E-commerce invoicing software, WooCommerce

Running an online store means juggling a wide variety of tasks. To spend as little time as possible on things other than sourcing new products, improving your site, or shaping your business strategy, using an e-commerce invoicing software lets you automate some of the most time-consuming obligations.

Software compatibility with e-commerce invoicing

Compatibility with your CMS

When choosing your e-commerce invoicing software, it is essential that it be compatible with your online store. The most widely used CMS platforms are WooCommerce (a WordPress extension), PrestaShop, Wizishop, Shopify, and Magento.

The point of this compatibility is to enable synchronization between your store and your e-commerce invoicing. This synchronization must be retroactive, meaning you can import your entire business history. Beyond that, the invoicing software must let you automate certain tasks as flexibly as possible.

The ability to sync multiple stores and multiple CMS platforms

You may be starting out with a single store, but success might tempt you to launch more! You could also decide to sell your goods on a single-product site, which means creating a new site for each new offer.

It is essential that your e-commerce invoicing software anticipate your growth and let you sync as many stores as you like. It must also let you work across different CMS platforms.

You may well test different systems depending on your products, but also based on cost, how much you can customize your store, and simply your personal preferences. You might start with the free WooCommerce extension for WordPress, then later want to try Shopify or Wizishop, for example.

The software should adapt to your choices — not the other way around!

Compatibility with your company’s legal status

Your e-commerce invoicing software must be compatible with your company’s legal status. If you are a sole trader (micro-entrepreneur), for instance, it should automatically track the thresholds you are subject to and warn you when you cross:

• the threshold beyond which you must charge and declare VAT;
• the threshold beyond which you can no longer operate under the sole trader scheme and must choose a new legal status for your business.

In the second case, the software should provide for transferring your accounting to your new company.

Building your customer database

Every business depends on its customers, and they deserve great care so you can build loyalty and encourage them to recommend you to others and in public reviews online.

The customer file is the cornerstone of your database. For every new customer — and even every new prospect — you create a customer record in your e-commerce invoicing software. It lets you store their contact details, as well as their history of exchanges with you and a summary of their orders.

It is important to keep this data well maintained, as it is invaluable for your sales efforts. Every customer is sensitive to the attention you give them, and they will be touched if you make them feel unique. Unless you have an elephant’s memory, a quick glance at a customer’s record lets you personalize your interactions.

This data also helps you fine-tune your promotions and sales campaigns by targeting customers based on the criteria of your choice.

Customizing your e-commerce invoicing

Customizing invoices for your customers

Customizing your invoices might seem like a minor detail, but it is actually an essential element. Start by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. When you receive an invoice, it is essential that it be clearly presented so you can check at a glance that it matches your order. What’s more, the logo and colors register unconsciously in the mind, which is how customers better remember a company’s brand — naturally building loyalty. Customizing your invoices lets you pick up a bit of brand recognition, effortlessly.

The choice of colors also matters a great deal, since our brains automatically build associations. It is essential that your color scheme be consistent with your business. If you sell natural products, for example, you would choose pastel tones leaning toward blue or green, whereas a bright red would clash with your brand ethos. What might seem like a detail actually resonates with consumers. It is no coincidence that major brands put so much thought into the colors of their logo, their product packaging, and the tones used in their advertising campaigns.

Customizing invoices for yourself

Customizing your e-commerce invoicing is also useful from the business owner’s perspective. If you run several stores, differentiating your accounting documents will make things much easier to navigate. You can also operate under different company names, with different addresses, which are automatically filled in on your invoices.

Automation options

Automation options are an indispensable and valuable tool for managing online stores.

The first sync

When you sync your e-commerce store for the first time, the invoicing software must import your history. It is important that you get a full overview of your transactions and can invoice anything that has not yet been billed.

Creating different sales documents

Invoicing is mandatory to keep proper accounts, but depending on your business, you may also need to issue preliminary sales documents (quotes, purchase orders, or delivery notes), as well as corrective documents for the same order (partial or full credit notes, interim invoices, new invoices, etc.).

There’s obviously no need to start from a blank page each time. The software lets you convert your initial document into the format of your choice in just a few seconds.

Automatic invoice sending

The flexibility of software built for e-commerce should let you configure invoice-sending conditions to match how you work.

• For goods paid for at the time of order, invoice sending can be fully automated.
• If you sell subscriptions or recurring services, you can schedule invoice generation and sending to match your delivery cadence.
• When a delivery is incomplete or defective, you simply authorize sending a partial or full credit note, or a refund.
• If you work in dropshipping, you can schedule invoice sending as you see fit, based on your suppliers and the deadlines imposed by that intermediary.
• You can set the sending dates for split invoices — for example, a deposit at the time of order and the balance on delivery or at the end of service delivery.

If your business has other specific needs, check with your invoicing software provider whether its automation options match your requirements. If not, ask whether they can build features specific to your e-commerce business.

Accounting that is always up to date

Syncing your e-commerce store with your invoicing software guarantees up-to-date accounting. It lets you track invoice payments and flags any late payments. This way, you’re assured that no unpaid invoice goes unfollowed.

Up-to-date accounting is also essential so that your filings (balance sheet, VAT, URSSAF, etc.) match your actual activity in real time. In the event of a tax audit — which can happen at any point in the year — you can rest assured you’re in compliance.

Invoicing abroad

Online selling lets you sell your goods worldwide. When you send an invoice outside the eurozone, your e-commerce invoicing software should automatically convert your prices into the recipient’s currency, syncing with the European Central Bank to apply the exact exchange rate in real time.

It is also important that your invoice text can be automatically translated. Your customer will appreciate the attention and will be more likely to stay loyal to you. With smoother interactions, they will be more inclined to come back to you and to recommend you.

Cloud storage

The sheer volume of accounting documents tied to your online store can quickly clutter your computer. Storage also requires you to organize your files meticulously so you can instantly find what you need. What’s more, if you don’t remember to back up regularly, you risk losing everything in the event of a hardware failure.

With online invoicing software, all these pitfalls are avoided. You store nothing on your computer’s own storage, and archiving is centralized in the cloud. You don’t need to worry about backups, since they are handled by the provider.

This external storage also lets you access your data from anywhere in the world, using your personal login credentials.

Accounting exports

Invoicing software lets you export your accounting data. Creating these documents takes just a few clicks.

This lets you analyze your business in detail. Using filters, you can select a specific period, a product or product range, sales tied to a particular promotion or sales campaign, and so on. This gives you a clear view of how your revenue is evolving and lets you refine your sales strategy to improve it.

Exports can also be sent to your bookkeeper, your accountant, or any other tax advisor. In the event of an audit, tax authorities may request certain figures that are quick to obtain through these accounting exports.

If you are a sole trader, this feature helps you create your revenue ledger and purchase register.

Finally, accounting data helps you convince a banker or investor to advance you funds, or persuade a partner to go into business with you.

Calculating charges

Every business is subject to charges. For a sole trader, they are declared monthly or quarterly. It is worth choosing software suited to this status that calculates, on each of your sales, the amount of charges you will later need to pay to URSSAF. This figure is often overlooked by novice business owners, who tend to confuse revenue with margin. This withholding reminds you of the importance of setting aside future charges in your cash flow.

Of course, this figure does not appear on the invoice sent to the customer.

Compatibility with other automation tools

Anything that can be automated saves you precious time you can then devote to growing your online store. Find out whether you can connect automation tools with your invoicing software.

Take Zapier as an example: this web service lets you connect your favorite apps to automate time-consuming, repetitive tasks. The platform acts as a go-between for two or more apps. To set up your “zap,” you choose a “trigger” and define the action (or actions) it should perform automatically.

For a sole trader running one or more online stores, it is worth connecting your invoicing software to your bank, for example. This lets you set up various alerts — particularly around cash-flow thresholds — so you don’t have to check your account when there’s no need to.