How to Dropship on Shopify: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Dropshipping is an eCommerce solution whereby you bypass the costly logistics and order fulfilment processes, leaving you free to focus on growing your brand and marketing your products.

As a popular eCommerce platform which lets you create a website, Shopify makes it easy for you to start dropshipping.

In this blog post, you’ll learn how to dropship products on Spotify, what the best apps are for dropshipping on the platform, and how to use dropshipping apps.

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How to Dropship on Shopify: Getting to Know the Basics

Dropshipping is a process for order fulfilment which handles the logistics for you as the seller, so you can focus on growing the business.

It’s often considered to be a great option for independent sellers or those who want to make money through an online side hustle, but in reality dropshipping is suitable for businesses of all sizes.

If you’re wondering how to dropship on shopify for beginners, it’s simple to get started as the eCommerce platform partners with a network of suppliers. Through the platform, you can choose to either connect your store to a dropshipping app, or partner directly with your chosen supplier.

What you Need to get Started

To get the ball rolling, and start dropshipping through Shopify, here’s what you’ll need to do:

• A Shopify account
• A budget for a Shopify subscription and marketing expenses
• Valid payment method for fees and transactions
• A business plan
• A dropshipping supplier or Shopify dropshipping app

How do you find products to dropship on shopify?

If you choose to use dropshipping apps, you’ll be able to quickly search for products, import the product details into your store, and pass on order information to suppliers for third-party packing and shipping services.

If you choose to partner directly with a supplier, you’ll have more of an interactive dynamic depending on who you go with. Shopify will be the medium to showcase and sell your products, while you negotiate pricing and fulfilment deals with your chosen supplier.

How old do you have to be to dropship on Shopify?

You must be 18 years or older to sign up for a Shopify account and engage in activities through the platform such as dropshipping.

Unfortunately, if you were wondering how to dropship on shopify for free, this isn’t currently an option. While you can sign up for a free trial to get your Shopify account set up, you can’t dropship products for free.

How to Dropship on Shopify Step-by-Step With a Supplier

Dropshipping on Shopify with a supplier is a good option if you feel comfortable negotiating with partners to get the best deals for your business. Bear in mind that before you select a supplier, you should spend some time researching the types of products you wish to sell as well as your general pricing strategy.

Choosing Suppliers

Once you’ve decided the types of products you want to sell in your dropshipping business, it’s time to choose your supplier.

The supplier you choose will have a significant bearing on what the dropshipping process looks like. Each supplier operates their business individually. You might find that some are open to negotiating a custom work arrangement that suits both parties whereas others will have an online library of products you can search and choose from.

Finding a supplier through Shopify is mostly a case of consulting your primary criteria and searching for the best-fit partner.

Consider the following factors when looking for a supplier:

• Delivery speed
• Location
• Inventory and type of products
• Seller reviews

Setting Up a Store

After selecting a supplier for your dropshipping business, you should open up your Shopify storefront. This is how you’ll display, market, and sell your products - while the supplier handles the logistics of getting them to the customer.

To set up a store, you’ll first want to choose a theme that reflects your brand’s identity and aesthetic. You can modify various elements of your store’s appearance from the logo to brand colors, so make it as appealing to your ideal customers as possible.

You’ll also need to handle the backend of your store by setting up all the relevant pages customers expect from a retailer, including:

• About
• Contact
• Homepage
• Shipping and return policies

Finally, set up your payment gateway and make sure you have a streamlined checkout process to make it easy for customers to buy your products. Then all that’s left to do is add your products to the store along with high-quality images and enticing product descriptions.

Automating Order Fulfillment

You have a supplier and a store, now what?

You’re likely pondering at this point how to fulfill dropship orders on shopify, as this is an important part of the process.

You can do so by setting up automated order processing between your store and your supplier, so that whenever a customer places an order, it’s sent directly to your supplier who can then ship it to them.

You can do this by configuring your Shopify settings to automatically forward orders, along with product and shipping details, to your supplier. You’ll also want to create a clear system for how you handle returns and any customer service inquiries.

Shopify has a suite of tools which can help you manage order fulfillment, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for with Shopify’s, the many third-party apps supported by Shopify should.

Develop Deeper Relationships

Once you’ve been working with one or more suppliers for a while, it pays to focus on building those relationships up as that’s how you’ll find opportunities to decrease your costs, further customize your products, and become an exclusive partner with a supplier.

The more you put in with your suppliers, the more you’ll get out. Over time, you may develop a positive relationship among suppliers, which will put you in the driver’s seat and allow you to pick and choose the best suppliers for your dropshipping business.

How to Start Dropshipping Using a Shopify App

To dropship with a Shopify app, you’ll need to follow a slightly different process.

Create a Store

First, set up a Shopify store so that you have a functioning website with all the relevant pages.

Configure your Store

Next, you’ll want to customize your store and every element of it so that it reflects your brand identity and aesthetics. The ultimate goal here is to create something that’ll attract your ideal customer, and invite them to learn more about your products.

You can use Shopify’s themes to get a quick start, and from there experiment with colors, content, and your checkout experience.

Download a Dropshipping App

Now, once you’re happy with your store, you’ll need to select a dropshipping app that matches your criteria in a supplier:

• Location
• Types of products
• Seller feedback
• Delivery speed

To get an idea of what the products your customer receives will be like, you can request product samples from different suppliers to make sure they meet your standards.

Once you’ve decided on an app, download it and connect it to your Shopify store.

Improve Your Product Pages

After you’ve found a dropshipping app, the last step is to make it easy for customers to buy from you and improve your messaging to attract them.

Once you import products from the dropshipping app, your store will autofill with both information and photos about the products.

To convert more visitors to buyers, edit your product descriptions and images to make sure they best reflect customer’s interests and desires.

You can use Shopify’s built-in AI tools to get suggestions on how to improve your product pages including both the descriptions and images.

Use Data to Drive Sales

Once everything is up and running and the sales are flowing, Shopify offers various tools that can help you continue to thrive and even grow your dropshipping business.

One of the best ways to improve your marketing and bring in more customers is to use data you’ve collected on customer behavior, purchase patterns, demographics, and more.

Shopify analytics provides an easy way for you to trawl through the data and glean useful insights that can help you refine your messaging and marketing going forwards. You’ll have access to more than 60 detailed reports outlining key data about:

• Website visitors
• Sales campaigns
• Marketing campaigns

You can use this data to see which products are most popular, how you’re getting customers through the door, and better understanding who your target audience is.

This data can inform your email and social media marketing, which you can handle in-house with Shopify support.

Best Dropshipping Apps for Shopify

There are many dropshipping apps to choose from on Shopify, so choosing the right one can be challenging. One of the secrets of how to successfully dropship on shopify is to find an app that’ll best suit your needs.

Here are some of the most popular and well-rated apps:

Spocket

Spocket offers a convenient way to dropship products from a host of global suppliers ranging from the US to India. If you were asking yourself how to dropship on shopify with AliExpress, Sprocket is one of several dropshipping apps that’ll let you do just that.

With many big partnerships with suppliers and wholesalers such as Alibaba, you can ship your US or European products quickly to customers. Plus, you’ll often find significant discounts and wholesale prices with no minimum order, so you can trial new products before committing to them.

Finally, Sprocket can help you streamline order fulfillment as you can create branded invoices and automate the process from start to finish with AliExpress.

DSers

Another AliExpress dropshipping solution, DSers can process hundreds of orders simultaneously.

This app gives you access to economical, reliable suppliers and an easy way to find, import, and edit products for your store. You can also place bulk orders, in the 100s, in a single click.

DSers has automation features that will enable order tracking and package status tracking so you and your customers can stay in the loop on deliveries.

Zendrop

Zendrop is a popular dropshipping app that allows you to offer order personalization to your customers, so they can receive custom packaging and custom thank-you cards.

There are over 1 million products to choose from, which you can print on demand. Zendrop boasts fast delivery and lets you combine multiple products to make custom listings for your store.

The Simple Way to Receive Dropshipping Payments

One of the most important parts of your dropshipping business will be how you receive funds that you earn through sales. Opening a business account is essential for keeping your business and personal finances seperate, but opening an account can be a hassle.

With Wise Business, you can streamline this process and receive your funds without unexpected conversion fees.

Find out more about Wise Business

Wise is not a bank, but a Money Services Business (MSB) provider and a smart alternative to banks. The Wise Business account is designed with international business in mind, and makes it easy to send, hold, and manage business funds in currencies. You can get major currency account details for a one-off fee to receive overseas payments like a local. You can also send money to countries.

Read the guide on how to open a Wise Business account

Here’s why you can choose Wise as a simple way to receive dropshipping payments:

• No monthly fees
• International payments at the mid-market rate
• Easy batch payments
• Connect to QuickBooks for bill payment tracking
• Manage multiple currencies in one place
• Receive payments like a local
• Hold more than 40 currencies
• And more!

Open a Wise Business account online