If the eCommerce tools you use to build your website are only as good as the tools you use to build it, you might as well use the best. Sure, doing a quick Google search and finding a random list of tools is simple, but what if you want the greatest tools—not just any tools? What if your customers expect something more?
The trouble is that finding tools that can handle all your storage needs isn’t always easy. You can come upon a tool that appears to be useful but isn’t compatible with your eCommerce platform. But we all know eCommerce website development can be tricky at times. Perhaps it aligns with your current strategy, but the pricing would blow your budget out of the water.
The good news is that there is only one step necessary when choosing tools for your eCommerce presence: awareness. All you have to do now is find out what’s available. If you decide it’s right for you, the next step is as easy as signing up.
But what are the tools that might help you optimize your online store? Let’s take a look at some exciting services that could revolutionize the way your store communicates with the rest of the world.
AccessiBe
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines were issued by the World Wide Web Consortium in 1999. The goal is to lay the groundwork for making the internet more widely accessible. This is especially important for those with impairments.
Currently, just 2% of websites match the requirements. According to the AccessiBe 2020 Report, which examined tens of millions of pages, this is the case.
Given that one out of every four Americans has a disability, it’s evident that these figures are out of whack. Any website that does not comply with the WCAG requirements risks losing 25% of its visitors.
Why AccessiBe?
AccessiBe assists people with a variety of limitations in gaining web access. Patients with epilepsy, for example, can disable automatic video playback and turn off flashing visuals. People with color blindness or poor eyesight can modify the contrast and saturation for greater visibility, as well as the compatibility of the Screen Reader and keyboard navigation.
In a nutshell, AccessiBe provides a complete solution for achieving WCAG/ADA compliance with your website. They achieve this purpose in a variety of ways:
- Every 24 hours, an audit and remediation are performed. This is especially true for online stores that are constantly updating and adding new material.
- Compliance standards on the platform are updated regularly, ensuring that you are always in compliance with the most recent rules and regulations.
AccessiBe runs tests on websites, identifies ADA-accessibility flaws, and recommends fixes using AI-enabled technologies. They even have a test tool that anyone can use to see how compliant they are right now!
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your website is totally accessible. First, double-check it. We understand this task can be a bit overwhelming for some of us. With help of Web design Companies in Pakistan, you can easily carry out this task.
Take into account all that goes into making online forms usable. Do your present forms, for example:
- Use plainAvoid flashy, difficult-to-read fonts?
- language?
- Clearly label form fields?
- Include descriptive text alternatives for images?
If you answered no to any of these, a disabled person may have difficulty purchasing from you. According to some estimates, existing methods only detect roughly 30% of WCAG flaws.
AccessiBe does the legwork for you, so you don’t have to. It detects areas to increase accessibility using context-reading, image recognition, and other methods. This is beneficial to eCommerce businesses, particularly those with niches and clients who require universal web access.
But there’s another factor at work here: avoiding legal action.
With around 98 percent of all websites having WCAG and ADA concerns, far too many eCommerce companies are at risk of legal action. The answer is straightforward. A simple JV script in AccessiBe allows the software to take control. AccessiBe then checks for ADA/WCAG faults, using machine learning to diagnose difficulties.
This eliminates the need to employ a professional to conduct a similar review. You can make AccessiBe work with an annual pricing plan instead of paying them an hourly rate.
Shoelace
Consider Shoelace as an automated solution to implement customer journey marketing. You’ll connect Shoelace to your eCommerce site, Shoelace will create a bespoke model for your customer journey, and you’ll approve everything.
What exactly does that imply?
Shoelace recruits and develops talented media buyers. Their mission: to create appealing advertising and deliver them to customers at the exact moments when they are most likely to buy from you.
PLOTTING A NEW CUSTOMER JOURNEY
For the merchant, that means a complicated idea like “customer journey” isn’t a headache. It’s one less thing to worry about.
Here are some of the key features of Shoelace:
- Shoelace works with 400+ merchants, using thousands of data points across multiple industries
- They have a user-friendly app that can integrate with existing Shopify apps
- They offer custom and transparent reporting on pricing, with Shoelace never taking a percentage of ad spend
- They have user-friendly features and clear reporting available on a dashboard in the app
Ecommerce stores can focus on other aspects of their business because Shoelace handles the design and scaling of their sponsored media.
It’s more of a collaboration with an Account Strategist than a “set it and forget it” tool. It’s a way for eCommerce businesses to embrace ad buying across the full customer journey without having to hire a whole new crew.
Consumers are becoming irritated with the unpleasant and repetitive nature of retargeting. Customer Journey Retargeting is used by the most effective brands to create genuine emotional ties with their customers. If that sounds complicated, Shoelace’s team can assist you by working as specialists alongside your team.
Reeview.app
Reeview is an automated platform that finds, collects, and provides user-generated reviews for eCommerce stores.
It offers the following features:
- One-click install on Shopify
- Once installed, Reeview automatically sorts through product review videos on YouTube
- Reeview places video widgets at the point of shopping decisions, increasing shopper engagement
- Includes automated video sharing via Facebook to improve social traffic
- Once installed, you’ll have access to real-time reports and A/B testing
There’s no doubt it’s handy. You can essentially outsource an entire video review campaign to Review’s automatic features.
Boosted by Lightricks
We’ve proved the importance of videos–but what if you need to make your own?
Boosted by Lightricks is a tool that reduces the process to its most basic components. Even if you have no experience with video editing, you can hit the ideal tone for your company by using video templates for branded videos. The online software, as well as the iOS and Android versions, are exceptionally easy to use for swiftly making a short promotional video.
Boosted is also great for passing around. Automatic resizing and other features help you meet the requirements of various digital platforms. You may also use a stock footage video library, which makes it simple to create videos on a budget.
WHY PRODUCE YOUR OWN VIDEOS?
If you don’t have any of your own movies to share at the time of purchase, Reeview.app is an excellent option. But there’s also something to be said for making your own. Video marketing is not only successful, but it also fits the needs of today’s eCommerce shopper. “66 percent of consumers prefer watching a video than reading about a product,” according to the study.
And the public isn’t sick of it. According to Hubspot, 54% of consumers want to see more video content.
Don’t put off publishing films online until the settings are “ideal”—you’ll never have the right camera, lighting, or concept. However, for a small expenditure, you can have a well-branded video tailored to your target demographic. You can also utilize Boosted to study the ins and outs of video marketing while you’re at it.
OptinMonster
OptinMonster is a signup form builder. It’s simple to use, including templates and drag-and-drop building to minimize development work.
Any eCommerce store that has progressed beyond the testing stage understands the need of creating high-quality forms. If you use those forms to collect emails and grow a customer list, they’re very vital.
THE SCIENCE OF GATHERING EMAILS
Why should you concentrate on your forms? Simply, if you want conversions, you need emails.
The quickest way to get there is to use high-quality web forms. Newsletters generate 40 times more new clients than social media and have some of the best engagement rates of any sort of digital marketing. According to Campaign Monitor, an email campaign is six times more likely than a tweet to get a click-through.
One of the reasons OptinMonster works so effectively is because it allows you to pre-program the tool according to your preferences. You can, for example, elect to “trigger” a web form only when a specific action occurs, such as:
- After a user has scrolled a certain percentage of the page
- Time-sensitive campaigns
- Javascript variables, for customizing (especially useful if your site is already javascript-heavy)
- 2-step opt-ins for people checking out images within your content
Retooling Your Digital Presence for Ecommerce Marketing Success
Here’s a handy list of all the eCommerce marketing tools you just read about:
- AccessiBe: Ensuring ADA and WCAG compliance for full accessibility
- Shoelace: Collaborate on digital ad buying for maximum impact on the customer
- journey
- Reeview.app: Automatically grab and post video reviews at the point of sale
- Boosted by Lightricks: Video templates and resources for kickstarting your video
- marketing
- OptinMonster: Customize your forms and capture emails
Which one is right for you? Which ones? Only you can know that.
However, if any of these tools piqued your interest, there’s a strong chance it’s a good fit for you. So, what’s next? Many of these tools are easy to use and test with little risk.
You might not think your store is ready for big tools like customer journeys and content creator initiatives. However, you can always get started with an online business faster than you think—especially if you have the necessary tools.
