Number One: Magneto
Over Amazon and Demandware, Magneto has become an industry standard tool in driving growth. According to a report released by magneto.com, “merchants grow sales 3X faster than IR’s Top 1000 ecommerce merchants on average.” It should be noted that Magneto is a bit frustrating to get mastered and that there is little support unless you opt in for premium packages and features.
Number Two: Competitor Monitor
Competitor monitor have established themselves as a leading provider of automated price tracking technologies for retailers, brands and distributors across the globe. Their proprietary platform tracks competitor prices, products, promotions, reviews and stock availability providing actionable recommendations that boost sales and maximize margins.
Number Three: WooCart
WooCart is specifically oriented for Wordpress. Research from Web Technology Surveys has shown that nearly 30% of all websites are run off of WordPress. WooCommerce, or WooCart as it is sometimes referred to, makes up 28% of all online stores. This tool is free and there is support offered for Ecommerce Managers.
Number Four: Scheduling Software
There are a few options which are available for a business. It is advised that you use one of the industry standards such as Office Calendar, Google Calendar, or ScheduleOnce. Your Ecommerce site should be independent from any personal scheduling. Notifications should be enabled to allow for administration to receive updates and information about events in a timely manner.
Number Five: Skype
Skype is quickly becoming as popular as Facebook in the social media realm. Ecommerce managers are expected to have a means of communicating with potential clients, investors, and administration. There are various plans available for skype ranging from free to premium and ecommerce managers should chose the plan which best fits with their business’s needs.
Number Six: MailChimp
A simple platform for creating newsletters in either pre-selected templates or through uploaded HTML. The site allows for you to import contact lists as well as monitor newsletter analytics. Such monitoring can help in establishing which campaigns are successful and which need previsioning in the future.
Number Seven: GetSite Control
Get site control allows you to have integrated features and analytics in your site for free. Keep in mind that these are very primitive, but they are effective. You can have a newsletter, sharing, social likes, and promotions available. Do not overdo it though, you do not want your site to look spammy.
Number Eight: Shopify
Those who do not have a WordPress site and do not wish to integrate themselves with Amazon, could use Shopify. Shopify is the top cart builder for websites, allowing for integration into existing sites. Keep in mind that shopify is available as an app so designs for your website should be app and mobile friendly.
Number Nine: Forums
In order to boost your organic content as well as to build the loyalty of your customers, have forums. Forums allow for your customers to interact with each other and build relationships as well as provide reviews and critical feedback on your products and services. As information and sharing information is a key to building up content and trust for your site, the more forums you have, the better.
Number Ten: SEOBook
The site allows you to have very detailed information on the wordage of your ecommerce site. The density checker allows you to either put a snippet of text into the field, or (more desirable) the website whose keywords you wish to know. By using and comparing your website to that of your competition, you can see where to focus your SEO.
Number Eleven: Akiwi image keywording
Because your site is ecommerce, it is critical for your SEO that you have keywords which best describes your content. Akiwi provides ecommerce managers with a simple solution to keywording the images on their site. Simple click and upload the picture and you are presented with similar pictures and words which you can copy to your clipboard and enter the image tag.
Number Twelve: Deal of the Day
Those which wish to have continuous traffic to their ecommerce site need to have an initiative for customers to return. Using Competitive pricing analytics, find a price margin which is a bit lower than that of the competitor and offer a deal of the day. It is suggested that you do so through push notifications or social media.
Number Thirteen: Comments and Ratings
Potential Customers will base their decisions on the former satisfaction or dissatisfaction of prior customers. Do not be afraid to have reviews on your site. Transparency in this area helps to establish the creditability of your product. Think of Amazon, Ebay, Walmart, and other mega distributors. Most of their products have a star rating to give customers a quick idea of the general populations thoughts on a product or service. It would behoove the eCommerce manager to take a page from their book.
Number Fourteen: Embedded Videos
According to Forbes, video marketing is an essential part of ecommerce. In the report by Forbes it was stated that businesses which use videos within their websites had a 90% respondent rate. This is over case studies, webinars, surveys, and Free Trials. Remember, empowerment and education are top motivators in today’s ecommerce market. Having videos which cater to your brand while at the same time giving power to the consumer will increase loyalty, your client list, and your revenue.
Number Fifteen: Post Purchase Interactions
Customer service is vital to the survival of your ecommerce site. Ecommerce managers need to have a team of professionals interact with customers to ensure that their products and services are to the expectations of the clients. Customers which see a personality concerned with their wellbeing, instead of a corporation or enterprise are more apt to make purchases in the future.
Number sixteen: Competitive Data Resources
As an ecommerce site, perhaps the most beneficial tool that an ecommerce manager could have would be automated competitor pricing activity services. This boost efficiency and the effectiveness of competitive pricing as well as gives you a basepoint, through tailored reports and recommendations, from which to build your campaigns.