Did you know that 14% of all sales worldwide are done through e-commerce? That means any business needs a strong online presence to survive in a competitive market. All you need to know for a successful online presence are the right tools for getting the job done.
We can help you cut through the thousands of options available. Read on as we give our 10 must-know tools for digital retail.
Shopify
Shopify is one of the most well-known tools for online retail, and for good reason. It is a drag and drop website building tool, that can let you create a professional-looking webshop from the ground up.
Everything is managed from an easy-to-understand message board. It has built-in features that can sync you with social media accounts and Google, so you can manage your marketing activities from one place.
Pricing plans are tiered so you can scale up your business. However, the highest pricing plans do tend to veer toward the expensive side.
Jungle Scout
Jungle Scout is one of the few online retail tools specifically set up for selling on Amazon. It has a number of features that manage every aspect of your Amazon business, right from the start. This includes product and keyword research, thorough analytics tools, and software to create targeted email campaigns.
If you are starting out, then this is a must-have tool. Its beginner’s guide has everything you need to understand both the product and how Amazon sales work. The pricing is also extremely reasonable, even with the higher-level packages.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is another of the big online storefronts and web building tools. It operates as integration with WordPress, so if you have experience with that CMS you may prefer this over others. You can even find hosting providers specifically for WooCommerce websites.
The best thing is that it is totally free. You may have to pay for some higher-end features, but you can get started almost right away. You can also find a host of free tutorials and helpful guides online.
3d Cart
Another system to help build your e-commerce store is 3d Cart. However, this system is particularly suited to small businesses and those just starting out. It has 60 mobile responsive themes ready to use and over 100 supported payment platforms.
While the other features may seem basic, the ones they do have can save you a lot of time and money. Abandoned cart recovery tools, for example, can drastically increase revenue on their own.
With a range of payment plans, you can easily scale up your business as it grows. The only downside is you may need a programmer for advanced customization options.
ProProfs Helpdesk
If you are looking for one of the best digital retail tools to enhance your customer service, then this could be it. Proprofs is an all-in-one query response package, that helps sort and automate your emails.
Its features include customer request tracking, so you can see where issues and requests are in the chain. It has shared email inboxes, so your team can collaborate easily and efficiently. It also comes with live chat functions and built-in knowledge bases.
ProProfs is free to use, with even the premium plan only costing $15 a month. It scales up easily, so can be used by small start-ups or huge companies.
Decibel
Decibel is one of the most useful and unique customer service tools in e-commerce. It uses analytics to score your customer experience. This is then used alongside tools to help understand why, so you can streamline and improve the digital experience.
It may sound complicated, but its operation is actually not. Decibel has a very user-friendly interface that syncs easily with your website. It is ideal for people with high volumes of web traffic who want to improve or make their customer service experience more autonomous.
Big Cartel
Focusing on creative individuals and artists, Big Cartel provides an easy, out-of-the-box storefront for selling creations. From hand-printed T-Shirt designs to oil paintings, it has everything you need to get your products out there. It currently has over 1 million users worldwide.
Small stores with less than five products can use Big Cartel for free. Pricing then goes up, so you can scale the store as you grow. They do not take a fee from any listings, so you only pay the price for the package you use.
Magento
Magento is the online retail building tool for Adobe. It is a free, open-source platform that has numerous advantages. In fact, it goes beyond a simple website builder by providing detailed analytics and organizational tools.
These include a host of selling and fulfillment order tools, a selection of easy-to-use customer data visualizations, and live chat customer service for your shop. However, higher-end customization and functions go into price brackets only very large companies could afford.
BigCommerce
One of the most flexible digital retail tools for building your online store is BigCommerce. It has a host of design elements that are easy to drag and drop. It can also integrate third-party apps.
In addition, it has a range of tools for gaining data and customer insights. This can be used to inform your decision-making and conversion tunnels. It has a flexible pricing structure but is more expensive than some other similar options.
Volusion
Volusion is a lesser-known storefront builder, but it has a wealth of options and tools included. It has a range of responsive themes to get you started. This is backed up by easy-to-use editing tools.
You can start with a free 14-day trial. After this, the minimum pricing plan is $29 per month.
Get Digital Retail Assistance
Digital retail is a hard area to get correct, especially when you are starting out. Do not be afraid to call in help from a professional company. They will be able to assist you in building websites and marketing the products online.
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