What Are eCommerce Order Management Apps and Why You Should Use Them
Running a successful eCommerce business requires a lot of work. You have to design, market, and sell your products.
You also have to check to see that you've got the right inventory and that everything goes smoothly when customers order from you.
Luckily, plenty of apps are available to help make things easier on your end and reduce manual labor so you can focus on growing your business. Isn’t that what we all want?
In this Substack, I'll explore what these apps do, how they work, and why they can benefit your eCommerce site, whether in the growth stage or nearing maturity as an enterprise-level operation.
What is an eCommerce order management app?
An eCommerce order management app is a software application that helps you manage the orders on your website. You can use one to keep track of all the information related to each order, including who placed it and when, as well as where they ordered from and what they purchased.
There are many benefits to using an eCommerce order management app, including:
See how much money has been spent on what products or services at a glance, which helps you to make better business decisions about future strategies. This data also makes it easier for customers who want to return items because it mitigates confusion about whether or not their purchase qualifies for this action; instead of having to contact customer service directly (or even worse--calling them), log into their account and follow the instructions given by your website's app.
How do eCommerce order management apps work?
An eCommerce order management app is a software tool that helps to manage and streamline the entire customer experience.
It's designed to make it easier for you to manage your orders, inventory, payments, and more.
Further, an order management app will help you:
Manage your customer data by creating profiles so you can see what customers have purchased before and track their purchases going forward. This lets you send targeted messages based on previous purchases or interests.
Automate tasks like sending out emails after an order has been placed.
Integrate with other tools such as accounting software.
The most beloved eCommerce order management apps
I've rounded up a list of popular options to help you find the best order management app for your eCommerce business, and I explain why they're worth checking out.
OrderHive: This app is one of my favorites because it's easy to use, offers an intuitive interface, and is loaded with a wide variety of features to help your eCommerce business thrive (including automated shipping labels). You can customize the software to fit your needs by adding fields or using conditional logic rules when creating orders. The app also integrates with other services, such as Zendesk and Shopify POS, to better manage customer service requests or inventory levels at point-of-sale locations such as pop-up stores or kiosks.
ShipStation: This tool lets you manage every aspect of your eCommerce operation from one dashboard--which means less time spent digging through different apps while trying to complete tasks like processing returns or refunding customers who have placed an order but decided not want what they ordered anymore because there are so many other things going on at once. Plus, it has excellent customer support via phone call or email 24/7. If anything goes awry during the setup process, someone will immediately help fix any issues quickly before they escalate into more significant problems.
Zapier: This workflow automation tool lets you connect to different apps. It can automate processes, send notifications, and create workflows. Zapier works with Shopify and other eCommerce platforms so that you can use it for your order management needs. Here are some examples of how Zapier could be helpful for your business:
Automate sending out email receipts after an order has been placed (this is especially helpful if you're using Shopify POS).
Trigger an action when someone leaves their cart on your website without buying anything (you could then send them an email reminding them there are other products available)
OrderDynamics: This is one of the best order management apps for BigCommerce. OrderDynamics helps you manage your entire order lifecycle from start to finish, including tracking, reporting, forecasting, and more. You can also get real-time insights into what's happening with your customers by analyzing data from social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Analytics. Why is this critical? Well, it gives you an idea about what products are selling well or not so well based on customer ratings or reviews posted online (or offline). Having data of this type makes it easier to decide which items need new stock while also helping identify opportunities where you can make improvements to increase profitability.
Parcel Ninja: This is a shipping app that helps you manage your orders and shipments. You can use it on Shopify or integrate it with other eCommerce platforms. It has integrations with many shipping carriers, including USPS, UPS, and FedEx. Parcel Ninja has both free plans and paid plans. The free version lets you track up to 30 packages at once--enough for most small businesses--but if you need more than that, then the paid version will be worth considering because it offers unlimited tracking as well as automatic package consolidation (so that multiple items in one shipment are grouped together).
What are the benefits of using an order management app?
Reduce manual labor, which can save you time and money. If you have a large team, they may spend hours each day entering data into Excel spreadsheets or other systems that don't automatically sync with your website. This can lead to mistakes, customer service issues, and lost sales. With an order management system, all orders are automatically pulled in from your eCommerce platform so that no one has to enter them into another system manually--and since everything is done through one interface instead of two or three (or more), errors are less likely because everything is more accessible for everyone involved.
Increase efficiency by automating tasks like inventory management and fulfillment scheduling across multiple channels such as Amazon FBA warehouses etc., giving you greater visibility into your businesses than ever before possible.
Track orders from when they're placed until they arrive at the customer's door. This includes tracking inventory levels to know when to reorder products or restock selling items quickly.
Manage customer data (and even automate email campaigns) based on your knowledge of each customer's preferences and behavior. This can help improve your business's bottom line by increasing repeat purchases or by pinpointing cross-selling opportunities for other relevant products.
Understand customer satisfaction ratings with surveys sent out after each purchase, and then use this information to improve future sales strategies based on what customers want most from their buying experience with you.
Key takeaway
In conclusion, eCommerce order management apps have become essential to the growth and success of online retailers. As more people shop online, businesses must keep up with the demand by finding ways to improve their operations.
These tools make it easy for you to track your orders from start to finish, ensuring that each customer enjoys a seamless experience from beginning to end.