How to Dropship on Shopify? A Step-by-Step Guide in 2022

How to Dropship on Shopify? A Step-by-Step Guide in 2022

Whether you are an entrepreneur, office worker, freelancer or even a student, it's never late to enter the online e-commerce space to make money. Even though you do not have the resources to manage manufacturing, supply chain, inventory, and fulfillment, the dropshipping business model is a great option for you.

And if you have read our AliExpress Dropshipping 101,  you may have an understanding of what is dropshipping, and how to start a successful dropshipping business with DSers. While if you are a fan of Shopify, you might want to know how to dropship on Shopify and which Shopify plugins can help you grow your Shopify dropshipping business. Starting a dropshipping business on Shopify is surprisingly simple. It only takes you a day or two to create a website, source products, and sell them to the world. Let's see how:

Why Use Shopify to Dropship

While there are several e-commerce solutions out there that can power your dropshipping business, such as Wix and Etsy, Shopify continues to be the most popular and reputed platform for merchants. Here is why:

Dropshipper-friendly - The platform is friendly with solutions that are specifically made for dropshipping. It is one of the best things about Shopify, and DSers, one of the best dropshipping solutions, works perfectly with Shopify.

DSers dropshipping

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Packed with great features - A host of features on Shopify help you to create an e-commerce business (not just a website). In addition to its online store builder, which lets you design and set up your online store, Shopify also offers features to handle your sales, marketing, and payments.

Easy to use - Shopify is currently one of the most user-friendly dropshipping solutions. It may be full of features and functions, but it won't be overwhelming. The company does an excellent job of providing guidelines on how to use its software.

Now that you learned why you should start dropshipping business on Shopify, let's continue the learning of how to start.

How to Dropship on Shopify

How to dropship on Shopify? The process is extremely simple. There are only 7 steps for you to start.

1.Find the Product Niche

The first step is undoubtedly to find what to sell and who is your target audience. There is no right answer for you. Some people may suggest that you can turn your passion and interests into the right product to sell. While others say you'd better look for the best sellers and trendy niches to ensure that you make money.

However, the truth is you should do both. Why? The business indeed should be your interest, but it also should be popular among your potential customers so that you might get the benefits once you start. It means that you need to do some research into merchandise demand, popularity, and profitability when starting. However, you should focus your efforts on the areas that you are truly interested in.

2.Get Dropshipping Suppliers

Dropshipping business model frees you from inventory management. You can choose regular or branded dropshipping, but no matter which you choose to start on Shopify, it's your task to find the right suppliers for your products.

But how? Firstly, search on Google. Google has a big supplier database when you put the keyword of your products. For example, entering dropshipping jewelry suppliers, you might get plenty of supplier options for your jewelry dropshipping business.

dropshipping jewlery suppliers search

Secondly, you can find reliable suppliers on AliExpress with DSers. Its Supplier Optimizer feature enables you to find a large number of options by entering a keyword. You can compare their price, quantity, products, and even shipping method, then get the most suitable one for you.

DSers Supplier Optimizer

No matter which one you choose, the most vital thing is to ensure they can meet your demands on time, and their shipping services serve your potential customers.

DSers dropshipping

Get Started Now to Grow Your Online Business with the Best AliExpress Dropshipping Tool - DSers!


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3.Create Shopify Account

It's time for you to create an online store with your brilliant business idea. First thing, enter your email address. Great news - if you do not want to start right now, you can test your shop on Shopify with the button “start a free trial”.

Free trial

Then put your password and shop name. Then click “create your store”.

put password and shop name

💡 TIP: Having a business name in mind for your store before starting will help as Shopify will ask you for this when you set up your account. You need to keep it simple and attractive!

Then answer some questions to let Shopify know you.

Answer the questions

The next page is about your address. The address will be your default business address. You can always change this later.

When you finish the process, click “enter my store”. Then you have your store.

4.Launch Your Shopify Dropshipping Store

Now, you can launch your Shopify dropshipping store. You can easily launch the store through the “Sales Channels” option on your Shopify settings. Once you finish this step, you will have an online store that is up and running.

Sales channels

The “add sales channels” button provides you considerable options, such as buy button, Google, as well as social media, such as Facebook.

add sales channels

5.Set up Your Shopify Dropshipping Store

You already have your online store. However, it's simple and with limited customization. Now you need to change it into a more attractive one. You get access to 'theme designer' by clicking Shopify 'customize' button, which allows you to edit the store's layout and color scheme.

customize

Moreover, you need to add a payment option to your Shopify dropshipping store. It is a vital step since you won't be able to receive your money from customers if you omit this step.

On Shopify's “Setting” page, you select the “Payment” tab on the left and add your payment information.

setting page

You can add a PayPal, or Credit/Debit Cards account here. If you don't have one, you can register in a few minutes.

What's more, policies are necessary for your Shopify dropshipping store. Shopify has a powerful tool that automatically generates a standardized privacy policy, refund and return policy, and terms and conditions for your store.

From Shopify's settings, you can find this tool. You click on the “Checkout” tab and scroll down to the bottom to find this part.

checkout

Click on the “Generate” button, then you can go.

You also should pay attention to other settings, such as shipping and delivery, gifts, and notifications. They are as important as the theme, policies, and payment. It's a simple process, do as Shopify asks you to do, then you will have a customized store.

💡 TIP: The most significant thing is to focus on the navigation on your site. Make it super simple but attractive for your customers. Let them find all essential links in your 'footer'.

6.Add Products

Of course, you cannot start selling without adding products to your Shopify dropshipping store. But how do you source and add products to your store? There are two ways: manually and automatically. Here we would love to firstly introduce the automated method that will save you a lot of time and energy, then explain a stepwise guide to let you learn how to do it step by step.

The best solution is to use the top-rated Shopify dropshipping app - DSers. You connect your Shopify store with DSers, then use its “Find Supplier” feature to get the right supplier. Then, you import products from the suppliers with one click. Then, it helps you to push those products to your Shopify stores with just one click.

Import product listings

💡 TIP: However, the fact is that writing effective and appealing product descriptions can make your products more attractive and help you get more sales.

We'll explore more about DSers later in this article. But for now, let's discuss the things you need to do if you add a product to your Shopify store manually.

First of all, you need a product page allowing you to create a new title, product description, and images for your products. However, with DSers, these things are simple with just one click, since you import it from your suppliers with all the information.

Then, you'll need to assign the item to a different group with a product tag. These 'tags' are essential and crucial for helping organize your product catalog. For instance, if you’re selling cat-related products, you might use some of the following examples as 'tags': grooming products, cat food, cat beds, cat toys, and so on.

Hence, how to add tag? Firstly, you could set tags for the product one by one. Another alternative is to add tags in bulk to items on your product list. In this way, you can add product tags for a couple of products at a time. You can elect the commodity you want to tag, then select the “Actions” dropdown menu, followed by “Add tags.”

Lastly, after adding the right and appealing tags to your products, you can move on to creating 'product collections'. It also means 'product groups' making it easier for customers to find what they're looking for. For instance:

  • Items on sale
  • Trending products
  • Best sellers
  • Featured products
  • ......

7.Marketing for Your First Sale

Your dropshipping journey on Shopify is now starting. You have customized your store, making it look appealing to your potential customers. You can promote it to get the first sale.

New websites are always harder to appear in Google and other search engine page results after their launch. Thus, it's crucial to get more sales by focusing more on immediate marketing tactics, like social media, paid ads, and email.

Social media - Social media marketing is now the most popular way to spread the word about a new website. Shopify makes this easier, with its “sales channels” option. It provides seamless integrations with Facebook and Instagram.

Email Marketing - You should build an email list to market your dropshipping Shopify store. You can send emails about engaging content and compelling product descriptions, as well as some coupons to your potential customers. Shopify makes this process simple with plug-and-play apps for top-rated email marketing solutions like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and Convert Kit.

Blogging and video marketing- Content marketing is also a great way to promote your store and products. Shopify's excellent built-in blog feature supports both standard images and video posts. You can publish great content about your brand and featured products.

Why Dropship on Shopify with DSers

As I mentioned above, adding products to your store is one of the complex and time-consuming things. That's one of the reasons why I recommend DSers here. With DSers, importing products listings is much easier.

Moreover, you can do many things in a few seconds through its Shopify dropshipping service. For example, DSers enables you to import products from AliExpress and CSV files easily. Furthermore, you are allowed to edit products according to your marketing strategy, such as adding multiple suppliers for a product at a lower cost and using BOGO discounts to promote products and selling products in bundles.

BOGO and Bundle

Most importantly, DSers can automatically sync Shopify orders. It means that as soon as you receive an order from your customer, DSers will synchronize your Shopify orders to the Awaiting Order tab list on DSers dashboard automatically. Besides, it will help you automatically place those orders to AliExpress to ensure that your customers can get their package as soon as possible. You do not need to spend a lot of time and money on this process.

automatically sync Shopify orders

You may wonder: if I have more than one store, what should I do? Don't worry, DSers can help you. You can manage multiple stores through one DSers account. Click on the “link to more stores” button, then you can choose to link all your stores through this account. It's easy and convenient, right?

link more stores

Pros and Cons of Dropshipping on Shopify

When considering a dropshipping business on Shopify, it's essential to evaluate both the advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a breakdown:

PROS:

  1. User-Friendly Platform: Shopify is designed for ease of use, making it accessible for beginners. The intuitive interface allows users to set up their online store quickly without technical expertise.
  2. Robust Features: Shopify offers a wide range of built-in tools and features, such as payment processing, inventory management, and customizable templates, which streamline the dropshipping process.
  3. Extensive App Integrations: With numerous apps available, including DSers for dropshipping, you can easily enhance your store’s functionality, automate tasks, and optimize your operations.
  4. Scalability: Shopify supports rapid growth. As your business expands, you can upgrade your plan and utilize advanced features without needing to migrate to a different platform.
  5. Strong Customer Support: Shopify provides 24/7 customer support, ensuring you have access to help whenever you face challenges in your dropshipping journey.

DSers dropshipping

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CONS:

  1. Transaction Fees: If you don’t use Shopify Payments, you may incur transaction fees on sales, which can eat into your profit margins.
  2. Dependence on Suppliers: Your business relies heavily on suppliers for product quality and shipping. Any issues on their end, such as delays or stock shortages, can negatively impact your customer satisfaction.
  3. Limited Control Over Inventory: Since you don’t hold inventory, you have less control over stock levels and shipping times, which can lead to potential fulfillment issues.
  4. Competition: The dropshipping market is highly competitive. Standing out among numerous sellers offering similar products requires effective marketing strategies and unique branding.

Final Thought

Starting a Shopify dropshipping business is simple, right? It only requires minimal investment upfront and is straightforward to set up. But you will need to experiment with a range of marketing methods to drive traffic to your store, and increase your brand awareness and ensure you generate benefits.

What you should keep in mind is to keep testing. Then your Shopify dropshipping business might become profitable and successful as quickly as possible through your marketing efforts. However, the key to success is learning. Don't stop leaning and making some improvements after getting the ball rolling.

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