SEMrush Holdings Inc.

11/26/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/26/2024 20:06

15 Ecommerce Tools for a Successful Online Shop

Ecommerce tools equip you with the capabilities to outpace competitors and streamline operations.

From finding products that sell to competitive analysis and ecommerce SEO, these 15 tools help store owners replace guesswork with insights at every step of their business.

The tools are broken down into the following categories:

  • Product Research and Sourcing
  • Ecommerce Store Optimization
  • Social Media Content and Brand Management
  • Ecommerce Advertising
  • Competitor Analysis

Let's jump right in.

Choosing what to sell is the biggest challenge for online stores.

Ecommerce tools turn this challenge into a systematic process, using market data to find products your customers want and suppliers you can trust.

Note: If you're still looking for a site builder to host your ecommerce site, read our review of the best ecommerce site builders.

Product Research Pulse

Product Research Pulse tackles the most critical question in ecommerce: What should you sell?

This tool analyzes millions of products across major marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, showing you what's actually making money.

This capability allows you to analyze market trends, consumer demand, and pricing dynamics, ensuring you make informed decisions that align with your business goals.

Pros:

  • Informed market entry and better inventory management
  • Offers pricing insights to help you increase profit margins
  • Enhances product content to align with consumer search behaviors

Cons:

  • Limited to major online marketplaces, which may not cover niche or emerging markets
  • Some users may find the bulk analysis features complex without prior experience

Pricing: Product Research Pulse is available on a 7-day free trial. After this, it costs $34.99 monthly.

Shopify Finder

Ever wonder how top Shopify stores always seem to know what's going to sell next?

Shopify Finder helps you discover and assess top-performing Shopify and AliExpress stores, giving you a glimpse of what products are trending.

But it's more than just a trend tracker; it also reveals what's selling, how top stores are designed, and the strategies fueling their sales.

Pros:

  • Covers 40 different countries
  • Reveals competitor marketing strategies
  • Refreshes data hourly

Cons:

  • Limited to Shopify and AliExpress platforms
  • Some products returned may not align with search terms

Pricing: A basic subscription to the Shopify Finder app is available from the Semrush App Center for $29 per month and includes Shopify data only. A Pro subscription with Shopify and AliExpress product data costs $50/month.

Spocket

Dropshipping has reshaped the ecommerce industry by offering a way to bypass inventory.

For store owners tired of unreliable dropshipping suppliers, Spocket offers a refreshing alternative.

This tool focuses exclusively on US and EU suppliers with proven track records, helping you avoid the common pitfalls of overseas dropshipping.

Getting started: Connect your store on their website, add your products, and get up and running

Pros:

  • More localized US and EU suppliers for quicker deliveries
  • Easy integration with various ecommerce platforms
  • Allows for sample orders to test products before selling

Cons:

  • More expensive than other options
  • Fewer product choices compared to larger marketplaces

Pricing: Spocket offers a 14-day free trial. Post-trial plans range from $39.99/month for the Starter subscription to $299/month for the Unicorn option, with annual payment options providing discounts.

ImportYeti

ImportYeti brings transparency to the murky world of product sourcing.

By analyzing millions of shipping records, this free tool shows you exactly which suppliers the big brands trust.

It's like having insider access to the supply chains of successful companies, helping you find reliable manufacturers without the usual trial and error.

This tool allows for filtering by supplier origin, date, and quantity of shipments and offers helpful product descriptions, all of which are exportable to a CSV.

Pros:

  • Uncovers suppliers used by leading ecommerce companies
  • Provides shipping data, indicating competitors' scale
  • Offers direct comparison between suppliers

Cons:

  • Dependent on available public records
  • Coverage is limited to select countries
  • Doesn't offer supplier ratings or a direct connection with suppliers

Pricing: ImportYeti is free!

Optimizing an e-commerce store is about more than just attracting visitors; it's about converting them into loyal customers. With the right tools, you can enhance your store's visibility, driving more sales and conversions.

Let's explore a few ecommerce SEO tools that will give your store that much-needed edge.

Ecommerce Keyword Analytics

Most keyword tools can tell you what people search for, but Ecommerce Keyword Analytics shows you what makes them buy.

Developed by Iteora, this ecommerce keyword research tool analyzes search data specifically from online shopping platforms like Amazon, Target, and Walmart, revealing the exact terms that drive sales-not just traffic.

To start, simply add your keywords to the search bar. The tool then unveils metrics from big box stores like clicks, orders, and conversions.

You can also discover top-selling retailers for specific terms, as well as related keywords and retail comparisons, and weave them into your marketing strategy.

Pros:

  • Targets keywords with high conversion potential
  • Offers a comprehensive view of keyword trends across major online retailers
  • Includes data on searches, product clicks, and orders from specific keywords
  • Features are available across markets in 16 countries

Cons:

  • Primarily beneficial for businesses with products similar to those on major online retail platforms
  • Data may be limited for very specialized product terms

Pricing: Ecommerce Keywords Analytics offers a free trial, after which it runs only $19.99/month.

Ecommerce Booster

Designed specifically for optimizing Shopify stores, Semrush's Ecommerce Booster turns casual browsers into committed buyers.

How?

This tool audits your entire shop, pinpointing elements-from slow images to complex navigation-that may deter sales.

It provides a clear, prioritized list of actionable improvements directly linked to improving your revenue.

Getting started is a breeze; simply enter your Shopify store URL into the search bar and click "Analyze" to trigger the app to crawl your store.

Ecommerce Booster then presents a prioritized list of tasks you can implement to enhance your store's performance.

To see the why and how behind the task suggestions, click the task boxes to drill down further.

Pros:

  • Evaluates everything from visual content and user experience to page speed and accessibility
  • Saves time with shop-wide task prioritization and organization
  • Offers easy-to-understand instructions on how to correct issues
  • Option to schedule audits to maintain performance

Cons:

  • Tailored exclusively to the Shopify platform
  • Modifications must be done in the Shopify platform itself

Pricing: There's a limited free version available, and the paid subscription is $49.99 monthly.

The subscription allows for multiple store audits, 30+ performance checks, and AI tools are available for all of your products

Augment

Augment solves one of online shopping's biggest problems: the inability to touch or see a product in real dimensions.

This tool turns flat product images into interactive 3D experiences, letting shoppers see items from every angle and even place them in their own space before purchasing.

Augment is ideal for businesses looking to provide a more interactive customer experience by bridging the gap between digital shopping and product interaction.

Pros:

  • Offers an immersive view of products through augmented reality and 3D imaging
  • Enhances customer engagement by allowing them to see products in the intended environment
  • Integrates with various ecommerce platforms

Cons:

  • Technical setup for 3D modeling and AR capabilities
  • Better suited for products where visualization influences purchasing decisions

Pricing: Plans include Business (starting at 9 euros or about $10/ month after a 14-day free trial), Ecommerce, and Education, both of which have custom pricing.

Social Media Content Generation and Brand Management

Social media can drive sales when you have the right message for your audience.

These ecommerce tools help you create branded posts without spending hours on content creation and scheduling

AI Social Content Generator

Creating fresh content for your store's social media doesn't have to eat up your day.

Predis has come up with the AI Social Content Generator, a tool that taps into the power of AI to craft a variety of editable content forms, like videos, carousels, images, quotes, and hashtags.

But this app does more than churn out fresh content.

It also integrates with your product catalog, ensuring posts are relevant and targeted.

All you need to do is pick the E-comm Product Post option and set your brand requirements, and you're good to go.

Considering the traditional labor of content production, this tool could be a major time saver. You can access this app from the Semrush App Center.

Pros:

  • Automates the social media content creation process, ensuring fresh content
  • Standardizes tone and style, enhancing brand identity
  • Incorporates product catalog into posts
  • Keeps your feed engaging with a mix of content types

Cons:

  • AI-generated content should still be reviewed and edited for accuracy
  • Competitor analysis only focuses on Facebook and Instagram
  • Some users may need to familiarize themselves with content editing

Pricing: There's a free 7-day trial (credit card required to start). After the trial, it's $35/month for 200 AI-generated posts and 100 competitor analyses for two brands. Additional brands cost an extra $20 monthly.

Canva

Canva isn't just a design tool-it's a complete visual marketing system for ecommerce brands.

Whether you're creating product pins for Pinterest or Instagram story ads, Canva's templates and collaboration features help you maintain professional branding across all your marketing channels without the need for design skills.

You can leverage Canva's extensive library or create content from scratch using its robust design tools.

Pros:

  • Drag-and-drop editing
  • Caters to diverse design needs with template varieties
  • Canva for Teams enables seamless real-time collaboration

Cons:

  • Advanced features may require a paid subscription

Pricing: Canva's free plan may be suitable for small businesses. Paid plans start at $15/month

Ecommerce Advertising

Great products need great promotion. These ecommerce tools help you target the right customers and maximize your ad spend across multiple platforms

AdCreative.ai

AdCreative.ai uses advanced AI to simplify your ad creation process, making it easy to produce both visual and text-based ads.

This tool helps you create high-quality ads that can boost your conversions on social media, search engines, and display networks.

It offers features like AI-driven copy suggestions and the ability to create complete ad packages, making your campaigns effective and cohesive.

To access these features, sign up for a trial from the Semrush App Center.

Once you're in the app, you'll need to set up your brand with a few details.

Then, click "Create a Project" to choose what assets to create.

You can find AdCreative.ai in the Semrush App Center.

Pros:

  • Quickly generates optimized ad creatives and copy
  • Supports both static and video ad creation for multiple platforms
  • Produces unique, AI-generated fashion photos for ads

Cons:

  • AI-generated content should still be reviewed for accuracy
  • Cost may be challenging for startups or small businesses

Pricing: You can try AdCreative.ai for free. Full access starts at $109 per month.

Ads Launch Assistant

Feel like you're wasting your money guessing which ads will convert?

The Ads Launch Assistant combines Semrush's keyword expertise with AI to build Google Ad campaigns that actually drive sales.

Bonus Perk: If you spend $500 within 60 days on your first campaign, you can get a $500 credit for future ads.

Pros:

  • Integrates Semrush keyword data for more impactful campaigns
  • Reduces Google campaign setup time and effort
  • Enhances ad relevance and reach

Cons:

  • Depends on Google's algorithms, which frequently change
  • Only applicable to Google and Google Ads

Pricing: Ads Launch Assistant is free for registered Semrush users.

AdRoll

Why manage five different ad platforms when AdRoll can do it all?

This tool unifies your advertising across display, social, and email, learning from each channel to make your entire marketing strategy smarter. It's like having an advertising team that never sleeps.

AdRoll will also connect to your ecommerce store, allowing you to leverage its platform to tailor your online marketing strategy accordingly.

Pros:

  • Integrates multiple platforms into a single dashboard
  • Leverages AI for data-driven decision-making and audience targeting
  • Boost engagement and conversion rates through effective retargeting

Cons:

  • May require a learning curve for those new to retargeting
  • Costs increase with scale

Pricing: Adroll offers a flexible pay-as-you-go model.

Semrush Product Listing Ads Research

If you ever wonder why your competitors' product ads perform better than yours, the PLA Research tool on the Semrush platform can help you out.

This tool reveals their entire Google Shopping strategy-from which products they promote most to how they structure their campaigns.

The PLA Research tool offers a dashboard for a quick overview, PLA metrics from companies you're competing with, and details on the PLA copy. You can export this information for further analysis.

To get started, simply navigate to PLA Research and enter the desired domain. PLA Research is offered as part of the Semrush platform's Advertising dashboard.

Pros:

  • In-depth analysis of competitor ad strategies
  • Insights into ad performance and bidding strategies
  • Easy-to-understand interface

Cons:

  • Limited to data from search engines

Pricing: Semrush offers ten searches to most subscription levels except Business users, who have unlimited access.

Knowing what works for your competitors saves you time and money.

Dive into pricing strategies, marketing triumphs and setbacks, and customer behaviors of your competitors to get to know your ideal customers and stay one step ahead in the market.

These ecommerce tools reveal the strategies driving their success, from pricing to marketing tactics.

Audience Intelligence

The Audience Intelligence app is a potent tool for understanding your competitors' audience characteristics.

This app goes way beyond basic demographics.

In total, there are 9 sub-reports in this tool, but for ecommerce specifically, the buying mindset information may be particularly helpful.

This report provides insights into the purchase factors that impact your audience most and offers valuable information on their consumer behavior.

To get here, click on the Demographics box from your dashboard view, then "Buying Mindset."

You can find Audience Intelligence in the Semrush App Center.

Pros:

  • Provides extensive audience information
  • Helps identify market trends
  • Offers insights on relevant influencers that may help expand your brand's reach

Cons:

  • Limited to X (Twitter) account analysis
  • The volume of data returned might be overwhelming to some users
  • Not as low-cost as other options

Pricing: Demo reports are free. A custom report is $150 per month, with additional outputs available for purchase.

Koala Inspector Online ShopSpy

If Shopify competitor insight is what you're after, Koala Inspector Online ShopSpy has you covered.

Developed by Koala Apps, this app allows you to analyze your competitors' Shopify sites and gain insights into their sales data, best-selling products, apps used, and traffic sources.

How it works:

To see a competitor's Shopify theme and which apps they've installed, all you need to do is input their URL into the search bar on the app's home page.

To see the competitor's shop updates, like new or removed products, you'll need to track the stop. You can do this by clicking "Track Shop" on either the app's home page or the Shopify theme page.

Once you're on the tracked shop page, the app uses different colored fonts and symbols to flag changes or outgoing links. Keep in mind that it may take a day for this data to start rolling in.

Pros:

  • Easy to use with a focus on actionable data
  • Offers insights into the apps and tools used by competitors

Cons:

  • Limited to the Shopify platform

Pricing: Koala Inspector Online ShopSpy is $30 per month after a 7-day free trial.

Semrush .Trends

Semrush .Trends provides an instant market overview and competitive digital insights by analyzing your entire market landscape.

This comprehensive suite helps ecommerce businesses spot growth opportunities and adapt to market shifts in real-time.

While the suite of tools in the package is robust, here's a general overview ofwhat you get with the .Trends:

  • Traffic Analytics: Detailed look at any website's traffic, user behavior, and engagement metrics in the chosen country and time duration.
  • Market Explorer: Broad overview of market trends, demographics, and key players.
  • EyeOn: Monitors competitor domain changes, like new content and shifts in promotions.
  • One2Target: Tailored insights for audience engagement and refining marketing tactics. One2Target can also highlight potential business and advertising opportunities.

Each of these components is its own multifaceted tool with robust reporting and analytical capabilities.

Pros:

  • Delivers comprehensive market and competitor analysis
  • Provides historical data to understand long-term trends
  • Offers global data

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • Learning curve to apply insights
  • Extensive data return can be overwhelming

Pricing: .Trends is an add-on to any paid Semrush subscription for an additional $200/month.

Empowering Your Ecommerce Success

The right ecommerce tools do more than boost sales - they save time, cut costs, and help find untapped markets. Every successful online store uses at least a few of these tools daily.

Choose the ones that will move your business forward.

Ready to start growing?