If you’re looking to start a dropshipping business, Shopify is one of the best-selling platforms to get started on. As an all-in-one eCommerce solution, Shopify provides a user-friendly interface, a wide range of features, and the ability to easily create and customize an online store.
In this ultimate guide, we’ll show you how to dropship on Shopify by covering
Let’s get the ball rolling!
Dropshipping on Shopify: An Overview
Before uncovering how you can leverage Shopify for your dropshipping business, it’s essential that you read a Shopify review to understand what it has to offer. If you still need a comprehensive guide to get started, take a look at our Shopify tutorials for beginners.
Once you have a good understanding of what Shopify is and how it works, it’s time to explore how you can use it for dropshipping. Let’s take a closer look at dropshipping with Shopify and its pros and cons!
What is Shopify dropshipping?
If you wonder how to sell on Shopify without inventory, the ultimate answer is to do dropshipping through Shopify. Instead of holding inventory, the seller sets up an online store using Shopify’s platform and chooses products to sell from a supplier. When a customer purchases a product from the online store, the order is automatically transmitted to the supplier, who then ships the product directly to the customer.
This business model lets the seller focus on marketing and customer service while the supplier handles inventory management and order fulfillment. Dropshipping also offers several other benefits, such as low startup costs and the ability to test products and markets without significant risk.
As one of the top eCommerce platforms, Shopify gives you the advantage of a user-friendly platform that allows you to set up your dropshipping store easily. You can choose from various customizable themes and features to create a unique and professional-looking store.
Pros and Cons of Dropshipping on Shopify
It’s important to acknowledge all the pros and cons associated with dropshipping on Shopify. And therefore, you’ll be able to prepare for your dropshipping business efficiently. Let’s go over some of the most prominent pros and cons in the table below.
Pros | Cons |
Easy to set up and use with no coding experience required. | Limited customization options without coding knowledge or paid apps. |
Wide range of integrations and apps available for added functionality. | Transaction fees charged on top of payment processing fees. |
High level of security and reliability for online transactions. | Monthly subscription costs that can add up over time. |
User-friendly interface for managing products, orders, and customer data. | Slow and unhelpful customer service sometimes. |
Large and active community of Shopify users for support and advice. | Competitive market that is difficult to stand out among other dropshippers on the platform. |
How to Start Dropshipping on Shopify in 5 Steps
Despite the challenges, dropshipping remains a model that yields great profit if you have a proper strategy. Without further ado, let’s look at the 5 steps that get you started on how to dropship on Shopify!
#Step 1. Find a product niche
If you don’t know how to dropship on Shopify, you can start by choosing a specific product niche to focus on. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, selecting a niche allows you to narrow your target audience and create a more specific marketing strategy. By doing this, you can attract customers interested in your products and more likely to convert.
Another benefit of choosing a niche is less competition than if you were selling to a mass market. When you focus on a particular group of customers, you can stand out from other general retailers and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. This can lead to more sales and repeat customers, as well as increased brand recognition.
You can use Google Trends or Amazon Best Sellers to research market trends and find products within a specific niche. Here’s how you can leverage these tools:
- Google Trends: You can use it to identify whether a particular product or niche is trending up or down in popularity. To use Google Trends, simply enter your keyword or topic in the search bar and view the data. You can also filter by location and time period for more specific information.
- Amazon Best Sellers: This feature allows you to see which products are currently selling the best on Amazon in a particular category or niche. To use Amazon Best Sellers, go to the Best Sellers section of the Amazon website and navigate to the category or niche you are interested in. You can then view the top-selling products in that category.
Additionally, social media channels like Tiktok are also worth referring to, as you can look for reviews and trending product ideas there.
#Step 2. Define your target audience
Defining your target audience is a critical step as you learn how to dropship on Shopify. By understanding who your ideal customer is, you can make informed decisions about which products to sell and how to market your brand.
You can start by analyzing who will benefit the most from your product and what makes your products unique compared to your competitors. This will help you create a buyer persona that represents your ideal customer.
In addition, you should consider how your potential customers discover your products and what channels they prefer when purchasing. You can look at data from your website analytics, social media insights, and customer feedback to identify patterns in demographics, behaviors, and interests.
#Step 3. Search for reliable dropshipping suppliers
The next question is how to fulfill dropship orders on Shopify. With the dropshipping model, all you have to do is choose a reliable supplier to take care of your orders. They will pack and deliver orders to customers on behalf of your brand.
However, with a great number of suppliers to choose from, you can easily misplace your trust in terrible dropshipping suppliers. Therefore, it’s essential that you consider the following criteria when partnering with drop shipping service providers:
- Evaluate the supplier’s reputation and credibility through reviews, ratings, and background research;
- Consider the supplier’s pricing, shipping times, and available inventory;
- Review the supplier’s policies on returns, refunds, and exchanges;
- Ensure the supplier is responsive and provides clear communication.
If you’re still lost in a pool of options, here’s our recommended list of dropshipping suppliers!
1. Printify
Printify is a popular print-on-demand dropshipping supplier that offers a wide range of products, such as clothing, accessories, home decor, and more. They have a user-friendly platform that integrates with Shopify, making it easy to create and sell custom products.
Printify also has a network of quality manufacturers and offers competitive pricing, fast shipping, and excellent customer service. With over 250,000 active merchants, Printify has become a trusted and reliable dropshipping supplier in the industry.
Pricing: 3 plans available (Free, Premium, and Enterprise) with the premium plan starts at $24.99 per month.
2. DSers
DSers is an all-in-one solution that streamlines order processing and product sourcing for merchants looking for how to dropship on Shopify. With over 300,000 suppliers, including dropshipping with AliExpress, it provides access to millions of products at competitive prices.
In addition, DSers’ automated order processing system can help save time and reduce errors, and its customer service is highly responsive.
Pricing: 4 plans available (Basic, Pro, Advanced, and Enterprise) with the Pro plan starts at $19.9 per month.
3. Spocket
Spocket is a dropshipping platform that offers a wide selection of products sourced from reliable suppliers located in the US and EU. It offers a range of features, including automated order processing, real-time inventory syncing, and branded invoicing.
With its user-friendly interface and extensive product catalog, Spocket makes it easy to find and add products to your Shopify store. The platform also provides customer support via live chat, email, and phone.
Pricing: 4 plans available (Free, Starter, Pro, and Empire) with the Starter plan starts at $29.99 per month after a 14-day trial.
For proper budget planning, it’s best to be fully aware of all the costs associated with running a store on Shopify. To have a better understanding of all the potential fees, you can refer to our How Much is Shopify article.
#Step 4. Set up your Shopify store
Now that you have identified your niche and suppliers, it’s time to set up your Shopify store. Creating an online store that is visually appealing and easy to navigate is essential for attracting customers and boosting sales. In this step, we will go over the key elements you need to set up your Shopify store successfully.
Choose a custom domain
Choosing a custom domain for your Shopify store is a crucial step in learning how to dropship on Shopify. A custom domain name not only gives your business a professional look but also helps customers remember and easily find your store.
With Shopify, you can purchase a custom domain directly through the platform or use an existing domain name.
When choosing a custom domain, it’s important to keep it short, memorable, and reflective of your brand’s identity.
Customize your Shopify store
One of the first steps to customization is choosing a theme that reflects your brand’s aesthetic and values. Shopify offers both free and paid themes, and each theme comes with a variety of customization options, such as fonts, colors, and layout.
In addition to themes, you can also add a logo and create custom pages such as an “About Us” or “Contact” page. For additional functionalities to enhance your store, you can search for apps on Shopify App Store. It’s important to maintain consistency in design and branding throughout your store to establish a strong brand identity that resonates with your target audience.
If you’re looking for free themes and apps, check out LitCommerce’s articles on the best free Shopify themes and best free Shopify apps.
Import or list your products on Shopify
There are two main options to list products for dropshipping through Shopify: either importing products from another platform or creating new product listings within Shopify.
If you’re starting from scratch, you can easily add new products directly to Shopify by filling out the product details, descriptions, images, and pricing.
However, this can be time-consuming if you have a large number of products to list. So you have another option, which is to import your listings from elsewhere.
As you use sourcing apps from fulfillment suppliers, you can import the product listings from the source. For example, if you use DSers to source products from AliExpress, you can import listings with all the text, images, etc., from there.
Additionally, suppose you already have existing listings on another platform, such as Etsy or Amazon. In that case, you can use a service like LitCommerce to easily import those listings to your Shopify store. Litcommerce is a popular Shopify integration that offers seamless store connecting with Shopify, allowing you to easily sync your existing product listings and manage them all from one central location. This can save you time and effort in the product listing process and ensure that your product information is accurate and up to date.
#Step 5. Market your Shopify dropshipping store
Now comes the exciting part of how to dropship on Shopify, which is to drive traffic and generate sales. As with any business, effective marketing is crucial to its success. Here are a few methods to help you navigate your marketing efforts.
Social marketing
Social media marketing is an effective way to promote your Shopify dropshipping store to a wider audience. By leveraging social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, you can create brand awareness and engage with potential customers.
You can share high-quality product images, run ads, and collaborate with influencers to increase your reach.
Furthermore, social media also allows you to interact with customers and receive feedback, which can help you improve your products and services.
Email marketing
Here is an effective Shopify advertising method for promoting your dropshipping store. With email marketing, you can reach out to potential customers directly and promote your products through targeted campaigns. You can start by building an email list of interested subscribers using pop-ups, opt-ins, and lead magnets on your website.
Once you have an email list, you can segment it based on various factors, such as interests, purchase history, and engagement level. This allows you to send personalized emails with relevant product recommendations and promotions that are more likely to convert into sales.
SEO
By implementing effective SEO strategies, you can improve your store’s visibility and attract more organic traffic. This can be achieved through keyword research, optimizing product descriptions and titles, building backlinks, and other techniques.
To optimize your store’s SEO on Shopify, make sure to utilize the Shopify SEO checklist, use relevant keywords throughout your website, create unique product descriptions, and include alt tags for all images. Additionally, regularly updating your store’s blog with high-quality content can also help improve your overall SEO.
How to Dropship on Shopify FAQs
- Can you dropship from a Shopify store?
Yes, Shopify is a popular platform for setting up a dropshipping business. You can dropship from a Shopify store by using a dropshipping app or by manually adding products from a supplier to your store.
- Is Shopify free for dropshipping?
Shopify is not completely free for dropshipping. While there is a free trial period available, you will need to subscribe to one of Shopify’s plans to continue using the platform. However, the cost of a Shopify subscription is relatively affordable and includes features like website hosting, payment processing, and customer support.
- Does Shopify charge you for dropshipping?
No, Shopify itself does not charge you for dropshipping. However, you will need to pay for any third-party apps or services you use to facilitate your dropshipping business. Additionally, you will need to pay for the cost of your products and any associated shipping and handling fees.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has provided you with valuable insights into how to dropship on Shopify, from finding your product niche to marketing your products effectively.
If you’re looking for an easy and effective way to import your existing listings from other platforms to Shopify, be sure to check out LitCommerce. Our platform can help simplify the migration process and make it easier for you to manage your products and orders.
For more helpful tips and advice on eCommerce and dropshipping, be sure to check out our blog and join our dynamic eCommerce seller community!