There’s a common myth that ecommerce apps are only useful for large and established online stores. That they’re unnecessary for small ecommerce businesses.
The reality? Incorporating the right apps can revolutionize your online store.
Irrespective of the size or stage of your business, the best ecommerce tools can help with the following:
- Optimize store performance
- Enhance customer experience
- Streamline operations
- Boost sales
Success requires a strategic combination of tools tailored to your needs.
This article explores some of the best ecommerce apps, including their key features, pros, cons, and pricing.
Ready to discover the best ecommerce apps for your online store? Let’s get started!
What are ecommerce apps?
Ecommerce apps are software tools and applications that allow you to create, manage, and grow your online store. They’re add-ons or plugins you install on your ecommerce platform to enhance functionality and performance.
To illustrate, here’s a sampling of some product-sourcing apps on Shopify.
The best ecommerce platforms provide everything entrepreneurs need to create, customize, and sell products or services immediately.
Ecommerce apps can extend functionality and performance in areas, such as:
- SEO
- Order fulfillment
- Payment processing
- Marketing automation
- Inventory management
- Customer support
Typically, ecommerce apps fall into these categories:
- Business-to-Consumer (B2C) apps: Connect businesses with end consumers. They are user-friendly platforms with consumer-centric features for online shopping. These features may include personalized marketing automation, customer service, and streamlined checkouts.
- Business-to-Business (B2B) apps: Ease transactions between businesses. They offer integration with business software, bulk order functionalities, and inventory management.
- Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C) apps: Allow independent sellers to connect with and sell products directly to interested buyers. They often include rating systems, user-driven content, and integrated payment systems.
10 best ecommerce apps for your online business in 2024
Let’s discuss the 10 leading apps for ecommerce that can streamline operations and boost your online sales. Their functionality and ability to simplify selling are outstanding.
Here are the top picks for 2024:
- Shopify
- Omnisend
- Gorgias
- Gumroad
- LiveChat
- AfterShip
- Spocket
- Typeform
- Canva
- Refersion
Let’s begin.
1. Shopify
Shopify is one of the top platforms for building, managing, and scaling an online store. It powers over 4 million ecommerce businesses and competes with platforms like WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Wix.
You don’t need coding or design experience with Shopify as the platform is user-friendly. You can create a live, professionally designed Shopify store with ease.
Take a look at some top Shopify stores to understand how to build and set up your own Shopify store for success.
Key Features
- Unlimited product and inventory locations
- Customizable apps and integrations
- A stable, fast, and secure platform with a free SSL certificate
- 24/7 support and Shopify Point of Sale (POS) Lite for in-person sales
- Free label printing and exclusive discounts on shipping rates
Pros
- Effortless setup and user-friendly interface
- Large and active community of users and experts
- There’s a wide range of features, functionalities, and app integrations
- Has iOS and Android mobile apps for ecommerce
- High scalability and reliability
Cons
- Charges transaction fees for sales made through third-party gateways
- Limited customization options for free Shopify templates
- Advanced features are only available on higher-tier plans
Pricing
- Basic: $39/month
- Shopify: $105/month
- Advanced: $399/month
2. Omnisend
Omnisend is a powerful ecommerce email and SMS marketing platform. You can create personalized and automated campaigns across multiple channels. This includes email, SMS, and web push notifications.
You can also segment your online store’s audience and track campaign performance. Omnisend integrates with popular ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, and Magento.
Key Features
- Drag-and-drop email template builder
- Omnichannel marketing automation workflows
- Form builder and landing pages
- Segmentation and targeting tools
- Campaign optimization with A/B testing, analytics, and reports
- AI tools for text generation and deeper customer insights
Pros
- User-friendly
- Integrates with many ecommerce platforms and apps
- Free and affordable pricing plans
- Award-winning 24/7 customer support
Cons
- The free plan is capped at [1] 500 emails, 500 web pushes, and 60 SMS monthly
- Some features, like list cleaning, cost extra
Pricing
- Free: $0/month
- Standard: Starts from $16/month
- Pro: Starts from $59/month
3. Gorgias
Gorgias is a top-rated AI-powered customer service platform designed specifically for ecommerce. It helps you manage customer service and support across multiple channels. These include email, live chat, phone, social media, and more.
It helps automate responses and track tickets. There’s one inbox for all support conversations, and it integrates with other apps.
Gorgias helps boost ecommerce sales with personalized customer service.
Key Features
- Unified helpdesk for streamlined communication
- AI-driven automation for quicker query resolution
- Integration with numerous ecommerce tools for cross-team collaboration
- Customer insights for personalized service
Pros
- Time-efficient and personalized customer support
- Excellent filtering and tag systems for organization
- Automation for repetitive tasks enhances efficiency
- Clean design with a user-friendly interface
Cons
- Expensive for small businesses or startups
- Reporting isn’t as robust as some of its competitors
Pricing
- Starter: $10/month
- Basic: $60/month
- Pro: $360/month
- Advanced: $900/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
4. Gumroad
Gumroad is one of the best ecommerce apps that lets creators open storefronts instantly—no existing site is required. It’s an excellent platform for selling digital and physical goods.
With Gumroad, you can build online stores and integrate its payment system into your custom domain.
Key Features
- Intuitive product creation and storefront setup
- You can sell anything from digital and physical products to memberships and pre-orders
- Analytics and built-in email marketing tools for customer engagement
- Create a customized storefront or embed on your existing website
- Automate workflows and actions with rules and triggers
- Customizable checkout and landing pages
- Payment integration with multi-currency support and VAT handling
Pros
- Straightforward to use and set up
- No coding or design skills required
- Great option for custom products
- Comprehensive analytics for sales tracking
- Integration with Zapier and other third-party apps
Cons
- Limited design customization compared to ecommerce platforms like Shopify
- Product organization can be tricky
Pricing
- 10% flat fee on sales (no monthly fees)
5. LiveChat
LiveChat is one of the most popular ecommerce apps for providing real-time customer support and conversion optimization.
It’s versatile and user-friendly. With LiveChat, you can talk to website visitors, answer questions, and provide recommendations.
LiveChat integrates with various ecommerce platforms and apps. It can increase conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and loyalty.
Key Features
- Real-time chat capabilities
- Seamless integration with ecommerce applications
- Canned or pre-written responses to answer common questions
- 24/7 chatbot and AI automation for common queries and tasks
- Robust tracking, reporting, and analytics for insightful engagement
Pros
- Real-time customer support
- Customizable chat widgets for brand consistency
- Flexible and scalable solution
Cons
- Expensive for small businesses and startups
- Features like email marketing and translation require extra plugins or integrations
Pricing
- Starter: $24 per agent/month
- Team: $49 per agent/month
- Business: $69 per agent/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
6. AfterShip
AfterShip is one of the top ecommerce apps for managing shipping and deliveries across multiple carriers. You can monitor the progress of your online store’s orders to their destination.
AfterShip provides automatic package tracking, notification updates, and return automation. Its comprehensive analytics, insights, and automation tools can optimize shipping operations.
Key Features
- Multi-carrier integration with over 1,000 couriers worldwide
- Branded tracking pages for a consistent customer experience
- Automated email and SMS notifications for increased customer engagement
- AI-powered recommendations and estimated delivery dates (EDD)
Pros
- Supports over 1,000 carriers globally
- User-friendly interface and easy setup process
- Excellent tracking automation and real-time visibility into shipment status
- It has ecommerce mobile apps
Cons
- Limited features on free version
Pricing
AfterShip has two major pricing categories: Post-purchase and Marketing. There’s also a free plan with basic features.
The Post-purchase offers the following services:
- Tracking: Starts from $11/month
- Returns: Starts from $23/month
- Warranty: Custom pricing
- Shipping: Starts from $11/month
- Protection: Free and custom pricing
- EDD: Custom pricing
- Green: Custom pricing
- Parser: Custom pricing
AfterShip’s Marketing category has the following services and plans:
- Email: Starts from $11/month
- SMS: Starts from $25/month
- Popups & Forms: Free
Other services in the Marketing category include Reviews, Personalization, Feed, Page Builder, and Affiliates.
7. Spocket
Spocket is one of the leading ecommerce apps for dropshipping. It allows ecommerce businesses to source and sell products from reliable suppliers in the US and EU.
Spocket enables you to create an online shop that sells unique, high-quality products. You can also facilitate fast shipping and list products from verified manufacturers to sell under your brand.
Key Features
- A vast catalog of high-quality, vetted products
- Easy integration with ecommerce stores like Shopify and Wix
- Branded invoicing and automated order processing for efficiency
- Fast and reliable shipping
Pros
- User-friendly and versatile app with seamless integrations
- Excellent inventory and order management
- Automated order fulfillment
- 2-5 day shipping in the EU and the US
Cons
- Doesn’t have a free plan
- Expensive for beginners
- Product packaging can’t be customized
Pricing
- Starter: $39.99/month
- Pro: $59.99/month
- Empire: $99.99/month
- Unicorn: $299/month
8. Typeform
Interested in creating engaging and interactive forms, surveys, and quizzes? Typeform is the ecommerce app to capture leads and gain customer insights.
Typeform helps you collect feedback, generate leads, and increase conversions. It’s a great tool to have in your ecommerce marketing arsenal.
Key Features
- Drag-and-drop form editor
- Logic jumps and branches for personalizing questions
- Embed images and videos to add interactive, visual elements to forms
- Conditional email notifications, multiple ending screens, and redirects
- Automate and optimize forms with AI
Pros
- Easy to use and design forms and surveys
- High response rates and engagement
- Flexible and versatile
- Enhanced data collection through interactive forms
- Integration with popular apps for ecommerce analytics
Cons
- Free plan has limitations on responses and features
- No offline mode or native mobile apps
Pricing
- Free: $0/month
- Basic: $29/month
- Plus: $59/month
- Business: $99/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
9. Canva
Canva is one of the best ecommerce apps for creating professional graphics and visual content. These range from product images and promotional materials to newsletters, social media posts, and videos.
It has a user-friendly interface and thousands of templates. It’s a powerhouse among ecommerce apps.
Canva can transform your brand’s visual identity. Its stunning visual content makes it excellent for ecommerce advertising. You can also use Canva to create a one-page website.
Key Features
- Simple and intuitive drag-and-drop editor
- Over 250,000 free and 600,000+ pro templates
- Millions of elements, including royalty-free photos, videos, fonts, and icons
- AI-powered tools for designs
- Collaboration features for team design projects
Pros
- Easy to use
- Huge library of templates and media
- High-quality and professional designs
- Integrates with popular ecommerce platforms
- Mobile apps
Cons
- Requires internet connection
- It isn’t a vector-based program (not ideal for designing logos)
Pricing
- Free: $0
- Canva Pro: $14.99/month
- Canva for Teams: Starts from $29.99/month for the first 5 people
10. Refersion
Refersion is a top-rated affiliate marketing management app. It enables ecommerce businesses to easily create, track, and optimize referral programs.
Instead of paying for advertising, you can reward partners and loyal customers for promoting your products.
Refersion also helps you find and recruit new affiliates. You can track their performance and automate payments and reports.
Key Features
- Branded affiliate portal and dashboard
- Easy partner signup and approval process
- Customizable commission structures and payment methods
- Automated conversion tracking and reporting
- Affiliate marketplace to find and recruit new partners
- Detailed analytics and reports for program insights
Pros
- Unlimited affiliates and visits
- Integration with popular ecommerce apps
- Tiered, incentive-based commissions
- Free listing in affiliate marketplace
Cons
- Some features, like chat and phone support, are available only on higher-tier plans
Pricing
- Professional: $119/month
- Business: $299/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Wrap up
Ecommerce apps can help small and medium businesses level the playing field with larger companies.
When used effectively, they can help you to build, manage, and optimize high-converting online stores. This is without a need for a large budget or extensive technical skills.
By strategically selecting the right apps, you can drive growth and repeat sales cost-effectively.
Source from Omnisend
Disclaimer: The information set forth above is provided by omnisend.com independently of Alibaba.com. Alibaba.com makes no representation and warranties as to the quality and reliability of the seller and products.
