6 best eCommerce tools to grow your brand

Taking your business to the next level is becoming more accessible than ever as the online shopping space continues to boom with exciting opportunities.

Thriving in this landscape isn’t about just joining the trend. It boils down to standing out and making your mark in the fiercely competitive market. 

To achieve this feat, you must recognize the power of the best eCommerce tools and leverage them to maximize your efforts. 

Interestingly, according to Statista, digital commerce will account for nearly 25% of all retail sales globally by 2027.

Think about that for a moment!

This emphasizes the need to get your brand online and position yourself for massive sales. 

But where do you begin, and what platforms can streamline your operations to accelerate your growth?

In this expert-led guide, we’ve handpicked the finest resources to supercharge your business.

Whether it’s mastering marketing, enhancing analytics, streamlining management, or optimizing finance, this article will reveal the perfect solutions that can transform your store from functional to extraordinary.

What are eCommerce tools? 

eCommerce tools and technologies are software applications or platforms designed to help businesses manage every aspect of their digital storefronts.

From inventory management and processing orders to integrating payment systems, they make it easier for firms to thrive in the ever-competitive online market.

Furthermore, these tools for selling online offer features that simplify customer shopping, making their experience seamless and enjoyable.

They also provide you with valuable insights. By tracking and analyzing consumer behavior, they help you tailor marketing strategies, offer data-driven recommendations, and ultimately boost sales.

eCommerce tools list

According to a Calabrio report, about 97% of consumers indicate that excellent customer service is key to brand loyalty.

Consequently, it becomes imperative to harness resources that can make you relevant and retain more clients.

Here’s a summarized list of the tools for selling online:

Marketing tools

• Mailchimp
• Omnisend
• Ahrefs
• Buffer
• Hootsuite

Analytics tools

• Google Analytics
• Kissmetrics
• Hotjar
• Optimizely
• Supermetrics

Management tools

• Shopify
• BigCommerce
• WooCommerce
• Square Online

Financial tools

• Stenn
• Quickbooks
• Xero
• Stripe

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Do you want to free up cashflow and avoid bad debts? Explore our cash ratio guide for more expert tips.

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5 top eCommerce marketing tools

The right promotional tools can help you optimize your website for conversions, improve your SEO strategies, automate your operations, and enhance your social media approach.

Let’s quickly take a look at some resources that can improve your marketing efforts.

1. Mailchimp: transforming your email campaigns

According to a Litmus study, businesses receive $36 for every $1 they invest in email marketing. It even gets more interesting as the research revealed a higher return of $45 per dollar spent for organizations in the eCommerce, retail, and consumer goods industries.

SMBs must recognize the importance of email in their revenue strategy. 

Notably, Mailchimp uses powerful features to create, send, and analyze email campaigns.

With its automation functionality, you can send personalized and timely emails based on customer behavior.

Ultimately, this enhances your outreach efforts and fosters customer loyalty.

Key features

• Marketing automation
• Reporting & analytics
• Personalization
• New drag-and-drop email builder

Pros

• It boasts a user-friendly interface
• It features an advanced email editor
• It has robust marketing automation tools
• It boasts a wide range of integrations
• It has strong email deliverability

Cons

• Mailchimp’s pricing model is costly 
• It has a limited email template library

💡Expert tip: Use its intuitive drag-and-drop editor to design attention-grabbing emails that connect with your audience and drive conversion.

2. Omnisend: the omnichannel marketing platform

Omnisend is one of the leading marketing automation tools, particularly for its omnichannel capabilities.

This platform seamlessly integrates several marketing channels – such as email, social media, and SMS – into a single, automated workflow.

Also, this unified approach saves time and ensures your marketing efforts are cohesive and effective.

Key features

• SMS and email marketing capabilities
• Reporting and analytics tools
• Lead tracking and management
• Customizable email templates
• Easy integration with over 130 eCommerce applications

Pros

• User-friendly and accessible to beginners
• Pre-built automation workflows
• Seamless integration with major online sales platforms
• Excellent customer support

Cons

• It’s best suited for SMS and email marketing

3. Ahrefs: an SEO site for optimizing your company’s website

When it comes to search engine optimization and competitor analysis, Ahrefs is a tool that needs no introduction.

The platform is known for having one of the largest backlink indexes in the industry, making it an invaluable resource for learning your competitors’ SEO strategies and enhancing yours.

Key features

• Detailed keyword research tool
• Link-building and domain-rating functionalities
• Rank tracker and historical SERP checker
• Website audit tool
• Competitor analysis capabilities
• Plans start at $129/month

Pros

• Access to a large backlink database
• Weekly updates on ranking keywords
• Detailed analytics and data visualization

Cons

• No free trial
• Primarily focused on SEO; not an all-in-one marketing tool

4. Buffer: an excellent social media management platform

Buffer is another great tool that can streamline your social media efforts. It allows easy content scheduling across multiple social platforms from a single dashboard.

The platform is also well-suited for small and medium-sized businesses with limited media teams. 

Key features

• Social media scheduling and publishing
• Real-time analytics
• Content calendar and content library
• Social media campaign planning and optimization
• A free plan is available; pricing starts from $6/month

Pros

• It’s extremely easy to use
• It offers a free plan and a 14-day free trial on paid plans
• It has a mobile app

Cons

• It offers limited customer support channels
• Buffer can become expensive if you connect multiple channels

5. Hootsuite: a noteworthy option for unifying your social platforms

Hootsuite combines all your social media platforms into one easy-to-manage platform.

Here, you can schedule posts, track engagement, and analyze performance all from one dashboard.

Its engagement tools are impressive. They include monitoring and listening streams, an inbox for private and public messaging, an autoresponder, and saved replies.

They also help you respond quickly, improve customer satisfaction, connect with your audience, and grow your brand. 

Features 

• Social media content planning and publishing
• Unified social inbox
• AI writing assistant
• Social media analytics
• Social advertising management

Pros

• It provides numerous tools for social media management
• Despite its extensive features, the platform remains intuitive and user-friendly
• It offers data-driven insights to help businesses refine their strategies

Cons

• It’s more expensive than some competitors, with plans starting at $99 annually
• It no longer offers a free plan, which may deter smaller startups
• Access to advanced features like analytics requires subscribing to the highest-tier plan

💡Expert tip: Use Hootsuite’s analytics to identify the best times to post and the content that resonates most with your audience to maximize your social media impact.

5 essential eCommerce analytics tools for unlocking insights

Analytics are useful for evaluating your business’s performance. They help gather insights and make data-driven decisions to elevate your online store. Some of these platforms are: 

1. Google Analytics: a go-to solution for website analysis

This is a reliable solution for tracking your site’s metrics. It provides insights into sessions, page views, and conversions, helping you understand visitors’ behavior.

In addition, you can set up real-time reports to spot areas for improvement. 

Furthermore, the platform introduces an enhanced eCommerce feature to help identify where website traffic originates, how users convert, and where cart abandonment occurs.

This feature also pinpoints pages with high bounce rates and highlights those that keep visitors engaged. 

Notably, Google offers free training to get you up to speed with the analytics process and how to spot features that align with your company’s needs.

Key features

• Multichannel funnel analysis
• Predictive data analysis
• Easy integration with multiple platforms
• Free pricing

Usability: It’s easy to use but requires a bit of a learning curve. 

Pricing: Google Analytics offers a free plan. If you want more premium features, you can consider Google 360, which starts at $50,000 per year. 

2. Kissmetrics: a platform offering advanced analytics

Kissmetrics goes beyond the surface metrics by offering a deep dive into the consumer journey. It provides a detailed dashboard that visualizes your checkout funnel and ties data to individual users.

This platform allows you to track a customer’s journey across devices to make informed decisions based on actual behavior. 

This platform is particularly valuable for businesses focused on understanding user patterns to drive engagement and conversions.

While it offers powerful insights, it comes at a higher price and may require some learning time.

Key features

• Automated personalized email campaigns
• A/B testing
• Real-time data monitoring

Usability: Intermediate/Advanced

Pricing: Starts from $299/month

3. Hotjar: uncovering user patterns with heatmaps

Ready to visualize user interactions via heatmaps?

Hotjar offers this option and more. Its interactive maps track where visitors click, scroll, and linger to see how they interact with your site.

In addition, Hotjar allows session recording, giving you a replay of individual user sessions. Its survey feature also collects feedback directly from users. These functionalities make it a comprehensive tool for insights and customer feedback.

However, setting it up might require some technical knowledge.

Key features

• Interactive heatmaps
• Session replays
• Survey tools for feedback collection

Usability: Intermediate

Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $39/month

4. Optimizely: offering personalized services for online buyers

Optimizely is a great tool for creating a more personalized shopping experience for your customers.

Known for its focus on A/B testing and optimization, this platform empowers businesses to craft a more authentic and engaging shopping journey for buyers. 

Its web experimentation tool allows you to easily set up A/B experiments to enhance your site’s content without coding skills.

Furthermore, Optimizely offers chatbot testing and checkout flow features to reduce cart abandonment rates and increase sales.

Key features

• No-code A/B testing editor
• Fast feature rollouts with full-stack
• Comprehensive customer data collection
• Chatbot and checkout flow experimentation
• Flexible subscription options

Usability: Intermediate/Advanced 

Pricing: $2,000-$3,000 monthly

5. Supermetrics: optimizing your eCommerce data

Supermetrics is another platform that can effortlessly manage and analyze your eCommerce data. It’s designed to streamline the process of importing information from various sources, such as social media ads, Shopify, online marketplaces, email platforms, and SEO tools. 

Once your data is imported, it helps you create customizable reports that offer valuable insights into your marketing efforts.

You can also set up automatic data refreshes and schedule regular email reports to focus more on optimizing your marketing tactics.

This tool perfectly tracks which campaigns drive your revenue and helps you make informed decisions.

Key features

• Data import from multiple platforms
• Customizable reporting
• Automated data refresh
• Scheduled email reports
• Integration with a wide range of tools

Usability: User-friendly and great for ongoing marketing campaigns

Pricing: Starts at $29 per month

4 Top eCommerce management tools for operational efficiency

Running an online company feels like juggling multiple balls in the air. You’ve got to consider inventory management solutions, process orders, and track customer data while ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. 

Digital management resources can streamline operations, boost efficiency, and enhance growth. However, choosing the best among myriad options can be a headache. Here are the top tools for selling online that can make a difference for your company.

1. Shopify: the ultimate eCommerce platform

Think of Shopify as a store space that’s available for rent.

Now, imagine that space comes with its own interior designer, inventory manager, warehouse manager, salespeople, analysts, and marketing professionals.

Furthermore, Shopify’s user-friendly, subscription-based, cloud-based platform makes it easy for SMBs of all sizes to create a professional-looking website, manage products, and process payments seamlessly.

The platform allows you to use third-party apps to customize your store to the unique demands of the market, customers, and your business.

Shopify offers four main pricing tiers (billed annually):

• Basic: $24/month
• Shopify: $69/month
• Advanced: $299/month
• Plus: $2,300/month

💡Expert tip: Use Shopify’s multi-channel selling capabilities to list your products on platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Facebook.

2. BigCommerce: built for scalability

BigCommerce is similar to Shopify in almost all facets, but the main difference is its features.

With more than 8,000 built-in features, it’s designed for growth, making it the choice for businesses looking to scale quickly.

Notably, it has a steeper learning curve than Shopify.

The platform’s SEO tools, multi-channel selling, and advanced analytics are superior, giving you everything you need to expand your reach and boost sales.

With level 1 PCI compliance and automatic updates, BigCommerce ensures your store is always secure.

It offers the following pricing plans (billed annually): 

• Standard: $29 monthly
• Plus: $79 monthly
• Pro: $299 monthly

💡Expert tip: Use BigCommerce’s advanced SEO features, such as optimized URLs, unique URLs, and embedded microdata (automatically updating URL product pages), for higher search rankings. 

3. WooCommerce: the flexible open-source tool

If you’re familiar with WordPress, you can utilize WooCommerce, one of the flexible and customizable tools for selling online. It’s the go-to choice for businesses that want complete control over their store.

You can choose from thousands of themes and plugins to create a unique experience.

Notably, the platform doesn’t charge transaction fees.

Thus, you can start small and grow your store quickly.

You can also integrate with various payment gateways and manage large inventories. It has a robust community of developers who contribute plugins and share best practices.

While it’s free, there are costs associated with running a WooCommerce store:

• Hosting: This can range from $5 to $30 monthly, depending on your needs
• Extensions: Its extensions and themes cost a fee, usually between $30 and $300 per year
• SSL certificate: A necessity for secure transactions, costing around $50 per year

4. Square Online: a versatile eCommerce solution

Square Online is a popular and user-friendly eCommerce platform perfect for online sellers looking for flexibility and ease of use.

A standout feature is its free plan, which allows businesses to start without any upfront costs.

However, you still need to pay a transaction fee of 2.9% plus 30 cents per sale.

For those needing more features, Square’s Plus plan offers a great value at $29 per month (billed annually). This subscription includes a free domain for the first year and Square’s website builder.

The Premium package, priced at $79 monthly, adds real-time shipping rates and reduces transaction fees for high-volume sellers. 

Key features

• Free and paid plan options
• Integrated payment processing
• SEO tools
• Facebook and Google ads management
• 200+ third-party app integrations

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Do you want to get the right capital to finance your SMB? Explore the five tips for securing the capital you need to scale your business.

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4 key eCommerce financial tools that can streamline your payments and boost cashflow

A successful business goes beyond great products and a well-designed website! it hinges on effective financial management.

With the right tools by your side, you can easily manage payments, track expenses, and boost your profits.

Here are excellent finance solutions you can harness to help you stay on top of your game.

1. Stenn: your global partner in eCommerce

Stenn is a working capital platform that uses alternative financing solutions to fund businesses.

For instance, our Revenue-based financing (RBF) option affords you the freedom to receive funding whenever you need it. 

RBF also allows you to repay loans based on your revenue and ensures your payments align with your cashflow.

Thus, you only pay what you can afford. This flexibility enables you to maintain sustainability without financial strain. 

Additionally, with loan amounts ranging from $10K to $20M and repayment terms up to 120 days, Stenn’s solutions provide quick, tailored support to fueling your business’s growth.

Key features

• Flexible financing solutions
• Easy online application process
• Stenn offers minimal business requirements
• Flexible payment schedule
• Round-the-clock customer support and live agents

2. QuickBooks: a site that streamlines your accounting efforts

QuickBooks has been a staple in business accounting for years. This platform simplifies the chaos of managing multiple sales channels by keeping everything organized and accessible from a single dashboard.

Also, it excels in automating routine tasks, from tracking inventory to syncing sales orders, which frees up time and allows users to focus on growth.

Interestingly, it offers access to advanced tax and financial management tools. These mechanisms ensure data flows smoothly between systems, thereby reducing errors and improving accuracy.

Key features

• Inventory management
• Order management
• Accounting integration
• Reporting and analytics

QuickBooks offers a range of pricing plans:

• Simple: $9/month
• Essential: $13/month
• Plus: $19/month
• Advanced: $38/month

3. Xero: simplifying your company’s finances

Xero is a versatile accounting software designed to streamline your business finances. It connects with thousands of banks worldwide, automatically importing and categorizing transactions to save you hours each week. 

This platform makes sending professional invoices and setting up recurring billing a breeze.

The software’s analytics tools offer valuable insights into your business’s financial health.

If you pay for Analytics Plus, you enjoy deeper analysis and cashflow forecasting.

Key features

• Bank reconciliation
• Invoicing
• Inventory tracking
• Multi-currency support
• Integration

Xero offers three main pricing plans:

• Starter: $29/month
• Standard: $46/month
• Premium: $62/month

4. Stripe: top payment processor for online merchants 

Stripe is a popular choice for payment processing for digital shops.

The platform makes accepting online payments, managing subscriptions, and handling complex payment workflows easy. 

Furthermore, it offers detailed analytics and reporting tools, giving insights into your sales and customer behavior. This can help optimize your payment processes and increase revenue.

Stripe’s pricing is straightforward and transparent. Payment processing is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction.

Custom plans are available for companies with large payment volumes or unique pricing models.

Key features

• Payment processing
• Subscription management
• Fraud prevention
• Customizable checkout

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Consider these six options for funding your small business. 

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Unlock your eCommerce growth with Stenn

There’s no doubt that you’re ready to elevate your business to new heights with these tools for selling online.

However, growth is never a solo journey—financial backing is the catalyst that can ensure your success.

That’s precisely the reason you need Stenn to make the process seamless.

As a global leader in trade finance, we’re here to fuel your ambitions with flexible business financing tailored to your needs.

Our revenue-based financing solution is your key to unlocking cashflow and growing your brand online.

With us, it goes beyond funding; we’ll help you realize your business aspirations.

So, why wait? Partner with us today and step into a future filled with growth and prosperity.