A2X, Webgility, and Link My Books are three of the most powerful eCommerce automation software on the net today. All three solutions connect eCommerce platforms with accounting software. They automatically send transaction data from one to the other so you don't need to waste time on manual data entry.
As an eCommerce business, eCommerce accounting automation software saves you lots of time, and also helps you avoid accounting mistakes. This kind of software is an absolute must-have for eCommerce sellers.
But that begs the question, which one should you choose?
Key Takeaways from this Post
One of the best things you can do for your eCommerce accounting processes is to adopt an automation software. This will save you time and money, and also help shield you from potential mistakes in your books. Inaccurate data leads to skewed business projections and wrong tax calculations.
Link My Books, A2X, and Webgility all have standout features that set them apart from each other. They all automatically transfer financial data to your accounting software. To choose between them, look at their integrations, support, features, and of course, cost.
Link My Books is not only excellent value for money but it also gives users access to powerful analytical tools to help you grow your business. Compare metrics, like sales and refunds, across your different stores. Additionally, Benchmarking allows you to compare your store with industry averages.
Today, we'll be analysing these three software. Read on to discover which automated accounting solution is right for you.
Mistakes People Make When Choosing an Accounting Automation Software
Link My Books has worked with thousands of eCommerce sellers over the years and we've identified four classic mistakes that people make when choosing an accounting automation software:
Deciding They Don't Need it
If you're building an online business, whether that's through Shopify, Amazon, eBay, or any other sales channel, you need automation software for your accounting tasks. From small businesses to large ones, this software will afford you more time to focus on more important aspects of your business, like scaling.
Not having such a solution will hold your business back because you'll spend more and more time on bookkeeping as your business grows.
Neglecting Scalability
That brings us nicely to scalability. Many businesses don't consider the potential impact accounting automation solutions can have on long-term growth. Consider how easy it is to remain tax compliant, for example, when you decide to branch out into international eCommerce. And how well your chosen solution helps (or hinders) this venture.
Equally, consider any limitations on the number of products you can sell and how removing those limitations will impact the cost as your business grows.
Putting Cost Before Value for Money
If you choose a software based on its cost alone, you might not be getting the most for your money. You need to look at the subscription plans as a whole and compare the different features and the potential ROI they'll help generate. For example, analytical tools that'll enable you to compare financial data across different platforms could indicate where your marketing efforts are most successful.
Not Considering Usability and Support
Regardless of what it's for, a software that you spend half your time trying to navigate and figure out is not a software that's helping your business. You need a software that has a dedicated support team behind it who can share their expertise with their customers. You also need to consider the learning curve for each software, in addition to its UI.
A2X vs Webgility vs Link My Books
Core Features
To help us on our quest to discover the best automated accounting software for eCommerce businesses, we're first going to look at the core features of each software.
A2X Key Features
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- Payment gateway daily summaries: A2X will produce daily, weekly, or monthly summaries from different payment gateways. Statements from third party gateways are separate from regular statements. This feature is compatible with Shopify and BigCommerce, and accounts for details like sales, fees, and taxes.
- NetSuite and Sage integrations: As well as integrating with Xero and QuickBooks Online, A2X gives it's users additional options when it comes to accounting software; NetSuite and Sage. With NetSuite in particular, customers can enjoy an integration of additional features like inventory management and customer data management.
- A2X certification course: A2X offers accountants and bookkeepers a certification course so they can better manage their eCommerce clients. This course is presented with on-demand videos and articles, and there are 9 modules altogether. Upon completion, participants get a certification badge, and are also listed in the A2X directory.
Webgility Key Features
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- Inventory management: Webgility's inventory management software enables users to track inventory, and optimize product feeds by syncing data between multiple eCommerce stores. This software platform also syncs pricing and stock levels across not only each sales channel, but also your accounting software.
- Dropshipping automation: If your business has a dropshipping model, Webgility's dropshipping automation software might be for you. The software reduces errors within your fulfilment processes with features like syncing data with QuickBooks Online and sending automated emails to vendors. Businesses can streamline their business process and manage all their stores from one dashboard.
- Reporting: Webgility has real-time reporting capabilities. It produces detailed profitability reports and analyses performance trends so users can make informed business decisions to accelerate growth. Users can also view metrics like best and worst selling products and which products generate the most revenue. With this information, users can optimize their product feeds and built-in feed templates for the best results.
Link My Books Key Features
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- Benchmarking: Link My Books Benchmarking is a first-of-its kind feature that gives you a percentile ranking of how your business stacks up compared to similar ones. For example, it analyses metrics like sales growth and refund ratio, so you can judge not only your business's performance, but also industry trends. This feature also gives actionable advice to improve your ranking for each metric.
- Profit and Loss by Channel: P & L by Channel is a feature that enables you to compare performance across your eCommerce sales channels. View which one's generate the most revenue, refunds, and fees, etc. And, look at side-by-side comparisons within specific time-frames.
- Analytics: The analytics within Link My Books is one of its standout features. Look at an overview of financial data across all your channels, like combined sales or refunds. Or, hone in on metrics for each channel. eCommerce analytics tools help you to make decisions based on real data, such as investing more money into a specific e Commerce channel or compiling a list of key performance indicators.
- Tax and COGS: Set your tax rates when you sign up to Link My Books and it'll automatically apply these to every product you sell. The Guided Tax Wizard is designed to make setting up this process as smooth as possible. Additionally, turn on COGS tracking for an accurate view of your revenue and expenses every time.
Integrations
Third party integrations can make your accounting setup even better. Consider the different sales platforms your automation software can connect with. And, how this will enable business growth.
A2X Integrations
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A2X integrates with Xero and QuickBooks Online accounting softwares, along with Sage, NetSuite, and major payment processors. Additionally, these are the sales channels and marketplaces that A2X users can connect to:
- Amazon
- Shopify
- eBay
- Etsy
- Walmart
- BigCommerce
Webgility Integrations
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Webgility has lots of integrations, not just payment processors and e commerce platforms, but also business-boosting apps like MailChimp and SalesForce. Users have a choice of QuickBooks Online/Desktop and NetSuite accounting software.
These are the eCommerce platforms Webgility connects to:
- Shopify
- Magento
- Wix
- WooCommerce
- Big Commerce
- Amazon
- eBay
- Etsy
- Walmart
Link My Books Integrations
Link My Books integrates with both Xero and QuickBooks Online accounting softwares. On top of that, it connects with, and gathers data from, all major payment processors. With regards to eCommerce channels and platforms, Link My Books integrates with:
- Amazon
- Shopify
- eBay
- Etsy
- TikTok Shop
- Walmart
- Square
- WooCommerce
The Subscription Options
We know that pricing is probably going to contribute to your choice of automation software. Also consider things like the number of orders and sales channels that come with each plan, historical data, and the ability to customise your plan if you need to.
A2X Pricing
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A2X Mini plan costs $29/month per channel (recently increased from $19). However, things can quickly get costly. For example, if you have one Shopify store, for $29 you can have up to 200 orders and 3 months of historical data. So far so good.
But if you have a Shopify store and an Amazon store, you need to purchase the multi-plan option for $89/month. This option affords you up to 1,000 orders (combined across both stores). If you have three sales channels, so add an eBay store into the mix, it'll cost you $115 per month for 2,000 products.
Moving away from the multi options though, you have four plan choices:
Webgility Pricing
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Webgility is quite costly compared with alternatives like Link My Books. Plans begin at $49/month when you pay annually. If you're a business on a budget, you'll probably want to pay monthly though. If that's the case, it'll cost you $59/month. And this plan doesn't give you access to inventory management features or advanced analytics. It's worth noting though that there are plans specifically for QuickBooks Desktop users too.
Webgility's 'Basic' plan that I mentioned above allows you to connect one sales platform. If you pay annually, you can have up to 3,000 orders per month with this plan. But if you pay monthly, you get 250 orders. A similar Link My Books plan costs $55/month for one channel and up to 5,000 orders when paid monthly. Or, just $35/month for up to 1,000 orders. And, if you want to pay annually, you get two months for free!
Let's take a look at some examples of Webgility subscription plans based on monthly payments:
Side note: QuickBooks Desktop plans begin at $139. And, the difference between the two most expensive plans in the table is that the bottom one includes fulfillment services and Mailchimp customer data syncing.
Link My Books Pricing
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Link My Books has a straightforward pricing system. And, prices are excellent value for money. They're customisable too. Just slide the slider at the top of the page to choose your number of orders per month. The prices for each plan will adjust accordingly.
Plans begin at $17/month for 200 orders and one sales channel. This gives you access to 3 months of historical data. You can connect to unlimited marketplaces, for example, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.fr. Plus, you can add as many users as you like. This is one reason why professional accountants very often opt for Link My Books.
Let's have a look at a few plan options to get a comparison with A2X and Webgility:
All Link My Books plans come with a free onboarding session. This is to help you get set up and ensure your tax rates are all correct.
Support
As we know, a strong support team is a necessary component of a good software company. With that in mind, let's take a look at the support these three software have to offer:
A2X Support
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A2X offers live chat and email support. You can connect with a member of the team 24/7 via the live chat feature. The most expensive plan also includes 'premium 1:1 support'. A2X has a support center with a fair number of articles covering a variety of topics, from setting up as an accountant to understanding Amazon transactions.
Furthermore, A2X has some good resources in the form of webinars. These are either directed at eCommerce sellers, accountants, or both. Resources get stuck into accounting and marketing topics. For example, one webinar discusses sales techniques. You can use the information in this to create PPC campaigns based on your target audience.
Webgility
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Webgility is reachable via telephone, live chat, email, and a support ticket system; so plenty of options. They also have a support center, and a variety of educational resources where you can learn about different eCommerce topics. These are in the form of webinars, research materials, and infographics. There are live webinars too, so you can register, attend, and participate in the Q & A session at the end.
Unfortunately, Webgility reviews detail the company's disappointing level of support. According to GetApp and Trustpilot reviews, some customers have had trouble getting issues resolved, struggled with Webgility's offshore support team, and had problems when cancelling their subscriptions.
Link My Books
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Link My Books' first-rate support team is just one of the aspects that make it stand out amongst competitors. We're made up of accounting and eCommerce experts that are on-hand to help throughout setting up your account and beyond. Thousands of eCommerce sellers and accountants trust Link My Books to deliver exactly what is promised every time; bookkeeping on autopilot.
You can get in touch with the Link My Books team via live chat and email. You can also book a 1:1 product demo. And, every plan (even the smallest) comes with a free optional onboarding session. This is to help you set your account up correctly with your tax rates.
Link My Books has a good range of learning materials in the form of blog posts, how-to guides, and videos and webinars. We also have a podcast where we discuss eCommerce growth topics with industry experts. This is aptly named 'The eCommerce Profitability Show'. You can check that out here.
Which eCommerce Accounting Automation Software Should You Choose?
So after all that, how do you choose which software is right for your business? Let's go through the factors to consider when you're deciding:
Cost
Your budget is going to play a big part in your decision. Not only should you look at the cost and what features you get for your money, but you should also consider whether you need to pay monthly or annually. Although paying annually will normally be cheaper, it's not always a viable option. And, you don't want to miss out too much by opting for monthly payments.
Features
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Write a list of features that are important for your business and then compare it with the features of each software. Perhaps native multi market capability is important to your business. Or, built in optimization features, such as Link My Books Benchmarking. This gives you actionable advice to optimize aspects like sales and minimize refunds.
Link My Books also helps you manage your advertizing budget by including costs for PPC campaigns in your profit and loss statements.
Integrations
To optimize business growth, your eCommerce accounting automation software should integrate with all the most popular eCommerce platforms. This means that whether you sell solely on a composable eCommerce platform like Shopify, or operate across multiple marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, your software should be able to handle it comfortably. Seamless integration with your chosen accounting software is also a must.
Support
Support is supposed to help your business and ensure that issues are resolved in a timely manner. If you choose a software with poor support, your business will likely suffer for it. This is especially true for software that encounters frequent problems. Or, is difficult to get up and running and use.
Look at online review platforms like Capterra, Xero App Store, and QuickBooks App Store. You'll be able to gauge customer satisfaction and understand the pros and cons from a customer perspective.
Save Hours on Your eCommerce Accounting With Link My Books
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Do you want to save hours of time every month on your eCommerce accounting? Of course you do! Link My Books eliminates the need for manual data entry by seamlessly connecting your eCommerce store to your accounting software. It integrates with multiple platforms simultaneously so you can keep all of your e commerce data in one place.
From Walmart sellers and Amazon sellers, to eBay stores and Shopify stores, Link My Books is on-hand to deliver world class customer experiences by simplifying accounting processes. Sign up for free today and get a two week trial without commitment.
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