Dropshipping is a unique business model where a drop shipper does not produce anything; he is like a manager organizing order fulfillment and only finding Customers through the quality online store.
Dropshipping is a good helper for manufacturers that do not know how to sell their goods, for Wholesalers with a lot of goods in the warehouses, and for other Suppliers who want to expand their business.
If you are a beginner in the dropshipping business and do not want to invest much money, you can start only with your PC and some registration fees for a domain or marketplace for placing an online store. After you gain a constant flow of customers, you need tools to grow steadily and without losing control of your business and quality.
This article proves that you must obtain these five tools for your dropshipping business optimization.
5 Must-Have Tools
Dropshipping business is e-commerce, so all operations take place on the Internet, so you need software to execute orders faster and better no matter their amount. So, please check our five most recommended tools. These tools are separated into five groups based on their primary task. The most advanced drop shippers should use all; beginners can start from the most complicated area – order processing.
1. Website builder’s tools
A professional online store is a vital necessity for any e-commerce business. No matter where you place your store – on a separate domain or using popular marketplaces, it should reflect your Brand and be user-friendly with a detailed description of the goods. Thanks to website builder tools, you do not need to know much about how to create a website; no coding skills are also required. These tools can handle all the store’s technical, design, financial, and security parts.
Such tools can be integrated into existing e-commerce platforms (like Shopify) or separately downloaded (CommerceHQ). With their help, you can create a website within 20 minutes; you need only to choose a design theme, add your company address and payment method, and list the products. In addition, such tools can have integrations with other tools to make your drop shipper life easier (AliExpress ordering or Google Analytics). You can find it with free subscriptions or paid ones.
2. Tools for inventory management
If your online store has a wide range of products, you need to track their availability in your Supplier’s warehouse or ensure that your required item can be quickly produced. These tools have the functionality to alert you in case of low inventory, provide reports and dashboards, and deal with barcodes (inventory used in warehouses to control stocks and indicate short information about the products).
The more synchronized your data will be with your Suppliers, the more professional and trustable seller you will be for your Customers, and fewer orders will be canceled or delayed. You definitely need this tool if you have more than one Supplier. These tools also help to see the current delivery status and identify any possible problems.
3. Supplier-sourcing tools
You can start with this tool at the beginning of your dropshipping business, as the Supplier determines the quality of your products. Without experience, it isn’t easy to find a trustable Supplier.
Supplier sourcing tools can search manufacturers from all over the world or focus on a specific country. You may set the desired location to reduce delivery time and boost your sales with free and fast delivery. As with other tools, you can subscribe to the free or paid versions; the mostly paid version allows you to search suppliers for defined products with 24/7 technical support.
Sourcing tools can be chosen for low or high-priced markets. With such tools, you receive direct contact with the Supplier, see the Supplier rating how competitive he is in the chosen niche, analyze how many Suppliers are in this niche, and search for several stores. Depending on the app, you can even order inside these tools (up to 100s orders) with tracking numbers.
4. Automatic order fulfillment tools
It is difficult for a drop shipper to be precise in all order details, to transfer all orders to Suppliers correctly, and to transfer tracking details without mistakes. To exclude problems in this area, order fulfillment tools take on themselves the most time-consuming everyday work. With inefficient order processing, you can lose all your customers if you grow fast. The most popular software is ShipBob, Fishbowl, ShipMonk, OWD, etc.
You will see the overview of all orders (pending, to be delivered, shipped), can check stocks, and top-selling products, check order details, and the current location of the delivery. You may receive recommendations for the packing and container sizes. Such software is integrated into your marketplace accounts (Amazon, Walmart, eBay, etc.) Some of such services can respond even to online chats or phones. These tools are mainly not for free.
5. Product research tools
If you are lost in the product niches, you do not know how to start, this tool is the one that can be a foundation of your business. You may check such apps as Sell the Trend, SaleHoo, or Easync. Such tools combine two main tasks for a beginner: search for a product and find a reliable Supplier. You can perform their tasks manually using search engines, Google Analytics, or check top sellers on the most popular marketplaces (Amazon, Walmart, eBay). You need to go through tons of reviews, estimate the pros and cons of each product, and read a lot of guidance about dropshipping trends.
These tools have parts to research products, categories, and suppliers. You can join the community or review tutorials to stay informed about the latest bestsellers. In addition, each tool has its Supplier rating, shipment methods, product quality, and comparison of several suppliers and products. Some can even tell you how many stores sell this product and the average sales price.
Conclusion
The presented in this article groups of tools simplify and improve dropshipped’s work. You can boost your business without hiring personnel. You can go even further and download tools for marketing, competitor research, or communication with customers.
You need to be better and faster to beat your competitors, so without the latest software achievements, it is impossible. We suggest starting with order fulfillment tools and tools for inventory management to track orders and stocks. Good helpers will be website builders, supplier sourcing, and product research tools for further expansion. And for sure, you can use multi-functional software that can do all these tasks.
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