If you’re an e-commerce store owner, then you know that staying competitive and successful requires more than just a great product and a visually appealing website.
It requires leveraging technology and innovation, above all, and one platform that has consistently proven itself as the perfect option to do so is Shopify.
With its user-friendly interface and extensive range of apps, Shopify empowers entrepreneurs to build and manage their online stores with ease.
In this article, we will explore some of the must-have Shopify apps and tools that can drive success for e-commerce store owners and provide expert insights and quotes from industry leaders who have first-hand experience with these tools.
Let’s dive in and propel your online store to new heights!
- Plug-In SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the dynamic backbone of any successful e-commerce venture. It’s how potential customers find your store amid the vast online marketplace.
Shopify offers a range of SEO plug-ins to help you optimize your website for search engines, improve your ranking on Google, and increase your website traffic.
How?
By assisting you in:
- Keyword research
- On-page optimization
- Auditing for image alt tags, schema, meta tags, and descriptions
- Monitoring your store’s search performance, etc.
If you’re looking for a popular Shopify SEO plug-in that can do all of this (and then some!), look no further than Plug-In SEO!
Let’s see what Daniel Kroytor, Founder of a leading merchant account provider TailoredPay, says about Shopify’s Plug-In SEO:
- Oberlo
You have a dropshipping business and you’re looking for seamless integration with Shopify?
Then Oberlo is one indispensable tool for your e-commerce store!
With this quick and inexpensive tool for launching an online business, you can streamline your inventory, packaging, and shipping processes.
That means no more headaches of manually searching for products and handling the ordering process; Oberlo takes care of it all.
Another great advantage of Oberlo is that it enables online store owners to exhibit millions of products without having to worry about inventory control.
Let’s see what Jin Young Woo, CEO of a luxury hat brand Like Dreams, says about it:
- HubSpot CRM
Email marketing remains a powerful tool for engaging and retaining customers.
The HubSpot CRM tool provides an intuitive way for businesses to automate and specifically adapt their marketing messages to their customers – all thanks to its ability to smoothly integrate with the data from your e-commerce store.
With this tool, you can deploy cart-recovery emails, track and nurture leads effectively, and gain insights into performance.
It includes customizable templates, segmentation options, and analytics to help you drive sales and nurture customer relationships.
Pretty neat, right?
Let’s see what Kirkland Gee, Co-Founder of Perfect Extraction which seeks to make specialty coffee accessible to everyone, has to say about it:
- Klaviyo
Klaviyo is another potent email marketing and marketing automation tool that enables business owners to design specific email messages depending on consumer behavior, such as suggestions for products or reminders for abandoned carts in their journey of developing Shopify stores.
This tool offers features like email segmentation, a visual automation builder, and advanced reporting.
Store owners who have been using it have noted a stunning average email open rate of 25% and an impressive click-through rate of 3%.
Here’s what Magee Clegg, founder and CEO of Cleartail Marketing, has to say about it:
- Printful
For creative drop-shippers in desperate need of flexibility, Printful is the ideal choice that allows for creative expression on over 300 products, ranging from clothes to home décor.
This tool, which enables dropshipping of print-on-demand products, has a simple-to-use platform and the best of all is its hands-off-management style.
The way it works is that you upload your designs and after they are purchased, Printful takes over completely, managing every element of manufacturing and shipment.
The icing on the cake?
It’s easily integrated with industry leaders such as Amazon and eBay.
Let’s see what Andrew Mavis, Founder & CEO of 98Strong Marketing Agency leveraging name, image, and likeness of student-athletes, has to say about it:
- Salesforce
Salesforce is a Shopify tool with the capability to enable e-commerce businesses to track and nurture existing customer relationships.
It provides a centralized and up-to-date database for you to manage customer data and interactions, helping in customer retention efforts by:
- Delivering personalized experiences
- Providing special offers and relevant product recommendations to keep customers coming back
- Providing powerful analytics and reporting
- Aiding in understanding customer behavior and sales trends for informed decision-making
It also automates sales processes like lead management, opportunity tracking, and reminders, improving efficiency.
Here’s what Simon Bacher, Co-Founder of the start-up Simya Solutions, thinks of Salesforce:
- Refersion
Refersion is a leading affiliate marketing app that can help businesses. big or small, grow their audience and increase their sales.
It offers robust tracking capabilities, allowing businesses to monitor the performance of their affiliates with precision. You can track clicks, conversions, and sales, ensuring you have full visibility into your affiliate program’s effectiveness.
Moreover, if you find managing commissions to be a headache, Refersion simplifies this process for you.
How?
It enables your business to set up different commission structures, such as fixed amounts or percentages of each sale, and automate commission calculations.
Here’s what Michael Wall, founder of the software development and growth agency Codefixer, has to say about it:
- ReConvert
ReConvert is a must-have Shopify tool for e-commerce store owners looking to increase their average order value.
This tool creates personalized thank-you pages for customers after they’ve made a purchase and offers additional product suggestions based on what your customers have already bought.
By doing so, ReConvert makes it more likely for your customers to add more items to their cart and boosts your revenue per customer.
Apart from that, ReConvert provides dynamic widgets like countdown timers and product recommendations, which can help create a sense of urgency and showcase popular products.
Let’s see what David Godlewski, CEO of the global cloud communications company Intelliverse, has to say about it:
- Shippo
Looking to reduce support inquiries and enhance the overall shopping experience for your customers?
Shippo has your back!
This tool is a must-have in your arsenal for order tracking and simplifying shipping label creation.
What makes it so valuable is its user-friendly interface, which reduces errors and saves time. Plus, Shippo offers competitive shipping rates through various carriers, which helps lower shipping costs.
Let’s see what Riva Jeane May Caburog, PR/Media Coordinator at Nadrich & Cohen personal injury law firm, has to say about its transformative power:
- Zendesk
All eCommerce store owners need to know Zendesk – an ultimate customer service product.
Zendesk integrates into your retail website seamlessly, providing your team with chat support capabilities so customers can submit inquiries and get answers instantly.
This tool allows businesses to manage customer inquiries and requests from various channels, including email, chat, social media, phone, and web.
Best of all?
Customers can often find answers to their questions without contacting support, reducing the support team’s workload and enhancing the customer experience.
Here’s what Michael Klein, Founder and CEO of herbal remedies company Herbaly, thinks of it:
- Shopify Payments
Offering a seamless payment experience is crucial for e-commerce success.
With Shopify Payments, a native payment gateway, you can provide your customers with a secure and convenient payment process.
This app allows you to accept credit card payments from anywhere in the world, directly to your store, without the need for third-party gateways.
It also offers competitive transaction fees and a fast & secure checkout experience.
This one’s a personal suggestion – I love it, and so do my customers!
Conclusion
With the multitude of Shopify apps available, e-commerce store owners can now access an array of features and functionalities that can help them achieve their business goals.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your SEO, streamline your inventory management, or improve your customer support, there’s a Shopify app for you.
These apps are designed to make your life easier, allowing you to focus on what you do best: growing your e-commerce business.
