Whether you’re just starting with your eCommerce platform or have already been on the market for some time, staying relevant internationally is a challenge. There are dozens of eCommerce platforms and conglomerates such as Amazon who take up a majority of the international market.
For you to establish your business’ presence internationally, you will need to follow eCommerce trends and use various digital tools to your advantage. Here are the most useful tools which every international eCommerce business should consider using in 2021 and beyond.
eCommerce Platform
First and foremost, you will need to choose the right eCommerce platform to rely on for international sales. The choice of an eCommerce platform depends on the scale of your venture and the items you are selling. Some of the best choices include Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, and WooCommerce. Choose your eCommerce platform carefully since you will use it for the foreseeable future to manage your product lineup and engage potential customers.
Digital Payment Options
The second most important part of an eCommerce business is its lineup of payment options. Specifically, what are how people can pay for your products? The more options you provide people with, the better the odds of them converting into customers. Digital payment options you should consider are Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Skrill, and PayPal among others. You can also enable people to pay via cryptocurrencies if they choose to do that.
Content Management Tools
Every eCommerce platform relies on its product descriptions and website content to attract customers through SERP. Writing tools like Grammarly, Evernote, and Hemingway Editor need to find their way into your content management stack. As an eCommerce platform, you should also consider product description localization to attract international customers more easily. Use the best Japanese translator among other language choices to expand your reach. The more languages you feature, the better your chances will be at making a mark on an overseas shopping market.
Remote Collaboration Tool
Over time, your eCommerce management team will expand to include international customer support agents and influencers from abroad. The easiest way to coordinate your staff online is via a remote collaboration tool. Platforms like Asana, Trello, Zoom, and Google Workspace can be used to coordinate your business management efforts. You will be able to easily onboard new staff, delegate tasks, and address customer support or website issues by using a centralized eCommerce management solution.
Social Media Management
Using social media to promote your eCommerce platform, specific products, and sales campaigns is an amazing idea. To track your campaigns, you will need to use social media management tools beyond what is native to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Social media management platforms like Sprout Social, Social Pilot, and Social Bee can make publishing, tracking, and analyzing social media performance easier and faster. Your social media managers will have a more straightforward job to do and know exactly how to approach customers thanks to these platforms.
Email Marketing Tool
As your customer base grows, your email list will inevitably grow with it. This is the perfect opportunity for you to start nurturing existing leads and reengaging them with new and enticing sales offers. Doing so manually via Gmail or a similar email platform is not practical, however. Using MailChimp, Sender, HubSpot, and Mailer Lite among others will make managing your email marketing efforts more seamless and easier to track and then analyze.
Performance Analytics Platform
A business is only as successful as the revenue it makes over time. Business performance management software can help you effectively analyze your business’ performance at every level. You can create scorecards for individual employees, teams, departments, or locations. It also enhances communication and highlights the operational data you need to run your organization. Additionally, you can try using Google Analytics, Looker, or SAP Business Intelligence to keep track of your resources, customer engagement, and product lineup. Doing so will make managing your entire enterprise more straightforward and informative.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tool
Lastly, customer support tickets will inevitably start coming your way despite your best efforts to provide everyone with top-quality services. Instead of addressing these manually, you can try using CRM tools to make the job easier. Tools like Zendesk, PipeDrive, and Freshworks CRM are ideal for an eCommerce customer servicing environment. With them, you will be able to meet your customers’ demands and address their issues more quickly and precisely.
In Conclusion
Using digital marketing, content, and customer management tools will make your eCommerce business stand out from the competition. Make sure to choose only a few reliable tools to work with and not overextend though. Learn to use each tool as well as possible to take advantage of all of its features and community support. After a short time, the effort you put into learning to use new eCommerce business tools will reflect in your shop’s performance.