Website and eCommerce software, or simply eCommerce software, is a critical tool for almost all retail businesses operating today. A growing number of customers prefer to shop online rather than to visit stores. In addition, eCommerce sales in the United States are forecast to grow to 12.4% of total retail sales in 2020.
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Website and eCommerce software, or simply eCommerce software, is a critical tool for almost all retail businesses operating today. A growing number of customers prefer to shop online rather than to visit stores. In addition, eCommerce sales in the United States are forecast to grow to 12.4% of total retail sales in 2020.
This buyers guide helps you understand the key features of Website and eCommerce software, along with its business benefits and market trends.
Here's what we'll cover:
eCommerce software is the engine that runs an online retail store and manages tasks such as inventory management, online payment, product listings, website design, sales reporting and customer relationship management. The software provides an interface that allows even non-technical users to manage the entire eCommerce operation.
Below is a list of core features commonly found in eCommerce solutions:
| Features | Description |
| Website builder | Provides several design templates to quickly create a website and storefront design based on user preferences. |
| Shopping cart | Allows online customers to select and save items for purchase during shopping. Carts also support checkout and payments. |
| Inventory management | Allows users to track quantities and locations of all items in the store in real time. Most of the eCommerce software solutions sync online and in-store sales to create a single transparent inventory. |
| Order fulfillment | Covers estimated shipping and handling costs involved at the time of purchase. Also manages the end-to-end logistics for all items from inventory to delivery. |
| Shipping management | Calculates shipping and handling costs at the time of sale and shares customer's delivery address with the third-party shipping company. |
| Reporting and analytics | Allows users to create dashboards to analyze product-specific sales and identify trends and sales patterns to understand customer buying habits. |
| Customer relationship management | Covers functions such as customer/product reviews, search engine optimization, email marketing and customer database management. |
| Mobile commerce | Allows users to access an eCommerce website through a mobile app or browser. |
| Integration | Allows integration of the eCommerce solution with third-party applications and platforms such as payment processing, email marketing, accounting, etc. |
| Marketplace management | Sells products on online marketplaces such as Ebay and Amazon. |
Customer order list in Shopify
