In this article, you’ll find
- Introduction
- What Do We Mean by Dropshipping?
- Shopify Dropshipping Apps – What They Do and Why Your Business Needs Them?
- ‘Must-have’ Features in Shopify Dropshipping Apps
- Best Shopify Dropshipping Apps for 2023
- Shopify Dropshipping Apps for Your Business
- Downsides of Choosing the Wrong Shopify Dropping App
- FAQs
Introduction
Did you know dropshipping existed way before the digital age? Mail-order or catalog sales companies deployed the first versions of the dropshipping model in the 1960s and 70s. Back then, companies would slide pamphlets and product catalogs inside newspapers and magazines, allowing customers to place orders via telephone. These companies planted the seeds for modern-day dropshipping, which we see today.
The internet’s arrival changed the dropshipping industry’s face by making it more accessible and efficient than before. Amazon and eBay pioneered digital dropshipping laying the foundation for popular platforms, including Shopify and AliExpress.
Today, nearly 33% of online stores depend on dropshipping sales to drive revenue. This is because e-commerce retailers who adopt dropshipping have the potential to earn around 50% more than retailers who rely on on-site inventories.
While Shopify has emerged as one of the most popular dropshipping platforms in recent years, businesses should also know the top Shopify dropshipping apps that can further improve their operations.
In this article, we will examine some of the most popular Shopify dropshipping apps in 2023. Before we analyze and explore each app, let’s understand what we mean by dropshipping and what Shopify dropshipping apps do.
What Do We Mean by Dropshipping?
Remember, we spoke about catalog sales and mail-order companies? Today, dropshipping is exclusively linked with online shopping and e-commerce, leaving its humble beginning behind.
Dropshipping is one of the most popular e-commerce business models that allows online retailers and sellers to sell products without any burden of packaging, managing inventory, and shipping.
There are thousands of Shopify dropshipping apps in the market today. The onus is on you to choose the right Shopify dropshipping app for your online business.
But first, let’s understand what Shopify dropshipping apps do.
Shopify Dropshipping Apps – What They Do and Why Your Business Needs Them?
Here’s a small exercise for you. Unlock your phone and select a random application. Now, identify what the app does and how it works. Are you using the app to book a service, make payments, find information, or simply boost your productivity? Regardless of your answer, every app addresses a certain challenge.
Similarly, Shopify dropshipping apps help online sellers navigate past hurdles and streamline different aspects of an online business.
Every Shopify dropshipping app is primarily designed to reduce workload, increase efficiency, and streamline the entire dropshipping process.
We have identified two major reasons why online sellers require Shopify dropshipping apps.
- Reduce Workload
As mentioned earlier, some of the best Shopify dropshipping apps will simplify and optimize the entire process of discovering products for your online store, inventory management, and shipping. These apps allow you and your team to dedicate efforts toward other business areas, including marketing and customer service.
- Increase Product Offering
Shopify dropshipping apps open up access to many products from thousands of suppliers. This enables online sellers to increase their product portfolio, boosting the chances of making a sale.
Additionally, these apps aid online sellers in providing a smooth and seamless customer experience.
Now, let us examine some of the must-have features you should look for in a Shopify dropshipping app in 2023 before selecting it for your online store.
‘Must-have’ Features in Shopify Dropshipping Apps
From attracting new customers, keeping them engaged, and communicating with them to providing customer support and after-sales support, every Shopify dropshipping app should have various features to fulfill these requirements.
Here are some of the ‘must-have’ features you should look for before integrating a Shopify dropshipping app with your store.
- Finding the Right Dropshipping Supplier
If you are a drop shipper or aiming to become one, you may know that finding the right supplier is tedious and time-consuming. One of the major hurdles is finding suppliers that match quality standards, offer good rates, and do not trick you into working with them.
While you can conduct preliminary research to find the right supplier, top Shopify dropshipping apps can help. For instance, if you spend some time on the app to explore the features, understand its pricing structure, and more, you will likely find a page with useful customer information. Most apps include a list of recommended suppliers you can work with, saving precious time and effort.
- Real-time Shipping Rates
An unmissable feature, especially when you build your online business around transparency and trust. The last thing customers want to see while paying is outrageous shipping fees added to their bills. Many customers may abandon the cart during such scenarios since the shipping fees is much higher than anticipated.
While most online shoppers understand and know they must pay a shipping fee, they do not welcome unpleasant surprises in the form of steep shipping fees. While most online businesses update the total purchase price as customers add more items to the cart, shipping fees are not updated. This is why you need to look for a Shopify dropshipping app that allows you to display real-time shipping rates.
Displaying real-time shipping rates boosts transparency and ensures customers are not stunned while checking out. Therefore, opt for a Shopify dropshipping app with a real-time shipping rates calculator. This lets your customers keep tabs on shipping costs as they add items to the cart.
- Inventory Management
Arguably one of the most important features you should look for in a Shopify dropshipping app.
Inventory management in a dropshipping model works differently than what you see in an offline store. Here, you delegate several aspects of the e-commerce process to your supplier. This primarily includes your website’s inventory which is manufactured, stored, and shipped by the supplier. Although you are not directly involved in these processes, you should always stay on top of your inventory.
Your Shopify store should accurately display how much inventory of each product is left in stock. If you make a mistake here, you may receive more orders which you may not complete with the advertised standards leading to unhappy customers. Therefore, you require a Shopify dropshipping app with a world-class inventory management feature.
- Automation
Let’s divide your dropshipping business into two parts. One part is where your supplier handles everything for you, and the second part is where your participation is required.
While your dropshipping supplier handles manufacturing, packaging, and shipping, marketing and customer service fall under your purview. From emailing customers, updating order statuses, and creating membership tiers to replying to social media queries, emails, and other requests, you have much to do, especially if you have hundreds of orders pouring in. Seems daunting right? Fortunately, the best Shopify dropshipping apps have the best automation features, allowing you to complete these tasks on autopilot mode.
Let’s be honest. Who enjoys performing mundane and repetitive tasks? Not sure about robots and machines, but humans certainly don’t. Automation features liberate you from these cyclic routines, creating more time for you to focus on other important tasks.
- User-friendly Interface
Adding a new application to your existing tech stack has its fair share of challenges and barriers. One of the primary challenges for users is adjusting to new platforms’ usability. Therefore, opting for a Shopify dropshipping app with a visually appealing and user-friendly interface becomes crucial.
Would you like to stare at a bright red screen with large page elements, icons, and buttons? The answer is probably a big NO, right? An application with a clutter-free and clean user interface enhances the overall user experience as they browse through your online store. The idea is to incorporate minimalist elements that prompt them to take action, educate them about your products or services, and offer a seamless experience. Opt for a clutter-free Shopify dropshipping app that combines ease of use, aesthetics, and minimalist elements, ultimately attracting more customers to your online store.
- Satisfactory Customer Support
This point applies to all software applications and not just Shopify dropshipping apps. Your customers are likely to ask all types of questions to clear their doubts and concerns. This is why you need an application with the right features to address their queries. On the other hand, as an end user, you may stumble upon a few tech-related problems, bug-related issues, and several other issues while using the app.
If you are facing an issue with your dropshipping store, you should have access or a medium to directly communicate with the Shopify dropshipping app’s customer support team. Any inconvenience, high downtime, and technical glitches will damage your store’s reputation and impact your professionalism, which is the last thing you want as a business owner. Opt for a Shopify dropshipping app with the best customer support team to help you address your problems as soon as possible.
Best Shopify Dropshipping Apps for 2023
Now that we have reviewed the features, let’s get familiar with some of the top Shopify dropshipping apps in 2023. Why are these apps so popular? Are they worth the hype?
Let’s find out.
If you are looking for the best free Shopify dropshipping app, look no further than Dropshipman. Trusted by thousands of online businesses in the U.S. and other regions of the world, Dropshipman allows you to source many products for your online store from trusted suppliers at low production costs.
Dropshipman also offers product price synchronization, inventory management, and tracking from AliExpress. The wide range of automated features allows businesses to save time on editing and tweaking every product page manually. The best part? Few free Shopify dropshipping apps can boast of the wide feature set offered by Dropshipman. An incredible app for dropshipping businesses that are running on tighter budgets.
Best Features:
- Order, inventory, and pricing information are updated automatically
- Businesses can easily import products from AliExpress to their online store
- Easy-to-use order management features
Pricing:
- Free
- Advanced Plan: from $19.99/month
Print on Demand! Are you aware of the concept?
If not, here’s a quick rundown.
Print on Demand is a business model in which products are created, personalized, and printed after an order is placed. This allows online businesses to deliver personalized items and products on demand.
Printful is an ideal print-on-demand Shopify dropshipping app for online sellers and Shopify store owners that cater to niche and personalized customer requests. The app is relatively easy to use, offers free sign-up, and provides access to many services.
From customized t-shirts, coffee mugs, and banners to wall art, Printful allows you to easily print and sell personalized products. The Shopify dropshipping app has an easy-to-use design tool that allows customers to create and upload their designs and only pay when they receive their order. Printful also provides pack-ins, packaging slips, and many custom branding options.
Best Features:
- Easy-to-use design tools
- Custom branding and print options
Pricing:
- Free
- Additional costs involved in using advanced and premium features
SearchPie is another popular Shopify dropshipping app that is extensively used by dropshipping businesses. While most businesses focus on developing an incredible website, they overlook the importance of SEO. Are you one of them? It is time to change that.
SearchPie aids online stores to optimize their SEO metrics to improve their online ranking.
How does it work? All you need to do is allow the app to scan your entire website and provide a detailed report on every problem and how to fix them. SEO auto features are key in improving your website ranking, page load speed, and organic traffic.
Best Features:
- Regular updates for SEO-related issues
- Bulk meta title and alt tag updates
- Page load optimization with Image Compression and Instant Page
Pricing:
- Premium Plan: $39/month
- Enterprise Plan: $79/month
Imagine having to manually import products from Amazon to your Shopify store. Seems like a nightmare, right? This is where Shopify dropshipping apps such as Spreadr come in handy. It is one of the best tools that allows Shopify sellers to find products on Amazon and import them to their online store in a few seconds. As we all know, Amazon is home to millions of products, product categories, and product collections. Spreadr allows you to import products that align with your business and create new product categories to attract customers.
We haven’t discussed the best feature yet. When your Shopify store receives a new order, it is managed by Amazon. Isn’t that great?
Best Features:
- Seamless product import from Amazon
- Currency conversion
- Auto update pricing and product availability
Pricing:
- Basic: $5/month
- Pro: $10/month
- Gold: $20/month
DropCommerce comes with all the features you need to operate and manage your dropshipping business in the U.S. and Canada. Their motto? Fast fulfillment of high-quality products. With the best US-based suppliers on board, DropCommerce has all the ingredients Shopify store owners require to create a sustainable dropshipping business in the U.S. Dropshipping businesses can easily lose customers, attract negative reviews, and tarnish their reputation if they cannot meet the desired quality levels, delay orders, and offer sub-standard customer support.
DropCommerce enables businesses to shift their focus from overseas suppliers to real brands and suppliers from the U.S. and Canada, paving the way for faster and better packing, order tracking, and shipping. Shopify stores can fulfill orders within 7 days instead of 14-21 days as promised while shipping products from overseas markets, including India, China, Hong Kong, and more.
The cherry on the cake? You get a full refund if they fail to deliver your order within 7 days.
Best Features
- Built for Shopify store owners in the U.S. and Canada
- Guaranteed delivery within 2-7 days
- Product sourced from local suppliers in the U.S. and Canada
Push notifications are among the best and most effective ways to promote your brand and engage with your customers. Your hunt for the best Shopify dropshipping app for marketing and sending push notifications ends here. Push Owl is exactly the app you need to send your subscribers engaging and personalized push notifications. Push Owl enables you to keep your customers engaged at every step of their journey
Push Owl’s features are designed to boost sales and market your online store via push notifications. Send customized recommendations based on your customer’s purchase history, geolocation, preferences, and other relevant metrics. Overall, Push Owl allows you to forge a personal connection with your customers.
Best Features
- In-built AI writing assistant to write compelling copies
- Allows you to create push notifications for different devices
- Design and set sequences to engage with customers at every step of their journey
Pricing
- Starter: Free
- Business: $19/month
- Enterprise: $79/month
- BoxBuilder, Ultimate Upsell, ADG, Kiwi Sizing, Moonship – Best Shopify Dropshipping App for Sales and Conversion
Shopify store owners work hard to increase their sales and conversions. However, achieving exponential growth without apps designed for that purpose is challenging. With thousands of apps claiming to be the best Shopify dropshipping app to improve sales and conversions, it can take time to choose the right one.
We have picked BoxBuilder for bundling products, Ultimate Upsell for upselling and cross-selling, Automatic Discounts & Gifts for discounts and gifts, Kiwi Sizing for size charts, and Moonship for discount popups. All these help you increase your sales and conversion, and we have chosen these apps based on user reviews, features, pricing tiers, and exceptional customer support. Some of the top features include AI-driven discount pop-ups, customized product bundling, size recommender, and more. Each app offers a unique set of features along with top-notch customer support, making them the right suitors for the best Shopify dropshipping apps to improve sales and conversion.
Gorgias tops the ranking charts if you are looking for a Shopify dropshipping app with all the features to provide the best customer support. It is also packed with built-in Shopify actions that come together to provide a holistic view of your e-commerce stack. From automating customer support across various communication channels, including SMS, email, Whatsapp, and Instagram, to order management, Gorgias allows your customer service team to stay on top of all the processes in real-time. This data empowers them to address customer issues and provide the best customer support.
Best Features;
- Automated interactions across multiple communication channels
- Intuitive dashboard to evaluate all the key parameters before providing personalized customer support
Pricing
- Basic: $50/month
- Pro: $300/month
- Advanced: $750/month
Shopify Dropshipping Apps for Your Business – Why You Need Them?
Your online Shopify store should be integrated with the best Shopify dropshipping apps for several reasons. These apps play a key role in transforming your online business, scaling it, and taking it to the next level. Besides, these apps greatly impact product sourcing, order fulfillment, customer experiences, and profitability. The most reliable and credible Shopify dropshipping apps are primarily designed to improve efficiency, streamline operations, and deliver the best customer support.
- Efficient Operations:
The dropshipping industry has become increasingly crowded over the past decade due to the arrival of platforms, including Shopify and Oberlo, and large-scale internet penetration worldwide. With millions of merchants competing against each other, it is essential to streamline operations and boost efficiency to gain an edge. Choosing the right Shopify dropshipping app increases efficiency across various aspects of your business, including order fulfillment, inventory management, and customer communication.
- Enhanced Customer Experience:
Customer is the king, and online store owners should always remember that. While there is no room for face-to-face interactions in e-commerce, business owners can provide improved customer experiences by picking the right Shopify dropshipping app for their online store.
- Greater Profit Margins
Most applications have eliminated the need to hire multiple people to perform mundane and repetitive tasks, including accounting, order management, etc. Additionally, no significant overhead costs are involved in a dropshipping business compared to a traditional business model. Therefore, these applications allow online store owners to clock higher profit margins.
Downsides of Choosing the Wrong Shopify Dropping App
While choosing the right Shopify dropshipping app is very important to avoid choosing sub-standard apps.
- Reputational Damage
A poor app choice can lead to catastrophic results and consequences, hindering business growth, denting your business’s reputation, and ultimately affecting sales.
- Operational Bottlenecks
What are the consequences of choosing the wrong Shopify dropshipping app for your online store? Poor customer service, mismanaged inventory, missed sales, and end-to-end operational chaos.
- Lower Profit Margins
Choosing the wrong Shopify dropshipping app will harm your reputation and cause a significant dent in your finances. Order fulfillment delays, inaccurate inventory tracking, and sub-standard customer service can lead to more dissatisfied customers and more refund requests, ultimately trimming down your profitability.
Bottom Line
Dropshipping has evolved from catalog sales to a full-fledged thriving digital ecosystem thanks to innovations, technological advancements, and the internet boom.
Additionally, the entry of thousands of Shopify dropshipping apps has revolutionized dropshipping in recent years by improving the various facets of the dropshipping process. When business owners are spoilt for choices, they can easily make the wrong choice. We hope this article is a guiding light while choosing the right Shopify dropshipping app for your business.
Whether you want to automate different components of your business, improve your product offerings, create customized packaging, or simply enhance inventory and order management, there is a Shopify dropshipping app for everything you need.
FAQs
What should I focus on while choosing a Shopify dropshipping app?
Start with the basics. Discover the experiences shared by customers who have used the Shopify dropshipping app for their business. Check out the app’s pricing structure and the list of features to identify whether it fulfills your requirements.
Why does my Shopify business need a dropshipping app?
Shopify is arguably one of the most popular dropshipping platforms in 2023. That said, your Shopify store becomes a dynamic and efficient powerhouse when paired with Shopify dropshipping apps resulting in better sales, customer reach, customer support, and more.
Which are some of the best Shopify dropshipping apps in 2023?
Spreadr, DropCommerce, SearchPie, Dropshipman, and Printful are some of the best Shopify dropshipping apps in 2023. You can also explore a few more apps, including Doba, Zendrop, Spocket, Trends, and CJ Dropshipping, to name a few.
Can I use multiple Shopify dropshipping apps at the same time?
Yes, you can use multiple Shopify dropshipping apps simultaneously, each serving a different purpose.
