It is a big move for anyone to launch a new venture, given the practical difficulties that come in the way of developing the idea into a concept, and finally into a feasible business model. If you too have been planning to start an ecommerce venture, remember that the internet can came to your rescue and minimize the cost, time and effort in launching the venture.
There are many online tools available across domains, such as marketing, finance or legal that can make things easier for you. Here are 5 such tools that you can count on when launching your very own ecommerce startup:
Building the Online Store
If you are an ecommerce venture, building your website is the first and foremost task. Although there are plenty of website builders out there, but Wix can be your quick-fix, since it’s a free website builder. It offers various customizable HTML templates and offers a simple drag and drop website builder. You can even build your online store using the free tool, TicTail, that doesn’t charge any monthly fees or additional check out fees. If you are looking for a nice logo for your startup then go for LogoGarden’s free logo makers. You can design your own logo there by choosing from a plethora of shapes and symbol options, adding the required text and picking up the colour combination of your choice. In case you are looking to create your company’s App for free, your search ends at Yapp. You will be able to create your company’s app in just a few minutes.
Payment Gateway
Choosing the right payment gateway can be a humungous task for any entrepreneur because most banks normally charge an exorbitant fee for their payment gateways, and when you are just starting, it’s difficult to spend that kind of money. But you cannot do away with credit card payments because that is a preferred mode of payment for most customers. You could try out free payment gateway tool – Payzo, which is a boon for entrepreneurs. You just need to fill in the details of your company and you are good to go.
Live chatting
We all know how important it is to engage with our online visitors. This is why live help or live chat is a must-have feature on any ecommerce site. Through Zopim you will get a sleek widget on your website that allows you to chat with your visitors. Another tool, Olark, also offers a live one-on-one chat mechanism with your online visitors. Setting this tool on your site is quite simple and there is a free subscription package, especially for entrepreneurs.
Marketing
We understand the importance of online marketing for ecommerce ventures. After all it helps connect you with your target audience easily. Right from finding new customers to engaging old ones, email marketing comes handy. With the help of email marketing solution MailChimp, you can not only design email newsletters, share them on social networks and integrate it with the services you already use, you can also send 12,000 to 12,500 emails per month for free. Another marketing solution called Mad Mimi also allows you to prepare your promotional campaigns and send upto 12,500 free emails per month. Use RefreshBox for free to create your own curated newsletters that current and potential customers can sign up for. You can also use Hootsuite, a social relationship platform that will let your startup execute your social media strategy across various platforms.
Accounting tools
This is something every entrepreneur will need, because when you are setting up your own venture, you need to be careful about the spending and managing your finances well. Free Accounting tool, Wave, offers everything that you will need manage your expenses and invoicing. One can manage, track, and categorize their travel expenses from your iPhone, using Trippeo. You can monitor your expenses in real time after you connect the tool with your credit card. What’s interesting is that you can also create a report from it that you can submit to your accounts team or anyone asking for it. In case you want to keep all your receipts organized, use OneReceipt that can pull and store all your receipts.
Conclusion
The afore said online resources that are tried and tested and available for free can be vital in fastracking your progress and helping you achieve your dreams sooner than you thought.
