Top Automation Tools For E-commerce Business

Online Tools For E-commerce Business

Becoming a business owner in handling your e-commerce business takes too many hands-on efforts to make sure your store runs smoothly. I research tools to make your life easier and be able to give your business the attention it needs.

1. Task Management Software.

Having a task manager helps you to achieve goals and be able to stay organized. The software reminds you of time and lets you set occurring schedules.

I recommend the following:

Asana  – I recommend it for anyone who is managing the small business team of 3 or more. What I like about this software is the ability to repeat tasks for a period of time and day. It helps me to identify which tasks are under a specific project.

Wunderlist – It’s as a professional collaboration tool and a personal organizer for any occasion. Usable for any devices that are compatible with Mac, Android, iPhone, Apple Watch, Windows Phone, Chromebook, and Kindle. It is free not unless you want to go Pro or Business.

Evernote  – It comes in different plans, Basic, Plus, and Premium. The premium plan is only $5. 83. The free features only taking notes, tracking tasks and saving the information you find on the web. It has a feature called Web Clipper that I really like using.

Dapulse – A visual project management tool. The nice feature about this program is the Board Project Template. It provides you to start from scratch or gives you the preview of templates you want to use. Here is a sneak peek below.

2. Customer Support Software – Reaching out to customers can be time-consuming. Giving them the answers they need like purchasing a product, product concerns, payment issues and more. Implementing a help desk to make all customer service tasks efficient.

I recommend the following:

Zendesk – offers multi-channel support that includes live chat, call center software, analytics, reporting and group collaborations.

Desk – All-in-one customer support tool that combines mobile support, multi-channel, case management and productivity tools. I heard a lot of positive reviews about Desk. They have plans like Standard, Pro and Business Plus. Free trial works only for 14 days.

HelpScout  – The features are embed tools, 50+ applications, and integration, custom applications, email templates and signatures, Google apps, multiples mailboxes and more. Read all the features here. I have read positive and negative reviews about HelpScout. I observe that it depends upon your use of the software. Some people are confused about its interface. Some want to add additional minor changes that improve their quality of work. 

3. Email Marketing Automation

Most consumers purchase after receiving a promotional email. A branded campaign is one of the tools to make sure your customer’s responses are recorded for every device.

I recommend the following:

Mailerlite – I use this program to make creative and custom email newsletters. What I really like about Mailerlite is the drag and drop HTML editor and popups. It is hassle-free and takes less than a five minutes to make my own campaign.

MailChimp – The company has the most e-commerce integrations like connecting to Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, Woocommerce, Prestashop and more. Their marketing automation is simple and the best that I used. Their customizable email templates help you to speed up the marketing process. You can even monitor your sales and website activity with their Google Analytics reporting features. Check all the features here.

AWeber – is one of the popular email marketing service providers. They target small to medium-sized businesses to manage their email marketing. My experience with AWeber is getting applications connected to the apps and WordPress. Using it was easy and effortless. Since 1998, they offer the best support and access to email tracking, templates, management, library of how to’s and tutorials.

4. Finance Support – It is time-consuming to manage all your billing, invoicing and financial planning. By doing it right and by using the proper tools. You’ll stay on top of your business.

There are plenty of tools to choose from.

I recommend the following:

Quickbooks Pro Desktop – I recently attended training including the online version. I observed that the interface is understandable and easy to use. Using this software must have previous basic experience. For someone who does not have enough experience with Quickbooks. Try their online version and free trial for 30 days.

The online version caters to self-employed and small businesses. They currently have 50% discount for 6 months.

Xero – A Mobile-ready platform that is ideal to monitor your financial transaction on the go. Most reviews say that Xero is manageable compared to Quickbooks when it comes to a smaller screened device. I have not tested Xero and its mobile features to give you a more detailed preview.

WaveApps – is a free financial software for small business. The best feature is accessing the program anywhere using any computer with internet. What I love using it is their ability to invoice and bill clients on schedule. I can set recurring schedules on client monthly payments. Receive bills according to my monthly subscriptions like utilities, business payments, and expenses.

I schedule instant notifications to my email to send upcoming invoices, bills, and expenses. I like how it generates reports and statements. Here is a sneak peek inside WaveApps.

5. Website Analytics – Any e-commerce store needs to evaluate their performance in order to succeed. The life and blood for e-commerce stores to keep track of the insights of their business. From traffic to conversions, down to the keywords you want to track.

Getting into analytics is complicated. Take an online free course before getting deeper into the analytics structure. Not all analytics are the same for every site.

I recommend the following:

Google Analytics – Free tool that you can start with. It is great for authority and blog sites. They do not accept affiliate sites. It is highly recommended for anyone starting out in the e-commerce business.

Kissmetrics – It is called the Behavioral analytics and engagement platform. Your email campaigns are automated and every detail is all in one place.

6. CRM Software – A tool to improve your relationship with your customers. You will be able to collect data from your customers and personalize their experience.

I recommend the following:

Infusionsoft – A powerful sales and marketing software that integrates with thousands of apps. Their features boast of centralizing client data, marketing automation, sales automation, online sales, analytics, payments, integrations and mobile support.

Hubspot CRM – Free CRM tool for small businesses. It is easy to use and automatic sales processes. Good for companies with employees up to 1,000 employees. It centralizes all the information to keep track of the information for your business.

Dapulse – A CRM and a Project tool in one with a visual interface. Keeps you on track customer interactions and improve sales. Fits your every need for a growing business.

7. Inventory Management – Keeping track of your stock, manage inventory, sell more products and constant flow in and out of your business. Important data to oversee potential issues that might occur for any e-commerce business.

It would take a lot of time for you to manage everything without automation. The role of having an inventory management system is making sure you are organized. It also shortens lengthy business processes that end up ruining your business.

I recommend the following:

Plex Inventory Management – This cloud-based online inventory management helps you manage real-time and accurate inventory with vivid resolution. Specialize in manufacturing operations. It supports to keep you on track of records and activities of tools and products.  It is fully integrated with barcode printing and scanning.

Ordoro Business Operations Inventory Management – Boasts of having all these features in one package: Shipping, Inventory Management, Kitting, Dropshipping, Automation, Supplier Management and Advanced Analytics.

Their inventory management system is easy to use and organize. You can easily handle supplier and product information. Keep up with your workflow and be able to analyze your top selling products online.

Integrate this program with sales channels, shipping carriers, fulfillment services, accounting, point-of-sale, and tools.

SIMMS 2014 Inventory Management – An affordable software designed for optimizing business inventory processes and makes it easy for you to use. It is specifically great for stock management. SIMMS handles mass business coordination and creates an environment very simple to understand.

 

 

 

 

TradeGecko – The best tool for modern merchants that offers the following features: Inventory Control, Inventory Optimization, Multi Warehouse, Order Management, Multi-Channel Sales, Wholesale, Sales Reports, Purchasing, Backordering, CRM, Order Fulfillment, Accounting, Batch and Expiry Tracking, Inventory reports, Price lists, and shipping.

The system allows you more time to organize and focus on your growing customers and e-commerce business. You can start a 14-day trial. Small business plans start at $199 per month.

8. Marketing Automation – Get effective marketing campaigns on social media and on the web. The tool to focus on the right demographics and target market. Be able to get the right results and increase sales every time.

I recommend the following:

HubSpot – They provide an inbound marketing software that provides you responsive templates for website marketing, content with real SEO suggestions, personalized landing pages, personalized path to purchase and more.

Infusionsoft – All in one sales and marketing software that uses marketing automation targets small businesses. Achieve higher engagement in your business. This program is perfect for you. It helps you build marketing campaigns and landing pages. Their marketplace has ready-made campaign templates for you to use. They integrate website tracking to provide you real data to view customers efforts.

9. Social Media Management – Platforms or social media channels that help you to set up various marketing and content for your target audience. Automating all your social media makes the posting easy and efficient to execute.

I recommend the following:

Hootsuite – Simple dashboard user-friendly and efficient to use. I love using this tool. I have an app on my smartphone and it pleases me every day that I schedule and share my social media campaigns.

Buffer –  Great social media management tool for collaboration and businesses. You can schedule up to 2,000 posts in advance. Be able to connect to 25 social media accounts. Get deep insights into your performance in getting to know your audience.

They have a free 14-day trial plan.  Plans for Small Business good for 25 social accounts, Medium Business good for 50 social accounts, Large Business good for 150 social accounts and Enterprise good for 150 plus social accounts.

SproutSocial – The Top tool for every social media marketer. The software features an all-around platform that suits every e-commerce business needs. Manage your every social media on this powerful tool. It helps you to engage, publish your campaigns and measure analytics report with ease.

10. Website Management – tools that help your business website setup easily. They are the best tools you get to get you to the next level. In addition to the post 5 New Tools For Your E-commerce Business, this is the core to start your online business.

G Suite – From new business to large business, G Suite has everything you need to run your business. A custom email, storage, productivity programs, and security. You can turn your passion into an online business. Google Cloud helps you to connect, create, access, and control. I have tried G Suite and it served me well. Like checking my domain based emails and create contracts using Google Docs. It is so easy to use and very efficient for someone who wants everything simplified.

11. Store Management System- From dropshipping to retail selling, online e-commerce cloud platforms are beginning to rise. I handle these dropshipping stores from time to time. I found out that in order to sell effectively. You need to have the online shopping platform that works for you. Here are some ideas for you to start on.

Shopify – a cloud-based shopping platform that helps you sell online effectively. It has everything you need to sell online. It comes with a powerful user-friendly admin interface, thousands of applications to choose from, you easily connect it to sales channels like Amazon, Pinterest, and Facebook(there’s more). All you need is a domain name with hosting, sign up for a 14-day trial and check it out today.

 

Note: Some links are affiliate links which I earn a commission once you sign up. Updated as of August 12, 2018