Drop shipping is a popular buzzword in the e-commerce entrepreneur world. Drop shipping is a simple and straightforward way to sell online. Many people are eager to learn this method of doing business. Partnering with an e-commerce platform can make it even easier and more efficient.
BigCommerce certainly fits the bill when it comes to reputable, modern, e-commerce websites that produce excellent results. You might now be curious about how to set up drop shipping on the platform. It is a viable drop shipping option.
First, what does dropship?
DropShipping 101
Drop shipping is an e-commerce model that has low overheads. You, the drop shipper act as a middleman between consumers and suppliers. Drop shippers create an online shop where you sell products that you source directly from manufacturers and suppliers. Your store allows customers to place orders. The order is then sent directly to the supplier, who fulfills it using a specific shipping method.
Drop shippers are usually able to make a lower profit margin because they source low-cost products that can be marked up and sold at a higher price for their target market. Drop shippers don’t need to be physically involved in the creation and shipping of products.
Drop-shipping allows sellers to avoid having to invest in expensive equipment or stock up on merchandise. They already have the products and facilities; they only facilitate the sale and ensure a large-enough profit after all costs have been covered.
How to set up a drop-shipping store on BigCommerce
Drop shipping on BigCommerce is not a complicated process. This means that drop shipping on BigCommerce can be set up according to your real-world connections and your personal situation. It also depends on which marketplaces and apps you prefer. But I will try to be as general as possible to make drop shipping accessible to everyone, while still being useful.
Step 1: Develop a Selling Strategy
The three most important elements of a drop-shipping business strategy are your merchandise, brand, and niche. It pays to spend some time planning how you can use these three aspects to your advantage. It is a good idea to pick a niche or a category of products and then to focus on driving traffic and customers to create a community that is interested in those products.
Your branding can also be affected by the products you sell. A well-designed identity and visual style can make a store more appealing to customers. A log, tagline and other marketing materials are essential to achieve this effect. Another point to consider is who you are targeting as consumers, and what platform. Facebook, for example, is a great way to reach potential customers within their interest groups.
Step 2: Select your pricing plan and sign up
BigCommerce offers three pricing plans and a custom Enterprise plan. All plans include 0% transaction fees, unlimited file storage, user accounts, and unlimited products. This is great news for any business, regardless of size. They do have a sales limit that if exceeded, you will have to upgrade to a better plan. This is important to know if you want to achieve your goals.
Customer groups and custom search filters are the only important features not included in all plans. These are fantastic features that can be added to your store and might encourage you to upgrade.
You can start a free 15-day, no-credit-card trial right away during which you can use most features to build out most of your store and get it ready to sell on launch day. To access more advanced features and to make your website live, you will need to sign up for a pricing plan.
Step 3: Create your BigCommerce Drop-Shipping Store
One of the 120+ templates that are e-commerce ready can be used to start an online BigCommerce store. There are almost twice as many templates as Shopify, and each template has three or four styles that make the selection even more varied. These templates are combined with niches that are very specific will ensure that you can find the right template for you.
Drag-and-drop functionality is not available in the builder, which can be limiting when creating a template. BigCommerce makes it possible to customize the templates of your store by using custom code. If you need custom features or a new look, BigCommerce developers are available. You don’t have to do anything, as templates include all the pages you will need for a complete website. All you have to do is add your content.
Step 4: Select a product sourcing app
Next, you need to choose the right products for your store. BigCommerce provides a few product sourcing apps you can use to search for products and list them on your store without having to do everything 100% manually. They do have differences in the quality of their products and where they can source them from.
Modalyst, one of the best and most efficient apps out there, can only be used for U.S./European markets such as Wish.com and Stein.com. e-ProductPlug, another excellent app that targets any online store via a spreadsheet ordering system, is also a great option. AliExpress is the best place to find affordable drop-shipping products. However, they don’t have any of their apps.
It is important to research the pros and cons of each app for drop-shipping. You want an app that does:
- Search for listings in online wholesale markets
- Click to import the products into your shop
- Send customer orders automatically to suppliers
Step 5: Sell
After everything is set up, you can launch your store and begin selling by simply logging in to your BigCommerce dashboard. The bottom of the page has a button that states “Launch Store” under the “Review and Test Your Store.” Clicking this button will make your store live and public.
Drop-shipping apps such as these will allow you to ship products directly to your customers without any intervention. You will only need to keep marketing, generating traffic, updating your stock regularly, and keeping your prices competitive.
Drop Shipping on BigCommerce: The Pros and Con
Drop shipping is an easy business model and can be done using any of the many website hosting platforms that allow e-commerce. It is important to understand the pros and cons of BigCommerce.
Pros
- BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees, unlike other platforms. This means that you can keep more of your profit.
- BigCommerce offers a wide range of templates for e-commerce that allow you to create the exact store you desire without having to customize it.
- The BigCommerce platform has many great features, including ShiperHQ shipping rates and marketing tool that will be of benefit to all e-commerce entrepreneurs.
Cons
- You have a limit on how much you can sell before upgrading your plan. Shopify, however, has no limits.
- For more expensive plans, you will get some very useful features such as customer groups, Google Reviews, custom search filters, and customer groups.
- As it’s not such a big focus of BigCommerce, there isn’t as big a variety of drop-shipping apps or integrations as there is on Shopify, for example.
BigCommerce as Drop-Shipping Platform: Does it Make Sense?
Good question. It’s not an easy question to answer. While there’s no doubt that BigCommerce is overall a fantastic e-commerce platform with a great value-for-money proposition when it comes to built-in features, templates, and apps, I can only look at it compared with the drop-shipping giant, Shopify.
BigCommerce seems to place less emphasis on drop shipping. This type of online selling is not as well represented by the apps available. There are also fewer tools that can help you choose this app. Modalyst is one of the best drop shipping apps that you can use. It also targets a niche with a higher end and higher margin.
Despite the fact that the sales limit might seem high, it is worth it when you consider the quality of the platform and your income at that stage.
BigCommerce is still an excellent drop-shipping platform. However, it’s best for experienced sellers who know what they want. It’s a great option for people who are able to use the many marketing tools.
Strategy Planning for Setting Up an Online Store
Dropshipping profits can be difficult because of the fierce competition online. These are some amazing BigCommerce dropshipping ideas.
Be Confident about Your Niche
First, choose the right niche for your products. It is easier to sell more if you have more knowledge and insight about your niche.
- Do not experiment with a niche that isn’t your favorite. Instead, stick to the one that interests and motivates you.
- Check for sufficient products in the market before you finalize the niche.
- Find out if it is possible to promote them via social media or paid advertising.
The Domain Name
Always strive to get the top-level domain (.com). This domain name implies that your business has a good reputation and is well-respected. This is because large enterprises often choose.com.
- If you don’t have the.com domain, then.co might be a good option.
- Avoid the.org domain. It suits charities and NGOs better.
- Other domain names, aside from.com or.co will not give you an edge over your competition.
- .eduisn’t good for dropshipping websites. It is most often associated with educational institutions.
Website Automation
The best way to boost selling via drop shipping is with the help of with the help of integration apps to automate important tasks. Dropshipping will be made easier by automating tasks such as inventory management, social media posting, and sending emails to prospects.
Epacket works
Shipping overseas is time-consuming. It won’t please the customer. The Epacket however will increase the speed at which product shipping can be done.
The Landing Page
Keep it clean, minimal, responsive, and classy
The Landing Page’s sole purpose is to serve as a Call to Action button, and to collect contact information. The landing page should clearly explain what you’re selling and provide information to make the buying process easier.
Top Practices for BigCommerce DropShipping
Catchy headline
The headline is one of the most obvious things to notice.
Headline that highlights the product’s importance and reflects the benefits it offers the user. The headline should be relevant to the user’s pain points.
The ideal headline should answer all questions. This is why it’s an essential element of a dropshipping landing page.
- Are you able to find enough information?
- Why should you trust this site more than others?
- Does the website meet my needs?
Image is not only important, but it plays a major role in increasing the readability and clarity of headlines.
Multiple Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons
Your marketing message will be more effective if you have as many CTA options as possible. This will increase your conversion rates. It should be visible above all other elements on the landing pages.
Rich contrast should be reflected in the background and color of the CTA button. This eye-pleasing effect is one of the best ways to entice users to take action.
Easy Navigation
Your customer will be more likely to use the website to navigate easily. BigCommerce stores should always have the main categories on their home pages. These categories must be consistent across all pages of the store.
This includes men, women, kids, latest, upcoming sale, and many more. Dropshipping landing pages that are easy to navigate are the best.
Concise and Crisp Content is essential
Simple content should be easy to understand for website visitors. Simplicity is a better selling point than complexity! You can find out more here!
The BigCommerce app store is a great resource for all ecommerce sellers. There are a ton of great Bigcommerce apps for advertising, social media, sourcing, merchandising, and tons more are available to help you grow your business. Dropshipping is a cool feature of the app store. BigCommerce makes it easy for users to find the right apps to make their business run smoothly with these dropshipping apps.
Dropshipping has very low profit margins, so you must find ways to sell large quantities with minimal manual effort. Automating apps are essential. BigCommerce has gathered them all together.
However, not all apps are created equal. Below are the top choices for dropshippers.
Printful
Printful is awesome for designers, bands, or any individual who thinks they have something cool or funny worth selling. Anyone can start an ecommerce store with Printful if they have a design. It’s easy. Upload your design, then choose the items that you want to print.
Print t-shirts and phone cases, mugs and canvases, pillows and many other items in a variety of colors and quality. These items can be uploaded directly to your BigCommerce store, where you can set your own price.
Printful automatically creates and fulfills orders when you have a sale in your BigCommerce store. Printful will give you the difference between your wholesale price and your list price.
Printful’s ease-of-use and variety make it an excellent choice for creatives working in dropshipping.
Ecomdash
Let us introduce ourselves. Yes, ecomdash can be found on the BigCommerce app shop. Dropshippers will love our Bigcommerce integration. It allows you to integrate all the power of our dropshipping management system into your BigCommerce store.
Ecomdash syncs BigCommerce inventory with any integrated channel. This reduces the chances of fulfillment errors, out-of stock situations, oversells, and other issues like out-of-stock situations. It will also mean that you won’t spend your time navigating between six or more websites or digging into Excel spreadsheets. Ecomdash consolidates all aspects of your ecommerce business into one tool, which will save you time and increase efficiency.
We’ll route your order to your dropshipper once it is placed in your BigCommerce store. If you work with multiple dropshippers or some combo of dropshippers, traditional suppliers, and your own warehouse, that’s no problem. Ecomdash lets you assign priority to your fulfillment methods.
Dropshippers who sell on BigCommerce should have ecomdash installed.
e-Product Plug
e-ProductPlug is a nifty tool that makes dropshipping on BigCommerce a lot easier. It is a data feed sync tool. This is an acronym for “it helps to do stuff you don’t want to do manually.”
The e-ProductPlug app connects BigCommerce stores to their supplier, distributor, vendor, 3PL or dropshipper.
Connecting your BigCommerce inventory directly with your dropshipper is one of the best ways to do this. Imagine not needing to browse your dropshipper’s catalog and select products before you can manually create listings in your BigCommerce store. e-ProductPlug allows you to update product data and sync it with your dropshipper at least three times per day. You can also push products directly from your dropshipper into your BigCommerce store.
e-ProductPlug has filters that ensure you don’t have the item approved manually, which saves you time and effort. It makes it easy to determine your profit margins and even has an SEO tool for listing that will help you rank your products higher in Google search results.
e-ProductPlug is a great way to save time and effort if you are constantly updating your inventory or selling in a niche with many repeat buyers looking for new products.
Source for Inventory
Inventory Source is a new dropshipper’s dream come true.
Finding suppliers is often the hardest part about becoming a dropshipper. Inventory Source removes this barrier. It is comprised of a network wholesale dropshippers already integrated into the system. You simply need to plug in, select your products and then push them to your BigCommerce store.
There is no need to worry about whether an Alibaba seller is trustworthy. Inventory Source only accepts dropshippers that are trustworthy. You can automate the import of new products from trusted suppliers to keep you ahead of your competitors. You can even set custom categories, keeping the language on your site in line with your brand and niche.
Inventory Source is a great app for dropshippers who are just starting out with BigCommerce.
