27 Amazing iPhone Apps for Ecommerce Merchants

February 16, 2010
By the ZippyCart Ecommerce Software Content Team

Did you ever wonder what the best iPhone apps were for ecommerce merchants to use, so that you can become more efficient and effective in running your online store? There are thousands of apps to sort through and compare to figure out which ones you could utilize to help improve the management and marketing of your online store all via your iPhone. Ecommerce merchants are continually using advanced technology to help them stay at the top of their game so they can become more successful. it is best to stay aware of the top iPhone apps and trends in smart phones so that you can have the tools you need to manage your online store when on the go. Below we have categorized some of the most popular iPhone apps for your review. Use this list to decide which are best for you and your ecommerce site.

Social Media Optimization (SMO): Social Media is a fantastic way to connect with your customers, encourage customer loyalty, and increase sales. Beyond that, the larger your social presence, the more likely you are to rank well in social search engines. Social media is all about keeping up with conversations, which can be hard when you’re away from the computer. This is why an iPhone app that keeps you connected is key. Below are the top 3 iPhone apps for social media optimization. Review them to determine which ones are right for you.

Meebo – This long awaited instant messenger app was jsut release yesterday, and now people have a great, all-in-one, iPhone app to keep up with chats on MSN, AIM, Yahoo, and Facebook. Many ecommerce merchants use IM as a way to chat with clients, and this app helps improve communication no matter where you happen to be. The Meebo app is FREE so try it today to see if it helps with your mobile productivity.

Tweetie 2 – There are numerous Twitter iPhone apps that all work in a similar way, but Tweetie 2 continues as one of the most popular Twitter apps. It allows you to keep up with multiple accounts and do basically everything you can do from your home computer, on your iPhone. This is a great app for $2.99 which can let you connect to your personal and business Twitter accounts from your iPhone while on the go.

Facebook – Most ecommerce sites have a Facebook fanpage to go along with their social media efforts. Having this FREE app is a great way to keep up-to-date with what your fans are saying about your ecommerce shop. This is a must have for any online store with a Facebook fanpage.

Analytics: Having insight into your website analytics at all times is a must so you can monitor exactly what is happening. You might notice that you are getting a lot of traffic for a certain keyword that goes to a particular product. If you then notice you’re not selling many of the product, you could perhaps tweak that page on the fly to offer a discount and capitalize on the traffic trend for that keyword. Review the iPhone apps below for analytics and see if any of them seem right for your online storefront.

Analytics App – This is the top of the line analytics app that allows you to access all of your Google Analytics data in a very similar way to how you would retrieve it on your computer. Over 50 of the most popular reports from Google Analytics are available in this app. The current price is $5.99.

BAM Analytics Pro – Another high end iPhone app that lets you access your Google Analytics and even create customized reports while viewing the data for multiple websites all via the app. The current price is $4.99
Analytics Agent Pro – This app also allows you to browse and manage your Google Analytics via your iPhone, but it is not as robust as some of the more expensive analytics apps. The current price for the app $2.99
Ego – This is a solid, all-in-one, analytics app for a great price. Not only does it allow you to access Google Analytics, but it also allows you to check other stats for sites like Twitter, Feedburner, or Mint. The current price is $1.99.
Mobile Payment: Mobile payments means many things to many people, but in this case we’re referring to the ability to sell something while on the go, and have someone pay via an iPhone app. There are numerous credit card processing apps, but only a few have received much buzz or useage from merchants looking for this type of iPhone app. Below are a few of the top apps in the space.

SquareUP – Although it is not open yet to the public, this soon to be released app is the most talked about mobile payment iPhone application to date. Maybe it is because Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is part of the project. This mobile payment app takes things to the next level as it gives you the ability to read credit and debit cards via an audio input jack. So now you could go to the farmers market and try to sell some of the products from your online store in person and slide the credit card through the credit scanner hooked to your iPhone. Final pricing is not yet public, but rumors from MacWorld suggest that it will only be about $10 for the app, the credit scanner would come as a free attachment, and SquareUP will take a small percentage of all sales to cover processing fees (similar to PayPal) – SquareUp is currently in Beta, so check it out now to see if you can test it for free.

Mpayy – A new mobile payment app competitor in the space. This free app allows you to quickly get going and test out so you can determine if this mobile payment solution iPhone app is right for you.
Credit Card Terminal (Inner Fence) – This app rose in popularity as it was one of the first in this niche, and it also got a nice bump in publicity as it was featured on one of the Apple iTunes commercials. The current price on this app is $0.99
Swipe Credit Card Terminal – This is a great app that allows you to hand someone your iPhone so they can type in all of their credit card information and pay you for goods. The only funny thing is that, with a name like “Swipe”, you would assume you could swipe your card, but you cannot – this ability still rests only with SqaureUP. The current price is $0.99.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing: Managing your SEM spend while on the run is vital if you spend a lot on PPC marketing. You want to be able to use an iPhone app to quickly check your SEM spend at anytime to make sure things are going well, and that you are not losing money on your marketing spend. Also you might run Google Adsense PPC ads on your site and want to check the revenue from your iPhone. Below are a few of the top PPC & SEM iphone apps for you to review.

PPC Editor – As long as you use your Google Adwords developer key, this app will give you a mobile interface which offers full control over your advertising spend. The price for the app is $16.99, which seems a bit much at first, but is only the cost of a few clicks for many ecommerce merchants using PPC.

SEM Calculator – Those who deal with search marketing know how much math it involves, and how many different equations you may have to use, depending on how you buy your media. This easy SEM calculator allows you to do all of those conversions like CPM to CPC, CPM to CPA, and even banner realated conversions. The app is FREE so why not give it a download to see if it is useful for your day-to-day operations.

Sense Earn – Some ecommerce merchants also use Google Adsense on their sites to make a little extra money. If you are a heavy adsense users, and use it on multiple sites, then this app for $3.99 is great to keep you updated on all of your earnings via your iPhone.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The key to making money online is to first get customers. Many merchants must rely on far more than word of mouth to drive traffic to their online stores. This is where SEO comes in. The apps below will help you harness your SEO efforts and target important keywords for ranking in the top search engines.

proSEO – This is a high end SEO iPhone app which can analyze the content of any web page you want. All you have to do is use their Safari like browser and then hit “analyze” on any page to get an extensive listing of the SEO details about the page. This is a great way to understand your SEO strategies as well as those of your competitors. The price is currently $9.99 for the proSEO app.

SERPS – This is a fun, simple, and FREE iPhone app for you to stay up-to-date on where your site ranks for certain keywords. SERPS does not keep historical data, but it is a free app which allows you to check any site or keyword via your iPhone.
Content Management: Blogs are a great way to add extra content to your online storefront, but sometimes merchants are faced with writers block while at their desk and don’t get that moment of content inspiration until their computer is shut down. With Content Management iPhone apps, you can quickly respond to that inspiration by posting a blog directly from you iPhone. These tools also help when content needs a quick rewrite, spelling fix, and much more.

WordPress – Almost all ecommerce sites have some sort of blog, and if they do, it most likely runs on WordPress. The best blogs are frequently updated, so we suggest you get the FREE WordPress iPhone app so you can always have access to edit and update your blog.

BlogPress – This is a very robust iPhone app for the most sophisticated blogger who wants to constantly update their blog. It supports many platforms like Blogger, TypePad, Moveable Type, WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. You can download the app now for just $2.99.

General Business: There are a lot of other popular apps to review and decide if they make sense for you to use as an ecommerce merchant. We listed some of the most popular general business iPhone apps below to round out the list.

Yammer – This iPhone app is very similar to Twitter, except Yammer is intended to be geared toward private internal usage only for employees of your business. If you run a larger ecommerce business, then this FREE iPhone app might be worth looking into as an added tool for internal communication.

Business Card Reader – If you travel often to trade shows and conferences, then you know what it is like to collect hundreds of business cards. If you want an easy way to transfer all that data via your iPhone then you should download the Business Card Reader app for only $4.99, because all you have to do is snap a picture of the business card and it will be stored right to your iPhone.

Shopkeeper (Shopify) – If you operate a Shopify eCommerce store and own an iPhone, then you will absolutely want to look into this app. It is the only way to manage your Shopify eCommerce store while on the go via your iPhone, so that you can stay in control when away from your office. The Shopkeeper iPhone app is $4.99, but it is well worth it if you are trying to stay on top of everything going on at your ecommerce shop.

Dragon Dictation – This is a FREE iPhone app that is great to use if you want to quickly dictate and send notes or reminders to yourself. All you have to do is speak into the iPhone and it will transfer it into text for you to use as you desire.
Box.net – This FREE file sharing app is a great way for your ecommerce team to stay on the same page because you can share files in one centralized online shop. You get 1GB FREE when you sign up, but can also pay for more storage if you need.
GoDaddy.com – For merchants who host multiple online stores, a good domain name is always important. The GoDaddy iPhone app is a FREE application that allows you to manage your domains, purchase domains, and manage your GoDaddy account on the go.
Affiliate Marketing Calculator – For anyone who runs an affiliate marketing program, this affiliate marketing calculator iPhone app is a great tool. The Affiliate Marketing Calculator app allows you to calculate commissions, refunds, and more for only $1.99.
MyMall – MyMall is a price comparison application that allows you to search prices across hundreds of online stores. For merchants hoping to stay competitive, this FREE iPhone app is a great tool to check competitor prices and always stay on top.
Idea Organizer – Ecommerce merchants are natural entrepreneurs, and all successful entrepreneurs have an abundance of ideas that pop up on a daily basis. This great iPhone app lets you record your ideas, reminders and notes via text, photo, voice memo, or all of the above. The app costs $1.99 to organize your genius!