Many people think dropshipping is easy, but that is not the case. There is plenty of content available on the Internet that can help you start, but there is a lot of competition, too. If you want to increase your chances of success, first you need to set the technical basics that come with the dropshipping business. For example, you need to know certain things about e-commerce platforms. Have you ever heard about the silent rivalry of the “Big Three” – Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce?
Before you read on, we just want to give you the options of separate guides of the big three. You can find them by clicking on the respective article links below:
Dropshipping With BigCommerce – Complete Guide
Complete Guide To Dropshipping With Shopify
Definitive Guide To Dropshipping With WooCommerce
This is the reality, and if you are thinking about dropshipping you need to get ready before you start. The first thing you need to do is research. And when you are doing any research, please try to get as much information as needed. It will be tough for you to choose the best e-commerce platform to start with your dropshipping store.
There are a couple of things that you need to know before you start. Dropshippers and eCommerce are synonymous in nature, and as you can expect, they are using the same types of eCommerce platforms. The other thing is (we just mentioned it), to do your research. When you do some research for an eCommerce platform, be aware of the plans and subscriptions, ease of access, and last but not least – their customer support.
The Best eCommerce Platforms – Comparison Chart
It would be just great if you set some criteria for comparing the top eCommerce platforms. Our top picks are the three largest e-commerce platforms at the moment – WooCommerce, Shopify, and BigCommerce. Our criteria are:
User Friendliness: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce
-
- WooCommerce – made it easy to understand. Any newbie can work with it. It’s made for WordPress, that’s like the favorite platform for anyone who wants to make a website. Creating a WordPress site and installing WooCommerce on it shouldn’t be a tough job for anyone that wants to launch their business and start dropshipping.
- Shopify – it doesn’t get easier. You can just sign up and start adding products to your store. And to easily set up your store, without help from anyone they offer you written scripts for your policy pages. So you don’t have to worry about writing your own. You just need to fill the blanks with your information.
- BigCommerce – they will offer you a trial account. You don’t need to worry about the design too. Most of the themes are free, and you can edit the website layout as you like.
Technical Support – Which e-Commerce platform wins?
- WooCommerce – Offers drop shippers tons of learning materials to use. The fact is, WooCommerce is one of the largest eCommerce platforms and has many designers and developers who are looking for ways to promote and improve it.
- Shopify – they most likely have the best technical support out there. You can see the benefits of using Shopify, including phone, chat, and 24-hour support within the e-commerce platform.
- BigCommerce – Similar to Shopify, with a learning center included. You can find tons of user help docs, guides, various in-depth videos, fresh product news, and community resources which help resellers and like-minded entrepreneurs use BigCommerce the right way.
Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce – Price Comparison
- WooCommerce – Completely free to use. Yes, you have some pro features which you can pay, but you can create and manage a store without those features.
- Shopify – There is no free version at Shopify. You can use the 14 days free trial to try it out though. Plans are starting from $29 to $299, while Advanced Shopify is still an option if you are an Enterprise and you have a bigger budget.
- BigCommerce – Same as Shopify. But the range of the plans is $29 to $250. They also offer the Enterprise version, but they require a process that includes contacting some of the employees directly.
Example Websites Hosted
- WooCommerce – almost everyone willing to build an online store using WordPress, needs to do it with the help of the WooCommerce plugin. Some of the most famous website examples are Porter and York, Root Science, and Untold Wish.
- Shopify – BioLite, Skinny Teatox, and Taylor Stich are one of the most famous eCommerce stores that use Shopify. There are countless more, but you already get the point.
- BigCommerce – combine stores of many profitable companies. Some of them are Toyota and Pandora.
Dropshipping with Shopify
If you want to start dropshipping during this period, then Shopify will make it simple to you. Shopify is one of the most well-known platforms for eCommerce. It includes many benefits, like social media tools or working with marketplaces like Amazon. Its popularity grows every day and seems like more entrepreneurs choose Shopify over the other eCommerce platforms.
As I’ve told you the numbers just keep rising. Shopify reached over 1 million merchants last year, and over users in exactly 175 countries started using it.
In this article, we will show you the benefits of using Shopify, and why should you choose it over the other eCommerce platforms. Also, we will guide you through the process of opening a Shopify store, so continue reading below.
Why choose Shopify?
There are many solutions when you start thinking about dropshipping. But surely, Shopify is one of the top picks out there. And why is that?
Has applicable solutions – Shopify offers many solutions for their users who got into dropshipping. Spotlightify stands out as one of the solution apps that work only with Spotify.
Has extra features – Creating an eCommerce business, that is not just a business is one of the benefits that Spotify offers. Social media tools, payment methods, and other features are includes in this eCommerce platform.
User friendly – User reviews showed us that Shopify is one of the most easy-to-use platforms out there. It has many options available, but every option is easy to access and is understandable. Their software is amazing.
After hearing all these benefits from using Shopify, are you ready to start? We would assume you are and will continue with the guiding process where you build your business.
How to open a Shopify store?
If you already chose your niche, or you have a product in mind you are all set. Just create an account, and start building. We singled out a couple of steps that can guide you through the process.
Step 1: Sign up & Create Account – create an account with Shopify. You can find the CTA button on their website that says “Get Started”, click that and start creating your account. You better think about a store name, because it’s required in the process. Our advice is to keep it simple.
Step 2: Start adding your products – there are many things you could do after you create your account. Maybe you will be confused, but as the next step, we recommend adding products to your store. You can add products from Oberlo, edit them, and even create your own collections.
Step 3: Design – your products are finished, and you are asking yourself now – what should I do next? Well, continue to set up your store and design it. You have many options, free or paid. There are decent themes that can get your store a nice look and navigation for free. So it really depends on your budget.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you should focus on adding a domain and preferred payment method. These are your priorities. After you are done with those steps, try to explore Shopify dropshipping apps.
Dropshipping with WooCommerce
Do you use WordPress? Well if you don’t use it you probably haven’t heard of WooCommerce either. WordPress is a site-building software that takes around 35% of all the websites on the Internet.
WordPress is popular because it’s easy-to-use, and it’s incredibly flexible. What does that mean? Everyone can make a website on WordPress, you don’t need to be a developer. Its many plugins enable you to build your website on drag and drop systems.
WooCommerce is the most known plugin that can help you create eCommerce stores on WordPress.
Why should you use WooCommerce for dropshipping?
There are many benefits to choosing WooCommerce over other platforms:
- The first and most important one is the price. WooCommerce is free. So basically you only need a hosting and domain to create your store.
- WooCommerce offers you flexibility. If we compare it to Shopify, WooCommerce lets you use many more integrations that help you with your website. You can find useful plugins that can help you with your social media efforts, data entries, and sales.
- Did you know that WooCommerce has no restrictions over the products that you can sell? Yes, your job is only to find a market for your products and a way to process the payments.
What is needed to open a WooCommerce dropshipping store?
If you’re willing to create a WooCommerce dropshipping store, you need to consider a few things first. We’ve singled out the most important things, so make sure you’re familiar with them.
- Hosting and domain name for your site
- Install WordPress on your hosting and Install WooCommerce plugin after you set up your WordPress site
- Design your WordPress site according to your needs, but we prefer to be a conversion-oriented design, that has proven Conversion Rate percentage
Dropshipping with BigCommerce
What is BigCommerce?
One of the most popular e-commerce platforms, BigCommerce is here to help you start your online business, with prices beginning at $29 per month. With BigCommerce, you can build your business easily and make profits. It is a user-friendly platform that attracts many entrepreneurs with their easy-to-use custom designed templates. It offers you an opportunity to grow your sales across the world.
How does dropshipping on BigCommerce happen?
Everyone can do it, why is that? BigCommerce handles every aspect of customer data, so you would not waste your time on it. It is a thing that works out just fine for both parties.
Benefits with BigCommerce Dropshipping
- Customers have the option to upload files in the process of purchasing the products.
- Transaction fees? There are none.
- iContact and Constant Contact. Have you heard of them? They are but a few of the Email marketing services that BigCommerce collaborates with, to be more helpful to customers, as well as find new ones.
Verdict: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce
We’ve compared all three e-commerce platforms. However, who won the battle of Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce? We certainly won’t tell you, because they all have their pros and cons. Shopify is great for beginner dropshippers, while WooCommerce helps citizens from other parts of the world to earn profits. BigCommerce is a mixture of both and is great for entrepreneurs and seasoned dropshippers. Whatever you choose, make sure to make it worth your while, because once you start earning, there’s no coming back. If you’ve made your mind, try any of the suppliers in our free directory to find dropshipping suppliers.