Eliana Willis

As its name tells you, customer relationship management, or CRM, software provides tools that businesses of any size can use to deal with customer relationships and interactions. Areas covered by CRM packages can include communication management and tracking; marketing assistance; lead and deal tracking; and financial analysis — all of which help businesses grow and optimize their sales channels.Also: The best remote access software: Expert testedIf you run a small business that needs a platform for managing sales leads and growth, investing in CRM software is an excellent idea. CRM suites not only provide a central platform for monitoring customer interactions, sales, and deals, they can also be used to automate some time-consuming processes, freeing you up to focus on your business’ core needs. What is the best small-business CRM software right now?The best CRM software for small businesses is HubSpot More

If you have a business with product inventory or that sells goods and services, Shopify should be on your radar. The platform makes it easy to build a digital storefront for customers, whether they’re buying in person, online, or via social or digital marketplaces. Shopify plans start at $29 per month, billed annually, with additional tiers at $79 and $299 per month. A more expensive plan comes with lower processing fees, greater shipping discounts, and additional staff accounts, so if you have a higher sales volume and more inventory, the savings could easily offset the increased annual fee. There’s also a $5-per-month Starter subscription for users who sell products via social, such as Instagram or WhatsApp. Shopify doesn’t have a fully free tier, but it does offer a three-day free trial followed by one month for $1, so you can try it out before you commit. Also: If you want your Amazon affiliate links to count, don’t do thisShopify’s website builder isn’t as intuitive to use or as easy to customize as some other platforms, and though there are nearly 240 themes to choose from, only a handful are free. There is a guided setup wizard for adding products, designing your storefront, and setting up payments and shipping, as well as basic AI tools for generating text and media for your site. If you need additional support to get up and running, you can hire a professional through Shopify’s partner directory.  All plans have unlimited bandwidth and storage, page caching, and an SSL certificate, as well as robust marketing and e-commerce features for both in-person and online sales, such as inventory tracking, point of sale, abandoned cart recovery, and email marketing. Shopify promises 99.99% uptime and 24/7 customer support via live chat if any issues arise. Shopify features: SSL certificate | 99.99% uptime | Basic AI tools | 24/7 customer chat support | Three-day free trial  More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETApple recently launched its new entry-level iPhone 16e, with a three-year gap from the previous model giving the company time to implement a major refresh, including Apple Intelligence, an A18 chipset, a new cellular modem, a larger battery capacity, Face ID, and much more. Also: I found an Android phone that can convince iPhone users to make the switch – and it’s not a flagshipThe best part — it is all packaged into a $599 handset, sold for hundreds of dollars less than the base iPhone 16 model More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Blackview Tab 90 WiFi (2025) is on sale now for $142 on Amazon. It punches above its price point in terms of hardware. Expanded memory does need to be pushed to the max to get the best performance. –> Blackview, a brand primarily recognized for its rugged smartphones, has also […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways This super-thin, super-durable tool has a myriad of uses. These are priced well, with cheaper copies on the market, but you should avoid them because they’re not a patch on the originals. The only downside I’ve found is that I can’t seem to find the Mini Spudgers for sale on their […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The RingConn Gen 2 Air is a $200 smart ring, one of the first subscription-free and affordable smart rings I’ve tested. The battery life can survive up to eight or nine days of use, and the sleep data collection rivals Oura. The AI health partner feature is lackluster, and it’s essential […] More

Samsung/ZDNETIf you’ve been looking for a new digital storage option, Samsung has a deal on the 8TB Samsung T5 Evo More

rob dobi/Getty Images A CTO and a CMO walk into a bar. The bartender goes… Who am I kidding? A CTO and CMO would never walk into a bar together. They’re too busy arguing about who should be in charge of the company’s AI initiatives. 🤭 In today’s article, aside from the best dad jokes […] More