Running an e-commerce business is a 24*7 job that comes with unique challenges. It’s not just a one-time job, set up a website and wait for the customer. To stand out in a crowd, you must consistently work to provide customers with a great shopping experience and encourage them to return.

E-commerce tools are software applications, plugins, or platforms that are designed to help online businesses manage various features of their growth. These tools ease and automate processes, enabling business owners to focus on core business activities.

Best tools for eCommerce business owners

The best tools for e-commerce business owners consist of e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, marketing tools such as Mailchimp and Buffer, analytical tools like Google Analytics, and AI tools for content creation and marketing optimisation. Other important tools are for SEO (Ahrefs), advertising (Google Ads), and customer relationship management.

For building and managing your store- Core E-commerce Platforms

• Shopify

Shopify is popular for its simplicity, considering both experienced and new designers. It offers more than 100 free and paid ready-to-use templates that are easy to edit according to your choice. This platform is an effortless solution for everything related to e-commerce, which includes an online store builder, shopping cart software, built-in marketing tools, and more.

Shopify’s impressive back-end system enables business owners to easily manage orders, track sales, and measure performance. Shopify also offers a range of tools, such as SEO optimisation and email automation, that help businesses drive more traffic to their online store and increase growth rates.

• WooCommerce

WooCommerce is another excellent option for building your eCommerce store. It’s a cost-free plugin designed to work with WordPress websites. If you already have a WordPress website and want to start selling products on it, WooCommerce might be an option for you. You can fully customise your website according to your needs with WooCommerce. Those with limited WordPress experience might face a slight learning curve when working with WooCommerce.

As it runs on WordPress, scaling can be a challenge. WooCommerce provides an excellent user experience for those who are familiar with the platform. While it’s free to start, you will need to upgrade to access its advanced features. With options to create custom coupons, discount codes, and free shipping offers, this plugin attracts customers and helps you drive more sales effortlessly.

• WIX

WIX is a perfect choice for non-technical e-commerce business owners, as it is user-friendly and intuitive. Ideal for a small-budget e-commerce enterprise, it allows you to start your store for free, and later you can upgrade to a Business or eCommerce when planning to accept payments.

It is preferred for simple stores considering a wide range of features, creative control, and support. Although one may find platforms like WordPress better suited for scaling businesses that expect high-volume sales and complex custom features.

• BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a robust platform suitable for businesses of various sizes. Focus on enterprise operations and offers strong SEO features, multi-channel selling capabilities, and no transaction fees when using third-party payment gateways.

This platform features advanced capabilities, including robust inventory tracking and management. For larger businesses, BigCommerce extend support for wholesaling, international shipping and more.

BigCommerce has pre-designed themes that can be edited using a drag-and-drop editor with CSS or HTML. Themes are charged, but some core eCommerce features, like marketplace integrations and inventory tracking, are also included with it. BigCommerce also consist of an app marketplace tailored towards the growth of your store and supports 65+ pre-integrated online payment solutions.

For marketing and customer acquisition- Marketing & SEO Tools

• Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a powerful email and SMS marketing automation platform designed to help eCommerce businesses build personalised customer journeys. Acting as a customer data platform (CDP), it gathers deep insights into your audience, enabling smarter segmentation and predictive analytics.
With its seamless integration with platforms like Wix and Shopify, Klaviyo allows you to automate welcome flows, abandoned cart reminders, and targeted campaigns that boost conversions effortlessly.

• Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing tools, known for its simplicity and brisk automation features. It helps businesses create, send, and analyse high-performing email campaigns with ease.
Through integrations like Razorpay and major eCommerce platforms, Mailchimp enables you to sync customer data, set up behaviour-based automation, and send personalised content that increases engagement and repeat purchases.

• Buffer

Buffer is a user-friendly social media management platform that helps you maintain a consistent and engaging online presence. Perfect for growing your social commerce strategy, it allows you to schedule posts across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.
With features like hashtag tracking, brand mention monitoring, analytics, and fan engagement tools. Buffer ensures your brand stays visible and relevant while saving you hours of manual effort.

• Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO tool designed to increase your website’s search visibility. Ideal for businesses aiming to grow organically, it offers powerful keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink tracking, and detailed site audits.
With Ahrefs, you can identify high-value keywords, monitor your ranking performance, and discover opportunities to improve your website’s authority and organic traffic.

• Canva

Canva is an intuitive graphic design tool that allows anyone, including non-designers, to create stunning visuals for social media, ads, emails, website banners, and product graphics.
With thousands of templates and drag-and-drop simplicity, Canva helps brands maintain a professional and attractive visual identity without needing advanced design skills or expensive software.

For Operations & Logistics – Tools to Streamline Fulfilment & Back-End Management

• ShipStation

ShipStation is a powerful shipping and fulfilment software designed to simplify order processing for growing eCommerce businesses. It compiles orders from multiple sales channels, helps you create and print shipping labels, and allows you to customise delivery options based on customer preferences.
With discounted rates from major carriers and automation tools, ShipStation is ideal for businesses handling high order volumes and aiming to speed up their shipping workflow.

• Shippo

Shippo is a flexible shipping solution that connects you to a wide network of global carriers such as UPS, USPS, and FedEx. Designed for affordability, especially for small businesses, it offers competitive rates, easy label printing, and automated tracking updates.
Shippo integrates with several platforms to streamline fulfilment, making it easier to manage orders and improve delivery efficiency.

• Zoho Inventory

Zoho Inventory is a comprehensive inventory management system that gives real-time visibility into stock levels across all sales channels.
With automated reorder points, multi-channel fulfilment, and barcode scanning features, it helps prevent stockouts and keeps your operations running smoothly. It’s a strong option for businesses that need accurate, organised inventory control.

• Asana

Asana is a project management tool suited for teams managing multiple workflows, including product launches, inventory schedules, and marketing tasks.
With features like boards, task assignments, automation, and progress tracking, Asana helps teams stay aligned and ensures operations run smoothly at every stage.

• Monday.com

Monday.com centralises your workflows with colour-coded boards and flexible views, including Kanban and list-style project tracking.
It allows you to assign tasks to multiple team members, automate repetitive work, and break large projects into trackable subitems, making it ideal for businesses managing many moving parts.

For Customer Service & Experience – Tools to Support & Delight Your Customers

• Zendesk

Zendesk is one of the most trusted customer service platforms for eCommerce businesses. It centralises support requests from email, chat, social media, and your website into one dashboard.
With powerful automation, ticket prioritisation, and integrations with platforms like Shopify, Zendesk helps teams provide fast, personalised, and consistent customer support, improving satisfaction and building long-term loyalty.

• Freshdesk

Freshdesk delivers an easy-to-use helpdesk system that brings together customer inquiries from multiple channels.
Its AI-powered chatbot, automated workflows, and self-service knowledge base help reduce response times while ensuring your customers receive accurate, timely assistance. Freshdesk is especially popular among small to medium-sized online businesses looking for seamless, scalable support tools.

• Tidio

Tidio is a live chat and AI chatbot platform designed to help online stores assist customers instantly.
With real-time messaging, automated responses, and smart chatbot flows, Tidio helps resolve common questions quickly, reducing wait times and improving conversion rates. Its lightweight design and simple integration make it a favourite among fast-growing eCommerce brands.

• Hotjar

Hotjar is a user-experience analytics tool that visualises how visitors interact with your website using heatmaps and session recordings.
It shows where users click, scroll, or drop off, helping you identify friction points and make data-driven improvements to your store. With its feedback widgets and tester recruitment features, Hotjar is essential for enhancing your site’s usability and boosting conversions.

For Analytics & Data – Tools to Understand Your Customers & Optimise Performance

• Google Analytics

Google Analytics is one of the most essential tools for understanding your website performance. It tracks traffic sources, user behaviour, engagement patterns, and conversions, giving you clarity on what’s working.
It integrates seamlessly with Google Ads, Search Console, and eCommerce tracking, making it a must-have platform for all online businesses. The basic version is free and powerful enough for most stores.

• Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics is a behavioural analytics tool designed to track customers throughout their entire buying journey.
With person-based tracking, funnel insights, and cohort analysis it helps you understand purchase patterns, retention, and what drives repeat sales. Ideal for businesses focused on scaling and improving customer lifetime value.

• Wix Analytics

Wix Analytics provides clear insights into site performance, traffic trends, product engagement, and user behaviour, directly inside your Wix dashboard.
From high-performing pages to sales patterns, it helps store owners quickly identify opportunities and make data-driven decisions without needing extra integrations.

• Matomo

Matomo is a privacy-focused analytics platform that gives you full ownership of your data.
It offers heatmaps, form tracking, user flows, conversion analytics, and even A/B testing.
A great alternative for businesses that want deep insights without relying on third-party data usage.

• Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg helps you understand how users interact with your website through visual reports like heatmaps, scroll maps, and click patterns.
Its simple interface and actionable insights make it useful for improving UI/UX, reducing drop-offs, and increasing conversions.

Final Thought

Running an e-commerce business is more than just setting up a store, it’s about constantly evolving, optimising, and creating unforgettable customer experiences. The right tools can simplify this journey by automating tasks, enhancing marketing efforts, improving operations, and strengthening customer relationships.
Whether you’re just starting or scaling to new heights, these e-commerce tools provide the foundation you need to stay competitive, work smarter, and grow faster. By choosing the tools that align with your business goals, you can transform everyday challenges into opportunities for sustainable success.