What Is the Best Dropshipping Platform? Top Options Compared
Quick answer: The best dropshipping platform for most sellers is Shopify — hosted, easy to use and with the largest choice of dropshipping apps. WooCommerce is the best free option if you already use WordPress, BigCommerce suits growing mid-market brands, and Wix is a simple website builder with ecommerce. Choose based on ease of use, scalability, marketing tools, dropshipping integrations and support.
If you’re thinking about starting a dropshipping business, the first thing you need to do is choose the best dropshipping platform for your dropshipping store. While most eCommerce platforms can handle dropshipping, to complicate matters, each eCommerce platform has its own unique features. How do we choose among so many platforms today?
We have created this page to introduce the advantages of different dropshipping platforms to help your business find the best choice.
What is a Dropshipping Platform?
Dropshipping mode is more and more popular. Because retailers can sell in online stores that don’t have stock. Therefore, as the owner of an online store, an e-commerce platform is essential.
A dropshipping platform is where you easily manage your online sales campaigns. This platform enables you to manage your website, marketing, sales, and operations.
The advantage of dropshipping with an eCommerce platform is that having a beautifully designed online store page on it will enable you to reach a wider audience. It also allows you to earn the trust of your customers by providing a one-of-a-kind online experience.
But it can be hard to choose from all these dropshipping platforms.
Criteria for Selecting the Best Dropshipping Platform for Beginners
Maybe you’re all set to start dropshipping and have chosen a dropshipping product to sell, but you’re having trouble creating your online store. You don’t know which eCommerce platform to choose to build your dropshipping business on. Which platform is the best match for your store? Which platform is the cheapest or is a free dropshipping platform easy to use? We think the following aspects need to be considered:
Easy to use
Is your platform easy to use? Obviously, a website needs an intuitive back-end interface to make your work efficient and your business management easier. The front end is just as important. What your customers will see and use to shop with you. If the platform is difficult to use, you lose sales.
Scalability
Will your platform grow with you? As your business continues to grow and your website handles more traffic, you need to ensure that your platform still loads pages quickly and runs smoothly. Otherwise, you risk switching to another platform.
Built-in Marketing Tools
Dropshipping has lower margins than a traditional business, so you have to increase your sales. Marketing tools can help you. Marketing tools and SEO features can help you attract new visitors and promote your dropshipping brand. If your platform of choice offers these basic tools, you may not need to spend money on other apps and plugins. So what marketing tools should your platform of choice have?
Email marketing and automation.
SMS (Short Message) Marketing.
Support dropshipping integration
That is to say, the platform you choose must support multiple dropshipping plugins. Because these plugins allow you to connect to suppliers and import products and inventory. Some plugins can even automate the ordering process so that when someone places an order at your store, the dropshipping supplier is automatically notified and begins processing the order.
Offers plenty of customer support options
Find a dropship platform that offers user guides, 24/7 support, and live chat. Whenever a problem arises, you can contact them for support.
Best E-commerce Platforms for Dropshipping
Shopify
Shopify is one of the leading eCommerce platforms on the market today. For technically challenged users, Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms and the best one they choose to use. Because:
It has unlimited products.
Feature-rich: have many built-in marketing tools and many dropshipping apps.
Can easily help users organize their information and make it easy for users to use.
Provide chat service. This helps users communicate and solve problems.
Price (at the time of writing; check the official site for current plans):
14-day free trial
Basic: $29/month
Shopify: $79/month
Advanced: $299/month
WooCommerce
At the time this article was first written, WooCommerce accounted for nearly 27% of the market for all dropshipping e-commerce platforms. Since WooCommerce dropshipping is free and so easy to use, it is very widely used and become a popular platform. There are many stores on WooCommerce. It is very easy to install even for non-technical specialists.
A free Google Chrome extension is available so you can easily bulk import products.
It is a plugin for WordPress, and users who have WordPress installed can easily install it as a plugin without paying any fees.
WooCommerce has dropshipping plugins that can import thousands of products from the dropshipping marketplace, such as Aliexpress.
Price: The plugin itself is free to use.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a hosted eCommerce platform. Designed to provide mid-market and enterprise-class commerce solutions with built-in top-of-the-line commerce features. It is known for its simple user interface and quick eCommerce setup process.
This platform offers the same support as Shopify, including email, chat, phone, and forums.
BigCommerce hosts the eCommerce stores of several leading companies, including Toyota, Marucci Sports, and Nine Line Apparel.
Most BigCommerce themes are free, and the layout can be easily customized according to your needs.
Price (at the time of writing; check the official site for current plans):
Standard: $29.95/month
Plus: $79.95/month
Pro: $299.95/month
AliExpress
AliExpress is a wholesale and dropshipping platform. They have a huge online marketplace for businesses to source products directly from suppliers listed on their platform.
Buyer Protection Program. Safer than shopping on eBay.
Low price, the high-profit potential of the product.
WIX
Wix launches Wix Ecommerce to help anyone build their eCommerce store. No coding or design expertise is required. And it provides a hosted eCommerce solution.
Tons of amazing themes for free.
Connected to the Modalyst marketplace, from which products can be sourced for sale.
Including marketing automation.
Price (at the time of writing; check the official site for current plans):
Business Basic: $17/month
Business VIP: $35/month
Honest FulPhilment
Honest FulPhilment provides a great platform for eCommerce merchants. Honest FulPhilment is widely used because of its superior service and lower prices. It is very easy for new users and requires no specialized skills. Just log in from the app and register for an account. Besides, they strictly control the quality. Honest FulPhilment has long-term and stable cooperation with many e-commerce companies. Click here for more information.
Conclusion
A good e-commerce platform is essential to get your dropshipping business off to a good start. It not only provides your customers with a seamless front-end shopping experience but also allows you to simplify back-end management. Have you found the right dropshipping platform? Either way, you can contact Honest FulPhilment to learn more, or read how to grow your dropshipping business.
Honest FulPhilment is a platform that gives people peace of mind while using it. It provides great service to users and also offers lower prices and peace of mind about quality. Don’t hesitate. You can ask us any questions about the dropshipping business. Contact us now.
FAQ
What is a dropshipping platform?
A dropshipping platform is the e-commerce software you use to run a store that sells products without holding inventory. It hosts your website and checkout and connects to suppliers or fulfillment partners who ship each order.
What is the best dropshipping platform for beginners?
Shopify is usually the easiest choice for beginners because it is hosted, simple to set up and has the largest range of dropshipping apps. WooCommerce suits people who already use WordPress and want a free, flexible plugin.
Is there a free dropshipping platform?
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin, although you still pay for hosting, a domain and some extensions. Hosted platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce and Wix charge a monthly subscription.
How do I choose a dropshipping platform?
Compare ease of use, scalability, built-in marketing and SEO tools, support for dropshipping integrations and apps, customer support options and total monthly cost.
Can I connect a fulfillment agent to Shopify or WooCommerce?
Yes. Honest FulPhilment offers a free Shopify app and connects to WooCommerce with a REST API key, with no plugin needed, so orders sync automatically for sourcing and fulfillment.