Page not found – Top 10 eCommerce Solutions – Create Your Online Store https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com Find the Best eCommerce Website Builder Sat, 03 Feb 2024 08:01:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.3 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/fav5-1.png Page not found – Top 10 eCommerce Solutions – Create Your Online Store https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com 32 32 What To Know Before Starting a Business https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/what-to-know-before-starting-a-business/ Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:32:03 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=939 Starting a business is an exciting prospect, but it can be overwhelming. By planning ahead, you can minimize a lot of the anxiety. The following are some important areas to focus on when learning about starting a business, courtesy of yours truly at Top10 eCommerce Solutions.

Planning

Go step by step when planning your business. Consider your strengths and weaknesses when coming up with an idea for a product or service. Then conduct market research to make sure your idea is viable in your area.

Research the licenses, certifications, and insurance policies required to do business in the field. Consider taking professional development courses through SETX YPO to sharpen your business skills. Look up different organizational structures and associated business taxes to determine the best fit.

Choose a name and location for your business. When selecting a name, search online to make sure there are no other businesses close by with the same name. Look up available domains to make sure you can secure one that includes your desired business name and is not too long or complicated. When choosing a location, pay attention to the following:

  • Ease of access
  • Affordability
  • Zoning laws
  • Internet reliability
  • Parking opportunities
  • Ability for expansion

If you decide to run your business out of your home, make sure you get approval from the local government. There may be certain restrictions regarding advertising, parking, and traffic patterns that you must follow.

Funding

To secure funding, you generally need a business plan. This is simply a clear and professional document outlining all the technicalities you considered during the research phase. Make sure to include a financial forecast. This is a reasonable projection of your income and expenses. You can use information you acquired from your market research to help make this forecast as accurate as possible.

Research all available funding options before deciding which to pursue. Loans may have high interest rates, and crowdfunding may not provide you with sufficient capital. Consider the pros and cons of all options. If you do get a loan, make sure you read all the terms and agreements before signing. Remember that even though the loan is for a business, you are personally responsible unless you have legally incorporated the business.

Managing Cash Flow

Data show that most businesses fail due to cash flow problems. Review your financial forecast regularly and update it as needed. Only buy necessities until you have surplus funds available. Be careful about what you designate as a necessity. For example, a new business must advertise, but that doesn’t mean you need the most expensive signage available. Look for ways to save money on marketing. You may be able to use some social media platforms for free before upgrading to a paid version.

One of the most important aspects of avoiding cash flow issues is ensuring your customers pay on time. Use an invoice maker that allows you to make professional-looking bills using pre-made templates that you can customize with your logo and other important information. Make payments as simple as possible for customers so that they can pay you as soon as they receive the notification. Pay attention to outstanding invoices, and devise a plan ahead of time for when customers fall behind on payments.

Thinking Long Term

When it comes to your business, it’s never too early to start thinking long term. Do you think you’ll want to expand? What about collaborating with other local business owners? Another helpful option is going back to school to gain more knowledge that you can apply directly to your business. The flexibility of online programs can be especially useful, since you can learn at your own pace without having to take time off work!

By planning thoroughly, you maximize your chances for entrepreneurial success. Make sure you understand all your funding options and how to maintain adequate cash flow.

Top10 eCommerce Solutions reviews and compares high quality software for eCommerce websites. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know!

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Effective Strategies to Develop Your Business through Innovation https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/effective-strategies-to-develop-your-business-through-innovation/ Fri, 20 May 2022 18:58:22 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=933 Innovation is a key to success in today’s business world. Whether you’re a small company trying to stay afloat or a growing midsized corporation looking to expand your reach, innovation is a secret weapon that can help you succeed.

Take, for example, the hotel industry. Twenty years ago, it was almost impossible for a small hotel to compete with the larger chains. Today, though, the smaller boutique hotels have managed to survive and thrive, thanks in part to their ability to stay ahead of the curve with regard to customer trends and preferences.

And that’s the same for any business looking to succeed in today’s changing marketplace. To do so, you need to be able to identify new trends and transform your business to meet those needs.

In this article, Top 10 eCommerce Solutions discuss three ways you can develop your business through innovation. Regardless of your business’s size, these strategies will benefit you as you strive for growth and success.

Leverage Technology with Automation and Process Mining

One of the best ways to grow your business is to leverage technology. No matter what kind of business you have, technology can be a game-changer. One use case scenario is if you sell products, AI and machine learning can help you reach more customers. This is where using tools that help you create marketing and communications materials comes into play. For instance, you can use an infographic template to quickly create a data-rich graphic to help meet your branding and messaging goals. This free online infographic generator allows you to customize with your choice of color schemes, fonts, and company graphics to stand out from the crowd and communicate a ton of information in graphic form.

If you provide services, mobile apps and cloud computing can help you stay competitive and provide an amazing, personalized experience.

Technology is also a great way to free up your time and manpower. For example, automation is a great way to free up your time while growing your business. You can achieve these things with time-management tools, as they can give you the freedom and flexibility you need to grow.

This also relates to optimizing processes so employees have confidence in the systems they use, systems that have replaced team members’ need to perform redundant or repetitive tasks. Process mining (and, at the individual process level, task mining) uses data to discover, validate, and improve workflows that benefit your entire business. Not only do you improve employee satisfaction and efficiency, but process mining can help you increase sales, manage risk, and help you discover otherwise hidden opportunities.

Create a Platform for Growth

In order to create a platform for growth, you need to identify ways to continually expand your reach and bring in new customers.

With growth strategies, you can develop a network of loyal customers and generate repeat business. But to do this, you need to identify ways to continuously engage your existing customers. This is something on which successful businesses strategize on a regular basis.

This can include offering discounts, targeted offers, or other ways of keeping your customers happy. You can also develop a way to expand your reach and bring in new customers through online and social media marketing.

But before you run out and invest in new technology, you must first ensure that support is available for the product you’re interested in. Contact your IT department, as well as the product’s customer service, to see whether either can offer support in case problems arise in the future.

Develop a Robust Data Strategy

A data strategy is a set of strategies and actions designed to extract data from users and use this data to inform product design, marketing campaigns, and other decisions. Data can be used to understand what your customers want, what products are popular, and what marketing campaigns are most effective.

By employing a data strategy, you can develop a way to identify and respond to these needs, allowing you to develop your business through innovation. Data can help you determine what products and services your business needs and can help you identify key areas for growth.

In closing, the above strategies – including process mining, generating repeat business, and implementing a solid data strategy – will go a long way in helping you enjoy growth. Start today and watch your business not just grow, but grow steadily for the long term.

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You Are Not Too Young to Start Your Business https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/you-are-not-too-young-to-start-your-business/ Thu, 28 Apr 2022 16:40:07 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=929 Whether you are in your early 20s getting ready to enter the business world or are still in high school with big plans for the future, you are never too young to put a plan in place to start your own business. There are examples throughout all industries of young entrepreneurs making their own financial aspirations a reality. Here are a few tips to help get you started.

Evaluate yourself.

Otterwize has covered the topic of entrepreneurship before and smartly suggests deciding if the time is right and if you have the commitment to go through with your plans. Remember, being your own boss takes more than passion. You’ll need to be able to handle stress, master relationships at all levels, adapt to new situations, and be open-minded, confident, and driven.

Draft a roadmap.

If you take a close look at yourself and decide that you are ready, your next step is to craft a business plan. Iowa State University explains that this will help you prepare your business while creating actionable goals. Your business plan is also crucial when it’s time to form a management team, obtain financing (more on that in a moment), and avoid major mistakes. Your business plan should include everything from how you plan to introduce new products to insight on how your business will measure performance and benchmark growth.

Decide on a business structure.

Another crucial component to your business plan that deserves special attention is establishing a business structure. Whether you choose an LLC, corporation, or something else, your business structure determines everything from how you pay taxes to how you transfer interest in your business from one party to another. You can form yourself but you also have the option to use an online formation service, which is inexpensive and will handle all of the documentation and filing on your behalf.

Listen to your mentors.

If you don’t already have a mentor, get one. Business services company Nordea explains that having a mentor gives you access to knowledge and support when decision-making. Further, you’ll also likely have networking opportunities to meet others that can help you grow.

Look for funding opportunities.

All businesses require some sort of funding. If you have a service-based startup, such as a lawn mowing company, you have to buy equipment. Even working in the knowledge field (IT, design, etc.) you’ll still need a computer and money for your internet connection. To obtain capital for these items, consider turning to your friends and family, working part-time while you save money, or searching online for small business grants.

Get out of your comfort zone.

Even if your new startup capitalizes on your experience or passion, you have to get out of your comfort zone from time to time. For most of us, this will be marketing. It can be uncomfortable to tell people how good you are at something and then to take their money for it. But, you have to learn how to market yourself, whether through social media or your branding strategy, so that you can grow and turn your company into everything you know it deserves to be.

Don’t ever let your age get in the way of making plans for your future. While there are many steps that you have to take before you reach the path of entrepreneurship, trust in yourself that you can do it. Remember, however, that it is a learning process, and it never hurts to have help along the way, whether that means using a business formation service or arming yourself with the knowledge of your mentors.

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4 Steps to Starting a Successful Business https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/4-steps-to-starting-a-successful-business/ Wed, 30 Mar 2022 06:01:57 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=922 With the world opening back up, now may be the perfect opportunity to pursue that big business dream you’ve long nursed in the back of your mind. If you’re eager but don’t know where to get started, check out this guide to get your way to entrepreneurial success today.

1. Choose the Right Business Endeavor

Whatever your aspirations, a solid business idea is the foundation of any worthwhile entrepreneurial undertaking. Finding the right idea depends largely on looking critically at the market you want to target and brainstorming problems in need of solutions that you can solve with a business. If there is a specific service or product you’re passionate about, you may feel you already have this part figured out, but there’s more to choosing the right business than picking what you’ll sell.

Decisions about how you will make sales, who your target market will be, what venue you will sell in and more can have a major impact on the setup and success of your business. Choosing what eCommerce site builder you’ll use, for example, is an important decision that needs to be thoroughly researched before you come to your decision, so refer to Top 10 eCommerce Solutions for in-depth comparisons.

2. Develop Your Business Plan

A business plan is a written-out plan that you can use as a template to make all your business decisions. According to Business News Daily, your business plan should help you achieve three things: establish the focus of your business, enable you to get funding, and attract employees.

What exactly should be included in your business plan varies between businesses. Some entrepreneurs will want a leaner format if they’re planning a quick start for their business. A traditional business plan is more comprehensive and includes an executive summary, company description, market analysis, management and organization, service list or product line, marketing and sales plan, funding requests, and financial projections.

3. Get Funding

Unless you’re independently wealthy or have private funding secured, finding funding can be one of the biggest challenges of starting your business. Creating a solid business plan is a good first step; you can use it to appeal to potential investors and lenders. Popular options for funding include crowdfunding sites, angel investors, venture capitalists, and bank loans. Small business grants are another option that can help get you startup capital, although these often only cover partial costs.

4. Market Your Business

Few things can impact the success of your business like marketing. Strong branding and a savvy marketing plan can propel your company into the public eye, turning more customers on to your business and encouraging other businesses and business professionals to want to work with you.

A well-designed logo is a great place to start, as it can inform the rest of your branding and make a strong first impression. If finances are tight, you can save money by using an online logo maker to develop an eye-catching company logo design that is appealing to your target audience. Making one can be as easy as picking a design and symbols that are reflective of your business and adding the text to convey your brand using appropriate colors and font styles.

While some things can be managed on your own, if you don’t have extensive experience in marketing, outsourcing marketing duties to an established professional can be worth the expense. With their expertise at the helm, you’ll be able to reach a broader audience with more effective marketing.

Don’t keep waiting for the perfect time to start your enterprise. Take the leap today and begin planning how you’ll make your big business dreams come true.

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Reserve Your Free Seat For Make It Big 2021 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/reserve-your-free-seat-for-bigcommerces-make-it-big-2021/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 09:56:45 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=866 Back by popular demand is the BigCommerce’s Free Make it Big event!

This two-day virtual event on September 14-15, 2021, is an on-demand ecommerce conference that was built for retailers, entrepreneurs, and ecommerce professionals looking to fuel their next stage of growth. With industry experts in retail, ecommerce, and business, BigCommerce’s main aim is to help merchants grow their ecommerce brands.

This event is the largest online e-commerce conference of its kind, and it’s on-demand which is perfect for today’s climate. From the comfort of your own home, you can dive into current industry trends and discuss ways to scale your business, build your customer base, and plan for the future.

Want a sneak peek? Some featured topic sessions this year are:

  • Scaling your Brand
  • Creating and Developing a Community
  • Omnichannel Marketing
  • Selling Cross-Border and Multi-Store
  • Customer Segment Personalization
  • And much more

Unlock your full potential with proven success strategies, expert tips, and actionable advice from global thought leaders. It’s truly three days worth of actionable knowledge that you can’t get anywhere else.

Secure your free seat today and get ready to stand out, do more, and Make it Big!

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How To Use Promotional Videos To Complement Your SEO Efforts https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/how-to-use-promotional-videos-to-complement-your-seo-efforts/ Sat, 22 May 2021 10:46:28 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=906 Creating high-quality content is one of the best ways to attract traffic. One way you can do this is by using more video on your website and third-party platforms, as it will naturally rank higher when people search for information that matches what’s in your videos. Your audience will feel engaged with every new release because they know there are more than just words waiting at the end -there’s a story!

Businesses have not fully utilized this aspect of SEO, yet it has a rich potential to promote business brands and grow businesses. This aspect of SEO is called VSEO (which is fully known as video search engine optimization).

Even though some companies have started using video search engine optimization to promote their brands, most companies and businesses do not take it seriously. They prefer using other forms of content creation (like images, infographics, written content, amongst others). If videos do not seem like your thing, you can try using images to convey your message.

However, let us look at some things to do if you are considering VSEO.

Define your goals when making promotional videos for SEO

The idea of making promotional videos for your business might seem intriguing, but it is important to note that these videos must complement your overall SEO strategy. One vital approach to take note of is to define your business goals as early as possible. It is crucial not to be in the euphoria of making a captivating video and not clearly define your goals. Not only will you spend a considerable amount of money, but the money spent will be deemed a waste because it will not yield any meaningful result.

When making a promotional video, you must know what you want to get out of it. If not, it will be difficult for you to conceptualize or commission a product that will successfully captivate your target audience and meet your goals.

Focus on Building Links or Generate Social Shares.

If you make an excellent promotional video (you can use Promo.com, Viddyoze, Animaker or InVideo for this), you can generate a large number of links for your website and some reputable domains. These links can be in their thousands, depending on how good your video content is. There are many video content online, so you have to put in the work for yours to stand out. Essentially, your promotional video has to offer something to the viewer. It should be able to provide laughter, amazement, shock, annoyance, information or a combination of all of them. The main point is that your promotional video should entertain and also evoke a strong emotional reaction that will make your viewers want to share it with others. They can do this by writing a post about it on their blogs and website or by clicking the share button on the platform. Just bear in mind that your promotional video can provide some educational content whereby your viewer can learn one or two things.

Always keep SEO and Conversion in mind

In a world where everyone is trying to make money, it’s important that you keep up with the times. That means using new and innovative strategies like SEO in order to increase your revenue and sales. Creating promotional videos for SEO purposes has become one of the most effective ways of achieving this goal by providing more visitors who are likely about to convert into paying clients because they’re excited enough from what they’ve seen on video!

Conclusion.

Promotional videos are one of the best ways to optimize your SEO strategy. Focus on quality and content when making a video for promotional purposes in order to achieve maximum success with potential customers.

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How To Start An Online Business https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/how-to-start-an-online-business/ Thu, 11 Feb 2021 13:23:26 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=895 Starting an online business is one of the most exciting things you can do. It’s also incredibly rewarding when your hard work and dedication pay off.

But it can be a difficult and daunting process. It’s hard to know where to start or what you need to do. You may have heard about the success stories of people who have started their own businesses, but it’s not always easy for them in the beginning. They had to work hard and learn from their mistakes before they made it big!

If you want your online business idea to succeed then you should take action right now. There are so many ways that you can get started with little money or experience required.

This post will give you all the information that you need to get started.

Why starting an online business is a good idea

The internet is a place where people go to find what they’re looking for. It’s also the perfect place to start your own business. There are many ways you can make money online, including affiliate marketing, blogging and selling items on eBay or Amazon. You don’t need any special skills or qualifications – just time and some basic computer knowledge!

The benefits of starting an online business are endless.

First, you can work from anywhere in the world as long as you have a computer and Internet connection.

Second, there is no limit to how much money you can make with an online business.

Third, it’s easy to learn everything that goes into running an online business because there are so many resources available for free on the Internet.

Fourth, if your goal is financial independence then starting an online business will help get you closer to achieving this goal by providing more income than a traditional job would be able to provide.

Finally, starting an online business can serve as a backup plan for those who may lose their jobs in the future due to automation or outsourcing.

What you need to start an online business

You may be wondering what you need to start an online business. The truth is, there are many different ways to get started and it all depends on your skillset and your goals. There are courses that teach people how to create a website or blog from scratch, but the most popular way of starting an online business is by using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. You can use these platforms as a place for sharing photos of products or services you offer with potential clients, warming them up, before finally directing them towards purchasing items off your website.

For this, the first thing you will need is a domain name and hosting service for your website. You can purchase both separately or together from the same provider depending on what you want to do with your site.

Next, there are several different types of website builders that offer many features like design templates, search engine optimization (SEO), analytics tools, mobile support etc., which makes it easier for beginners to create their own professional looking site without having any technical skills required at all! This is usually one of the most expensive options but if done right it can be worth every penny spent on it because this option has the potential to save time in the long run by making updates easy and saving money on hiring developers. Think e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce or Wix.

The whole process can boil down to the following simple steps:

  1. Choose a niche market
  2. Pick a domain name
  3. Register your site with Google Webmaster tools and Bing Webmaster tools
  4. Create content for your website / list products you want to sell
  5. Share your site on social media and build your audience

Tips for success

When starting an online business, there are some things that one should keep in mind.

First, it is important to understand who your target audience is so as not to waste precious time and resources on those who won’t buy from or support your company.

Second, make sure that this endeavor appeals enough for you because if it doesn’t interest you then nobody else will either!

Finally, take into account how much time you can devote towards making this work; if at all possible try and dedicate yourself 100% but don’t forget about life outside of work too!

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4 Best Shopify Landing Page Builders To Sell More https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/4-best-shopify-landing-page-builders-to-sell-more/ Mon, 18 Jan 2021 10:27:56 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=877

Starting your Shopify journey can be exciting.

You love that tingling sensation running through your veins, when you start your free trial, when you choose your first theme, and when you add the first products.

However, the honeymoon phase will soon come to an end, and you’ll run up to a rather slightly more disheartening but no less crucial part: how to make your store look better–at least like in those Shopify ads you have been seeing–or more importantly, how to convert and get sales. Shopify is great, but its customization options can be limiting.

Naturally, you will come to a stage where you realize you kinda need a Shopify Page Builder app, a third-party plugin that empowers you with more extensive features, compared with Shopify’s default page builder.

However, there are a bunch of on the Shopify App Store. You can either test all of them them, which will gobble up your valuable time and leave you exhausted by the time you burn out your last drop of energy on testing each feature.

Or, you can go through this detailed comparison, and narrow down your testing subjects to one or two apps only. Let’s dive in.

What You Need To Look For When Choosing A Page Builder App

A good page builder–meaning a page builder that is not just be able to help you build a basic Shopify store, but also scale as your business grows–needs to have these essential features:

  • Drag-and-drop page building.
  • Extensive library of elements.
  • Compatibility with other essential apps (e.g. upsell/cross-sell apps, review and social proof apps, subscription apps, translation apps and marketing apps).
  • Advanced editing with custom code.
  • Seamless Shopify-format interface.
  • SEO-driven.

With these essentials in mind, we have dived into 4 of the best Shopify Page Builder apps, installed and used them to build a Product Page and a Collection Page. Here are what we like and dislike about each of them.

1. PageFly Page Builder App

PageFly enjoys a strong 4.9 rating from over 4,200 paying customers – and consistently gets selected in Favorite Shopify Apps, or Staff-pick collection on Shopify App Store. So what’s good and what’s not good about it?

Rating: 4.9/5 with 4,201 reviews

Pros:

  • Powerful customization capacity, initially built by developers for developers (or at least people with background in development), PageFly has impressive customization powers. For example, there are more than 3 combinations of elements/features we could use to create a Product Details section.

  • Extensive library of elements, pre-built sections and 3rd party elements/app integration. 40+ Templates for most industries and functions.
  • Advanced Customization with Custom Code editor and HTML/Liquid elements.
  • Dedicated, 24/7 live chat support, even on the Free plan.
  • Good compatibility with most Shopify themes.
  • Free plan available with full access to all features, the only limit is the number of pages you can create.
  • Clean and optimized codes for better loading speed – pages built with PageFly have slightly better page speed than those built with default Shopify Page Builder.
  • Available in 6 major languages: English, French, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese.
  • PageFly also has their own analytics dashboard making it easier to track your store performance.

Cons:

  • The above-mentioned customization capacity is a two-edged sword. Since there are too many ways you can use to build layouts, new users (like me) can easily get confused browsing for the right element, or the right course of action to build, for example, a simple product page.
  • No A/B testing feature, no color swatches (you’ll find this one feature incredibly important when building a good, interactive product page), no auto-save.
  • Compatibility with translation apps could be better. Some of the pages built with PageFly are not translated properly due to app conflict.
  • Mobile responsiveness needs improving, like a lot. You can design in All Devices mode, but when switching to other devices, like mobile and tablet, the design can get slightly jumbled.

Pricing:

PageFly’s price range is mid-tier among all page builder apps, if you’re building a one-product Shopify store, the Free plan is good enough. However, if you have a growing Shopify store – you can greatly benefit from the Platinum plan.

2. LayoutHub Page Builder App

The name itself is pretty self-explanatory: It’s a hub of premade layout and templates. LayoutHub uses block templates to build your store, so it might be more adequate for smaller businesses and those who are new to Shopify in general. Imagine Canva, but for Page Building business.

Rating: 5/5 with 985 reviews

Pros:

  • A large library of premade, nicely designed block templates for most sections you’ll need – whether it’s a Call To Action, Product List, Newsletter, etc.
  • Good compatibility with most Shopify themes and apps.
  • User-friendly interface and layout.
  • Good and dedicated live chat support–the support agent stayed with me until the problem was resolved–such dedication deserved a mention here.
  • Free plan available.
  • Autosave feature, which is very important when you build your store and some of the mentioned Page Builder apps here lack of, is available to all paid plans.

Cons:

  • Device responsiveness can be a hit or miss. Most of the time the design adapts nicely when switched to mobile or tablet, but there are occasions where a button or image is displayed at the wrong place, or with the wrong styling.
  • Free plan is available, but with limited layouts and email support, with non-removable branding, which is not bad but when you compare to free plans from other apps, the benefit might come off as slightly inferior. For example, in the same category, PageFly’s free plan offers live chat support and access to all templates and features.

Pricing:

As mentioned above, LayoutHub’s pricing is reasonable for smaller businesses, and their price range is the lowest among all page builder apps.

3. Shogun Page Builder App

Recently securing a $35 Million Series B from Silicon-valley accelerators and ventures, Shogun is growing fast and constantly improving their Page Builder product, which is currently one of the top-rated apps on both Shopify and Magento.

Rating: 4.8/5 with 2,284 reviews

Pros:

  • Robust element library, categorized and arranged within a user-friendly interface. It has the most user-friendly interface among all reviewed apps in this article.

  • Optimized for good page speed.
  • Advanced customization: You can create your own element on Shogun.
  • A/B Testing and Page Publishing Scheduling available.
  • Color gradient available for all elements (this particular feature is mentioned as color gradient is not available within the other page builder apps).
  • Intuitive and easy-to-use Onboarding dashboard.
  • SEO-controls available.

Cons:

  • Live chat is available only with the highest-paid plan, so if you’re on the other paid plans, it can get slightly frustrating waiting for email support.
  • There is no free plan, only a 10-day free trial period.
  • Similarly to PageFly, mobile responsiveness is not 100% perfect and leaves a lot to be desired, there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to adapting to other devices.

Pricing:

Shogun’s price range is the highest among all page builder apps – which makes sense since it has the most extensive feature and element library.

4. GemPages Page Builder App

The last of the Big Four when it comes to page building is GemPages. Similarly to PageFly and Shogun, GemPages has been trusted by nearly 10,000 customers to help them build a high functioning Shopify store.

Rating: 4.8/5 with 1,975 reviews

Pros:

  • 50+ pre-made templates catered to every industry and purpose: Lead Generation/Capture, Click Through, Waiting List & Coming Soon, Discount & Coupon, Contest & Giveaway, Thank You & Confirmation, Storytelling.
  • Constantly improving themselves. You can expect the following features from GemPages in a near future: A/B Testing, Agency Mode, Autosave & Versioning, Animation & Actions, Password & Error 404 Pages, Layer Manager, Content Scheduling, Analytics, Funnel Builder, Post-Purchase Upsell, AMP, PWA
  • Good compatibility with most Shopify themes, however, you can see minor conflict here and there, this is why GemPages recommends users to use its own theme: eComSolid.
  • Live chat support available with dedicated and professional support agents.
  • GemPages also comes with a number of standard “mini-apps” that add dynamic elements to your pages.

Cons:

  • No free plan available.
  • Live chat support is only available to Professional and Advanced users, and getting help from email support on Starter Plan can really get on your nerves.
  • Third-party app integration is not so great, this is also partly the reason why GemPages has these little built-in mini apps.
  • It works best with eComSolid Theme, so it might not be a good thing depending on your preference.
  • The Onboarding dashboard looks a bit too clustering with too many notifications.

Pricing:

The lowest plan with limited features will cost you $15 monthly, while its highest plan is reasonable, considering all features and benefits Gempages provides, and in comparison with other higher-priced apps like PageFly and Shogun.

In conclusion, which Shopify Landing Page Builders should you use?

We could end with an uninspiring: “All of these Shopify Page Builder apps have something to offer to your Shopify store and only through trial and error can you know exactly which one works for you”.

But we would not honor our promise to help you decide.

If you have a small Shopify store selling to the local communities, go with LayoutHub.

If you have a growing e-commerce business and aim to sell globally, or at least nationally, go with PageFly or GemPages.

If you’re a Shopify Plus merchant, with need for advanced or higher customization, and having a budget to spend, Shogun should make you happy.

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Format: The Best eCommerce Platform for Photographers https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/format-the-best-ecommerce-platform-for-photographers/ Tue, 22 Sep 2020 04:38:43 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=860 When it comes to photography, not all websites are created equal. If you are a photographer, your website should not be generic, but as beautiful and artistic as your work. And ideally, offer an easy way for visitors to purchase the photos they like. All without being time consuming or difficult to set up and manage. That’s where Format comes in. 

Format is the platform that most established photographers and artists call their home to build their business online. Without any coding, you can build a professional, state-of-the-art online photography portfolio website and showcase your best work to the world, in a way that’s also mobile and tablet friendly right from the start.

There is a huge variety of themes and layouts to choose from, that all focus on being gorgeous and fast to load. Format also has the extremely valuable ability to host client photo galleries, and to create an online store to grow your photography business, hence why we’re featuring it as a full-fledged eCommerce Solution. 

Format prides itself on making this part of your business as easy as possible, so you can focus on your art. Besides the user-friendly interface to create the website and manage everything that Format does for you, you’ll find handy add-ons to update your website on the go and integrations with Adobe Lightroom and Capture One to publish and update your portfolio and client photo galleries directly from either software. 

Finally, it’s very affordable! Starting at $12 a month, you have three plans to choose from, meaning you pay for what you need. If you’re just starting out, then the Pro Plan has the essentials you’re looking for, or you can create without limits with the Unlimited Plan. Of course, their most popular plan would be the intermediate Pro Plus Plan. With the most bang for your buck, the Pro Plus Plan provides most of what the Unlimited Plan does to help grow your business at a reasonable price.  

You can even save 10% OFF ANY yearly subscription plan with code START10 if you sign up today.

There’s so much more to see, so head over to Format and see how easy it can be to get your photography website up and running, and spend more time on your passion rather than building a website. 

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Sendinblue Review (2020) – Complete Marketing Toolbox for eCommerce & More https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/sendinblue-review-2020-complete-marketing-toolbox-for-ecommerce-more/ Mon, 27 Jul 2020 05:40:20 +0000 https://top10-ecommerce-solutions.com/?p=850 Running a business can be hard, but then it has always been that way. If you are in sales, it is all about footfall and conversion – how to get more people to view your goods, and thereafter get a higher percentage of those same people to buy something. Interest is good, sales are better!

Not so long ago, this would have meant the physical attendance of customers in a store. You could attract their attention with your shop display and signage, and location really mattered. Once in, you’d be able to turn on the charm and sell, then up-sell too.

Today, location is becoming irrelevant to more and more businesses. They have no set location or store, they just exist online. No amount of carefully arranged shop display or signage will help them attract interest, they need to rely on something else entirely. A means of bringing people inside their world and getting them to buy their products or services, without relying on personal charm but not simply leaving things to chance either.

With competition fiercer than anywhere else due to the lack of physical barriers to entry, how do you gain an advantage?

Enters Sendinblue

Is your business prepared for take-off? That’s the basis upon which Sendinblue sets out its own stall. You’ve already done the hard work, you’ve had an inspirational idea, you’ve done research into the marketplace, and have the drive and ambition to succeed. Yet this may not be enough. Every little edge counts, so take it.

Sendinblue, with its complete sales and marketing toolbox, can be one of such edges, helping you to engage, sell and grow. For Shopify website owners, there is even now a free email plugin designed specifically to make it as easy as possible to harness this power in conjunction with their online store operations. It supports in particular the following key features:

  • Contact sync
  • Attribute mapping (boolean attributes are supported) 
  • Single/Double Opt-in confirmation (works with Shopify default forms) 
  • Tracking (web site activity, abandoned cart events)

There are limited hours in a day, and running any business will put a heavy demand on your time. So let automation take (some) control. Remember, pilots don’t fly every mile of every flight, that’s for the autopilot system. Your business could run in a similar way, provided you’re leveraging the right tools.

Try Sendinblue Now

A Presence Isn’t Enough

Being online is no longer enough. Think of it this way, if you had a shop, you wouldn’t have a plain brick building, with no frontage, display or signs. You wouldn’t fail to advertise or let people know of your existence, and just sit there waiting for people to find you. That is a recipe for failure at best, disaster at worst.

The same is true about an online presence and e-commerce. You cannot simply hope that people will stumble across your store, or find you by chance. Even if one or two did, that is not going to support your business for very long. You need to be where your customers are, and they need to be drawn in and enticed into making those all-important purchases, as frequently as possible. So how do you do that?

Sendinblue can help you “be” wherever your customers are. They can help your name stay fresh and relevant in their minds, and also remind them from time to time that they really should visit your store again. You can build a real presence directly in their inbox, through email marketing. This may be either serving as a gentle reminder that you’re around, or a more positive outreaching campaign to both old and new clients alike. All this can be done through beautifully designed marketing emails. They can be personalized, targeted – be that by gender, geographic location or other dynamics, and then intelligently delivered, at the right time to the right demographic.

If your message is a little more urgent, or you want to be a little more direct, then Sendinblue has some pretty neat capabilities. More direct SMS message based marketing is available for those flash sales messages, latest daily promotions and targeted seasonal campaigns. SMS can also assist you in keeping your contacts up to date. Why retain the details of somebody who was only ever going to be a one-time buyer? All messages can not only be personalized for effectiveness, but the data from your campaigns can be tracked, monitored and analysed to ensure that each campaign is as effective as possible. Improvements can then be implemented in time for your next campaign. Remember that businesses that do not adapt, react and diversify, tend to fail.

When there is a need for full interaction, Sendinblue offers a fully implemented solution – a live chat box. Simple to install, you can be an actual presence for any customer leads in real time. The reason why you’d want this, well that’s easy. Customers are particularly difficult at times. If you do not give them their answer straight away, then they’ll go elsewhere for it. If they then get that answer elsewhere, then that is where they will spend their money. You should always want to be the provider of help and assistance as that can bring you loyalty, and of course loyalty brings rewards in the form of revenue. A chat box can help organize your workload and help you to prioritize what matters. Dealing with an urgent request there and then, is much better than using that same time to send cold-call emails. You have a real customer potentially ready to spend money, you just need to help them to do it.

A Little More

These are just the basics. Sendinblue, which just started with email marketing, now offers much more. They can help with e-commerce sales and sync any contacts. They offer an email plugin and attribute mapping, together with tracking for website activity and any abandoned carts etc. How does all of this help your business?

Customer relationship management or CRM is key. Get it right and you’ll offer the best service for each client and therefore benefit in the best possible way from each interaction. Customer experience is critical. Making the visit easy, enjoyable and hassle free is a must. The easier the journey from finding the site to checking out is, the more likely they are to make it. Putting hurdles in their path will mean that some, indeed a high percentage, will abandon the experience. Is there anything worse in e-commerce than abandoned carts? Somebody has indicated a willingness to buy a product or service from you, but at the last minute, has changed their mind, or simply couldn’t do it. Conversion of interest into purchase is key, and reducing abandoned carts is a major factor in success.

CRM through Sendinblue is easy. Get all details centralised and orderly, allowing you to review them as needed. Lists are great, but organised lists are even better! You can record details such as the step in the conversion funnel, or other characteristics to help you grow an efficient database of client information and stay on track as a business.

Time is a precious commodity, so save it through marketing automation and invest it elsewhere, Sendinblue supports all the basic and more complex sequences you may think of and will not miss a beat for you.

Deliverability

Transactional emails which you can rely on are also a must. Whether you opt for API, SMTP Relay, E-Commerce plugins or marketing automation, you’ll be certain to reach the right inbox, get noticed and increase interaction and activity, all the time learning from each and every effort to improve your overall performance. The tools are there to help you, and you too can help yourself and your business by simply using them.

Segmentation

People are different and therefore customers are different. What is relevant to one, is not to another. You can waste a lot of time and lose potential revenue through sending the wrong messages to your customers. This is where the contact segmentation element works.

You can ensure that your marketing messages are better targeted to those that will respond to them most – be that declared interests, previous history or other factors such as socio-economic demographics. Not only will this help with initial interactions, it will also build better long-term relationships. Your clients will receive only things that matter to them, and that will in turn make them realise your professionalism and reliability. Poorly targeted messaging is a turn-off to customers. They only want to hear about things that matter them, not to others. Your communications will improve and as a result so will your conversion rate!

Stay A While

Visiting somewhere is okay, but being enticed or convinced to stay is the true goal. To a business, it is all about conversion. Yes, you need people to come and have a look, but if they leave without any purchases, is their visit really beneficial?

Sendinblue helps turn more visitors into actual customers, and where does every visit start, well the landing page of course. First impressions count and so your landing page is critical. Put a customer off, and they’ll be off elsewhere! Instead, build a bespoke, individualised page, customised with the most impactful design. Consider your goal, select the right page and thereafter customize it to suit. It is all straightforward and you can build the site to take each customer through a seamless journey, from the landing page to the checkout. No hiccups, no difficulty, all aimed at maximizing your conversions.

Build up your list

Along the way, you can build up your contacts, all in a GDPR compliant manner. You can collect and harvest all of the relevant information you need up front in a way that doesn’t put the customers off. Information is powerful, and you’ll be powering up your future email and messaging campaigns, as well as building a detailed database of converted clients.

Sendinblue also provides everything you need to run a targeted advertising campaign on Facebook. You can build your perfect ad and direct it towards the most relevant audiences, based on your client demographics. Simply set the parameters of your ad and see how it actually performs – all through an easy-to-use system.

As well as potential new clients, you can retarget an audience that has visited your site in the past, had a look, maybe bought something. Your advertising budget is easily controlled, and the results are there for you to monitor. It is effective and almost effortless.

Let your business take off

Wanting to see your business bloom is only natural. But like a beautiful flower garden, it requires attention, effort and expertise. If there is any way in which you can minimise effort whilst maximising returns, then it should always be considered. Your choices matter and will make a difference. However, with so many tools available, some of them more helpful than others, what makes Sendinblue a must?

With over 100 million targeted emails sent daily from 80,000 users in more than 160 countries, their numbers already speak volume. The whole suite is designed to boost your business by helping you leverage the most effective marketing practices, while easily integrating with your existing infrastructure. Oh, and one more thing, it is completely free to get started, with unlimited contacts and a generous daily email allowance!

If you’re just starting out on your entrepreneurial journey, this may well be the time when your finances are most stretched, and you’ll need as much lift as you can to take off. It is time to put your venture into orbit!

Try Sendinblue Now

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