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Discover three easy ways to start dropshipping on Shopify, each suited to different experience levels and business goals.
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Launching a dropshipping store on Shopify is straightforward for new and established businesses. Shopify tools and apps handle inventory management, freeing you to focus on sales and growing your brand.
Use one of three methods to start dropshipping on Shopify:
As you dive into your chosen method, you’ll encounter challenges unique to your business. Remember, how you overcome these obstacles will define your dropshipping journey and shape your success.
Dropshipping apps designed for Shopify make it simple to start a dropshipping business. These apps connect your Shopify store with a network of suppliers to streamline order management.
Use a dropshipping app to find products, import product details into your store, and send order information to the supplier for packing and shipping.
Most apps include features for monitoring delivery progress to help your provide better customer support.
Essentially, dropshipping apps make a wide selection of products accessible to sellers who don’t have existing relationships with suppliers.
This accessibility brings benefits and challenges, such as competition from other dropshippers selling the same products.
Many dropshipping apps connect stores to overseas supplier networks such as AliExpress. For sellers, this increases product selection and lowers prices, but also leads to longer shipping times that may impact the customer experience.
Follow these steps to start dropshipping with an app and your Shopify store.
Start a free trial and create your Shopify store. Follow the onboarding process to set up essential features like a homepage, product pages, and menu navigation.
If you don’t already own a domain address, register a domain that fits your niche and matches your store’s name.
Shopify’s professionally designed themes give you a headstart with store design—many popular themes are free. Select a theme that matches your desired layout.
Brand your website with a color scheme, create a logo, set up your checkout, and populate your pages with basic copy and images.
At this stage, don’t invest too much time in your store’s appearance. When your dropshipping business is up and running, draw inspiration from other stores and learn how to get the most from the website builder.
Choose a dropshipping app that links your store with suppliers stocking the products you want to sell. To pick an app, consider factors like supplier location, product range, and feedback from other dropshippers.
Your supplier will handle inventory, order processing, and delivery to customers—making your choice of app important. Do thorough research and consider testing a few product samples for quality assurance before making a final decision.
Once you’ve selected an app, download it and connect to your store.
As you import products from your dropshipping app, your store will autofill with product details and images.
Don’t rely on the default descriptions and images provided by your supplier. Edit product information in the dashboard to engage shoppers with original content that helps them decide to make a purchase.
Shopify’s built-in AI tools can enhance your product pages. Improve product descriptions with search-engine-friendly content suited to your target audience, and transform product photos through AI-enhanced image editing.
Click the star icon whenever it appears in the store builder to use AI powered by Shopify Magic.
When refining product pages, don’t forget to price your products competitively while ensuring a profit margin for each sale.
Try these apps to dropship products from AliExpress and other supplier networks:
Dropshippers use DSers to source and sell items from global marketplace AliExpress. Helpful features include the Supplier Optimizer, which identifies multiple suppliers for the same product to keep stock levels stable if one supplier faces issues.
Use Spocket to source products from US, European, and international suppliers. The app features a large product selection and is an official partner of AliExpress and Alibaba. Sprocket allows you to order product samples to check quality before listing them in your store.
Modalyst offers access to independent manufacturers and high-end brands like Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana, with suppliers from China, Europe, India, and the US.
AutoDS is an all-in-one dropshipping solution for product selection, customer delivery, and managing returns. Import products from multiple marketplaces including Amazon, Alibaba, CJdropshipping, Walmart, and AliExpress.
Zendrop enhances customer unboxing experiences with options for custom packaging and personalized thank-you cards. The product bundling feature lets you create unique listings by combining multiple products.
Partnering directly with a supplier can offer more control than a dropshipping app. This dropshipping method involves building relationships with suppliers and using Shopify to showcase and sell products.
Each dropshipping supplier has its own operating process. Some provide online platforms where dropshippers can search a product catalog. Others negotiate custom deals with each retail partner.
As your store gains recognition in your dropshipping niche, suppliers may reach out to establish relationships. This can lead to priority treatment and negotiation opportunities.
At the same time, direct supplier partnerships require more manual coordination. You may encounter complex logistics when routing orders, and will need to source alternative suppliers when one runs out of stock.
As you research suppliers within your niche, develop criteria for your needs. Delivery speed is a key customer satisfaction factor, so you might prioritize domestic suppliers located near your customers.
Try to work with suppliers that store items near common customer locations for fast order fulfillment. If managing multiple suppliers, use automation rules to route orders to the nearest supplier with items in stock.
Your supplier’s inventory limits the products you can dropship, so invest time to find a reliable partner. Read reviews from other sellers and pay attention to complaints about product availability. Here are some starting points:
When your store grows and order volume increases, invite suppliers to outbid each other and improve your profit margin.
One challenge with traditional dropshipping is that other stores may sell the same products. This can force you to lower prices to stay competitive.
Print-on-demand and private-label dropshipping lets you create unique, branded versions of t-shirts, tote bags, household items, and more.
This approach helps your store avoid direct price competition while keeping the benefits of dropshipping’s no-inventory model.
If print on demand sounds interesting, check out these print-on-demand companies from the Shopify App Store:
Shopify merchants looking to grow their product range can use Shopify Collective to sell in partnership with other Shopify brands. With Collective, you list and sell products from another Shopify store, while your partner store fulfills orders as they come in.
If you combine dropshipping with traditional retail models, you can also use collective to become a supplier and sell your products through like-minded US Shopify stores.
Eligible merchants can download the Shopify Collective app and start making connections from the Shopify admin. Browse supplier products to discover new partners, or invite your existing partners to connect with you on the platform.
Once connected, suppliers provide product pricing lists for you to review. Selected products are imported directly into your store, complete with product details and inventory information.
Customers can buy products from your store using a single cart powered by Shopify Payments for a fast yet branded checkout experience.
After orders flow through to your partner store, Shopify Collective automatically distributes payments to each store upon fulfillment.
Connect with US-based Shopify brands to easily sell their products. Use Shopify Collective to curate items from like-minded stores and ship them directly to your customers.
Dropshipping on Shopify doesn’t end with supplier apps and the store builder. Use Shopify’s marketing, support, and data tools to grow your dropshipping business and stay competitive.
Understanding customers is key to making informed decisions and creating a brand voice that resonates. Shopify analytics offers insights through more than 60 detailed reports on your website’s visitors, sales, and marketing campaigns.
Use the reports to gain clarity on your most popular products and the marketing content that drives people to your store (and persuades them to click Add to Cart).
Refine your understanding of your target audience by using Shopify reports to answer questions like:
While dropshippers don’t handle inventory, they are the primary touchpoint for customer support. Poor handling of customers, especially those with complaints, can lead to negative reviews and high return rates.
Repeated issues with products and delivery may signal the need to find a new supplier. But plan for occasional errors and develop a response that includes:
Enhance customer support by using Shopify Inbox to create a chat feature for your store. Start conversations with automated greetings, let customers know when you’re available, and easily follow up with issues via email.
Consider adding customer reviews to your product pages with a social proof app. Build trust by letting shoppers see product reviews from third-party suppliers and leave comments.
In competitive niches, a marketing strategy helps you reach customers before your competitors.
Use multiple marketing channels, such as social media and email, to promote your brand and drive traffic to your store.
When someone signs up for your email newsletter, they’re indicating an interest in your products. Use Shopify Email to nurture that lead with tailored content.
Choose from templates, pull branding and products directly from your store, and automate emails to trigger at the right moment.
Email marketing opens up an ongoing conversation with your customers. Manage your emails within Shopify to see useful metrics and refine your next message.
Social media marketing is a great way to expand your business. Paid social ads have adjustable budgets to keep costs manageable. Audiences are segmented by interests, online behavior, and the accounts they follow, so you can target users likely to be interested in your products.
Even without an advertising budget, Shopify makes it easy to sell on social media. Install the Facebook and Instagram app to sync inventory and create shoppable posts so customers can buy products directly.
Get up and running quickly by creating a Shopify store and connecting dropshipping apps to find suppliers, customize products, and enhance your product pages.
As your dropshipping business grows, use Shopify’s marketing and customer data tools to stay in touch with shoppers and conquer your niche. Click here to start your dropshipping business.
Shopify is a popular ecommerce platform for dropshipping. Dropshipping apps designed for Shopify connect your store to dropshipping suppliers to import products and automate order fulfillment.
Dropshipping on Shopify can be profitable for individuals and businesses. Because products are only purchased after they are sold to a customer, the risk of overstocking or having unsold inventory is low. Typically, expenses include the cost of a Shopify plan, domain name, and marketing efforts. With effective management, these can be kept in balance to maximize profits.
Browse dropshipping suppliers on the Shopify App Store. Connect a supplier app with your store to import products and forward order details for fulfillment.
You don’t need to buy or store inventory when dropshipping on Shopify. Third-party dropshipping partners will manage products and fulfill orders as you send them, shipping items directly to customers.
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