7 Best eCommerce Tools to Start an Online Store (2023)
Discover 2023's top 7 eCommerce tools to launch a successful online store. Elevate your business with cutting-edge solutions for today's digital era.
Growing an online business can be tough, but with the right website tools, it becomes much smoother. In this article, we’ll share the 7 best eCommerce tools that are perfect for beginners looking to kickstart their journey.
Whether you need help building your store, marketing it, shopping experience, or managing day-to-day operations, we’ve got you covered. Plus, we’ll provide detailed instructions to help you make the most of these tools.
With eCommerce booming, everyone’s eager to join in, and there are tons of website tools out there to help. However, the multitude of choices can be overwhelming, especially for beginners. To simplify your journey, we’ve selected seven fundamental types of tools to kickstart your eCommerce venture:
eCommerce marketing tools for sale boosting
An eCommerce Site Customer Behavior Report
Choosing from all these categories can be a bit overwhelming but don’t worry. We’ll make it easier for you by picking the top eCommerce tools in each category and giving all business owners clear instructions.
If you’re starting your eCommerce business, choosing the right platform is crucial for long-term growth. These platforms help manage your eCommerce site, marketing, sales, and operations.
Choosing the best eCommerce platform depends on your needs. Let’s look at two big options in the marketplaces: Shopify and Magento.
Christian Louboutin’s stunning website, powered by Magento
Shopify vs Magento: Pros and Cons
| Shopify | Magento | |
| Pros | User-FriendlyMobile-friendly and visually appealing themesBuilt-in cart recoveryGreat for dropshippingSupports multi-currency salesEffective for social media sellingFree email marketing for up to 10,000 emails per monthWide app selectionStrong SEO featuresNo transaction fees with Shopify PaymentsDiscounts for longer billing cycles (1, 2, or 3 years)Offer free basic POS for beginners | Highly scalable & customizableGreat management features, multi-language, multi-currency supportLarge user community for supportStrong SEO and marketing toolsSupports various product typesOptimized checkout and mobile-friendlyExtensive analytics and reportingNo transaction fees |
| Cons | Transaction fees for third-party payment gatewaysLimit to three product options per itemFull reporting restricted to higher-tier plansShopify Payments not available in all countriesLimited theme personalisation optionsMulti-currency selling restrictions in some regions | Costly for advanced Magento editionsRequires coding knowledge for themes/templatesHosting and domain must be purchased separatelyLimited default themesLacks built-in support for social media sellingNo available POS, however, you can use POS for Magento like Magestore POS |
Marketing is essential for all businesses, whether online or offline. Success lies in designing effective touchpoints for customers as they journey through and using the right tools can guide our actions
eCommerce user experience stages
It’s evident that whether you’re targeting new customers, providing valuable insights to cultivate relationships, delivering reminders about exclusive sales, or nurturing a community, email marketing plays a crucial role (According to Salesforce’s State of Marketing Report, 82% of marketers use email campaigns to engage).
The key is to avoid boring, repetitive emails that can bother customers. Instead, send personalized, engaging messages that make them feel special. To do this for a large audience, you need a customized and effective email marketing platform
That’s where Titan Email, a customer-centric business email marketing tool, comes to the rescue. With its powerful features for personalisation, sending, and tracking email marketing campaigns, Titan transforms the way you build customer relationships and drive conversion rates while saving you time.
Titan the customer-centric business email service
Titan Email’s message templates
Titan offers a Progressive Web App (PWA) that feels just like a desktop application for your convenience. Here’s why Titan’s PWA is a no-brainer:
For more details, check out the article on using Titan’s web version as a desktop app.
CNBC research reveals that out-of-stocks, excess inventory, and returns cost retailers a whopping $1.75 trillion annually. This is where retail management software comes in handy. It empowers retailers to efficiently manage their daily operations, spanning everything from purchasing and inventory management to order fulfillment, particularly if they’re running both online and offline stores.
Magestore is the top choice for POS and RMS on Magento. Their retail management software streamlines store operations, from inventory management to order fulfillment. It centralizes real-time data on your eCommerce platform, saving time for those planning to expand and open more stores in the future. It’s versatile, working on web browsers, iPads, and Android tablets.
The best part? You can use RMS on the front end, making your work process twice as fast!
Magestore’s all-in-one Retail Management System
It’s the all-in-one eCommerce solution to supercharge your online store:
Also, if you’re searching for an eCommerce analytics tool, consider using Magento RMS. It allows you to generate and export customized reports that cater to your unique requirements and preferences.
According to studies, first impressions are 94% related to design, visual appeal, and website navigation.
Many eCommerce sites provide themes for customization, but for more options, check out Figma. It’s user-friendly and offers templates for eCommerce and marketing channels, simplifying design, even if you’re not tech-savvy.
Figma offers a free version, with an upgrade to the Professional Plan for additional templates and collaboration tools
Free eCommerce minimal template on Figma
Pro Tips:
In the fierce eCommerce battlefield, customer service plays a pivotal role. Nobody wants to be left in the dark or stuck talking to a robot when they have a problem. That’s where a customer service tool like Zendesk is a game-changer. Zendesk features make handling customer support a breeze, ensuring that shoppers are satisfied and their feedback is well-heard.
Additionally, integrating Zendesk with Flock consolidates customer queries and feedback management:
Zendesk: Customer Service Software & Sales CRM
To boost your eCommerce sales, consider upselling and cross-selling to customers who are already making a purchase. Studies reveal that upselling can increase revenue by an average of 10-30% and is 68% more cost-effective than acquiring new customers.
While eCommerce platforms provide built-in upselling features in different places, a powerful yet often underutilized strategy for new store owners is upselling through loyalty programs. Did you know that loyal customers spend 67% more than new ones? It’s a goldmine of opportunity.
A great choice is Smile.io, a cloud-based eCommerce tool for creating referral and loyalty programs. With Smile.io, you control the rewards, from creating accounts to sharing on social media, birthdays, and more. Rewards can be discount coupons, dollar discounts, free products, or free shipping.
Smile.io also offers features like points expiry, custom point names, and earning conditions to build a vibrant customer community.
Getting users to your site is just one part of the equation. Visitors can perform various actions on your eCommerce store without making a purchase, and knowing these actions is crucial for converting users into customers. That’s where an analytics tool like Google Analytics comes in handy.
Google Analytics for eCommerce
By connecting Google Analytics to an eCommerce website, retailers can get:
These research tools help business owners collect customer data, track performance, optimize marketing, and improve customer experience.
The best thing is it’s both free and user-friendly.
In today’s competitive landscape, it’s vital to utilize these eCommerce solutions to gain a competitive edge and enhance your online sales.
Here’s what you can do:
But remember, the first step is understanding your ideas and needs to select the right tool accordingly.