Business

Best Apps to Use to Aid Your E-Commerce Business

Published

4 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

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”