Shopify has been one of the most popular sites to build an online store. Since its development in 2006, it has emerged to be one of the best ecommerce sites to start an online store. Dropshipping is a very lucrative business and a great business-model for entrepreneurs. Dropshipping with the best ecommerce platform like Shopify is very convenient and a great option for new entrepreneurs. This business model makes it possible for entrepreneurs to outsource, handle, and ship products to third-parties.
Eager to kickstart? In this article, we will be talking about how to Dropship with Shopify. Dropshipping isn't planning to be less lucrative than it is now, in fact, it has proven to be one of the best ways to make money online. We will be uncovering a lot in this article so tighten your seatbelt and let's roll!
Chapter 1
What is dropshipping?
Dropshipping is a business model that enables individuals to sell products without a physical storefront and inventory. Dropshipping has made it easier for entrepreneurs to ship products to their customers without having to worry about logistics. The link in Dropshipping is the connection between the entrepreneurs and the supplier down to the customer.
In this fast-growing world individuals, especially entrepreneurs, are seeking ways to make money online, and Dropshipping is filling that yearning or gap. In the past few years, it has become the most popular and lucrative way to make money online and the best part of it is that the individual doesn't need to worry about inventory, or logistics, all of which will be handled by the supplier which is a third-party that can be anything from a wholesaler, or manufacturer, or maybe a retailer.
This business model has transformed a lot of things, especially the landscape of ecommerce, it has proven to allow individuals to start an online business with little investment, and risk level. You can see dropshipping from another angle. It has eliminated the need for traditional inventory as the individual hardly keeps any products in stock.
The relationship between the entrepreneurs with the manufacturer or supplier is what makes dropshipping possible. The supplier keeps products in stock and is responsible for shipping products down to your customers. One can say that dropshipping is highly flexible and scalable. It reduces operational responsibility, the task of shipping, packaging, and product management. You can gain access to a wide variety of products from different suppliers which increases sales and profits.
What is Shopify?
Simply put, Shopify is an ecommerce platform that enables entrepreneurs to build an online store and make sales through their dashboards. Shopify is a site that lets you build, grow and manage your business. Founded in 2006 by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake, Shopify is a platform that lets entrepreneurs or merchants customize their stores and sell in multiple places such as web, mobile, brick-and-mortar, etc. It is made up of a wide range of tools, and also a user-friendly interface which makes it easy to navigate. Its features are vast and help to set up, manage and promote your products.
Shopify helps its users manage products, shipping, process payments, track Sales, and analytics. This platform supports multi-channel selling, you can not only sell your products in the store but also on social media platforms, in person, etc. Its comprehensive solution makes it the most popular place for online stores. So many successful online stores are hosted by Shopify and it also offers secured and reliable hosting infrastructures to these stores. Its built-in SEO features enable its users to optimize their site to rank high in search engines, this gives you an edge over other competitors leading to increased Sales and traffic.
What are the benefits of Dropshipping with Shopify?
There are many benefits attached to Dropshipping with Shopify which we will unveil in this section of the article.
1. Low startup cost: This sounds interesting right? Dropshipping with Shopify involves little investment and low barrier entry. Comparing it to traditional marketing which requires capital to start, a physical storefront, shipping, products management, and storage, dropshipping requires only an online store and a relationship with a third party. There's no need for warehousing, shipping, product management, and storage.
2. Access to wide varieties of products: Dropshipping with Shopify gives you access to wide Varieties of Products from different suppliers which results in increased Sales and profitability. There is access to thousands of products which makes it easier for you to change your product line.
3. Easy to start: Dropshipping with Shopify can be incredibly easy to start. All you need to do is to choose a product, find where to market them, and get a customer to place an order. Shopify has made it easy for entrepreneurs to open a dropshipping business and run it smoothly without stress and hassle. This benefit is one of the main reasons why Dropshipping is highly competitive, but dropshipping is very lucrative and there's always a chance to grow.
4. No need for logistics: This is one good reason I love dropshipping, you don't need to worry about how goods can be shipped to your audience. Shipping can be a very stressful and complicated part of ecommerce, but dropshipping saves you the stress, time, and also money to ship customers' orders. The supplier is in charge of the logistics, when a customer makes an order, you pay the shipping fee to the supplier and they will ship the product down to your customers. You can also benefit from some Shipping discounts.
5. Customer support: This is a very important part of your dropshipping business. Your customers are very important, they are the main focus of your business, thereby their satisfaction is very crucial. Dropshipping with Shopify offers 24/7 support to your customers, they are there to assist you with any technical or business questions you might have. They also have a large community where other dropshipping entrepreneurs share their thoughts, insights, and experience on networking, etc.
6. Access to a wide range of marketing tools: Shopify offers access to a wide range of marketing tools. They have built-in integrations and marketing features. These tools are there to help you Market your business and products to the public. With these features, marketing platforms, and integrations you can attract potential customers to your store, and increase website traffic, sales, and leads.
7. Low-risk: Dropshipping with Shopify reduces any risk especially one associated with traditional mode of selling. There's no need to invest upfront in inventory. No need for any physical storage to start worrying about how to maintain products stored in the warehouse. It has a total Low-Risk factor.
8. Global reach: With Shopify, you can reach thousands of people around the globe. It has features like internet shipping options and multiple currencies which enables you to sell to different people from different countries. Dropshipping with Shopify makes it easier to reach out to them and market your products and services to them and have the products shipped down to them regardless of their location.
9. Focus on your customers and marketing: Give 100% focus to your customer's needs and marketing your products. Shopify helps you to focus on your audience and marketing them while they handle the other aspects which might distract you such as logistics, inventory management, and fulfillment tasks. It enables you to focus more on building your own brand.
10. Integration with third-parties: Shopify features a sizable app ecosystem that enables you to interface with a variety of third-party programs. These apps can improve the functionality of your store, ease processes, and maximize marketing initiatives.
Why should you Dropship with Shopify?
Shopify being the top ecommerce website has made it easier for entrepreneurs to market their products online at a low price, they can easily launch their ecommerce store on Shopify. The big question here is "Why Should You Dropship with Shopify?" Dropshipping with Shopify opens access to several features and advantages and below are the reasons why you should Dropship with Shopify.
1. Easy to set-up
This user-friendly platform makes it easy to set up your store on its platform. You don't need any technical abilities or skills to set up your store, it makes it easier to set up your store with any technical know-how. With the list of customizable templates provided by Shopify, adding your products is easier, you only need to select a template and easily add your products to your store.
2. Product management
Another reason why you should dropship with Shopify is its product management. It manages your products effectively making it easier for you to add products, remove out of stock products, adjust prices, etc. You can easily update information on your products, manage inventory, and import products from suppliers.
3. Order fulfillment
You can automate the order process. This means that when an order is made the supplier gets automatically notified of the order and also be able to handle the shipping process, enabling effective shopping of the products to customers making sure it reaches them. This removes the need for inventory management and logistics.
4. Payment gateways
There are multiple payment gateways for flexible and easy payment of products. This is very important for every ecommerce store and integrating your store with multiple payment gateways makes payment very smooth and flexible. You won't lose customers to your competitors just because you don't have a particular payment gateway. This makes your clients find your store comfortable, and easy to navigate and also will likely come back for more purchases.
Many payment gateways like PayPal are restricted in some countries and making it your only payment gateway is like building limitations around your store. Having multiple payment gateways makes it easier for people from different countries to be able to pay for products bought. That's why Shopify had a different payment gateway to make it easier for customers to make purchases.
5. Marketing and SEO
You can effectively optimize your store to rank higher on Google search results due to Shopify's inbuilt SEO tools. When your store is fully optimized you have a better advantage than your competitors, increased Sales and traffic are some of its benefits. Also, Shopify has some marketing features like discount codes, gift cards, and social media integration to help promote your product and store to your audience
6. Security and hosting
Of course, this is very crucial for every store. Shopify ensures the security of your store, it also hosts your store making it accessible to customers and always secured. One beautiful thing about Shopify is that it automatically updates the security of your store and also maintains it, so you don't need to worry about Updates and maintenance.
We'll update this guide each month over the next six months to provide a fully comprehensive guide to dropshipping with Shopify so do check back regularly for more help and tips as we publish them.
