enabling you to use them seamlessly together. It enables you to automate repetitive tasks without the need for coding or technical skills by creating workflows known as "Zaps."
These Zaps automatically trigger actions in one app based on triggers from another, enabling you to streamline processes, increase efficiency, and save time.
With the ability to connect over 3,000 web apps, creating automated custom workflows is easy in a streamlined process via “triggers.” The cloud-based, user-friendly interface enables you to manage multi-step Zaps and comes with robust documentation and helpful customer support if problems need to be sorted out.
Pricing:
- Free
- Starter: $19.99/month
- Professional: $49/month
- Team: $69/month
- Company: Custom
Pros:
- Endless app integration
- Inter-app workflows
- Cloud-based
Cons:
- Limited editing capability with already existing Zaps
- Difficulty when you reach the plan-assigned limit of tasks.
- Expensive for a high number of tasks/Zaps
9. Fantastic Tool for Content Creation: Canva
Canva, a widely used graphic design tool, has gained popularity among eCommerce sellers due to its user-friendly interface and extensive template collection. It's ideal for crafting visually appealing product images, social media graphics, and marketing materials. With Canva, sellers can effortlessly design professional-looking visuals without hiring a graphic designer or mastering complex design software.
A key benefit of using Canva for eCommerce is its ability to create custom product images. Sellers can easily incorporate text, photos, and other design elements to produce distinctive visuals that set their products apart. Additionally, Canva's wide range of templates simplifies product image creation that aligns with the brand's identity.
Pricing:
- Free version
- Pro plan: $12.95/month or $119.40/year
- Enterprise plan: starts at $30 per user/per month.
Pros:
- Massive template library
- Customizable brand kit
- Collab features
Cons:
- Storage limitations
- Concerns over file quality
- Concerns over intellectual property
10. For Logistics: Shipwire
Shipwire was created to take care of orders, shipping fulfillment tasks, and inventory management, all from one platform. Supervisors gain insights into order status, total revenue, average shipping costs, and more through the dashboard.
The tool allows organizations to manage orders, create control rules for third-party applications, and automate report generation with the help of custom business rules. The software also offers label creation, order tracking, returns management, and drop shipping.
Shipwire also comes with an API that ensures easy integration with other tools such as Microsoft Dynamics, Magento, and BigCommerce. Lastly, Shipwire offers an API for seamless integration with various third-party applications like Magento, BigCommerce, and Microsoft Dynamics.
Pricing:
- Free version
- Starting price: $30/month
Pros:
- Great third-party connections for automated eCommerce fulfillment
- Easy to use
- Highly scalable
Cons:
- The main platform is prone to glitching
- Possible hidden fees
- Higher order handling fees than competitors
Conclusion
This top ten roundup is the tip of the iceberg regarding the best eCommerce tools you can use. There may be other great options that better suit your needs or preferences, but researching the best options can be a bit overwhelming.
In that case, you can always reach out to seasoned eCommerce consultants who can help you get started on the right foot.
Best eCommerce Tools FAQs
What are eCommerce tools?
ECommerce tools are valuable software that helps you automate tasks that you’d otherwise have to perform manually. They handle various aspects of an online retail site, from customer management to marketing campaigns, emails, social media posting, inventory management, and order fulfillment.
They aim to remove the legwork from running an online store and enable retailers to focus on more critical aspects of their business.
What tools are large eCommerce sites using?
Big online retailers can make great use of several tools, especially those that they can scale together with their business needs. In that regard, Zendesk, Canva, and Coda are great examples from our list. Optimizely, MailChimp can also handle enterprise workflows and robust platforms such as Shopify or plugins like WooCommerce.
What are the basic tools for an eCommerce site?
The first must-have would be a platform like WooCommerce or Magento. A payment gateway like Stripe or PayPal is also necessary, along with an SSL certificate to safeguard sensitive data. You will also need simple shopping cart software, a project management tool, an order management system, essential customer support, and a reporting tool to get your insights.
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