The Three Must-Have Tools New eCommerce Owners Need to Get Started.
As a business consultant specialising in the eCommerce side of the digital world, I’m always on the hunt for tools that my clients can use to make running their online businesses a little bit easier. While I’ve experimented with more than I can count, the truth is that I keep coming back to just three platforms that really work. I know that many of my eCommerce clients cannot imagine their businesses without the help of these tools, which is why I’m so eager to share them with you today!
Tool #1: Shopify
Are you really surprised that Shopify goes down in the eCommerce ‘hall of fame’ as the #1 must-have platform you need to start and grow your business? Shopify is an excellent all-in-one solution for your soon-to-be or already-established eCommerce business. The platform provides everything you need to set up and start selling your products online. This eliminates a lot of digital guesswork and moving parts, allowing for a much simpler, more seamless backend experience than what you might be able to produce with a self-hosted website.
The way it works is fairly straightforward:
- Pick a pricing plan that fits your budget and feature needs.
- Connect your domain to your Shopify store (or buy one via Shopify).
- Choose a design for your store. You have three options: you can choose a free theme via their drag + drop site builder, purchase a premium theme, or hire a designer to create a custom theme.
- Add your products and website content.
- Connect your payment options.
It really is that easy. Once you have your Shopify website set-up, you’re able to access the following features:
- Fully customisable website, online store, and blog
- Unlimited bandwidth, product inventory, and customer data
- Sell on new sales channels like Pinterest + Amazon
- All popular payment gateways supported
- Dropshipping
- Analytics
- Mobile optimisation
- 24/7 award-winning customer service
- An extensive app store full of add-ons to improve your experience — see my top picks for Shopify apps you need to try here.
-
A user-friendly interface
The bottom line? Shopify allows you to quickly create and run a complete online store for as low as $29/month. You can also try the platform out for free for 14 days. For new eCommerce business owners who want to hit the ground running and avoid wasting too much time on web development, Shopify is an absolute must.
To learn more about how Shopify can help your business, click here to visit their official website.
Tool #2: Klaviyo
In addition to all the features Shopify has to offer you need a solid email marketing platform, and that’s where Klaviyo comes in. Klaviyo is an email & SMS marketing platform that makes sending relevant, well-timed marketing emails and text messages easy. As a Platinum Master Partner with Klaviyo, I can personally attest to how powerful this software is when it comes to email and SMS marketing. I can’t imagine using anything else in my own business, and I know many of my clients feel the same way.
Klaviyo lets you deliver an epic experience across email and SMS channels, whether you’re a brand-new entrepreneur or iconic brand owner. What sets it apart from other similar platforms out there is the emphasis that is placed on data and how it can be used to create an even more customer-centric experience.
Here’s what you get when you use Klaviyo in your business:
- Vibrant, pre-built email templates for every occasion (or use your own custom code)
- Easily customisable, ready-to-go campaigns
- Highly targeted, personalised marketing
- Customer segmentation + profiles
- Advanced metrics & data analytics
- Integrations with Shopify
The best part? You can start off using Klaviyo for free if you want to get a feel for it and don’t have a massive subscriber list! From there, you can upgrade to a bigger plan as your list grows.
To learn more about how Klaviyo can help your business, click here to visit their official website. For my best tips about how to develop a winning email marketing strategy for your brand, click here.
Tool #3: Databox
The last tool to add to your arsenal is a reporting tool like Databox. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the vast amount of data at your fingertips and jumping from platform to platform to try and piece together your performance is not an effective way to be running your business. Databox is super intuitive and makes it easy for you to understand how your online store is performing.
You can connect all of the platforms you use, including Klaviyo and Shopify, to report on the performance of all of your systems in one place. It offers over 30+ pre-built eCommerce and email marketing dashboard templates that can be customised to fit your needs.
In addition to Dashboards, you also get access to a few additional features:
Sound intriguing? You can start using Databox for free and can create up to three dashboards - which is perfect for startups or those on a smaller budget. The drag-and-drop interface means you don’t need to have any coding experience or advanced knowledge to get started. Once you get a feel for the platform, you can upgrade to a paying plan starting at $72/month.
Bonus! … Free Dashboard Templates
To help you get a head start, here are a couple of dashboard templates I have picked to track your Shopify and Klaviyo data. The best part is that you can start using these templates in a matter of minutes, for free!
Shopify Store Overview Dashboard Template
You can use this dashboard template to get a quick overview of the performance of your online store. The metrics cover everything from monthly sales, popular products, new and returning customers, and more.
Klaviyo Dashboard Template
The Klaviyo Dashboard Template will help you learn more about your email open and click rates, subscriber growth, and email performance. The insights you gain from this dashboard will help you improve your email marketing campaigns and help grow your business.
As unbelievable as it may seem, I truly believe that all you need to get started with your eCommerce brand are these three foolproof platforms. There is no need to overcomplicate it when you can have everything you need in a few places.
If you’re ready to consult with a pro to help you get your eCommerce platform and killer email marketing strategy off the ground, that’s what I’m here for! Learn more about booking a strategy call with me today.