The world of ecommerce moves fast. To keep up with ever-rising consumer expectations and increasingly fierce competition, online retailers need to leverage the latest tools and technologies. That‘s where ecommerce SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions come in.
By 2024, the global ecommerce SaaS market is projected to reach $7.1 billion, growing at a CAGR of 25.8% from 2019 to 2024 (Source: Research and Markets). As more commerce moves online and digital transformation accelerates, SaaS will play an increasingly critical role in helping businesses stay agile, competitive and profitable.
In this post, we‘ll highlight 15 of the most powerful ecommerce SaaS companies that should be on your radar in 2024. We‘ll cover tools for everything from storefront creation to customer service to price optimization. And as an added bonus, we‘ll share some insights on the growing importance of web scraping for ecommerce success. Let‘s dive in!
What is Ecommerce SaaS?
First, a quick refresher. Ecommerce SaaS refers to web-based software tools designed specifically for online retailers. Rather than purchasing and managing software yourself, you access it through the cloud and pay a subscription fee, typically monthly or annually.
The key benefits of ecommerce SaaS include:
- Quick and easy to get started, with no need for complex installations or ongoing maintenance
- Continuous addition of new features and functionality
- Built-in scalability to accommodate business growth
- Affordable for businesses of all sizes, with transparent subscription pricing
- Integrations with other platforms and tools for a best-of-breed tech stack
Ecommerce SaaS has exploded in popularity in recent years, with more companies using 5+ SaaS tools on average (Source: Sifted). In a 2021 survey, 91% of ecommerce companies said SaaS tools are critical for their business operations (Source: Peerspot).
The Growing Importance of Web Scraping for Ecommerce
No analysis of ecommerce SaaS would be complete without mentioning web scraping. Web scraping, also known as web data extraction, refers to the automated process of collecting data from websites. And it‘s becoming an increasingly essential tool for ecommerce businesses looking to make data-driven decisions.
Consider these statistics:
- 76% of ecommerce businesses say web scraping is important to their success (Source: Zyte/Scrapinghub survey)
- The most common use cases for web scraping in ecommerce are competitor price monitoring (61%), gathering product details/specs (59%), and collecting customer reviews (41%) (Source: Zyte/Scrapinghub survey)
- Ecommerce companies estimate web scraping drives 23% of their revenue on average (Source: Zyte/Scrapinghub survey)
As the volume of data online continues to grow exponentially, tools that can help gather, structure and analyze it efficiently will only become more critical. Many ecommerce SaaS platforms now offer built-in web scraping capabilities or integrate with dedicated web scraping tools like Octoparse.
Forward-thinking retailers are using web scraped data for everything from dynamic pricing to trend forecasting to SEO. By 2024, web scraping may very well be seen as a standard, essential practice for staying competitive in ecommerce.
The 15 Ecommerce SaaS Companies to Know in 2024
Now, let‘s get to the good stuff – the top ecommerce SaaS companies you should be following and considering for your tech stack in 2024. We‘ll start with 5 companies we highlighted earlier and then introduce 5 new ones for a well-rounded list.
1. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is an industry-leading open SaaS ecommerce platform serving 60,000+ online stores worldwide. The platform offers native tools for building customizable storefronts, accepting payments, managing orders and more. But the real power of BigCommerce lies in its extensive ecosystem of third-party integrations that let you extend functionality in any direction.
Key BigCommerce features and benefits:
- Drag-and-drop Page Builder visual design tool
- Native support for complex B2B use cases like customer groups and quote management
- Industry-leading 99.99% average uptime and blazing fast speed
- 24/7 chat, email and US-based phone support
Pricing: Starts at $29.95/month for the Standard plan. Enterprise plans available for high-volume needs.
2. Shopify
As one of the most popular ecommerce platforms globally, Shopify powers over 1.7 million online stores. It‘s known for its user-friendly interface and extensive app marketplace that makes it easy to customize your store. While historically focused on SMBs, Shopify has been moving upmarket with its Shopify Plus offering for larger brands.
Key Shopify features and benefits:
- Intuitive store setup wizard to launch quickly
- 6,000+ apps to add features and functionality
- Robust POS and offline selling tools
- Award-winning 24/7 customer support
Pricing: Starts at $29/month for Basic Shopify. Shopify Plus starts at $2000/month.
3. Yotpo
Yotpo is a leading ecommerce marketing platform that helps brands collect and leverage user-generated content like reviews, photos and videos. By showcasing social proof at key points in the buyer journey, Yotpo helps increase trust and conversions. The platform also includes tools for loyalty programs, referrals and SMS marketing.
Key Yotpo features and benefits:
- On-site UGC widgets with built-in SEO benefits
- Integrated customer feedback surveys
- Customizable rewards and VIP loyalty tiers
- Advanced moderation and comment management
Pricing: Starts at $15/month for reviews. Loyalty and other add-ons available.
4. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform purpose-built for ecommerce. Its superpower is advanced segmentation that allows you to send ultra-targeted email and SMS campaigns based on shopper behaviors and characteristics. Pre-built integrations with major ecommerce platforms make it easy to start sending revenue-generating flows.
Key Klaviyo features and benefits:
- Drag-and-drop email and form builders
- Out-of-the-box ecommerce integrations
- Benchmarks to see how you stack up to similar brands
- Dedicated onboarding and success support
Pricing: Starts at $20/month for email. SMS is an additional $5/month.
5. Gorgias
Gorgias is a multi-channel helpdesk for ecommerce that unifies customer conversations across email, live chat, phone, Facebook, Instagram and more. Customer service agents can manage all interactions from a single place, with powerful automation and collaboration tools to speed up resolution times.
Key Gorgias features and benefits:
- Deep, 2-way integrations with Shopify, BigCommerce and Magento
- Create and track support macros (canned responses)
- Revenue statistics for every ticket
- HIPAA, GDPR and SOC-2 compliance
Pricing: Starts at $50/month per user for Basic plan. Premium plans available.
6. Jungle Scout
Jungle Scout is an all-in-one platform for selling on Amazon, serving over 500,000 brands and entrepreneurs. The company‘s claim to fame is its product research tools that help sellers find winning product ideas based on smart algorithms and sales data. But Jungle Scout has expanded to support every aspect of selling on Amazon, from keyword research to inventory management.
Key Jungle Scout features and benefits:
- Product database with 475 million products for filtering and insights
- Keyword Scout for maximizing product listing visibility
- Inventory Manager dashboard to avoid stockouts and over-ordering
- Academy training resources and 24/7 customer support
Pricing: Starts at $49/month for the Basic plan. Suite bundles available.
7. ShipBob
ShipBob is a tech-enabled 3PL that provides best-in-class fulfillment for ecommerce brands. Powered by a network of owned and operated fulfillment centers across the US, Canada, UK and EU, ShipBob offers fast, affordable delivery to customers worldwide. A proprietary warehouse management system provides real-time insights into inventory levels, order status and more.
Key ShipBob features and benefits:
- 2-day express shipping via ground to 95% of the US
- Automated order and inventory management
- Built-in order management system
- Dedicated account management
Pricing: No monthly fees, simply pay for what you ship. Request a custom quote.
8. Smile.io
Smile.io is a rewards and loyalty platform that helps ecommerce brands turn one-time shoppers into repeat customers. With customizable rewards programs, referrals, and VIP tiers, Smile.io makes it easy to foster brand loyalty. The platform integrates seamlessly with top ecommerce platforms and includes tools for promoting your loyalty program.
Key Smile.io features and benefits:
- Launch in minutes with pre-built templates
- Reward customers for purchases, referrals, birthdays and more
- Automated points expiry and rewards redemption
- White labeled, on-brand experience
Pricing: Starts at $49/month for the Launch plan. Enterprise plans available.
9. AdRoll
AdRoll is an AI-driven marketing platform that helps ecommerce brands attract, convert and retain customers. The platform includes tools for retargeting, prospecting, social advertising and email marketing. AdRoll‘s AI engine makes over 2.5 million decisions per second to optimize performance and drive maximum ROI.
Key AdRoll features and benefits:
- Audience segmentation and lookalike targeting
- Dynamic ads personalized based on shopping behavior
- Automated email flows like cart abandonment
- Cross-channel attribution and performance insights
Pricing: Starts at $0/month with a 2% technology fee per ad spend. 3-month free trial available.
10. Unbxd
Unbxd is a product discovery platform that helps ecommerce shoppers find what they‘re looking for quickly and easily. Leveraging AI and machine learning, the platform delivers hyper-relevant search results, recommendations and category pages to each individual shopper. The result is higher conversions and order values.
Key Unbxd features and benefits:
- Natural language processing for understanding search intent
- Attribute tagging and filtering for easier product discovery
- Personalized promotions and offers
- Visual product configurator and shop by room
Pricing: Contact Unbxd for a custom quote based on your catalog size and needs.
Trends Shaping the Ecommerce SaaS Landscape in 2024
As we look ahead to 2024, several key trends are poised to shape the ecommerce SaaS landscape:
Continued shift to composable architectures – Rather than relying on monolithic "all-in-one" solutions, more brands will embrace a best-of-breed approach using specialized SaaS tools that integrate seamlessly. This composable approach allows for greater flexibility and customization. API-driven headless platforms like Fabric and Commerce Layer will gain steam.
Greater focus on first-party data – With the loss of third-party cookies, ecommerce brands will double down on collecting first-party shopper data. Expect to see more tools focused on gathering zero-party data (information proactively shared by shoppers) and aggregating customer profiles. CDPs like Segment and Klaviyo will become essential.
The rise of AI-driven optimization – Artificial intelligence and machine learning will become table stakes for ecommerce SaaS. More tools will bake in intelligent algorithms for optimizing everything from on-site search to email send times to dynamic pricing. Expect to see AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants become more mainstream as well.
Deeper cross-border capabilities – By 2024, global cross-border ecommerce is expected to reach $2.1 trillion (Source: Facts & Factors). To capture this growing market, ecommerce SaaS tools will invest in better localization, multi-currency processing, landed cost calculation and international logistics capabilities. Partnerships between SaaS vendors and global 3PLs will flourish.
Renewed emphasis on profitability – After years of growth at all costs, ecommerce brands are facing increased pressure to prove profitability. While top line growth is still important, merchants will seek out SaaS tools that can help them improve margins, lower CAC and increase LTV. Solutions for inventory optimization (Flieber), return reduction (Narvar) and pricing/promotions (Revuze) will gain traction.
Choosing the Right Ecommerce SaaS Stack
With thousands of ecommerce SaaS companies vying for your business, putting together the optimal tech stack for your business can seem daunting. But by staying laser-focused on your unique needs and goals, it‘s possible to cut through the clutter.
Start by assessing the key growth opportunities and challenges in your current operations:
- Where are the major friction points in the customer journey?
- Which tasks are sucking up the most time and resources?
- What capabilities do you need to expand into new markets or channels?
From there, identify SaaS solutions that can plug the gaps and help you scale. Look for tools that:
- Integrate seamlessly with your existing systems
- Can accommodate your future growth projections
- Deliver personalized experiences to your unique customer segments
- Provide robust data and analytics for ongoing optimization
- Offer hands-on support and SLAs to minimize downtime
Most importantly, don‘t be afraid to experiment and mix and match solutions until you find what works. The beauty of SaaS is that you can start small and scale up (or down) as needed. Run proofs of concept with a few contenders before committing long-term.
Powering Ecommerce Growth in 2024 and Beyond
Ecommerce competition shows no signs of slowing down. But with the right SaaS tools in your corner, you‘ll be well-positioned to innovate faster, operate smarter and grow bigger. From frontline customer interactions to backend operations to data-driven decision making, SaaS can power every part of your retail business.
So whether you‘re a scrappy startup or an established enterprise, now is the time to assess your tech stack and invest in the ecommerce SaaS solutions that can take your business to the next level. The 15 companies highlighted here are a great place to start – but don‘t be afraid to go beyond the cutting edge. After all, the next big thing in ecommerce SaaS may be just around the corner.