Transform your online business with these 6 eCommerce tools.

Having the right tools to manage your business can turn you into a lean, mean, eCommerce machine. Managing inventory? Optimizing customer experience? Streamline operations? Boost sales? Drive growth? Where there's a need. There's a fit-for-purpose tool. We've broken down some of the best eCommerce tools for almost any trade you can use to mastermind your success.

1. Shopify – The ultimate eCommerce platform

Think of Shopify as a store space that's available to rent. Now imagine that space came with its own interior designer, inventory manager, warehouse manager, salespeople, analyst and marketing professionals. 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. Shopify also allows you to use 3rd party apps to customize your eCommerce store to the unique demands of the market, your customers, and your business.

Our 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, BigCommerce is designed for growth, making it the choice for businesses looking to scale quickly. This does mean that there is a steeper learning curve compared to Shopify. Their SEO tools, multi-channel selling, and advanced analytics are far superior, giving you everything you need to expand your reach and boost sales.

Our Tip: Use BigCommerce's advanced SEO features, such as optimized URLs, unique URLs and embedded microdata (that automatically updates URL product pages) for higher search rankings. 

3. Mailchimp – Master email marketing

According to a 2024 study, for every $1 marketers spend on email marketing, they receive $36 in return (Litmus). Using that stat alone, SMBs cannot overlook the importance of email in their revenue strategy. With that in mind, there's no better than Mailchimp. The email platform uses powerful marketing tools to create, send, and analyze email campaigns, turning your business into a digitized marketing machine. And with their automation features, you can send personalized, timely emails based on customer behavior, enhancing your outreach marketing efforts and fostering customer loyalty.

Our Tip: Use their intuitive drag-and-drop editor to design attention-grabbing emails that connect with your audience and drive conversion.

4. Hootsuite – Boss your social media platforms

Hootsuite combines all your Social media platforms into one easy-to-manage, easy-to-oversee platform. Here you can schedule posts, track engagement, and analyze performance all from one dashboard. Their engagement tools are what really impresses us such as monitoring and listening streams, Inbox for private and public messaging, auto-responder, and saved replies. These tools help you respond fast, improve customer satisfaction, connect with your audience, and grow not just your business, but your brand. 

Our 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. Google Analytics – Understand your audience

Understanding customer behavior is key to growing your eCommerce business. With Google Analytics, you'll get smarter insights across your platforms that will help you analyze key patterns within your audience and improve your ROI. See how people engage with your business and the role different channels play. You can even connect systems used to measure CRM, points of sale, and other first-party data sources for a more complete view.

Our Tip: Set up goals and funnels in Google Analytics to track key actions, such as purchases and sign-ups to help you understand your customer journey and improve your sales funnel.

6. Stenn – Empower your financial growth

Getting the right finance solution can be integral to your growth. Stenn is a working capital platform that uses alternative financing solutions to fund businesses. Our Revenue Based Financing (RBF) helps eCommerce businesses get funding while still maintaining growth. RBF is a cash advance, with payback rates that adjust to your revenue, Meaning you only repay what you can afford, and fixed payments don't strain your business. With RBF you can continue driving growth, within your business, without the restrictions of traditional loans.

Expert Tip: Use RBF to invest in marketing, inventory, or new offerings, driving growth without giving up equity or dealing with fixed monthly payments.

With the right tools and financial support, your eCommerce business can reach new heights. We're committed to providing expert advice, easy-to-understand solutions, and cutting-edge technology to help you succeed.

Apply for RBF today - click here.

Stenn is a global trade finance company dedicated to empowering businesses of all sizes with flexible, tailored alternative financing solutions. Since 2016, Stenn has powered over $19 billion in financed assets, supported by trusted partners including Citi Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, and Natixis.