As web developers started optimizing websites for mobile phone viewing, the expectation was that people would start using their phones to manage more in their daily lives, including making purchases. Turns out, that prediction was accurate.
If you need proof, just look at the data from Black Friday sales this past year. Practical Ecommerce reported that online sales during Black Friday were up by 27.9%, totaling over $6.2 billion. Even more revealing, the same report also said that sales made with a mobile device accounted for $2.2 billion of those sales, up by 29% from 2017. By contrast, in-store sales were down 7%
The message is clear – people are using the Internet to do their shopping at an accelerating pace. For the entrepreneur, this creates a unique opportunity. You don’t need a traditional store; you don’t need a slew of employees working for you; you don’t need traditional business hours. All you need is a mobile phone and a drive to succeed to launch a successful business.
If this sounds like something you want for yourself, read ahead to discover four essential mobile services that you need to help take your business into the digital frontier.
1. Hypervisual
If you want to create compelling landing pages but can’t code to save your life, Hypervisual may just be the solution to your problems.
What It Is
Hypervisual is an app that allows you to design e-commerce pages using pre-existing templates. It doesn’t require you to know how to code but is still very customizable. Some of its standout features include:
- The ability to integrate images, video, and text on any page
- Creates pages fully integrated with Google Analytics
- Pages made with Hypervisual can be indexed by Google, improving your SEO efforts
- Layouts are already optimized for both desktop and mobile viewing
- Can be integrated with MailChimp.
Why You Need It
If you’re going to attract paying customers in the digital realm, you need a website that’s every bit as appealing as your products and services. Hypervisual will give you the ability to create the kind of high-quality site that online shoppers demand. Plus, you won’t have to dish out a high salary for a web designer.
What it Costs
A subscription to Hypervisual starts at $9.95. There is an option for a 14-day free trial if you want to test it out first (which you should).
2. Shopify Mobile
Once your online store is up and running, you’re going to need a way to manage it. If your goal is to escape the office setting and take your business with you, you’ll need software that can keep up. Shopify Mobile is a great solution from a company already known for their all-in-one solutions for your e-commerce needs.
What It Is
Shopify Mobile is a service that allows you to run your entire business from the palm of your hand. It carries a host of great products geared towards e-commerce, including:
- The ability to upload product photos, set pricing, and product descriptions, and create collections, all in-app.
- Complete payment processing and management services
- Monitor traffic and sales data, receive real-time updates on orders, and communicate with your workforce via the platform
Why You Need It
Managing an online store in any capacity can be tough. Shopify Mobile makes the process much easier without the need for multiple pieces of software. This is essential for business owners who travel extensively, prefer to work outside of an office setting, and don’t want to pay for dozens of different programs to run a business.
What it Costs
A Shopify Mobile subscription starts at $9.95 per month. It also includes an option for a 14-day trial.
3. Rescue Time
If you have a hectic schedule (who doesn’t?) and get distracted easily, RescueTime is a great app to help you stay focused.
What It Is
Rescue Time is a mobile software that monitors the time you spend browsing social media and online shopping sites. It’s designed so that you can monitor your usage, track the time you spend on both desktop and mobile devices, and provide recommendations about where you can reduce wasted time. The app uses real-time alerts based on software-generated recommendations and your input to curb wasted time on the Internet.
Why You Need It
Everyone needs to take breaks from work throughout the day. The problems start when we spend too much time on break. This is especially true for business owners, where every minute of every working day counts. Since your online business may be a one-person show, you don’t have the luxury of coworkers or managers to let you know when it’s time to get back to work. Rescue Time is the perfect substitute.
What It Costs
A monthly subscription will cost $9 per month, or you can save $34 with the $72 annual subscription.
4. MailChimp
If you think that the standard options offered by Gmail are going to be enough to impress customers and clients, think again. Today, your email system is your sales team, marketing venue, and data collection platform all in one. MailChimp is by far the best service to realize all those efforts for you, and it still lets you send a quick email when you need to.
What It Is
MailChimp is designed with marketing through digital mail in mind. It allows businesses to build custom mailing lists, newsletters, advertisements, and more, then distribute them automatically. Using interface tools geared towards automation, you can send out your pre-made templates at strategic points in a marketing campaign. MailChimp will then conduct an automatic analysis to determine how many people opened which messages and if they followed any embedded links.
Why You Need It
One of the biggest guessing games that business owners and marketers play is trying to figure out if their marketing efforts are doing any good. MailChimp removes a lot of that guesswork, at least on the email marketing front. You get constant updates about who hasn’t opened which messages. From there, you can either resend them or reach out to the customer directly. You’d be amazed how many people start having second thoughts when they get a personal email asking why your messages aren’t interesting them.
What It Costs
MailChimp has the widest diversity of payment options from any on this list. You can opt for the pay-as-you-go model with a set number of emails or pay a monthly subscription based on the number of users. With so many variables, it’s hard to peg down a specific price, but a typical range is anywhere from $150 to $500 per month.
