Shopify is an e-commerce platform. People who are willing to start a business but do not have enough resources to go for brick and mortar stores or want to see if their idea of a dream business will work or not can opt for Shopify. It gives them leverage to test out their ideas and operate virtually saving them from renting a space, paying utilities, hiring workers, etc. Shopify not only just helps save cost but has many other benefits. One of the most prominent benefits of Shopify is Dropshipping. The name sounds quite fascinating but so is the concept. Shopify lets store owners order directly from suppliers for consumers without stocking up on inventory. Yes, you heard that right, no need to worry about inventory availability, renting a warehouse, and many hassles of maintaining an inventory which will be discussed in detail. Keep reading and equip yourself with a great deal of knowledge about Shopify Dropshipping.
The world is digitalizing. Technology is taking over our lives and facilitating us in many ways. People are dependent on Technology in many ways such as for entertainment, education, earning, etc. Institutions have started operating virtually and businesses are also increasing their presence online. Most business owners are now going for Shopify to carry out their business transactions.
Shopify makes it pretty easy to sell things online. There is no hassle of hiring, retaining employees, renting or buying a space, and most importantly stocking up on inventory. Shopify provides an option of Dropshipping. It purchases a product directly from a supplier or a third party and ships it to the consumer. Shopify Dropshipping reduces a great amount of risk for a store owner. It frees you from constantly checking if there is enough inventory available or will be available when needed, will it be sufficient for an entire month or year? will it reach on desired date and time? And what not. Also, store owners suffer losses if there is surplus or deficit inventory. Products go to waste if their supply exceeds demand and businesses lose customers if they are unable to serve customers on time due to inventory deficit. Moreover, a business owner can easily test different products and product lines. It is easy to see if their customers are liking new products introduced or not. They can be discontinued easily because they are not stocked up in inventory and the owner will not suffer any loss in case of any wrong decision. Store owners rarely handle products themselves and the process is automated which creates ease for store owners. It encourages more entrepreneurs to join the business world and serve on-demand products to customers without a stockpile of inventory. Every day it is becoming easy to serve customers wherever they are with Shopify. We will dive deep into the pros and cons of Shopify dropshipping but first, let’s see how to start dropshipping and what are some things should be considered.
How To Start Dropshipping?
Starting dropshipping or incorporating it into your business model is no rocket science. It’s pretty simple and anyone can easily learn to set it up. You simply have to decide your product line first: what do you want to introduce and sell it your customers? Then you need to find a suitable supplier or manufacturer. If your desired product is not available on market then it should be manufactured by purchasing raw materials. After shortlisting suppliers then choose the most suitable option and sign a contract with your dropshipping supplier. The next step is to build your e-commerce store and get it registered. Choose a name for your store. The name should be unique, easy to spell, and gives an idea about your products. Decide the most appropriate and attractive theme for your store. Introduce products on an e-commerce store and start introducing them to your niche. There are multiple apps through which you can products to your stores such as oberlo, modalyst, and many others. They let you add products from suppliers all over the world.
It’s just that simple to do that. You just need to ensure that dropshipping supplier does work efficiently. To make it easier for yourself, you can automate this process by using IoT (Internet of things). A signal or message will automatically be sent to a supplier whenever a customer places an order. The supplier will get it ready right after receiving a signal and will ship it. We have learned about how to start a dropshipping business now let’s look at its pros and cons.
Pros Of Dropshipping
Use dropshipping and enjoy these advantages
Let’s evaluate dropshipping critically. We will discuss its pros first.
Dropshipping on Shopify saves a lot of costs. Keeping goods in your inventory restricts your funds and maintaining them is another task. Dropshipping feature in Shopify saves you from it.
It’s easier to experiment with Shopify dropshipping. Got a unique idea to sell something and want to execute it but are worried about drowning the money if it does not work out? No worries. Shopify is your best friend just build an e-commerce store and hire your dropshipping supplier. You are good to go.
Expansion does not require years and billions of dollars now. Yes, it’s a lot easier to expand your product line with dropshipping because you don’t have to stock items in inventory. Think of a new product, find a dropshipping supplier and market it on your e-commerce platform. No need to worry about the stock going to waste in case customers do not respond well to new products.
Cost that is saved by using dropshipping can be used for marketing and setting up an e-commerce store.
Less cost means more profit. Dropshipping reduces the expenditure of a product and multiplies your profit.
Cons Of Dropshipping
Now coming to the disadvantages and cons of dropshipping.
Dropshipping makes business owners’ life easy but it creates a lot of difficulties too. What if the supplier defaults due to any reason and your customer returns unserved? You will suffer a huge loss. It is important and hard to find a supplier who fulfills your orders on time. You have to maintain a good relationship with your suppliers, remain intact with them, constantly make sure suppliers are not delaying orders, and monitor suppliers’ inventory through certain software.
Customer relationship management is very hard with dropshipping because you are sourcing products from a third party and the supplier may take a while to ship orders. It can result in customer loss because customers hate waiting.
Suppliers work with numerous businesses it is possible that a customer places an order for a certain product and that product is unavailable in the supplier’s inventory. It can result in the delivery of the wrong item.
Another con of dropshipping is that different suppliers have different products. When a customer places an order for more than one product it is possible that items ship from a different supplier. They will reach out to a customer separately which will result in paying double delivery charges.
There is not much room for creativity when using dropshipping because competitors are buying from the same suppliers and products are very common. It may result in a price war because to gain market share competitors set very low prices.
Conclusion
We have discussed Shopify dropshipping in detail. We have learned what it is, how it can be incorporated into a business model, and its pros and cons. It can be safe to say that dropshipping is a huge help for business owners. Small business owners benefit a lot from this technological advancement. Dropshipping helps owners to cope with this fast-moving world where products are innovating every single day. It is not a wise choice to stock up on one single item in your inventories. Consumer taste and lifestyle are changing. It requires upgradation to stay relevant in the era. Dropshipping makes constant up-gradation and innovation possible. It frees business owners to finish stock lying in inventory and lets them think out of the box. Moreover, this feature encourages young entrepreneurs to execute their creative ideas. Businesses are of vital importance for economic growth. It has eradicated the concept of saving a huge amount to start a business.
On the other hand, there are some cons to this feature too. Customer Relationship Management is compromised a lot. Late delivery, double delivery charges, a lot of competition, and the risk of defaulting on suppliers are discussed above. It can be said that it is a very useful feature but has some drawbacks too.
People are dependent on Technology in many ways such as for entertainment, education, earning, etc. Institutions have started operating virtually and businesses are also increasing their presence online. Most business owners are now going for Shopify to carry out their business transactions. 
