10+ e-commerce tools every business needs
My ultimate software and tools for 2022
Here’s a list of all the ecommerce tools I use to run my business.
This page contains some affiliate links (which means I get a small commission if you click on the click and make a purchase) but it means you also get a discounted rate for using the link.
I only recommend tools which I’ve used myself and highly rate! I love trying out new software so please let me know if you have any recommendations.
AMAZON TOOLS
Helium10
Helps with product research, keyword and profitability analysis, and more
The daddy of all Amazon tools! I couldn’t run my business without it. I use it for keyword research, profitability analysis, tracking sales, PPC, and inventory management.
It’s $97 a month so it’s not cheap but you get a lot of tools for that price. Alternatively you could just use it for a month or two while you’re researching and assessing a new product (which Helium10 is particularly good for) and then cancel your subscription.
Get 50% off your first month with code TEDDYSMITH50 or 10% off every month with TEDDYSMITH10.
Helium10 also has a Chrome extension which you can use to quickly analyse competitor sales and Amazon fees.
Link My Books
Helps with bookkeeping
Link My Books is a godsend for keeping your bookkeeping on track. When I first started selling on Amazon, I used to spend hours going through Amazon reports trying to work out how much I had paid in fees, tax and refunds and what I’d actually received in sales. I was constantly making mistakes and my accountant was tearing his hair out.
Then I found Link My Books. It integrates with Amazon and Xero (the accounting software I use) and automatically imports all your fees and sales data so you know the figures you’re looking at in Xero are totally accurate.
The basic package is £8 a month (it increases as you get more orders), which I think is well worth it.
I’ve also tried A2X but I found it too complicated and expensive. Link My Books does exactly the same thing but it’s user friendly and a bargain.
Getida
Helps with Amazon reimbursements
As every Amazon seller knows, Amazon has a habit of misplacing stock and not always checking customer returns, and this can cost you quite a lot of money over time. Thing is it’s boring and time-consuming checking through inventory levels, incoming shipments and returns to check if you’re owed money and it would always fall to the bottom of my list. Getida takes over all this admin for you.
I’ve only been using it for a few months and I’ve already been reimbursed over $700 by Amazon.
It’s easy to set up a Getida account and you only pay them if thy successfully get you reimbursed by Amazon. They take a 25% cut from reimbursements which might sound like quite a lot but given that they’re doing all the leg work I think it’s a no brainer!
OFX
Foreign exchange platform
I’m based in the UK so I use OFX to pay suppliers and my 3PL providers who all charge in USD. I also get my Amazon disbursements paid straight into OFX. This means I don’t need to be constantly changing currency (and paying fees) to change my GBP into USD.
I recommend OFX because it has good exchange rates and it doesn’t charge transfer fees like some of its competitors. They also have good phone support so you can always speak to someone to guide you through a transaction – generally this isn’t necessary but if you need to top up your USD account while making a payment out of it at the same time, it can get confusing so it’s good to have that extra reassurance.
I’ve also used Transferwise (now Wise) in the past which I think is great for smaller transactions as it’s fees are very competitive and totally transparent. It doesn’t however have the same customer support you get with OFX when you’re making larger payments. Amazon didn’t use to let you receive your disbursements into Transferwise in the past which was an issue for me, although that may have changed now.
The account setup process for OXF is really easy and you’ll get an account manager to help you with any questions.
ETSY TOOLS
eRank
Helps with product research and keyword analysis
Like Helium10, eRank offers a whole host of tools to help you run your Etsy business but I mainly use it for keyword research.
It’s not terribly advanced but at only $5.99 a month, I think it’s pretty good value and does everything I need it to. It also comes with a pretty good free trial.
Marmalead
Helps with product research and keyword analysis, and more
I see Marmalead as a more advanced version of erank. It comes with slightly more tools and the interface is more sophisticated and userfriendly.
It’s a bit pricier than erank though at $19 a month.
I’ve used Marmalead in the past and rated it. I just changed to erank as I feel that it does everything I need for a cheaper price. Marmalead also comes with a good free trial so you can try for yourself.
Open Payout
Helps with bookkeeping
Open Payout is like Link My Books for Etsy. It integrates with Etsy and accounting software Xero and Quickbooks and automatically imports all your fees, taxes and sales data so you know your figures are correct.
The starter packages is a very reasonable £6 a month.
BUSINESS TOOLS
Upwork
Tool for finding great freelancers
I couldn’t run my business without Upwork – some of the best freelancers I’ve worked with have come through Upwork. It’s a platform connecting businesses with freelancers in all kinds of areas. I’ve used it to find people to help me with photography, design, website build, advertising as well as general admin.
You can use it for small one off tasks or long term projects – it removes all the stress and issues that can come with hiring freelancers and employees.
Fiverr
Tool for finding great freelancers
Fiverr is another freelancer platform. I tend to use it for straight forward, simple projects like a logo or ad design as there are loads of great designers on there who can turn stuff around really quickly and cheaply.
I use Upwork for more complex or longterm tasks which I’m prepared to spend more money on.
Clipping Magic
Online image editor
Clipping Magic is a great tool for removing backgrounds from images which is particularly handy for things like infographics. You can also easily add shadows and play with image editing.
You can remove backgrounds with Canva too but if you just need something quick and cheap then Clipping Magic is ideal.
It’s only £2.99 / month so it’s a bargain. I also made a handy video on how to use it: How to use Clipping Magic.
Canva
User friendly design tool
If you’ve ever wasted hours of your life trying to work out how to use Adobe Photoshop or Indesign, then Canva is for you. It’s an amazingly easy to use design programme with hundreds of great templates for all kinds of design projects. I mainly use it for coming up with infographics, product inserts and graphics for EBC / A + content.
There’s a free version which is really good but I use the paid version (which is still only £10.99) as it gives you access to a few more tools and templates.
ActiveCampaign
Email marketing tool
I’ve tried a few email marketing tools but ActiveCampaign is the best one I’ve used in terms of what you get for the price.
It comes with all sorts of snazzy tools (advanced tagging, conditional content and even landing page builders) but I mainly rate it for the sophisticated automation tools. With the basic package you can set up automations with multiple goals and go-to actions to create a highly tailored experienced for email subscribers. There’s also loads of template automations to get you started.
You get this with other email marketing tools (ConvertKit is another good one) but they don’t match on price. ActiveCampaign starts at only $9 a month. And unlike some of it’s competitors you still get a decent set of tools even if you’re on the basic package.
⛔️ WORD OF WARNING: It takes some time to get your head around all that ActiveCampaign can do and it’s not the most intuitive at times. However the support is really good!
Klaviyo
Email marketing tool designed for ecommerce
I use ActiveCampaign for my newsletter on this site however I use Klaviyo for my e-commerce brand marketing emails because it integrates with my store.
Klaviyo integrates with Shopify and Woocommerce to automatically display all the data from your e-commerce store and create segments which you can use for email marketing.
For example, it will automatically segment your customers by spend and segment visitors who have abandoned cart. You can then set up automated emails to go to these customers with special offers.
The email template builder is easy to use and comes with lots of attractive templates to get you started.
Even better you don’t start paying until you have 250 subscribers so it’s the perfect way to start building your email list.
Tailwind
Social media posting tool
I’ve tried a lot of social media posting tools and Tailwind is the best by far. It connects to your Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook accounts so you can put together a load of posts when you have time and then schedule them to go out automatically at a later date.
The reason I prefer it to other posting tools is I really like the interface. I find it easy to use and I like how you can visualise exactly how your new posts will look on your account. It also has a good hashtag generating tool too and good metrics so you can easily see how well your posts are performing.
There is a limited free package but I use the pro package which is $9.99 a month.
Shopify
E-commerce site builder
I think Shopify is pretty amazing. Yes, it’s cheaper to build a WordPress site and add Woocommerce but having tried that I ended up going back to Shopify because I just find it easier to use. You can create a sophisticated looking site really quickly and you don’t get the same technical glitches you can get with WordPress.
The main thing for me though is the integrations. If I get an order on Shopify, I fulfil it through Amazon but the clever thing is that Shopify integrates with Amazon so it can see exactly how much stock I have available so it doesn’t carry on selling a product which is out of stock. It also integrates with Etsy too.
Shopify integrates with hundreds of software providers (like Klaviyo for example) so you can easily share your data from Shopify with other tools. This removes a lot of manual work or complicated workflows.
The basic package is $
Are there any tools which you use in your business which you think are fantastic?
Post a link in the comments!
1 thought on “Tools”
I needed to thank you for this fantastic read!! I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve got you book-marked to check out new stuff you post…