Commerce is defined as the buying and selling of goods- eCommerce is simply that process moved online. It is not specific to physical goods; it can include anything from crypto currencies to fresh vegetables- and everything in between.
eCommerce has become a huge part of modern business and essentially exists to make the entire purchasing process as easy as possible for the end consumer.
There are many different types of ecommerce tools, from all-in-one website builders, analytics plugins and internal communication, all the way to customer service softwares; each is as important as the last for a successful online business.
These tools do more than just help your store run smoothly—which is super important anyway- they also allow your business to grow by tracking customers, building data and creating efficient systems; all of which can bring in new leads and increase their spend amount by 50%.
The only problem is that choosing an ecommerce tool for you and your online store can be difficult given the variety available. That’s why we created this list of the most important software types so you can choose where to best invest.
Ecommerce platforms
From data analytic plug-ins, all-in-one website building software or shopping cart tools, to marketing strategists that can reach out to potential clients; these platforms are the foundations of your ecommerce journey.
Good websites are the key to a successful online business. Ensuring your website is appealing, functional and easy to use means the experience for your end user is a pleasant and simple experience.
You can find platforms that will help you to build, populate and run an excellent website that is professional looking and a pleasure to use. You’ll also find that these services allow you to achieve many different things using their systems- although this will often cost you extra.
You can build data banks and monitor customer habits, some offer extensive stock-check systems and others will help you target specific members of your customer base.
Content creation
Once you have a great looking website that is functional and aesthetically pleasing, you’ll need to fill it with content. This is much harder than it sounds. Irrelevant content can turn potential customers away, and poorly curated items can clutter your website and undo all the good work you did when building it.
Themed and aesthetically pleasing color schemes can keep your prospects happy as they interact with your content, and grammatically correct and well structured text is important when building trust with a potential customer.
There are many free tools online like Canva that will allow you to totally customize imagery and graphic designs, and article generation can be sourced from many places.
Analytics
This is one of the most important parts that people often get wrong. In fact, it is estimated that up to 80% of potential leads are never converted into sales- so getting this right could be a gamechanger.
Analytics tools such as Sopro’s prospecting solution will forever change the way you curate new leads, boost profits and reach out to customers.
You can physically measure user behaviors, performance trends and monitor ROI. Companies will develop marketing campaigns for you and put them into practice, and all of this feeds back into how you maximize the way in which people interact with your site.
SEO
SEO may seem like another horrible acronym, but it’s actually quite simple. It stands for ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ and helps your content to receive more views.
Using a series of analytical tools, certain keywords or phrases that are included in popular content similar to your own can be inserted into articles, blogs or other posts on your site. These articles will then help your text to attract more clicks, and draw more traffic to your own content when people search for these phrases.
It can take a skillful hand to successfully create content that will rank highly and attract more potential traffic to your site, but it’s worth it when done correctly.
Communication & internal organisation
Ecommerce software’s hidden bonus is that many platforms will give you a way to organize and streamline your communication with employees and peers- or you can simply find one to use as a group.
Simple live chats can be utilized for fast and immediate contact, virtual spaces for streamlining projects and work flows are often amongst the best ways to simplify and organize yourself and your partners.
Customer support
This is one of the most crucial elements of running a successful business, and is a part of running an online business that must never be forgotten.
Customer care has always allowed businesses to do several things. Firstly, taking care of your customers makes their journey easier- if you can be friendly, helpful and offer them everything they need then they will be more likely to spend time and money with you.
Secondly, dealing with customer issues in a professional manner, quickly and efficiently to reach a swift resolution will make everyone’s lives easier.
But, the most important part of customer support is retaining customers, and ensuring they return to shop with you again.
Now take all this and put it into an ecommerce business- the rules are the same, but the format is different. Certain types of software will allow you to manage your customer care differently, so see which one suits you best.
Retaining customers is so important as it’s estimated that loyal and happy customers will spend 60-70% more than a new customer on average. Not only this but, in terms of marketing, acquiring a new customer is seven times more expensive than retaining a loyal returnee. That seems like a pretty significant stat when it comes to the success of your online business.
The final word
Ecommerce tools are the building blocks of a good online business.
There are several key elements to running and maintaining an online business, and all of the software types above are aimed towards one thing, and one thing only; making your life as easy as possible.
Not only do they allow you to build successful websites, reach new customers, analyze data effectively, build marketing campaigns and offer great customer support; but you’ll also be more efficient and have a great end product- which will lead to more sales!
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