How to Manage Multiple Dropshipping Suppliers?
Drop shipping. Anyone that has ever studied how online businesses function has likely come across this term.
Even fewer people understand the basics of how it works.
Dropshipping can seem daunting to someone new to the online world of ecommerce. It can be hard to find reliable information that will tell you all you need to know.
Here it is: Dropshipping’s definitive guide. This guide will explain everything about dropshipping, including what it means and how it works. It also explains how to find the right supplier and product to make your ecommerce dropshipping business a success. So let’s dive right into it!
Dropshipping allows a company to be able to trade without the need to maintain inventory or own a warehouse where they can store their products. They also don’t have to ship their products directly to their customers. It works like this: The retailer partners with a dropship provider that manufactures or warehouses products, packages them, and then ships them directly to the customer on the retailer’s behalf.
This is dropshipping in simpler terms:
- The customer orders a product from the online retailer.
- The retailer either manually or automatically forwards the order details and customer information to the dropship provider.
- Dropship suppliers package and ship the order directly to customers in the name of the retailer.
This type of business model is very attractive because it doesn’t require the store owner to own a physical location like an office or warehouse. Instead, they only need a laptop and internet access.
Are you able to use multiple drop shipping apps in your Shopify store easily?
Your Shopify store’s sales are key to success. You can easily cater to different geographic locations by using multiple dropshipping supplier apps in your Shopify store. It is easy to expand your inventory. Shopify allows multiple drop shipping apps.
Some store owners worry that multiple apps could cause a conflict. Shopify supports multiple drop shipping apps.
Shopify: How to use multiple drop shipping applications
Shopify can support multiple dropshippers or suppliers. This information can be found on the product page. You will find this section under Stock. Here you can select the tracking of your inventory.
This section should contain the correct information. You must specify which product comes from which supplier. You’ll also find an SKU number if dropshipping has been set up.
This number should not be removed as it will cause the drop shipper to disconnect the item and all orders from customers will be cancelled.
Shipping rates should be included in the product price. You can make sure that all shipping costs are included, regardless of which supplier you use.
Are there any conflicts between the apps?
Drop shipping apps are usually compatible and can be used simultaneously.
Some apps, like Wholesale2b app, have unique SKU number with their internal supplier IDs.
They will not conflict with other drop shipping apps you may be using in your shop.
Spocket, a dropshipping app that integrates with Shopify’s drop shippers, is also available.
You can get in touch with developers to ask if the drop shipping apps are compatible.
Take a look at apps that every drop shipping shop should have if you want to improve drop shipping.
Dropshipping from multiple suppliers can be a great way to grow your business. You can expand your product range and attract a wider customer base. Let’s say, for example, that you are a dropshipper of vegan products and only have one supplier. There’s another supplier that specializes in vegan snacks. These are the types of products that your current supplier doesn’t sell.
The addition of a supplier can increase your product offerings, potentially attracting more customers. It also helps to brand your online shop as a place for vegan products. Your competitive advantage can also be increased.
Dropshipping from multiple suppliers requires organization and additional measures to ensure a smooth operation of your online business. Let’s discuss what you can do to ensure dropshipping with multiple suppliers is seamless and hassle-free. These are some things you should keep in mind if dropshipping with multiple suppliers is something you’re interested in:
Select the Right Product Suppliers
The most important aspect of dropshipping from multiple companies is learning how to do it.
The key to choosing the right supplier is knowing what suppliers are available. It is smart to choose suppliers whose products are closely related to the products you already sell or wish to sell.
Dropshipping is a great way to get started, even if the supplier you selected doesn’t have all the products that you require. You don’t need to limit yourself to two suppliers. As long as your products are complementary, you can work with multiple suppliers. Multiple suppliers can be used to sell products for skincare, hair care, or body care such as lotions, body oils, and shower gels. These products can be combined to increase your customer reach and encourage customers buy multiple items.
Ask the Right Questions to Your Suppliers
You should also ensure that you choose a supplier with a track record of delivering products on time and providing excellent customer service. It is important to ask questions in order to ensure that suppliers are aligned with your business goals. It can help you save time and avoid headaches by making sure you have all the information you need to work with a supplier. The following questions are important to ask:
How can you transmit product data?
A product data feed is a file that contains a list and attributes of products. Every supplier you deal with should provide a product feed to enable you to list the items on your website. Retailers love product data feeds because they allow them to upload all the product information directly to their website.
It often contains the following:
- Product image
- Product title
- Description of the Product
- Attributes (Weight and …) made it?
The product’s attributes describe its appearance, and sometimes the material. is a fur-lined, red wool jacket with zip pockets. Any details about the product are called attributes. This can be used to describe the ingredients or certifications of food products.
However, there are many ways to get data feeds from suppliers. This is why it is important to find out how suppliers provide data feed information. Some suppliers require you to download the data feed manually using excel or CSV files.
Some companies offer automated product data feeds. This means that you only need to import product information into your online store. The product data is automatically imported to your online store, without the need to upload a file manually.
However, regardless of the method, it is important that you use the product data feed to organize the products on your website. This will allow your customers to shop easily without having to search for specific products on your site.
If you run a vegan online shop, your products should look like this:
Vegan Supplements/Vegan Food/Vegan Cosmetics
This organization makes shopping easy and stress-free.
When I get my orders, where should I send them?
You will be working with several suppliers or more than one supplier so you need to have this information before you start doing business with a wholesaler. Many suppliers have an automated ordering system. Once you have created an account, all orders you place will be automatically processed.
You will need to contact some suppliers by email. Or you can place the order manually by logging in to your account. To ensure that your supplier processes the order, you will need to enter the address and contact information of your customer.
The automated method is, by far, the easiest and most convenient. Automated orders to suppliers are more likely to mean that their tracking system can also be automated. This brings us to the next question.
How should customer service, tracking, returns, exchanges, cancellations be handled?
This information is crucial, just like the questions above. Working with multiple suppliers means you will have to deal with different issues, such as tracking, returns and cancellations. This information will allow you to decide if the relationship is right for your business. It can be difficult to work with multiple suppliers because customers might purchase products from different suppliers from your online store. In some cases, the items may need to be exchanged or returned.
To resolve problems quickly and efficiently, it is important to have a system in place with your suppliers. Many suppliers, including GreenDropShip (not to be too proud), handle all customer-related issues. But some suppliers don’t. This information can be obtained by asking questions to determine if the supplier is a good fit for your business.
Make Sure You Have Unique SKUs
It is crucial to create unique stock units (or SKUs) for products coming from multiple suppliers. This will allow you to organize them and prevent duplicate SKU numbers. Here is a quick way to create unique SKUs from products coming in multiple suppliers.
- Once you have received the product data, create an excel sheet for each supplier.
- Take each product SKU number of each supplier and modify it.
SKU Provided by ORGANICFOODSUSA – 1161
Item# 1161
A unique SKU can be created by adding initials of the company, such as SKU : OFUSA-1161
You can now search for the SKU you want in your Excel spreadsheet and find it when you need to update inventory. This unique SKU will tell you the supplier from which product it is. It’s OFUSA in this example.
You can also use unique SKUs to determine which products are most popular from each supplier.
Use a Data Synchronization app
It is important to organize product SKUs as part of your coordination responsibilities when managing an online store that uses multiple suppliers. Coordinate inventory levels, product availability, as well as the number of orders.
Although some suppliers may offer a dashboard for your account on their website so you can track product status, tracking information, and inventory availability, it would make things much easier if you could use one central dashboard to view all of the information from suppliers.
Dropshipping multiple suppliers from one supplier is the easiest aspect.
Many apps and tools are available that allow online retailers to manage multiple suppliers’ data. This product management platform app frees up time that can be used to market your website. The tools below allow you to synchronize data from multiple sources on one centralized dashboard.
These apps can track your orders. Another important aspect is tracking. GreenDropShip, a supplier, provides automated tracking for all orders placed from your retail shop. You can track the order’s journey from shipping date to delivery. This allows tracking information from GreenDropShip to be seamlessly integrated into data management platforms such as the ones mentioned above.
If you are a retailer who works with many suppliers, it is important to have all orders tracked. You might want to reconsider your relationship with this supplier if the tracking information isn’t automated.
Use an app to integrate shipping from multiple suppliers
When customers buy items from more than one supplier, it can pose a problem for retailers who work with them. This used to mean that customers received deliveries at different times. Sometimes, it can take weeks.
Apps that are focused on consolidating shipment orders can easily solve this problem. Inventory Source, a data management app that offers shipping consolidation as one of its services, but there are many other apps that specialize in integrating shipping orders. Here is a list of third-party apps that can consolidate single orders.
This article aims to give you the tools and information necessary to dropship with multiple suppliers as smoothly as possible.
Your online business can be set up to succeed with the right data management tools. Keeping organized is key when working with multiple suppliers.
