Business

Best Apps to Use to Aid Your E-Commerce Business

Published

5 years ago

September 11, 2020

So, you want to launch an ecommerce business on Shopify. What do you need to do so? Beyond Shopify’s basic offerings to build a site, there are also thousands of apps on the Shopify App Store that can help ecommerce entrepreneurs maximize their use of the site.

Just ask Steve Tan, an ecommerce entrepreneur himself. After years of teaching himself how to build a successful ecommerce business, he and his brother launched LeapVista, an online set of educational courses intended to help aspiring entrepreneurs learn everything they need to about launching successful online or drop shipping businesses. From his own experience on Shopify, he’s learned which apps help the most for new businesses, and shared with us just which those are and how to use them.

“Apps can supercharge your store, helping you to get new customers through sales, marketing, social media, and otherwise,” said Tan. “The following apps are the ones that we use to supercharge our stores to get the most sales. Simply press ‘get,’ approve some permissions, and the apps will be installed within a few quick seconds.”

BEST Currency Converter.

First, make sure that your company is set up for global purchases if you’re appealing to a worldwide market. This ensures it’s as seamless as possible. “If someone is purchasing from the UK for example, it’s imperative that they can see what your product will cost in British pounds,” Tan explained. “This currency converter provides all pricing information in their native currency, and automatically detects from an IP address to do so.” In other words, the customer doesn’t have to first select their currency and change it. It does so automatically.

There’s a free version available that provides up to five currencies, which is more than enough to get you started. If necessary, the elite version has over 160 currencies.

HelpCenter – Professional FAQ Page

Customers prefer to see an FAQ page to get quick information on any questions that they may have. Without it, their lingering questions may be a reason that they don’t move forward with buying. “The HelpCenter app creates a professional and user-friendly FAQ page that drops down according to question, and groups by types of questions, such as ‘Shipping’ or ‘Payment’,” explained Tan.

This is a great way to add all relevant information to the website without overloading the website with too much text. “This helps the customer to complete the sales cycle more quickly, getting their answers immediately answered so they can move forward with a purchase without having to email your team first.”

FOMO – Social Proof Marketing

Yes, FOMO in this app name does refer to “Fear Of Missing Out.” This Shopify app shows the potential customer that someone just bought an item from your store while they’re perusing. A notification will appear in the bottom left corner saying, “Someone from (city) just bought (this product).” This sense of FOMO contributes to some urgency.

This app isn’t free, and costs $30 on the most basic plan. But, it can be quite powerful in providing social proof. “Evan and I use FOMO in all of our stores because we’ve seen such incredible conversion rates,” said Tan.

Personalizer – Target Recommendations by Limespot

“Limespot isn’t exactly an upselling app, but it shows potential customers suggestions such as ‘frequently bought together,’ or a prompt that says ‘would you like to add to cart?’ when they’re checking out,” Tan explained. It also provides a “You May Like” banner with other product suggestions related to the product they were initially viewing or that they had added to their cart.

Better yet, it’s free — and it drives sales to your store. “After a certain amount of sales have been generated, it starts charging a rate,” said Tan. “But I always say that it’s worth it because you always make money back.”

Loox Reviews – Photo Reviews

Reviews establish more trust and sense of security with your customers, so Loox is recommended as a way to display them (especially the reviews that include photos of your product!). “This is a great way to showcase your happy customers and what they’ll get from buying from you,” said Tan. “You can also consolidate all of your customer reviews on one page.” Buyers will want to see these reviews to further convince them of their urge to purchase. It’s how you help to alleviate any of their concerns about the quality of your product, and reinforce their decision to buy. Good reviews provide the social proof necessary to help the customers complete the sales cycle.

Having your reviews on a dedicated page on your Shopify site also shows up on Google searches, which helps for your company’s credibility. The price is $9.99/month.

Quantity Breaks

What to encourage your customers to buy more? Quantity Breaks creates discounts when customers buy in bulk quantities automatically. “It rewards your customers for spending more in your store, which encourages them to complete large purchases,” said Tan. It provides a table on the checkout page that shows the discount per number of units purchased (i.e. 3 units, 5% off, 30 units, 30% off).

SMSBump

When a potential customer abandons their cart, this Shopify app can send them an SMS that reminds them that they still have items in their cart or provide discounts. Both of these ‘bumps’ are helpful in encouraging the customer to complete their purchase. The Tans refer to this app as an “absolute must have” because of their success with it.

Each of these apps can boost a potential customer’s chance of purchasing and make your Shopify site look more professional and appealing. Try them and see how they work for you.

Business

Why Multi-Province Payroll Compliance Is the Hidden Challenge Canadian SMBs Face and How Folks Solves It

Published

2 hours ago

November 6, 2025

Matthew Wiles

Photo courtesy of: Folks

Byline: Shem Albert

Running payroll in Canada can feel like crossing a country stitched from many different fabrics. Each province weaves its own pattern of tax rules, leave policies, and benefit requirements, creating a landscape where a single misstep can ripple through every paycheck. For small and mid-sized businesses, the challenge often remains hidden until growth pushes hiring beyond provincial borders or brings remote workers into the fold. What seems like a routine back-office task quickly becomes a test of accuracy, timing, and local knowledge. This is the gap that Folks set out to close, offering a way for employers to navigate Canada’s regulatory patchwork without slowing their momentum.

Provincial Rules Add Complexity

Canada’s payroll environment varies sharply by province. Federal rules set the foundation, but provincial tax rates, deductions, statutory leave entitlements, and benefit premiums add layers of complexity that employers must monitor carefully. Small and mid-sized businesses with staff across provinces or remote employees face different tax tables, reporting deadlines, and leave calculations that directly affect pay accuracy and remittance schedules.

Folks built its payroll module to address these differences. The platform calculates the correct provincial tax rates and deductions for each employee, applying updates automatically so employers avoid misapplied withholdings or late filings. Multi-location tax management allows a company with workers in Ontario, Quebec, or several other provinces to process payroll without creating separate accounts for each jurisdiction. Bilingual functionality in English and French and secure Canadian data hosting support compliance while keeping employee records accessible across language and regional boundaries.

Unified Records Improve Accuracy

Payroll errors often stem from mismatched employee data. Changes in pay rates, banking details, or benefits eligibility may not align between HR and finance systems, creating incorrect deductions or delayed payments. Smaller teams juggling separate platforms spend valuable hours reconciling information instead of focusing on strategic work.

Folks resolves these issues by combining HR and payroll in one platform. Updates to wages, hours, or tax information entered on the HR side flow directly into payroll without re-entry. This single, verified record strengthens the accuracy of every payroll run and ensures employees receive the correct pay and deductions. By removing the need for repetitive administrative work, HR staff can redirect their time to tasks that support growth and employee engagement.

Automation Keeps Provinces in Step

Each province sets its own requirements for holiday pay, pay frequency, and statutory benefits, making manual calculations both time-consuming and error-prone. Businesses that expand or hire remote employees must keep pace with shifting provincial regulations or risk penalties and audit issues.

Folks address these demands with automation designed for Canada’s regulatory landscape. Pay statements, deduction calculations, and custom pay schedules follow the applicable provincial rules without extra configuration. The system’s automated updates mean that a company hiring staff in British Columbia or Quebec can meet local payroll standards without adding new layers of setup or monitoring. Employers gain the ability to expand into new regions while maintaining accurate, on-time pay.

Reporting Strengthens Compliance

Changing tax rates and reporting requirements require ongoing attention from HR and finance teams. Companies that rely on disconnected systems risk missing a provincial update or submitting incorrect remittances, which can lead to fines and interest charges.

Folks provides detailed reporting tools that compile payroll, deductions, and benefits information across all locations. Employers can generate clear remittance and deduction summaries, simplifying the process of meeting provincial filing requirements. For organizations that want additional guidance, Folks also offers a payroll management service that brings in-house specialists to assist with configuration, compliance, and regular updates. These reporting features help companies stay audit-ready and avoid costly compliance gaps.

Scalable Payroll for Expanding Businesses

Many small businesses begin in a single province, where local tax and payroll demands can be learned over time. Growth into new provinces or the decision to hire remote staff adds a level of complexity that manual processes cannot handle efficiently. Errors multiply, compliance risks rise, and payroll teams spend more time correcting mistakes than supporting expansion plans.

Folks provides payroll that scales with company growth. Provincial tax logic, automated deductions, bilingual support, and secure Canadian data storage are built directly into the platform. By maintaining an accurate employee record and applying province-specific rules automatically, the system allows Canadian SMBs to expand with fewer administrative surprises and more predictable payroll operations. Companies gain the stability of compliant payroll across provinces while controlling the time and costs that typically accompany multi-jurisdiction growth.