10 Best Software for Retailers to Thrive in the E-commerce Industry

In order to thrive in retail e-commerce, retailers require stable software. Over 1.7 million web stores are managed by Shopify, which has easy inventory management and analytics tools. With a 28% increase in load speed, BigCommerce delivers a better customer experience for the likes of Ben & Jerry’s.

In addition, WooCommerce, a company that gives WordPress users the opportunity to do extensive customization, has approximately 30% of online stores procuring its services. This software for retailers can upscale business operations by enhancing customer interaction and providing information on areas for improvement.  

Over the years, the e-commerce sector has experienced fast growth, offering businesses plenty of options to broaden their customer base. Effective software is needed by firms to perform different operations, such as stock management and customer dealings. Companies can boost revenue, drive customer satisfaction, and simplify processes with the help of suitable software solutions.

Read More: Future of eCommerce – Top Trends To Watch in Future

This article discusses the top 10 software categories that any store must have to remain prosperous in the e-commerce market. To transform their business into a more scalable and efficient one, today’s merchants can also take advantage of software development services such as software consulting, system integration, software design, software testing, and software maintenance & support.

The foundation of every online retailer is an e-commerce platform. It enables retailers to make and manage an online store with ease, post products, and process transactions. Creating a website is a breeze with a good platform, which also gives facilities for product management and payment.

1. E-commerce Platform Software

The foundation of every online retailer is an e-commerce platform. It enables retailers to make and manage an online store with ease, post products, and process transactions. Creating a website is a breeze with a good platform, which also gives facilities for product management and payment.

Best Examples:

• Shopify: Due to its easy-to-use interface, themes that can be customized, and in-built payment system, it highly recommended for beginners.
• WooCommerce: The WordPress online business store plugin features ease of handling and personalization features for those businesses looking to personalize.
• BigCommerce: This platform offers enterprise-level functionality varying business size. Considered as a strong enterprise-grad features its intuitive interface that can be employed by businesses of any size.

Key Features:

• Simple website setup with drag-and-drop functionality
• Secure payment processing with multiple gateways
• Customizable design features to align with brand identity
• SEO-friendly features to enhance search engine rankings
• Mobile responsiveness to improve user experience on devices

Businesses seeking customized solutions can avail themselves of ecommerce software development in order to build platforms that meet their specific requirements.

Read More: Shopify or Magento? Which is the Best E-commerce Platform?

2. Point of Sale (POS) Software

Merchants need both online and offline businesses to have POS systems to make payments, monitor inventory, and generate sales reports. A cloud-based POS system allows seamless integration between virtual stores and physical stores with real-time data synchronization.

Best Examples:

• Square POS: A general-purpose POS system suitable for small and medium businesses with easy entry card payments and mobile POS availability.
• Lightspeed: A great choice for big retailers who travel a lot. It provides advanced inventory reporting, management, and its muti-location capability. 
• Shopify POS: An added feature for Shopify e-commerce platform users to easily integrate online and physical stores. 

Key Features:

• Real-time sales monitoring and reporting to inform decision-making
• Mobile POS functionality to make sales anywhere
• Secure payment processing with fraud prevention features
• E-commerce platform integration for omnichannel retailing
• Employee management features to monitor sales performance

Read More: Omnichannel Retail Strategy – Top Trends To Watch in Future

3. Inventory Management Software

Inventory control is essential for avoiding stock-outs and overstocking to ensure smooth logistics operations. There should be an inventory system which offers real-time stock monitoring, demand planning, and automatic stock updates to minimize supply chain wastage.

Best Examples:

• TradeGecko: There are easily manageable multiple sales channels and cloud inventory solutions for retailers.
• Zoho Inventory: All-in-one inventory management with automation, barcode scanning, and management tools for businesses of all sizes.  
• Cin7: This software offers sales reporting, warehouse management, and inventory tracking. Ideal for organizations with complex inventory requirements. 

Key Features:

• Automated inventory updates in multiple channels
• Barcode scanning and tracking for fast and accurate inventory
• Demand forecasting based on AI and analytics
• Multi-channel inventory syncing to avoid overselling or stockouts
• Supplier management tools for streamlined procurement

Companies also use software testing to enhance product development to build tailored inventory solutions according to their specific requirements.

Read More: Why AI Will Transform Inventory Management

4. Order Management Software

For any retailer, managing several orders effectively is essential. This software for retailers enables customers to receive their products on schedule by streamlining order processing, shipping, and returns.

Best Examples:

• ShipStation: Streamline your entire process from a single dashboard. This platform allows merchants to track deliveries and create shipping labels. 
• Ordoro: All-in-one platform that syncornizes inventory and provides dropshipping support and order routing. 
• Skubana: Provides e-commerce order fulfillment analytics and automation, thus being an excellent choice for volume businesses. 

Major Features:

• Automated invoicing and order processing
• Multi-carrier shipping integration to provide customers with flexible shipping choices
• Returns and refunds management to increase customer satisfaction
• Customer and retailer real-time order tracking
• Bulk order processing to increase operational efficiency

Integration of order management and inventory software by the system enables businesses to run smoothly.

Read More: How AI-Powered Food Delivery Works Faster

5. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

To gain customer loyalty and more footfall requires building a long term relationship. Retailers are provided with the means to track customer interactions, leads, and individualized marketing campaigns for retaining customers through CRM solutions.

Best Examples:

• Salesforce: This is a Powerful CRM with automation and AI-driven analytics that makes it simpler for companies to automate customer interactions.
• HubSpot: Adaptable and integrates with other platforms to provide marketing, sales, and customer service functions from a single integrated platform.
• Zoho CRM: Helps improve customer interactions by providing AI-driven insights, scores, and automated workflows. 

Key Features:

• Customer data management for saving purchase history and preferences
• Automated follow-ups and email marketing integration
• Personalized marketing campaigns on customer behavior
• Sales forecasting and pipeline management
• Multi-channel communication, including email, chat, and social media

Investing in software development for bespoke CRM solutions can improve customer engagement and  business growth.

Read More: Level Up Your Workflow – 50+ Top Apps for Productivity

6. Email Marketing & Automation Software

One of the most efficient methods of growing sales and retaining customers is still via email marketing. Firms can send the appropriate emails to the appropriate people at the appropriate moment using automation software.

Best Examples:

• MailChimp: Simple and feature-rich for automated campaigns, this tool allows businesses to create professional email templates.
• Klaviyo: Segmentation and analytics are tailored particularly for e-commerce companies.
• Omnisend: Provides omnichannel marketing automation with social media, SMS, and email combined.

Key Features:

• Automated email campaigns to build customer relationships
• Customer segmentation to deliver targeted offers
• A/B testing and performance metrics to refine campaigns
• Personalized content delivery to boost engagement
• Integration with e-commerce platforms for cart abandonment recovery

Retailers can collaborate with software consulting specialists to refine their email marketing strategy and boost conversions.

Read More: Reducing Time to Market – Cubix’s Proven Strategies

7. Payment Processing Software

Secure and effective payment processing is essential to any retail operation. Customers want smooth transactions, multiple payment methods, and security for their data when they make a purchase. Smooth financial transactions and increased consumer confidence are two benefits of an effective payment processing system.

Best Examples:

• PayPal: It is a popular payment gateway that allows secure encryption both for online as well as offline transactions.
• Stripe: Stripe has great security features and allows businesses to configure how they handle payments, as well as being committed to their developer-centric APIs
• Square: This is suitable for businesses that operate both online and offline, it also provides online as well as offline payment choices

Key Features:

• Multi-currency and multi-payment method support for international customers.
• Fraud detection and prevention capabilities to secure transactions.
• Subscription billing and recurring payment support for membership businesses.
• Smooth integration with e-commerce sites and POS systems for a smooth checkout experience.
• Quick and scheduled payments to enable smooth cash flow management.

With e-commerce software development investment, retailers can incorporate advanced payment solutions that meet the specific requirements of their business.

Read More: Complete Guide to Developing Robust APIs

8. Accounting & Financial Management Software

For retail businesses to be profitable and tax compliant, good financial management is needed. Accounting software helps businesses with invoicing, monitoring expenses, and financial result analysis.

Best Examples:

• QuickBooks: A reliable accounting software for small businesses for generating easy invoices, payrolls, and tracking expenses. 
• Xero: More advanced than QuickBooks, this software for retailers can make financial reports and handle numerous currencies simultaneously 
• FreshBooks: This is a Simple and easy-to-use accounting system for small businesses to make double entries or monitor basic expenses. 

Key Features:

• Automated bookkeeping to eliminate manual errors and save time.
• Real-time financial reporting to analyze business performance.
• Tax calculation and compliance support to simplify tax filing.
• Invoice creation and management with automated payment reminders.
• Integration with POS, inventory, and banking systems for hassle-free financial tracking.

They can also seek software consulting services to select the optimal accounting solution for their business model and needs.

Read More: Technologies Revolutionizing the Financial Service Industry

9. Analytics & Business Intelligence Software

Decision-making based on data is at the core of retail success. Business intelligence (BI) and analytics applications help retailers track customer activity, monitor sales patterns, and optimize business strategy with actionable information. 

Best Examples:

• Google Analytics: This application provides detailed website traffic, customer demographic, and shopping behavior data.
• Hotjar: This tool is centered around heatmaps and session recordings for analyzing user activity on online shops.
• Glew: A business intelligence online shopping tool that delivers detailed sales, inventory, and customer analysis reports.

Key Features:

• Monitoring of customer behavior to analyze shopping behavior.
• Analyzed sales trends to determine best-selling products and seasonal trends.
• Real-time reporting dashboards for rapid decision-making.
• Conversion rate optimization features to optimize user experience and sales.
• Integration of e-commerce platforms, CRM, and marketing tools for an end-to-end view of business performance.

Merchants can increase their analytical prowess with software product development to guarantee personalized reporting and data analysis tailored to their business objectives.

Read More: What is Self-service BI and How Can It Be Done Right

10. Customer Support & Chatbot Software

For an organization to build brand loyalty and retain customers, it requires customer service of the highest quality. Retailers can build their customer base by deploying chatbots and implementing support software to improve customer satisfaction, respond to them, and offer instant assistance. 

Best Examples:

• Zendesk: Considered one of the best customer support platforms, with AI automation, live chat, and ticketing.
• LiveChat: Provides businesses and customers with this one one-on-one chat platform, which enables real-time communication through chat widgets.  
• Tidio: AI chatbots cannot effectively deal with a client when emotional touch is required. Humans are more prone to mistakes, this is where Tidio comes providing efficient customer support by integrating human assistance with AI-powered chatbots.

Key Features: 

• AI-powered chatbots to answer general questions and lower the load for support staff.
• Support via several channels, including social media, email, and live chat.
• Ticket management system for tracking customer complaints and resolutions.
• Customer feedback collection to improve the quality of services.
• Integration with CRM and e-commerce sites to personalize customer interactions.

Those retailers who want to implement innovative customer service technology can employ software design and system integration in order to have a seamless support experience.

Read More: Generative AI in eCommerce – Potential and Pitfalls

Empowering Retailers with Cutting-Edge Software Solutions

Retailers require creative solutions to keep in the lead. Cubix is an e-commerce software development company that provides software consulting, system integration, software design, software testing, and software maintenance & support to enable enterprises to maximize operations and improve customer experiences.

Our product development solutions of software offer customized solutions, which vary from dedicated e-commerce solutions to AI-fueled analytics and automated stock control. In focus on innovation and scalability, we help retailers automate operations, boost sales, and thrive in the competitive business environment.

Work with Cubix to transform your retail business into a high-technology and streamlined digital business.

Read More: 100+ Best Magento Stores and eCommerce Business Ideas