What are the best online selling apps to make more money in 2024?
💡 Quick Answer: Some of the best and most trustworthy selling apps to make more money in 2024 include Shopify, BigCommerce, SaleHoo Dropship, Amazon Seller App, and others. There are many apps for many different aspects of the selling process, which we will go through below.
What’s the one thing that can take your eCommerce business to the next level and help you boost your sales?
A selling app.
These selling solutions enable individual sellers and business owners like you to sell online or simply improve the way you’re doing your business. You can create a full-service online store or use the app's marketplace to sell directly to customers. Since all businesses exist to sell their offerings,anything enabling you to increase your sales is an ally you cannot overlook.
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Why eCommerce apps?
So, what’s so special about eCommerce selling apps?
Well, the internet is where 34% of the global population shops, with 2.64 billion online buyers frequenting its digital shores. Two of the world’s largest consumer bases are expected to contribute an additional 60 million buyers in the coming years.
A selling app makes your business accessible to a global consumer base. It also improves visibility, increases outreach, and makes your business easily discoverable and usable. These factors cumulatively lead to better conversion and sales. So, there’s no undervaluing the seminal role of a dedicated shopping app that allows sellers to go online.
That said, you have to take certain other considerations into account when it comes to selling online.
Research and product selection
Market research and product selection bear a direct influence on the kind of success your business will experience in the digital space. Because eCommerce is a crowded industry with far too many products on sale, cherry-picking your niche and selecting the right products is non-negotiable.
If you’re an already well-established offline business planning to go online, do market research to understand what improvements you can offer your clients. You may choose to add new products to your existing portfolio but focus on building an online presence based on the reputation you have already built for yourself.
On the other hand, if you’re starting off as an e-seller, lay down the groundwork with care. That means lots of market research to understand what could be a profitable niche and curating a product list that you know has the merit to sell.
Not all products sell the same on all platforms — while you can sell anything on Craigslist and eBay, websites like Poshmark are better suited to fashion. So, you might also consider reverse engineering product selection based on where you wish to sell.
Because there are so many different selling apps for almost every product category, knowing what other benefits these platforms provide to users is crucial to choosing one for yourself.
19 best-selling apps to boost your sales
The market is saturated with eCommerce selling apps for everyone and a diverse catalog of products. But not all of them are worth your time or money. Here’s a list of 19 popular selling apps that offer great features and value for most eCommerce sellers, in no particular order of preference:
Dropshipping apps
1. SaleHoo Dropship
Strictly speaking, SaleHoo is not an eCommerce selling app. It is a platform that connects sellers with wholesalers, suppliers, and drop shippers to empower small business owners to run their eCommerce business like a pro. SaleHoo also offers a knowledge base to train e-sellers about Shopify Dropshipping and Amazon Product Launches.
So, if you’re keen on starting a dropshipping business or scaling an existing one, SaleHoo is the partner you need. With a verified list of more than 8,000 suppliers and an extensive collection of over 2.5 million products, it has something for every seller. The pricing plans are also flexible and budget-friendly.
eCommerce platforms
2. Amazon Seller Central
Seller Central is a dedicated portal for all Amazon sellers that comes with flexible pricing plans to suit the budget of small to medium businesses. The Individual selling plan costs $0.99 per item sold plus additional selling fees that depend on the selling features you avail. The Professional pricing plan is priced at $39.99 monthly plus other fees.
It also offers a host of inventory, logistics, and payment management features that allow sellers to keep tabs on their business. You can also use Amazon’s built-in analytical tools to generate reports to check the performance of your business.
3. Facebook Shop
Unlike Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Shop is an online store that you can use to sell to a wider audience and scale your business. You can easily integrate your Facebook shop with third-party selling platforms like BigCommerce, advertise your products, sell on other social channels, integrate multiple payment methods, and build a customized brand store.
Although there’s a fixed charge per product, Facebook Shop can help you earn a decent revenue, especially if you’re just starting. You even get the chance to interact one-on-one with your customers via Messenger. It’s tailored to suit the requirements of sellers new to e-selling or with a strict budget.
Online marketplaces
4. Craigslist
Craigslist is a customer-to-customer e-selling marketplace that works on advertisements. You can create and post an item/service for sale in 15-20 minutes — selling on Craigslist is that easy. That said, since it’s a C2C marketplace, you will not get any features that dedicated selling apps have.
On the plus side, selling on Craigslist is free (almost always). You may have to pay a small fee for posting some ads and ship the products yourself, but it’s still cheaper than paid selling apps. Just ensure your posting is informative and accurate — how your listing looks makes all the difference. Also, remember that postings vanish after a stipulated period.
5. eBay
eBay is a multisided e-selling marketplace that connects sellers with buyers without interfering with the execution of transactions. Although it shares similarities with Amazon Seller Central, you’re in total control of every aspect of your business here.
Depending on your business, that might be a good or bad thing, but eBay is the ideal marketplace for selling high-demand products in bulk. Remember that you will have to pay some selling fees (these vary from product to product) plus a fixed $0.30 charge per item.
6. Depop
Another social selling marketplace, Depop, is a platform for buying and selling clothes. You could say it’s an online thrift store with a dedicated seller team that trains and guides new sellers throughout their journey. Depop also has bulk listing tools to make life easier for those who sell in bulk.
On the downside, you will need a PayPal account to receive payments. This means you incur the fee the payment portal charges for every transaction. That said, it’s a good marketplace for fashion resellers.
7. Etsy
Contrary to popular belief, Etsy is not just an online marketplace for independent artists. Printables, antiques, packaging materials, and many other products are also hot sellers on the platform.
Although Etsy lacks dedicated selling features, you can create a shop for your business before you start selling. Apart from quality products, a good Etsy store and well-written product listings make a big difference when it comes to selling on the platform. It is a good marketplace to explore if you want to start selling online without spending too much money.
8. Facebook Marketplace
As the name suggests, it’s a marketplace where any Facebook user can post an advertisement to sell a product. It lacks advanced e-selling features like a storefront, inventory management, or payment gateways, but you can still earn money if you make a sale. And the best part is that you can do so without paying any platform fees.
You must handle everything from posting your listing to responding to queries, shipping, and processing payments. But as long as you have a Facebook account, you can sell anything, anytime, and anywhere. Facebook Marketplace is great for reselling secondhand products or low-value items.
9. Groupon Merchant
Groupon Merchant is a feature-rich marketing solution for eCommerce business owners that allows you to advertise your products to a targeted audience and get a quick increase in sales. You can craft bespoke marketing campaigns for zero upfront costs and promote your business to a discerning audience.
Groupon is a well-known eCommerce marketplace with a solid user base. So, no matter what you want to sell, you can access a pre-existing customer base. For small businesses, that’s half the battle won.
10. Mercari
A Japanese e-marketplace for buyers and sellers, Mercari is a one-stop shop for resellers, although you can sell new products, too. Mercari has a dedicated selling app that simplifies the process for e-sellers and even provides seller protection. You can create product listings for free in a matter of minutes, but you have to pay a 10% selling fee plus an additional 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee per every item you sell.
Mercari offers three discounted shipping options, and you can use the Instant Pay feature to get payments as your products sell. It’s a small marketplace that’s good for resellers who are just starting. The one major drawback is that Mercari only operates in the U.S. and Japan.
11. OfferUp
OfferUp is a cross between eBay and Facebook Marketplace but for local sellers. While you can list anything from electronic goods to cars for sale, your ad will be displayed to buyers by location. You can become a verified dealer on the marketplace through its TruYou membership.
You will have to pay 12.9% of the selling price (excluding shipping) as a platform fee, while shipping is charged per actuals. OfferUp has a partnership with USPS for fast delivery and with major car dealerships, too. So, if you want to sell cars online, it’s the place to be.
OfferUp is only available to buyers and sellers in the U.S.
12. Poshmark
Poshmark is a social selling marketplace for fashion, home improvement, lifestyle, and pet products. It has an 80-million-strong seller base with a prominent presence in Canada and Australia, besides the U.S. You can sell new or secondhand products on Poshmark in a few easy steps, such as creating and posting a product listing.
On the positive side, Poshmark has a refund policy and even provides expedited shipping. But what makes it an excellent place to experiment with e-selling is the fact that Poshmark charges only a nominal commission as a sales fee. You will have to pay the platform $2.95 for sales under $15 and 20% for all products that cost more than $15.
It is an ideal selling platform for small-scale resellers, but you could also earn money by selling items from your wardrobe or collections.
13. Vinted
Vinted is yet another social selling marketplace for secondhand clothing and fashion accessories. With 45 million users spread across 13 countries, Vinted is the selling platform to try if you want to earn quick bucks by listing products from your closet.
You can easily build a standalone single-page storefront for selling on Vinted using a SaaS-based eCommerce store builder like Ecwid. You can offer multiple payment choices, different shipping options, automate your marketing effort, create a standalone mobile app, and more to your buyers. Vinted works well for resellers as well.
14. 5Miles
This is a mobile selling marketplace that lets you sell a variety of products for indoor and outdoor use, including cars, automobile parts, boats, art, lifestyle and home improvement products, clothing, and sports gear. You can advertise your services on this app, which is free for all users, easy to use, and safe. The UI/UX of the app is very intuitive, and it does not take up much space on your phone.
5Miles is great for local eCommerce sellers to use on the go.
On the downside, the desktop version of the mobile app does not match up to its counterpart. Another shortcoming is that once posted, you cannot rescind your offer. However, it’s a decent enough selling app for local and small-scale usage.
SaaS-based selling apps
15. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a SaaS-based eCommerce website builder that offers one of the best services to medium to large-scale sellers. If you have a profitable offline presence and want to migrate online or are witnessing fast growth — BigCommerce is for you.
You can create highly customized websites using the platform’s intuitive website builder, explore robust features, and ensure your online store is always safeguarded. But what truly makes BigCommerce shine is its excellent tech support that many sellers may bank on when exploring a selling app.
Pricing starts at $39 per month with a 15-day free trial, but you can also upgrade to a customized enterprise plan based on your needs.
16. Shopify
A SaaS-based website builder, Shopify is one of the most popular selling platforms that lets sellers create, run, and maintain an online storefront from scratch. While you do not need coding knowledge to build your store, using Shopify involves a steep learning curve, especially if you want extensive customization.
That said, Shopify is a highly agile selling app: It is feature-rich, boasts an extensive app library, offers multichannel selling, and is great for sellers looking to scale their sales, locally or globally.
Pricing starts at $39 per month with a 3-day free trial period.
17. Square Online
One of the many offerings of Square, Square Online is a SaaS-based eCommerce website builder that lets you create and launch a mobile-friendly shopping website in minutes. It also integrates seamlessly with Square POS and offers multichannel social selling, in-store pick-ups, and shipping.
Square Online is free to use and boasts an impressive range of features, although you will have to pay 2.9% + 30¢ processing fee per online transaction. You can upgrade to an advanced pricing plan starting at $29/month as you scale your business
eCommerce plug-in
18. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open-source plug-in that enables you to turn a WordPress website into a functional eCommerce storefront. It’s free to use, although you will need a hosting platform that you must pay for. But WooCommerce is highly intuitive and extremely easy to use, besides offering many integrations and crucial eCommerce features like 1-click selling apps.
It’s best suited for sellers who are just starting and don’t have much experience running an online storefront.
Deep sales platforms
19. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
As evident in the name, it’s a dedicated tool that allows you to streamline your sales efforts through priority mapping, targeted segmentation, and more. There are dedicated solution bundles for individual sellers as well as teams. You can use it to build crucial relationships, a pipeline of prospects, and witness fast conversions.
However, you will need some expertise and experience in sales to utilize the Sales Navigator to its full potential.
Case studies
Still not convinced that a selling app or e-marketplace can boost your sales? Let’s look at two different case studies that show selling apps can help eCommerce businesses in multiple ways.
Case study 1: Nimble and Amazon Seller app
Nimble is an IoT solution that offers a plethora of smart tech services, including pet tech products like Pet Monitor Pro and tempCube Pro. When the pet care market grew by 27.2% in 2020, the brand wanted to capitalize on this opportunity and boost its sales on Amazon.
However, the brand was struggling with brand awareness, although its keywords were performing well. That’s when the Amazon Seller App team stepped in to help Nimble.
The Seller App team assisted Nimble in auditing, enhancing, and optimizing the brand’s marketing campaign. They did so in three phases:
- Phase 1 involved creating campaigns and gaining traction around generic keywords for Nimble’s niche. Amazon also executed Sponsored Ads and branded campaigns to improve visibility.
- Phase 2 was all about bidding on competitor ASINs. This helped in increasing Nimble’s market share on the e-marketplace.
- Phase 3 utilized data analytics to review the performance of Phase 1 and Phase 2 so that the Seller App team could further optimize their efforts.
With a structured approach sustained by the expertise of the Seller App team, the brand gained a 130% increase in impressions.
Nimble also witnessed a 2.5x increase in conversion rate and a 5.8x increase in revenue by leveraging Amazon Seller App’s features.
Case study 2: Angelus Direct and Shopify
Another case in point is a family-owned small business, Angelus Direct. The business deals in shoe polish, shoe customizations, and other shoe-related offerings.
When the brand decided to go online and create a storefront for itself, it struggled with a SaaS solution that was difficult to use and implement. Every customization the team wanted to make required intensive coding. Even the sales and marketing tools that the platform offered were not the best.
The business was, therefore, unable to scale.
That’s when Angelus Direct decided to switch to Shopify. The team built an online storefront to their liking with all the customization and features they wanted. In addition to that, Shopify’s sales enablement features came in extremely handy for the business’s growth.
Its multichannel sales enablement allowed Angelus Direct to amplify its sales, with the company getting 10,000 orders per month.
Shopify’s marketing tools allowed the brand to gain the right kind of traction and attention.
On the whole, Angelus Direct was able to expand its business in the online space and boost sales by a measurable margin, as discussed above.
In summary…
There’s no denying the impact of a dedicated online selling app or platform in improving the health of an eCommerce business. Whether you’re an individual seller or a small business owner, having sales and marketing tools, payment and logistics support, and a centralized operation dashboard can greatly benefit your business.
So select a selling app that best suits your needs, whether it’s dropshipping, reselling, or anything else.
You will make measurable gains for your business.
As always, if you need any eCommerce help or have any questions on selling online, feel free to reach out to our 24/7 support staff.
