When you press the accelerator of your car, it lunges forward. The process may seem very simple – until you open the car’s hood. On average, a gasoline-powered car has about 2000+ parts in the drivetrain, working cohesively to make your car move. For the uninitiated, not until one of these goes defunct, do you realize they even existed somewhere in the setup!
eCommerce businesses can be likened to a car. The simple act of customers buying from sellers online, involves multiple processes, both directly leading up to the moment, and indirectly supporting operations.
These processes and operations need to work cohesively, with higher levels of efficiency and automation for eCommerce to function like a well-oiled machine. For that, you need the best eCommerce tools for online businesses.
In this blog, let’s go on a discovery trail to unravel the intricacies that make online businesses thrive, with the top tools to build an eCommerce business.
Top eCommerce Tools for Online Businesses
Best eCommerce Tools for Online Business Success
- eCommerce Marketplace Software
- Payment Gateways
- Tax Management Tool for eCommerce Business
- Shipping Software For eCommerce Fulfillment
- Marketing Tools for Online Business
- Customer support tools for Online Businesses
Now let’s explore each of eCommerce tool mentioned in details.
1. eCommerce Marketplace Software
eCommerce marketplace software helps you to launch an online website without the need to code the website up from scratch. However, these vary greatly among themselves ― such that each is developed to offer certain specific use cases. Let’s learn about solutions that cover very broad scenarios.
i. YoKart
Yo!Kart is a leading readymade solution that can help you launch an eCommerce marketplace like Amazon or Etsy. The solution comes with multiple functionalities that you will need for the participants of the platform – the operator, sellers, and buyers. The solution comes with a clean & appealing UI and an engaging UX. There are also pre-integrated business APIs.
Significantly, YoKart is self-hosted i.e. you have the freedom to install it on a server of your choice, and available with just a one-time payment. This means that by paying once, the solution copy is yours for a lifetime of use. And in case you need it, there is a year of technical support available, for free.
Suggested Read: CS-Cart Vs Sharetribe Vs YoKart – Know which is the Best eCommerce Solution.
ii. Yo!Kart B2B
B2B marketplaces are multivendor marketplaces like Alibaba i.e. platforms for businesses like distributors, manufacturers, brand retailers, and other businesses to transact. Yo!Kart B2B has been developed to cater to the specific needs of this user base and facilitates seamless B2B eCommerce with some key functionalities.
Furthermore, just like YoKart, the B2B solution comes with the freedom of just paying once. YoKart B2B can also be customized as per any specific business needs. Thus making it easy for you to enter into any B2B niche business with ease.
2. Payment Gateways
Payment processors are the “transmission” of eCommerce’s “drivetrain”. In other words, an integral component of the complex setup. Following a series of steps, payment processors allow money to be transferred from the consumer’s bank account to the account registered by the business. While this is their primary purpose, modern payment gateways offer a lot more than this.
Stripe
Stripe is a popular payment gateway that offers some nifty features along with reliability. It features real-time split payments along with other checkout features, offering consumers a flexible checkout experience. Additionally, the buyers can also pay via multiple payment methods on the payment gateway. The vendors have a customized payment interface, embeddable UI elements, and more. Moreover, marketplace operators can offer automated payouts to sellers, custom invoices, payment links, reports, and many other convenient features with Stripe Connect.
Given all these features, Stripe provides a secure ecosystem for financial transactions. It leverages multiple security measures like encryption and tokenization. It has fraud detection functionality to protect customer data. Moreover, Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant, meeting global standards. Considering all the benefits of Stripe, it currently operates in only 35 countries. However, here is a list of other popular payment gateways in various regions of the world.
- North America: Stripe, PayPal, AmazonPay*
- Europe: Adyen, Stripe*, Klarna
- Africa: M-Pesa*, Paystack, Mollie*
- Middle East: PayTabs, Payfort*, 2Checkout*
- South Asia: Paytm*, Razorpay*, Citrus pay*
- South East Asia: Omise*, PayNow*, DragonPay
- Oceania: PayPal*, Stripe*, Afterpay
- South America: Stripe*, Mercado Pago, Khipu*
3. Tax Management Tool for eCommerce Business
Efficient accounting is integral to every business, and eCommerce is no different. Online businesses tend to scale geographically, especially e-marketplaces. In these regions, the tax compliance and regulations can vary. For instance, each state in the US has varying Tax regulations. This gets more complicated when eCommerce platforms operate internationally. Hence, tax accounting solutions are key eCommerce tools for online businesses.
i. Avalara
Avalara is a popular eCommerce tool that can automate tax calculations for a business. It offers APIs, which can be integrated into an eCommerce platform and can be configured via unique API keys. This allows the eCommerce platform to exchange data with Avalara software, automating the process. Information from the shopping cart and invoices is shared with the cloud-based Avalara software. The software has detailed information regarding the latest in tax regulations, considering tax rates for each state, county, and city.
Moreover, it also takes into account the laws, rules, and jurisdiction boundaries of all the regions. Particular scenarios like tax holidays and product exemptions are also stored in the database. In short, pretty much all details are accounted for. Additionally, buyers on the platform can get real-time calculations displayed on the platform’s product page with the help of Avalara’s native geolocation feature. This allows them to know the actual price of the product at the time of purchase, enhancing transparency and the shopping experience for the buyers.
ii. TaxJar
Like Avalara, TaxJar is another popular sales tax eCommerce tool, that can automate the sales tax lifecycle for your online business. It also provides an API that automates sales tax calculations for your eCommerce business. However, while Avalara scales better and is more suited to B2B industries like manufacturers, TaxJar is better suited to hospitality, food, and similar industries. Moreover, TaxJar does not support international business transactions.
That said, TaxJar offers similar features to Avalara. It automates sales tax filing and provides real-time tax calculations. Moreover, it helps you to track transactions and carry out an audit whenever required. Another positive aspect of TaxJar is its transparent pricing structure and good user reviews.
4. Shipping Software For eCommerce Fulfillment
Right from the time consumers complete checkout, their anticipation starts building till the time they finally receive the product. Shipping is integral to the overall shopping experience for the consumer. Delayed orders, mismanaged shipping, and higher shipping rates are key reasons for low customer retention rates.
Hence, to give consumers a shopping experience they want to keep coming back for, online businesses can ease the complexities of shipping with the best tools for eCommerce fulfillment. Read about these below.
i. Shipstation
Shipstation is a cloud-based centralized tool that offers APIs that can be integrated into your online business platforms. With the integration, you can allow sellers to operate from the user dashboard and conduct shipping operations from printing labels to batch shipping and much more.
The eCommerce tool offers the best rates from leading logistics companies such as UPS, DHL, FedEx, and more. Shipments are seamlessly managed with their scan and ship features. The solution also offers instant tracking details when the orders are booked via their software. Thus allowing eCommerce businesses to solve key pain points in shipping operations, and give buyers pleasing shopping experiences.
ii. Aftership
Aftership is also a cloud-based tool that offers API integration with your eCommerce website. It will allow you to offer your buyers real-time tracking of the shipment. For your operational convenience as well, this will help in better visibility of in-transit shipments. Moreover, the buyers get notifications when these orders are delivered.
Just like Shipstation, Aftership also helps in fetching real-time shipping rates when orders are being accepted with an estimated date of delivery at that time. To add to these features, Aftership also assists in better return management, in case there is a need from the buyers’ end.
Start an ecommerce Business With Unified Shipping Operations
5. Marketing Tools for Online Business
Marketing is a crucial business function. Your online business exists in a virtual space, hidden in the form of bits and bytes. Its visibility hinges on robust marketing. However, there are multiple facets to writing. Let’s start with the first: How to reach out to your target audience? One of the better ways to achieve this is via email marketing campaigns. Let’s learn about a very useful email marketing tool.
i. Mailchimp
Email marketing campaigns can attract users by giving offers, discounts, abandoned cart messages, or conveying the USP of your business. Mailchimp is one of the most preferred email marketing tools. It helps businesses of all sizes to create and send emails. Moreover, It also makes it possible to analyze the performance of your email campaigns, by tracking opens and clicks, and more. Furthermore, to make your emails engaging, Mailchimp has a variety of features such as customizable templates, audience segmentation, and more.
The next consideration will be ― enhancing your visibility on the internet. To achieve that, ask yourself the question: Where is one virtual space where all users in the digital ecosystem are most likely to visit? Yes, the straightforward answer will be Google. The dynamic search engine is used globally by people from all walks of life. Let’s see the best way to market your business on Google.
ii. Google Ads
One of the best eCommerce tools, Google Ads is a powerful medium that enables businesses to get user attention by publishing ads on Google. eCommerce businesses can create targeted ads to promote their products or services in front of a predefined target audience. With multiple options to personalize ad formats and other targeting options, businesses can enhance their online visibility, drive traffic to their platforms, and eventually augment their sales and revenue.
Now, you have tools to reach out to the target audience, via two popularly used mediums i.e. Google and emails. But how do ascertain the right strategy for using these tools? The answer lies in data. The performance of the business best lies in crunching data to evaluate strategies. Data can give insights into what is working and what may be a growth bottleneck. With Analytics tools, this data is delivered straight from the horse’s mouth – the users.
iii. Google Analytics
With the data-driven insights from Google Analytics, eCommerce businesses get data on performance, consumer analysis, and business decisions. For instance, by studying tracking metrics like page views, bounce rates, best-performing products, and conversion rates – businesses can analyze how users are interacting with their eCommerce website. This data can further be filtered based on geographical locations or real-time insights. If needed, various elements within the eCommerce website can be optimized for data-driven conversion rate optimization.
Notably, both Google Ads and Google Analytics complement their utility for a business. Take for instance, if, by analyzing data from Google Analytics, an online platform discovers that several users were abandoning their carts during the checkout process. They can leverage Google Ads campaigns to target these users. By enticing these users with targeted marketing offers such as coupons or discounts, the business can enhance its conversion rates, completing marketing objectives.
Leverage Our Expertise To Kick-Start Your Ecommerce Marketing
6. Customer support tools for Online Businesses
eCommerce today is a buyer-centric, personalized experience. Amidst multiple choices for eCommerce websites and a reduced attention span, buyers need instant attention to their needs. Hence since customer support can help to engage users, chat support tools are one of the best tools for eCommerce.
HeyZilo
Chat-Support is the quintessential support channel that eCommerce businesses must consider. It enhances customer satisfaction by allowing buyers to seek assistance with their queries, and get apt resolutions. Furthermore, with due support chat also opens up-selling and cross-selling opportunities for the business.
HeyZilo is a top Chat software that supports both real-time chat and pre-defined automated responses. The users can share files on the chat window itself. The agents get features such as automated responses, and collaboration facilitators to engage consumers. Moreover, with the help of KPI metrics that give insights on chats, tickets, and visitors, businesses can get valuable data to understand their customers and the performance of the business.
Wrapping Up
The pioneers of eCommerce i.e. such as Etsy, Alibaba, and Amazon have set forth an online ecosystem in the industry, that has allowed consumers to embrace online as a preferred channel – a unique experience that has disrupted commerce, as the way the world once saw it. In the process, it has evolved users into expecting eCommerce, the way it is. Now, the modern consumer expects a certain minimum from an eCommerce undertaking.
Well, the good news is, that the eCommerce tools for online businesses mentioned in this article present an opportunity for newer eCommerce entrants and existing ones alike, to offer a similar seamless experience like the well-established platforms. To launch an eCommerce business that sets the bar in the online industry, you can start with an eCommerce marketplace builder mentioned here, giving the platform participants a contemporary medium to conduct their eCommerce activities seamlessly.
FAQs
Q. Why should I use eCommerce tools for online businesses?
Ans: eCommerce tools enhance the capabilities of the eCommerce business to manage operations better and offer more to both the sellers and buyers of the eCommerce platform. Moreover, these help entrepreneurs not only to establish themselves in the industry – but also to grow. Hence, starting with an eCommerce business that offers the benefit of top tools, can get you the best results.
Q. What are the tools that allow eCommerce to function?
Ans: The following category of tools will help your eCommerce business to function smoothly:
1. eCommerce marketplace software: Build your eCommerce website easily with this. Some leading website builder tools are YoKart and YoKart B2B.
2. Payment Gateways: These securely authorize and process online transactions, facilitating the transfer of payments from consumers to businesses via credit cards, debit cards, or other forms of electronic payment. Stripe is a rich featured payment gateway that is popular in many regions of the world, however, each region has its preferred payment gateways.
3. Sales Tax Tool: Automate tax calculations for your eCommerce business with these tools. Also, display location-based real-time tax calculations for the buyers of the eCommerce business based on their region. The best eCommerce tools for tax calculation are Avalara and TaxJar.
4. Shipping Tool For eCommerce Fulfillment: Streamline shipping fulfillment and returns. Fetch best carrier rates and give users real-time tracking data for in-transit shipping. The best tools for eCommerce shipping fulfilment are Shipstation and Aftership.
5. Analytics Tools: Get website health, user, and other performance related data to better strategize for your business goals. Google Analytics is a quintessential analytics eCommerce tool.
6. Marketing Tools for Online Businesses: Reach out to the target users and get visibility for your eCommerce business for marketing tools for eCommerce. The best eCommerce tools for marketing are Google Ads, Mailchimp, and more.
7. Customer support tools: One of the better eCommerce tools for customer support is HeyZilo. It help your users to connect with you via online chat.
8. Best eCommerce Tools to Facilitate Global Operations: Use MSN translator to translate web content for your users in their preferred language.
Q. How can I determine which eCommerce tools are best for my online business?
Ans: We have shared some of the best tools for eCommerce in the question above. These cover essential eCommerce business functions. However, the scope of eCommerce businesses can be beyond these tools, and your need for tools beyond this list will be subject to the requirements of your business. If you are unsure which tools will work best for your platform, solutions like Yo!Kart can give you a headstart with the best eCommerce tools pre-integrated within a unified platform. If you need help, connect with our team. We would be happy to help you out.
Q. How can the YoKart eCommerce tool help me?
Ans: YoKart is a robust yet versatile eCommerce marketplace software. With this self-hosted turnkey solution, all that is required is installation on a server of your choice. Once that is done, you can start your eCommerce journey. Since YoKart comes with a list of eCommerce features and the best eCommerce tools pre-integrated, it covers most eCommerce website use cases. If, however, your business requirements need some more functionality apart from the default system features, YoKart is flexible to accommodate customizations and integrations with other tools. Moreover, all services can be availed from the in-house team.
