Choosing your eCommerce software is critical when launching an online business, especially if you want to create a successful e-commerce store in 2024. The right software gives your online store the features to maximize conversions at checkout, provide multiple sales channels, and make growth easier for Canadian businesses. If you’re wondering how to start your eCommerce business in Canada, this guide will explain the best tools to help you succeed.
eCommerce Platform/Shopping Cart
Your eCommerce platform is the backbone of your online business. It’s where your product listings, sales management, and customer interactions occur. The platform also manages payment processing and order tracking. For Canadian businesses, your platform must be easy to navigate, customizable, and reliable. Slow or confusing websites can drive customers away. Research has revealed that conversion rates drop by 4.42% for every additional second of load time.
Popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) offer different features based on your business needs. Shopify is particularly popular among Canadian businesses for its simplicity, while BigCommerce is known for its scalability. Simpler platforms like Squarespace or WooCommerce might be a good fit if you have a small catalog. Larger stores may benefit from more advanced options like Adobe Commerce or Shopify Plus.
Payment Gateway
Your payment gateway is essential for providing a smooth checkout experience. Due to payment issues, Canadian businesses can lose significant sales if customers abandon their carts. Choose a secure and reliable payment gateway that meets PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance and SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption standards to prevent this. These are necessary to protect customer data and prevent fraud.
Popular options for Canadian eCommerce stores include Authorize.net, PayPal, Braintree, and Stripe. Each offers different features, so compare them based on fees, integration capabilities, and the payment methods they support. A good payment gateway should accept multiple payment options like credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Your payment gateway should also integrate with your inventory system to update product availability and shipping details in real-time. This helps you manage stock levels and provide accurate shipping information to your customers.
Shipping Software
Shipping software helps Canadian eCommerce businesses manage shipping logistics effectively. You can streamline your entire shipping process with tools to create shipping labels, track shipments, and manage returns. Popular shipping software like ShipStation, Shiptheory, and Starshipit offer features that integrate directly with your eCommerce platform.
Look for shipping software that supports various carriers and shipping modes (standard, expedited, overnight). The software should also allow you to customize shipping labels and packing slips to reflect your brand.
Inventory Management Software
Inventory management software is essential for tracking stock levels and managing products. For Canadian eCommerce businesses, it’s important that your software integrates with your eCommerce platform and shipping tools. This ensures that inventory levels are updated automatically, helping you avoid stockouts and fulfill orders quickly.
Popular inventory management solutions like Katana, SKUVault, and Cin7 Core offer real-time stock tracking. These solutions allow you to set reorder points and generate reports on your sales and inventory levels. This information guides you to make sound decisions regarding restocking and managing product demand.
Order Management System (OMS)
An Order Management System (OMS) is a must for Canadian businesses handling a high volume of orders. This software helps manage customer orders from start to finish, ensuring that the process is smooth from order placement to delivery.
Your OMS should integrate with your eCommerce platform, inventory management software, and shipping tools. This ensures seamless order processing and tracking. Extensive Order Manager is a popular choice that offers features like multi-channel order management, automated order routing, and real-time inventory updates.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Managing customer relationships is crucial for Canadian eCommerce businesses. Your CRM system should assist you monitor how customers interact, manage communications, and identify upsell opportunities. It should integrate with your order management system to give you a full view of customer behavior.
Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho are popular CRM options that offer powerful tools for customer segmentation, email marketing, and task automation. When choosing a CRM system, ensure it provides insights into customer trends and integrates with your other software to provide a seamless experience.
These tools also help you provide personalized services depending on the type of customers you are targeting. Huge eCommerce sites such as online casinos leverage these tools to cater to the varying players’ preferences. For example, with tools such as Salesforce, these casinos can see the most popular games among Canadian players.
New online casinos also leverage these tools to get insight on how to boost the number of players visiting the site. Generally, these sites use promotional offers such as no deposit bonuses and free spins to attract more player. However, they need CRM tools to see whether these sales measures are successful or not. Regardless of the business, these tools can come in handy for both customer acquisition and retention.
Email Marketing Software
Email marketing is a key tool for driving sales and engaging customers. For Canadian businesses, email marketing software should allow you to create targeted email campaigns that align with your brand and customer preferences.
Popular email marketing tools such as Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp offer easy-to-use interfaces and automation features like triggered emails and drip campaigns. Klaviyo is another great option, offering powerful SMS capabilities to link up with customers across multiple channels.
Analytics and Reporting Software
Data-driven decisions are vital for Canadian eCommerce businesses to stay competitive. Analytics and reporting software help you understand customer behavior, track sales trends, and optimize your operations.
Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and Mixpanel are popular tools that offer customizable dashboards and detailed reports. Look for analytics software that integrates with your eCommerce platform and provides actionable insights to help improve conversion rates and sales.