Breeds of Rabbit Singapore: Which One is Right for You?

During June, 2Checkout (now Verifone) proudly hosted the sixth edition of our CommerceNow online event, where a group of amazing founders, specialists, marketers, sales reps, eCommerce experts, and revenue leaders shared their knowledge and expertise.

This is the first of a series of blog posts where we’ll share the key takeaways from several of the CommerceNow ’22 sessions. You can also register to watch all recorded webcasts here.

Several presenters shared wisdom and inspiration around the topic of optimization, whether applied to payment innovation, tax strategy, or pricing.

In his presentation, “How Payment Innovation Helps Merchants Address New Omnichannel Expectations,” Francois Crehange, Product and Solution Director for Verifone, discussed the recent myriad of dizzying changes in the eCommerce landscape.

Changes which began to gain traction before but were then accelerated after the advent of COVID:

• Customer expectations are evolving as their options continue to grow; local versus hypermarkets; quick commerce and last-mile delivery service; dark stores and kitchens; shopping channels 2.0.
• The purchasing path is very fragmented and less linear. A customer may start a purchase on their laptop, pick up in the store, return via mobile, etc.
• The sharing economy is growing, including the used-product market and second-half market.
• More than ever before, consumers now expect to be able to gain transparency about the quality of production and the traceability of the products they are seeking.

The bottom line, Francois emphasized, is that businesses need to enable customers to buy wherever they are, whenever they want to, and however channel they decide to use—in-store or online, face-to-face or digital, and via counter, kiosk, or an endless array of devices.

Because of this, he added, players in the payments realm are required to address and perfect this wide variety of payment experiences, including contactless, click-and-collect; or link, email, or SMS. They also need to anticipate a variety of potential actions on transactions, no matter the initial channel, including voiding an order (or just part of it), refunding (all or part), as well as the more predictable, seamless new purchases.

On top of this, Francois said, payment providers and merchants are coping with an ever-evolving array of other new challenges, including:

• Upgrading payment solutions
• Regulatory and security changes
• New technologies
• New business models
• An increase in alternative payment methods, with additional new connectivity modes that contribute to a smooth customer buying experience.

The good news, he said, is that new payment solutions can help merchants continue to meet customer expectations and improve the overall shopping experience. Some examples:

1. Pay-by-link for telephone sales wherever the customer is
2. App or in-store APMs and buy now—pay later (both online and in store)
3. Payment via personal shopping apps (more features and easier for merchants to integrate)
4. Live shopping and follow-up support
5. Payments for in-store shopping without cashiers—Amazon Go and mobile app scanning in the Americas, self-scanning in IA or smart basket in Europe.

Other positives Francois mentioned: Merchants can now grow their business by leveraging the APMs expected by their customers, and there are opportunities to offer a unique payment ID for added value services that add revenue. Additionally, omnichannel payment solutions provide an abundance of useful data that can guide merchant analysis and insights.

“The boundaries among eCommerce, omnichannel, and different sales channels are thinner and thinner,” Francois emphasized. “Our mission is to offer a seamless payment experience, whatever technology or context.”

Learn more about payment flexibility and how merchants can significantly improve the shopping experience by watching Francois’ full session here.

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In her session, “How Tax Impacts Your eCommerce Business, and How You Can Manage It,” Liz Armbruester, SVP of global compliance for Avalara presented an overview of current eCommerce stats, what indirect tax laws are and will continue to impact eCommerce sellers, and why businesses should consider automating their tax compliance.

eCommerce, by the (staggering) numbers

• Global eCommerce sales hit a whopping $5.542 trillion in 2022
• US eCommerce sales will reach $740 billion by 2023
• 49% of brands plan to invest in social commerce content in 2022
• 21% of 2022 purchases were made online
• 67% of global consumers made a cross-border purchase in 2022

“Businesses of all sizes are embracing eCommerce, but tax authorities have also taken note of these numbers,” Liz pointed out. There are new laws that increase the complexity and risk for businesses, therefore automation of tax compliance may be a good option for many merchants in the eCommerce universe.

Indirect tax laws: why do they matter, and what can we do about them?

One of the most impactful recent economic nexus laws, Liz explained, resulted from the 2018 Supreme Court decision, South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., which allowed states to impose sales tax obligations on out-of-state (remote) sellers based on their level of economic activity in a state. All 45 states with state sales tax have since adopted some form of this economic nexus.

“Because of this, the complexity has exponentially increased, because all states have different regulations,” Liz pointed out. The burden is on the merchants to be knowledgeable and compliant, she explains, and eCommerce businesses have all this complexity, she continued, plus the sheer number of tax jurisdictions to consider—over 13,000 US jurisdictions, with zip code boundaries that can all have varying tax rates.

What drives the nexus challenge, Liz continued, is also determined by each individual business:

whether they own or lease their business property; if they employ field staff or service staff; where their inventory is located; whether they have affiliates; and, finally, their economic nexus.

For eCommerce, specific digital channels can impact tax obligations. Marketplace facilitator laws require the marketplace to collect and remit sales tax on behalf of their third-party marketplace sellers that are using their platform. The amount collected counts towards their aggregate threshold that determines the amount of tax owed.

Marketplace facilitator laws are confusing and complex, said Liz, and thresholds by some states are not “one and done,” she added, so compliance is always evolving. There are numerous examples of lawsuits over back taxes, sometimes just for inventory stored out of state.

International indirect tax laws add another layer of complexity. Changes to VAT are increasing tax obligations for global eCommerce sellers. Some of the changes, Liz shared, include:

• The EU has simplified VAT, which is helpful. Merchants are only required to complete on tax return for all sales throughout the EU.
• Brexit has changed the tariff including the codes.
• There are new e-invoicing mandates that require certain businesses to electronically transmit invoice info to other businesses and tax authorities in Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Why automate tax compliance?

“In my opinion, digital transformation strategy should include tax, and it’s prime for automation,” said Liz. As businesses spend astronomical amounts on digital changes and upgrades, automation makes sense for several reasons, including:

• Accuracy
• Efficiency
• Customer satisfaction
• Risk management
• Business growth

Furthermore, Liz added, the costs per month of manually managing tax compliance for small-medium size businesses can approach as much as $14k/month, and even then, those businesses might get flagged for an audit.

The top benefits of automation, said Liz, include:

• 77% increased confidence with sales and use tax accuracy
• 75% improved tax compliance reporting
• 56% minimized resources dedicated to tax calculations and filing
• 48% peace of mind

And how to choose the right automation solution? “What is the environment you’re operating in today, what kind of tax support do you need, and where are you going? Ensure that the solution you pick covers you for today and tomorrow,” urged Liz. She recommended exploring the following:

• Reassess your tax obligations by determining where you have nexus
• Automate the registration process for any new jurisdictions
• Then, expand your automation by integrating the automation software you’ve chosen with your existing system. Finally, train your staff so they are equipped to handle the complexities of tax compliance, even with automation.

If you want to discover how tax automation simplifies tax requirements while enabling growth and positive customer experiences, watch Liz’s full session here.

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Eiko Van Hettinga, co-founder and managing director of 7Learnings, had additional optimizations recommendations to add in his session “Pricing Optimization for eCommerce.”

Eiko covered three main topics in his presentation: 

Why should you invest in automatic price optimization technology?

“Pricing is the most important lever with the highest impact on your profits,” Eiko emphasized. “The rule of thumb is that if you get 1% better at pricing you’ll drive a 6% bottom line, and I think that’s not even the high estimate.”

Rising complexity in online retail increases the need for automation and optimization, Eiko added, including but not limited to:

• Competition
• Channels
• Logistical costs
• Assortment size
• Inflation
• Supply chain restraints

Eiko continued by saying that carrying this out manually would be exceedingly difficult for most businesses. “Technology has changed a lot, and AI has had a huge impact on optimization, especially because it’s more available and the data maturity of companies has increased.” According to Gartner, he added, price optimization has the highest business value and feasibility of all AI use cases in retail.

What’s the next generation of technology?

Eiko explained that predictive pricing is the new alternative to the more traditional rule-based pricing, which relies more on humanly programmed logic (considering costs, cost base with margin, what the competition is doing, etc.). Predictive pricing starts with a forecast, which explores and nails down how price will affect the main KPIs—demand, revenue, prices, etc.

Based on forecasts, Eiko explains, you can run optimizations tailored to your business’ goals, with optimal prices recommended by predictive pricing to reach those goals. The main difference between rule-based versus predictive pricing is that the latter forecasts the impact of price changes before new prices go live, so the business can refine their strategy as they go along before revealing prices to their customers.

Predictive pricing uses two key technologies, Eiko explains. There are powerful machine-learning forecasting models for sales, costs and profit, and then there is a customized optimization based on that forecasting and the business’ goals. Predictive pricing requires a lot of data, both internal (product attributes, transaction data, cost data, historic prices, stock and marketing data, etc.) and external (competitor prices, day of the week, holidays, and even weather).

“Predictive pricing is advantageous because you are able to achieve the highest level of automation, versus the manual, rule-based approach,” he added. He discussed the automation benefits in his presentation, and shared real-world examples of how predictive pricing can maximize profits and increase revenue over the lifetime of a business’ product.

“Optimization can also help steer your marketing efforts and tell you where to invest your budget, by predicting the impact of your marketing campaigns,” Eiko continued.

How should a business implement pricing technology?

Predictive pricing technology can be implemented quickly, Eiko said, and he described a sample timeline of the process in his presentation. Most importantly, he said, a strong team is needed. The essentials are:

• Ensure top management buy-in
• Have a good understanding of your stakeholders
• Have the right tools and resources available
• Use your data to inform your strategy
• Build an interdisciplinary team of pricing managers, data analysts and scientists, and product managers

Looking to learn more about how to best optimize your pricing in order to boost your revenue? Then make sure to watch Eiko’s full session here.

Want to access and benefit from more expert tips and tricks from this year’s CommerceNow? To watch this year’s sessions, make sure to visit the event page, as all the presentations are available on-demand!

The post Best Practices to Optimize Your Payments and Pricing Strategies – CommerceNow 2022 appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

In a cashless society, financial transactions are processed electronically, a trend which has accelerated in recent years.

A few years ago, a cashless society was something we would only read about in fantasy books. However, living in a cashless society could become a reality with today’s trends. Digital payments are now an integral part of virtual experiences.

Some countries are already moving to get rid of cash, especially since both the consumers and government bodies are keen on that trend. Sweden is predicted to become the first cashless nation in the world.

The Swedish economy is set to become 100% digital by 2023. According to the European Payments Council, traditional cash transactions accounted for 1% of Sweden’s GDP in 2019. Cash withdrawals have been steadily declining by about 10% per year.

In this post, you’ll learn the differences between cashless payments and ready cash. You’ll also learn the advantages of going cashless and the issues that need to be addressed before a society can give up on cash entirely.

Traditional v/s Digital Payments

Traditional payments are made directly with cash, through a chip and pin card, or via a bank transfer. Cash and the chip and pin is the standard transaction method for most business to consumer companies.

Cash in the form of notes and coins is something that most people trust. However, there are issues. For starters, it’s a pain getting the right change. Then, there are issues with physically storing and moving the money. Banks, for example, charge a fee for taking money in from shops, and thieves obviously might steal your money.

With chip and pin devices and now contactless payments, businesses reduce the risk of theft and the hassle of depositing money in the bank. Companies do take a transaction fee for managing the payment process, though.

The other benefit of the move to digital payments is the ease of tracking everything. Digital payments make accounting a lot easier and also benefit the government as it reduces the opportunity for tax avoidance and accounting fraud.

The Future of the Payments Industry After COVID-19

Any business that wants to achieve success has to be watching marketing trends within its niche. The same goes for financial services. To keep your company ahead of the game, you have to watch how the market changes and make the necessary adjustments.

COVID-19 has changed the trend of cashless payment systems. As commerce moved from physical locations to online stores, the way we pay took the same route. Often contactless commerce was the only possible way to minimize physical contact.

So, the pandemic was undoubtedly a switching point for the adoption of digital payment technologies. Most niche market businesses had to rethink how they operate and allow cashless payments.

The pandemic accelerated this trend, expediting the move from cash payments by over three years. This move was originally projected for 2023, but the global context advanced it to 2020. The Global Payments Report 2021 revealed that cash was used for just over 20% of the global point of sale transaction volume in 2020. That was a 32% reduction from 2019.

The use of cash in 2020 fell all over the world. Apart from Sweden, other countries are proving to be very close to representing cashless societies. Cash payments represent only 5.4% of the point of sale volume in Canada, 4.5% in Norway, and 11.9% in the US.

The Difference Between Contactless Payments and Mobile Payments

Contactless and mobile payment options are possible through digital means and don’t involve physical contact with cash or cards. Although contactless transactions and mobile payment technology have things in common, they also are very different.

Contactless Payment Systems

Contactless payment transactions are finalized electronically through a wireless technology called NFC (Near Field Communication). The best examples of payment methods using NFC are contactless debit and credit cards. You need to get the card near the reader or give a slight tap to establish a connection and start a transaction.

Mobile Payment Technology for Customers

With mobile payments, customers can pay using mobile banking apps and mobile wallets. Overall, mobile payment technology works similarly to contactless payment systems. Instead of using cards, you use a mobile device, like a smartphone or smartwatch to initiate the transaction.

Most banks have a Mobile App for their clients to make banking transactions. In this case, all you need is a Wi-Fi connection or broadband wireless internet connection to handle the transaction.

Using a Mobile Wallet System, customers use an app or an e-wallet where their credit card details are saved. Apple Pay and Android Pay are the two most commonly known forms of digital wallets globally, though local favorites like AliPay in China also lead some markets. The mobile wallet system uses the same NFC technology as the contactless methods. Open the e-wallet and place the device near the reader to initiate the connection.

Mobile Payment Technology for Merchants

Accepting mobile wallets has become an expectation for merchants. If you are a business owner on the go, you need to be able to accept payments anywhere you are. Using mobile terminals means you can be free of a physical POS terminal that needs to be carried with you.

Mobile terminals are payment portals available on a smartphone or connected tablets. To be able to accept a payment, you need to log into a virtual terminal and manually enter credit card details.

With mobile browser payments, customers can use their mobile phones to pay for your products and services. This is essential, considering that so many eCommerce sales are completed via mobile devices. So, when building websites for your business, make sure you provide an eCommerce solution, like a payment gateway or hosted checkout, that is mobile-friendly. To pay, customers need to enter their payment details into the website’s checkout section.

This is critical as M-commerce is thought to be the next big phase in technology involvement.

Source

However, its adoption and level of growth vary depending on the location. The M-commerce market needs increasing adoption of smart devices, better broadband connectivity, cheaper services, and social adoption of services to grow.

It has become more and more popular to browse for favorite products, add to a cart and make online payments via mobile apps. Merchants developed their apps for customers with an eCommerce payment processing solution. The payment processing solution enables businesses to accept card payments within the app. Clients need to register their credit or debit card details into the app before purchasing.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Contactless Payments

An obvious benefit of contactless payments is convenience. All you need is your phone, and you can make cashless payments from everywhere. It requires no physical contact. It’s simple and quick. Here are some other pros of going contactless.

No Cash for Thieves to Steal

Anyone carrying cash is an easy target for criminals. If a thief takes cash from you, it becomes very difficult to track and prove that it was yours.

A study by American and German researchers revealed that crime in Missouri dropped by 9.8% once the state replaced cash welfare benefits with Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.

So, theoretically, pickpocketing should dry up in a cashless society.

Automatic Paper Trails

Money laundering, illegal gambling, or drug operations, typically involve cash so that there is no record of the transaction. Illegal transactions are harder if the source of funds is easy to identify. It’s difficult to hide income and avoid taxes when there’s a payment history available at any time.

Cash Management Costs Money

Many businesses need to store the cash, withdraw more if they run out, and deposit the money when they have too much on hand. Some businesses have to hire companies to transport cash safely.

Let’s not forget that banks hire professionals to secure branches against bank robberies.

The need to spend time and money on printing bills and minting coins and then handling and protecting money could disappear in a cashless future.

International Payments Become Much Easier

Traveling abroad requires exchanging money to the local currency. Going into a country that accepts cashless payments makes traveling easier. You can make payments through your card or mobile device.

People can purchase from companies abroad and just wait for the shipment to arrive. You can make purchases from anywhere in the world, provided that the seller will be willing to ship it for you.

The Future of the Payments Industry

There are some reasons why cash is still important but by the looks of it, it will become more of a niche option. According to PwC, several macrotrends will affect the future of payments in the years to come. These are:

• Inclusion and trust: The trend is to focus on digital wallets and mobile money to enable consumer accessibility
• Digital currencies: Central banks are now exploring the use of this type of currency, with 14% performing their own pilot tests.
• Digital wallets: The use of mobile payments will continue to increase, with an estimated compound annual growth rate between 2019 and 2024 of 23%.
• Battle of the rails: Due to increased competition in the financial services industry, card companies and processors are repositioning themselves on the market. Digital wallet providers will continue to seek more interoperability as a result of the fierce competition.
• Cross-border payments: An increase in cross-border payments is expected, which is further reinforced by the adoption of ISO 20022. ISO 20022 aims to ensure a standardized electronic data exchange between financial institutions.

The assumption based on these macrotrends is that we are moving towards a cashless society. This is also evident in the rise of industries that primarily rely on cashless transactions. The subscription economy, for instance, has been growing with the digitalization of economies. According to UBS Wealth Management and Bernstein, so far, the digital subscription economy is a $650-billion market and is set to reach a market size of $1.5 trillion by 2025. That’s an impressive annual growth rate of 18%.

With the increasing relevance of digital payments in the years to come, businesses should find ways to adapt if they want to stay in the game.

At the same time, they will need to implement cybersecurity measures to ensure the protection of consumers using these digital payment methods. After all, with the increase in financial digitalization is the inevitable increase in financial crimes. To prevent fraud, money laundering, and other crimes, greater collaboration among businesses, payment providers, traditional banks, and even governing bodies is ultimately required.

Wrapping Up

Providing the option to buy or sell online has become so common that it makes people wonder if cash is still needed at all. From restaurants to grocery stores and any business, cashless payments are accepted in most places. We were forced to put cash back into our pockets during the pandemic.

The thing is, the trends do still point to cash being mostly obsolete, perhaps even in our lifetime. We’re moving towards a cashless society, where online payments and digital currencies will be the norm and no longer just options. That would mean an increasingly financially interconnected world that can open up vast opportunities for both businesses and consumers. In a cashless society, the world will literally be everyone’s (financial) playground.

About Author

Matt Diggity is a search engine optimization expert and the founder and CEO of Diggity Marketing, The Search Initiative, Authority Builders, and LeadSpring LLC. He is also the host of the Chiang Mai SEO Conference.

The post Does the Future of Payments Mean a Cashless Society? appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

Infusionsoft, a product created by the “Keap” brand, is a software designed for productivity.

Typically used by small businesses with fewer than 25 employees, Infusionsoft gives you the tools you need to stay productive and service customers.

For instance, it offers features like marketing automation, appointment scheduling, lead analytics, and online sales services.

Regarded by most as a type of CRM software, Infusionsoft is one of the most popular marketing tools online.

However, it’s far from the only offering out there.

Now that 91% of companies with more than 11 employees use a tool like Infusionsoft, competitors are everywhere.

So, how do you choose the right option for your business?

This guide is here to help.

1 ActiveCampaign

Best Overall Infusionsoft Alternative

Pros:

Advanced marketing automation

Good all-around service

Affordable

Cons:

Can get buggy when integrated with Facebook

The mainframe can get laggy

ActiveCampaign is by far one of my favorite marketing tools on the web.

It’s not one of the most advanced CRMs in the world.

But it delivers almost everything you need to get started with email automation and consumer relationship management.

ActiveCampaign Features

ActiveCampaign combines advanced email marketing features, list-building functionalities, easy marketing automation, and a nifty “logic-driven” lead nurturing function that tracks the interactions you make with customers.

And that just scratches the surface.

Compared to Infusionsoft, it has a more advanced CRM and plenty of marketing automation opportunities. For now, we’ll stick to that. But if you want an in-depth comparison, check out our Active Campaign vs Infusionsoft showdown.

Here are ActiveCampaign’s main features:

Omnichannel Management – Including email, social media, text messaging, and more.

Machine Learning – To track and better understand your customer data.

Advanced sales and service suites- Perfect for communicating efficiently with leads and customers.

Interface And User Experience

ActiveCampaign’s interface can seem pretty daunting if you’ve never used a complex CRM before.

But you’ll figure it out in no time. Not to mention, it’s easier to use than Infusionsoft.

From our experience, ActiveCampaign can drop the ball at times. For example, we often struggle with our Campaign’s Facebook integration. It gets buggy, and we have to reset it. And we’ve seen some people online complaining about the mainframe getting laggy.

But overall, ActiveCampaign promises a good user experience.

And despite the integration struggles, it’s still the software we use to manage our campaigns. If you want to find out more, read our ActiveCampaign review.

Who’s It For?

Active Campaign stands out thanks to its affordable pricing. If you want something with above-average functionalities but an excellent price, it’s a good choice.

Active Campaign is also a good choice if you:

• Have a smaller budget to work with
• Want a more dynamic logic-driven lead nurturing strategy
• Need to build custom tracking based on web design – not just when customers click a button or fill out a form.
• Don’t need as much of an immersive CRM, and work more commonly with email
• Don’t need to take payments through order forms or carts – for instance, if you’re a digital marketing consultant, law firm, real estate agent, etc.

Pricing

ActiveCampaign’s low cost is why we recommend it as an Infusionsoft alternative.

And as a CRM in general.

With a starting price of $9/month for up to 500 contacts, it’s hard to find anything cheaper.

Granted, you’ll probably need to pay at least $29/month for its 1000-contacts cap.

But still, very cheap compared to Infusionsoft’s $129/month starting price.

Conclusion

Active Campaign is one of the best Infusionsoft alternatives.

It’s powerful but low-cost.

And it can take care of your customer management needs, whether you’re just starting out or have hundreds of thousands of contacts to reach out to.

Get Started With ActiveCampaign

2 Ontraport

Best Feature Match With Infusionsoft

Pros:

Great user interface

Customizability when creating emails

Flexible payment systems

Cons:

Lacking data segmentation

Not as good of a CRM

Ontraport is probably the closest thing you’ll get to Infusionsoft…besides just buying Infusionsoft.

If you had a bad experience with other tools but like the feature set and pricing tiers of Infusionsoft, Ontraport is probably the best pick for you.

Ontraport Features

As I said, Ontraport’s feature set is nearly identical to Infusionsoft. A versatile, unified platform for sales, marketing, and plenty more.

Compared to Infusionsoft, Ontraport has better customization for emails, more templates when you get started, and a better user interface. But it does lack when it comes to advanced CRM options or data segmentation. For more, read our Ontraport vs Infusionsoft showdown.

Here’s what you get with an Ontraport subscription:

No code web apps – To make the most out of it without being tech-savvy.

Flexible payment system – This lets you monetize however you want.

Great APIs and integrations – To pick and choose the tools you need most.

Interface And User Experience

Ontraport’s interface seems slightly cleaner than both Active Campaign and Infusionsoft.

It was made for people who don’t want to spend hours creating complex automation in Salesforce.

Most of what you can do in Ontraport is intuitive.

And for what’s not self-evident, you get an excellent onboarding process.

Who’s It For?

Ontraport is a great choice if you want Infusionsoft, but you’re not happy with EVERY detail about their offer.

Moreover, you’ll probably make the most out of Ontraport if you:

• Are looking for a basic all-in-one solution
• Run a mainly online business and need baseline marketing automation software
• Want to avoid visual marketing campaign building
• Enjoy postcard marketing strategies
• Want help with SMS marketing automation

Pricing

Ontraport is slightly more expensive than ActiveCampaign. The cheapest you can get it for is $29/month.

But you only get 500 contacts for that.

You’ll likely need at least the 1000 contacts plan, which jumps up in price quite a bit. It’s $79/month.

However, their pricing is very flexible, and it’s pretty much on par with Infusionsoft. If you can make the most of Ontraport’s features, the money you’ll pay is worth it.

Conclusion

Ontraport’s a great tool to manage your email lists and expand your customer relationships into other channels.

And as far as features and pricing go, it’s probably the best Infusionsoft alternative:

Get Started With Ontraport

3 Hubspot

Best UX Out Of All Infusionsoft Alternatives

Pros:

Amazing user interface

Customizable service

An impressive suite of free tools

Cons:

Very expensive

Hubspot has some key features you won’t find in Infusionsoft. For example, it can rival a fully-fleshed CMS with its blogging and content creation suite.

And that’s on top of the basic CRM and marketing suites.

Not to mention Hubspot has the best user experience in this niche.

Just don’t expect all of this to come cheap.

Hubspot Features

Hubspot is expensive. However, you also get useful features, including ticketing and customer service automation, meeting booking bots, and phone support. You don’t get any of that with Infusionsoft. 

Here’s a summary of why people choose Hubspot:

Great customer management hubs – including sales, marketing, support, social media, and more.

Great User Interface – Hubspot is without a doubt the best-looking Infusionsoft alternative.

An impressive suite of free tools- Hubspot’s free apps are powerful.

Interface And User Experience

Hubspot has the best user interface and experience out of all Customer Relationship Management suites.

It’s well-made, visually appealing, and extremely easy to use.

Not to mention, it has a bunch of useful onboarding and startup guides.

If you value user experience, there’s probably no better choice out there.

For more deets, check out our Infusionsoft vs Hubspot showdown.

Who’s It For?

Hubspot has some overlap in features with Infusionsoft. But it’s a very different app.

You’ll probably make the most out of Hubspot if you:

• Need a more immersive, visual UI
• Want to log every activity automatically
• Want to combine your CRM with your blogging and content creation strategy
• Need access to a fuller marketing suite, complete with SEO (Infusionsoft only offers keyword and meta-data fields)
• Have a bigger budget

Pricing

Hubspot is expensive. Their enterprise plan can set you back a small fortune every year.

You can get the cheapest version of Hubspot for $50/month when paid for a full year in advance.

That’s a good deal.

But it doesn’t offer much over Hubspot’s free plan. And even then, it’s more expensive than most Infusionsoft alternatives

Conclusion

If you want a highly visual solution to manage your customer communications, Hubspot is the pricey but worthwhile option:

Get Started With Hubspot

4 Kartra

The Best If You Sell Courses

Pros:

All-in-one course selling platform

Dedicated hosting

Advanced tracking

Cons:

Some users report problems with email delivery

Hard to learn everything it can do

Infusionsoft’s payment system and overall features make it great at selling services, courses, or digital products.

It was made for that.

But if courses are your main products, you might want to look closely at Kartra.

Kartra Features

Kartra is an all-in-one solution for hosting, marketing, and selling online courses. You get everything from a place to upload your courses to advanced tracking and affiliate management.

Kartra is focused on course creation. Compared to Infusionsoft, it won’t be that helpful if you sell other online products. On the other hand, Kartra does have a more advanced marketing automation platform.

Here are Kartra’s main features:

Dedicated Hosting – To have a place for your courses and membership areas.

Sales Funnel Management- Perfect to create and track complex funnels. Includes page builder and other advanced tools.

All-inclusive email marketing – Perfect for communicating efficiently with leads and customers.

Advanced tracking – Including affiliate management, to understand the data behind your courses.

Interface And User Experience

Kartra has A LOT of features. What we mentioned above are the most important ones, but they barely scratch the surface.

You also get things like a page builder, an email creation suite, a product builder, and a lot more.

The best part? They are easy to use, and all the menus are intuitive.

Well… as long as you spend some time learning how it works. Kartra can have a steep learning curve if you’re unfamiliar with other LMS, CRMs, or email marketing tools.

When I tried Kartra, though, I still managed to hit the ground running. If you want to find out more, don’t forget to read our Kartra review.

Who’s It For?

Kartra is not the cheapest tool out there, so it’s a good Infusionsoft alternative if you:

• (Want to) sell courses online
• Need an all-in-one solution for that
• Have a generous budget
• Aren’t already using another LMS or tool that overlaps with Kartra

The value you get from Kartra is from having everything in one place. if you already use something like Convertkit for email marketing and a WP + Learndash combo for hosting your courses, the cumbersome migration means it’s not worth the trouble.

Pricing

Kartra’s pricing is above-average. $99/month as a starting point is a lot.

But it also offers more functionality than most Infusionsoft alternatives if you sell online courses.

No other tool on this list (or Infusionsoft) will host courses or membership areas for you.

So for the right person, it’s a smart investment. And if you want to check it out, you can get a 14-day free trial for just $1.

Conclusion

If you sell courses and don’t already have a tool stack you’re happy with, Kartra can come in handy.

Check it out:

Get Started With Kartra

5 SendinBlue

Best For Complex Marketing and Email Comms

Pros:

Conversion-oriented features

Marketing power suite

Useful building tools

Cons:

Not a lot of third-party integrations

Some people complain about UI

Compared to Infusionsoft, Sendinblue has WAY more marketing and conversion-optimization features.

If you geek out over conversion metrics and want to split testing everything, it’s probably the best Infusionsoft alternative for you.

Sendinblue Features

If you’re a marketer at heart and want an Infusionsoft alternative, you’ll appreciate Sendinblue’s A/B testing and other conversion-focused features.

But do remember that Sendinblue lacks many of Infusionsoft’s useful features. You won’t find things like advanced web content building, real-time sales alerts, invoice creation, and more.

Here are Sendiblue’s main features:

Multichannel platform- Manage email, social media, and SMS from the same place.

Marketing power suite- Complete with CRO, a fully-fleshed CRM, marketing automation, and plenty more.

Building Tools- To create forms, landing pages, and even Facebook Ads.

Interface And User Experience

Sendinblue has a very sleek interface and a good design.

Like most entries on this list, you won’t have any issue getting started and making the most out of Sendinblue.

Its advanced features, like their split testing or complex email building, might take some time to pull off if you’re a beginner.

And some people complained about problems with the UI here and there.

But overall, still easy to use. If you want to find out more, read our Sendinblue review, as well as our Sendinblue vs Mailchimp showdown.

Who’s It For?

If you’re a marketer and a traditional CRM won’t do, Sendinblue is probably your best alternative.

It’s also useful if:

• You run any conversion-oriented campaigns
• You’re focused on email and SMS transactions
• Want to split-test in your campaigns

Pricing

If you’re just getting started, you can reliably use Sendinblue for free.

For a total of $0, you get a limited version of Sendinblue’s toolset and a cap of up to 300 emails per day.

And if you need to pay, it’s not too bad either.

You can get this suite for as little as $25/month. Cheaper than Infusionsoft and cheaper than most Infusionsoft alternatives.

Conclusion

If you’re a marketer, give Sendinblue a closer look.

It’s a strong suite and it’s free to try:

Get Started With SendinBlue

6 MailerLite

Best Email Marketing Tool For Beginners

Pros:

Easy to use

Comprehensive email marketing suite

Affordable

Cons:

Customer service can miss the mark

To little customizability at the individual level (compared to what you can do at a group level)

MailerLite is your run-of-the-mill email marketing tool.

It’s not really a fully-fleshed CRM… so if that’s why you wanted an Infusionsoft alternative, MailerLite is not the tool for you.

But if you need something to manage your email campaigns and are a beginner…

MailerLite is the best pick.

MailerLite Features

MailerLite is an all-in-one solution for email promotion and sales. It’s one of the most comprehensive email marketing suites, with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from such a tool.

Compared to Infusionsoft, it lacks some of the advanced CRM functionalities, and compatibility with multiple channels, like SMS or social.

But it has some other features on top:

Website Builder – To create landing pages for your campaigns.

Lead Collection – This includes form creation, email validation, and more.

Monetization – Sell digital products, subscriptions, and more.

Interface And User Experience

MailerLite is extremely easy to use, even if you can do complex stuff with it, like split testing, creating landing pages for campaigns, and more.

It’s not a powerhouse like Kartra or even Infusionsoft.

But for email marketing, it’s good enough. And you won’t struggle too much understanding how it works.

If you want more, check out our MailerLite review.

Who’s It For?

If you’re a beginner blogger and want to start an email list, MailerLite is our recommendation for you.

On top, you can make the most out of MailerLite if you:

• Don’t have a lot of experience with marketing tools
• Want something powerful but still relatively easy to use
• Need an email marketing tool that’s compatible with plenty of monetization types.

Pricing

Mailerlite’s free plan is great because you can get started with your list without any big investment.

Not to mention, it’s a good way to try it out, even if you already have a big list.

If you have to pay, you won’t have to break any piggy banks either. MailerLite costs between $9 – $19 /month, which is less than Infusionsoft, and most other entries on this list.

So add affordable to MailerLite’s list of perks.

Conclusion

If you’re new to the world of email marketing, you’ve probably heard the classic recommendation – MailChimp.

But trust me – MailerLite is almost as easy to use.

Yet it offers WAY more bang for your buck.

GIve it a try if you don’t believe me:

Get Started With MailerLite For Free

7 Convertkit

One Of The Best Email Marketing Tools

Pros:

Tag-based subscriber system

Advanced email customization options

Rules-builder for simple marketing automation

Cons:

Limited split testing capabilities

Reporting is sub-par

We’re pretty big fans of Convertkit.

It’s one of the best email marketing tools.

And if you needed Infusionsoft for its email marketing capabilities and not much else, Convertkit can be a great alternative.

ActiveCampaign Features

Like MailerLite, Convertkit offers a complete tool stack to build an email list and promote your services over email.

Compared to Infusionsoft, the story’s pretty much the same as in the case of MailerLite. Convertkit is easier to use and faster if you just need email marketing. But Infusionsoft allows you to expand on multiple channels.

Here are Convertkit’s main features:

Creation suite – To help you build landing pages, emails, and even forms.

Advanced Marketing Tools – Including an email builder, useful marketing automation, and more.

Scalability – Convertkit offers plenty of ways to create and monetize your audience.

Interface And User Experience

Convertkit’s ease of use is its biggest perk.

It has a beautiful interface, it’s easy to navigate, and you can make the most out of it even if you’re a beginner.

Not to mention, it has great onboarding support.

If you want more, don’t forget to read our Convertkit review.

Who’s It For?

If you want a beginner-friendly email marketing tool but don’t want to sacrifice too many features, Convertkit is a viable alternative.

You’ll make the most out of it if:

• You’re a beginner blogger
• Your marketing efforts need to be expanded into email
• You have a small online team with a limited budget.

Pricing

Convertkit’s pricing is pretty similar to that of MailerLite.

It has a free plan if you want to try it out, and you’re fine with strict list caps.

So what if you get more subscribers?

It’s not that expensive. $9/month for this suite is a pretty good price.

Conclusion

If you want a complex email marketing tool that won’t take years to master, Convertkit is the best Infusionsoft alternative for you.

Get Started With Convertkit

8 GetResponse

Best Email Marketing Tool For Affiliates

Pros:

Advanced marketing automation software

Deep split testing capabilities

Useful tracking

Cons:

Disjointed workflow (can’t create emails from the marketing automation window)

Limited form creation

If you’re an affiliate and want to improve your email game, you need to check out GetResponse.

It has an amazing suite of tools that fit your needs, and it won’t lead to fuss or spam if you send affiliate offers in your campaigns.

GetResponse Features

GetResponse is your average email marketing tool.

Compared to Infusionsoft, affiliate offers sent through GetResponse won’t get flagged. So even if Infusionsoft’s tool stack is bigger, GetResponse is better for a specific audience.

Here are its main features:

Advanced email marketing – Complete with email creation, marketing automation software, and more.

Multichannel support – Promote affiliate products through email, text, live chat, and even create websites or landing pages.

Great data – GetResponse helps you track and segment crucial marketing metrics.

Interface And User Experience

GetResponse doesn’t have the smoothest interface.

If you’re after an Infusionsoft alternative that looks good, there are better options out there.

But even with GetResponse’s visual shortcomings, it’s still not hard to use. For more, don’t forget to check our GetResponse review.

Who’s It For?

Affiliate marketers.

Anyone can make the most out of GetResponse if you need a robust email marketing tool.

But it’s mostly worth it for affiliate marketers.

Pricing

GetResponse’s pricing is pretty much on part with all the other Infusionsoft alternatives that are focused on email marketing.

And it even has a free plan, so you can try it to see if it fits your needs.

Conclusion

GetResponse is not the tool if you want advanced sales automation, or a complete overhaul of your marketing efforts.

If you’re an affiliate marketer and you want to improve your email numbers, GetResponse is probably the best pick:

Get Started With GetResponse

9 Clickfunnels

Best Infusionsoft Alternative For Sales Funnels

Pros:

Useful page builder

Advanced funnel creation and management

Affordable

Cons:

Email marketing can be improved

Clickfunnels is not necessarily the best Infusionsoft alternative for everyone.

It’s not a CRM, and it’s not an email marketing tool per se.

Rather, Clickfunnels is the best tool to create and optimize sales funnels focusing on digital products.

Let’s see what it can do.

Clickfunnels Features

Clickfunnels has everything you need to create amazing funnels that help you sell more.

It has more (and better) tools than Infusionsoft for sales funnel creation and optimization. But it’s not as versatile as Infusionsoft.

Here’s how that works:

Page Builder – To create landing pages and a place to sell your products.

Comprehensive funnel management- To understand exactly what needs to change for you to convert more.

List management- To build an audience to sell to.

Interface And User Experience

Clickfunnels has the trappings of an MLM from its home page, but it’s actually a well-made app.

We have used it before to run an experiment – see how much one of their funnels can ACTUALLY help.

And it was pretty easy to set everything up.

And if you run into any problems, their onboarding is helpful enough.

Oh and if you’re curious about our experiment’s results, you can check out our Clickfunnels video review here:

Who’s It For?

Clickfunnels is best used by people who want to nitpick at their conversion rate and need an all-in-one solution to manage sales funnels.

Conversion-oriented bloggers, marketers, or anyone with an online business can benefit from a Clickfunnels subscription. Especially if you sell digital products and don’t stick to traditional payment systems.

However, if you need an alternative for eCommerce, check out our roundup of the best shopping cart software.

Pricing

Clickfunnels is not the tool for you if you’re bootstrapping.

Its cheapest plan will set you back $97/month, while its more expensive subscription is $247/month.

Having strong funnels can make that money back for you.

But it’s still a high barrier of entry for most people.

Conclusion

If you have a good product and a generous budget, Clickfunnels can be very useful.

It can even take on some of Infusionsoft’s responsibilities, like sales management and outreach.

So check it out here:

Get Started With Clickfunnels

What is Infusionsoft?

Infusionsoft is a kind of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and business planning solution.

It gives companies the tools they need to automate routine tasks, map out sales strategies, and improve marketing campaigns.

Infusionsoft helps users to make the most out of their leads, connect with customers on a more personal level, and drive repeat sales.

You can even use the tool to make collecting payments less difficult.

Currently used by over 200,000 small businesses, Infusionsoft is a leader in the CRM software market.

It combines tools like high-level data storage security with contact information curation and marketing automation software.

One particularly impressive feature is Infusionsoft’s dashboard, which gives you a great overview of all the progress you’re making in your campaign.

You can see the open rate for your latest email, how your sales are increasing and more.

But, is ideal for everyone?

Maybe not.

Why Would You Look for an Alternative?

Infusionsoft is an excellent piece of software – but it has its limitations.

CRM solutions are rarely a one-size-fits-all thing. If you’re worried about setup fees, delivery rates, and email issues, then you’ll have a few setbacks with Infusionsoft.

Some of the biggest problems we noted about the system include:

A hefty kickstart fee

Let’s face it, you need a CRM that suits your budget.

Infusion soft offers three service levels (basic, pro, and premier), all at different rates. However, aside from your standard monthly fee, you’ll also need to pay a mandatory “kickstart” cost too.

This buys you the support of an official Infusionsoft consultant to come and help you “kickstart” your campaign.

Though it’s helpful to have an expert on board, prices start at about $499, which is off-putting to most smaller businesses.

Deliverability rates

Infusionsoft swears that its deliverability rates are over 98%.

However, deliverability can vary from one user to the next.

Because of this, it’s usually a good idea to check out reviews from other customers to get an insight into what you can expect.

The good news is that Infusionsoft advises you on improving your delivery rates.

However, you cannot set up a dedicated IP address to send emails and avoid the impact of a poor IP reputation.

Substandard email templates

Infusionsoft isn’t an email marketing platform, so it’s bound to have limited email functionality.

However, the models seem pretty sub-standard at best.

They’re easy enough to set up, but if you’re looking for state-of-the-art content, you won’t get it here.

How Should You Look For an Infusionsoft Alternative?

Based on our extensive testing, and the information we’ve gathered from customer testimonials, there are a few things you’ll want to look for in Infusionsoft alternatives. For instance:

• Better email drip campaigns
• On-site customer tracking options
• Lower prices
• Social media support
• Basic features: CRM, Sales,
• Marketing and Payment help

To decide what you need most from your Infusionsoft alternatives:

1. Look for Bottlenecks in Your Organisation

The whole point of CRM is to streamline your business performance and enhance productivity.

With that in mind, you need to find out what’s bottlenecking your company before you start the hunt.

For instance, visual reporting is great on Infusionsoft, but you can only look at the stats over the last 24 hours or 30 days. There’s nothing in between.

If you want a more comprehensive overview of how your campaigns are performing, you might need to consider alternatives like ActiveCampaign.

2. Prioritize User Experience

Just having the right features for your CRM solution isn’t enough.

Your employees (and you) will need to work with your CRM daily, so it should feel good to use. Adoption and experience are paramount in any software decision these days.

For instance, the tags in Infusionsoft let you get super granular about how you want to segment your database.

They’re great for managing your clients; you can even give each customer their unique lead score.

On the other hand, the UI isn’t always as intuitive as it could be. Adding a note to contact seems to take a few clicks at least, and any extra time on a CRM adds up in the long term.

3. Request a Demonstration and Test Drive

No matter how great the reviews and testimonials are, you should never take a CRM at face value. The best way to get started is to test it out. Infusionsoft does offer a free demo – which is how we started getting a feel for the system.

So be on the lookout for demos and onboarding support.

Oh, and don’t underestimate the value of great support with such a tool.

Say you wanted to ask about how to use the Infusionsoft API as a developer. Maybe you want to access a user token without using Oathflow, there are plenty of people to assist with that.

However, if your question is a bit too complicated for the community, you’ll be waiting a long time for the Infusionsoft team to find your queries online. You’ll have to call the team instead and ask for specialist help.

Conclusion

Infusionsoft is an excellent piece of CRM software, complete with marketing automation, segmentation, sales pipeline tracking and more.

However, it won’t be the right solution for everyone.

ActiveCampaign seems like a much better alternative for companies searching for a simpler CRM management solution.

Infusionsoft can feel clunky and complicated for some, and it lacks the features of other CRMs that are often available for a smaller price tag.

It’s quicker and easier to use than Infusionsoft, and managing your contacts becomes much easier.

What’s more, you won’t have to spend nearly as much on set-up and monthly costs with ActiveCampaign as you would with Infusionsoft.

But other options can be just as useful, depending on what your business needs.