Guide To WooCommerce Dropshipping In 2023 | How To Setup Woocommerce For Dropshipping

What Is Dropshipping?

Dropshipping is basically when an online store is selling goods without owning any inventory physically. It means that in such a case, the merchant is acting as a connection between suppliers and end buyer. For instance, if you have an e-Commerce store and a potential customer decides to purchase from it, the actual order is forwarded to your supplier, who in return ships the product directly to your customer. Since we established it, let’s have a look into some practicalities of dropshipping with world’s most popular e-Commerce plugin. 

Can You Dropship With WooCommerce?

Whether you are a starter or having a small WordPress-based online store, WooCommerce is a perfect tool to kick-start your business within minutes. Thanks to multiple custom themes and easy integration, dropshiping with WooCommerce is incredibly easy. Simply install the plugin and enjoy monetising your art or merch. 

Why Use WooCommerce For Dropshipping

WooCommerce's technology is ideal if you need a fully customised e-Commerce store within a few clicks. However, like other e-Commerce solutions, this plugin has its pros and cons. 

WooCommerce: Pros And Cons Explained 

WooCommerce is the most popular e-Commerce plugin for a reason. It has multiple perks that are appealing to many online store owners across the globe. Just like WordPress it is practically free to use and perfectly customisable. Nevertheless, like with every solution, there are pros and cons. 

Pros: 

1. User-friendly interface. WooCommerce is probably the easiest platform to use if you have zero experience in e-Commerce. It basically turns your website into a ready-made online store within minutes. 
2. Abundance of stunning themes. If you have a limited budget or cannot really afford a custom design, the WooCommerce has you covered. Just select from 1000+ pre-tailored affordable options designed for every type of online business. 
3. Low transaction fees. WooCommerce is the most affordable online plugin, be it the costs of subscription or fees per transaction, they charge. It comes in extremely handy, especially if you need to book some extra space in your budget.
4. Simplicity meets security. Thanks to a huge community of dedicated users, the plugin alongside with the platform are being continuously updated while getting additional security.  
5. Easily customisable and flexible. Extending the core WooCommerce platform has never been easier. All you need to do is to use some additional software like plugins and integrations that are available all over WordPress official directory. Moreover, there’s even a dedicated WooCommerce Extensions Store. There, you will easily find hundreds of official add-ons.
6. Multiple payment methods. Quite often, supporting multiple payment methods is the key to a global success. Therefore, by choosing WooCommerce, you also accommodate the needs of your customers to be able to pay in multiple ways. 

Cons: 

1. Self-hosted. Unlike in case with Shopify, using WooCommerce would require you finding and paying for your hosting separately.
2. Issues with tech SEO. Nevertheless, while the plugin is extremely useful if you are just starting your online business, some experienced store owners might find it quite limiting, due to its dependence on WordPress and backend code that can negatively impact your SEO rankings. 
3. No multi integration. While Shopify offers one integration which can be used to sell your goods across the platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you will need a separate plugin to cover different channels with WooCommerce.  

How To Setup WooCommerce For Dropshipping

In just seven easy steps, you can have WooCommerce automated dropshipping and concentrate on brand awareness, while watching your profits skyrocket!

1. Register Your Domain Name

As the first step, you need to register a domain name that  customers will use to find your online store. Our advice, make sure to pick something short and sweet, so it is instantly memorable for your customers. Note, that even though WooCommerce is a free e-Commerce platform, you still need to pay for your domain name and hosting. 

2. Sign Up For Website Hosting

You need a website host to basically store your website so it could appear on the internet and get indexed by search engines around the world! In order to make the right choice of a hosting provider make sure to check subscription period for hosting contracts alongside with server reliability. For that, read thoroughly the host's refund policies and guarantees. In case your online store is successful, understand what your upgrade options upfront. And last but not the least, don’t forget to verify the host's primary features. These steps will help you to single out reliable hosting provides and avoid unpleasant surprises in the future. 

3. Install WordPress And The WooCommerce Plugin

Once the domain name and reliable hostings are chosen, it is time to install WordPress. After this is done, search for the WooCommerce plugin in the add-ons menu and install it on your website. Now you are almost all set to start generating profit online with your online store. 

4. Find A Theme 

Before you start slaying the records selling your merch art pieces, you need to make your WordPress store unique and easily recognisable. Luckily, WooCommerce also took care of it. There are hundreds of easily customisable themes to choose from, both paid and free. 

Tip: Make sure you choose a theme that looks good on all types of devices and is compatible with WooCommerce.

5. Create Website Content

In e-Commerce we often say that content is the king, therefore creating unique and creative texts is your primarily tool to spread the word about your brand and win attention of your customers. Even though WooCommerce offers user-friendly design, it is still up to you to arrange your products in a good order and add relevant description to each of them. 

Tip: 

In order to drive more organic traffic, use the most important keywords in your meta titles and descriptions. Make sure to mention those keywords also on your homepage and in the SEO-related content. 

Bonus: FAQ page, could also become a source of endless organic traffic for your online store. All you need to do is to answer commonly asked questions on said products, e.g. functionality, or add a link to return policies. And don’t forget to a contact and privacy policy page, so your customers could reach out to you in case they have a question.

6. Set Up Store Functionality 

If you want to manage your online store with the least efforts possible and automate the incoming orders, then we highly recommend installing WooCommerce Dropshipping add-on. It will provide you with everything you need to connect your store to suppliers’ stock. You will also be able to set up custom email notifications, so your suppliers are alerted when an order has been made. Don't forget to choose a payment gateway to process money transfers. Make sure to indicate the fees you are willing to pay, the currency you sell in, and the type of checkout process your customers require. 

Tip: WooCommerce Dropshipping extension is perfect if you need an affordable automated premium solution for your e-Commerce store. If you choose print on demand dropshipping model you can go with FREE Helloprint Create & Sell plugin.

7. Launch Your Store

Once those steps have been completed, you are ready to launch your dropshipping store! Go ahead, launch and see what your store can generate!

How To Find Good Dropshipping Suppliers 

Choosing a reliable supplier is extremely important for your dropshipping business to strive. You cannot afford losing your brand’s authority because of a faulty product or volatile stock. Therefore, we prepared several tips on how to pick a perfect supplier for your WooCommerce store. 

Google it

As obvious as it sounds, there are still some crucial rules applied while searching for a reliable wholesale supplier. 

1. Top 3 are often not always the best and cheapest. Paradoxically, many dropshipping suppliers are not skilled at marketing and promotion of their own services, therefore they will rarely appear in the top results when you try the most common keywords. It means you embark on a journey to look through hundreds of websites, before you find the supplier that qualifies to your demands. 

Tip: Try to use some search queries that are not too common, or use synonyms. Depending on your market, you might need to search for many more keywords.

2. A poorly-made website can still mean a great supplier. Wholesale suppliers are notorious for bad website design. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you should ignore quality websites while looking for the supplier. Nevertheless, it is worth to keep in mind that many resellers don’t display all the goods they offer through their website. So don’t let poorly-designed websites deceive you.

Check Your Competition

This is rather a simple way to find a reliable dropshipping supplier. In a nutshell, all you have to do is to check your competition’s catalogue, choose similar products that you are interested in selling and order them. Since you know that your order goes straight to the supplier, it is easier to check the resellers contact details upon the order's arrival. If ordering is expensive, then you can try to visit such marketplaces as eBay and Amazon and look for the suppliers there. Additional option would be to try ordering samples from potential suppliers or competitors. 

Ask the Manufacturer

Generally this is the best way to find the best suppliers for your market. If manufacturers are willing to share the list of their distributors then consider your missing being completed. 

Find a Dropshipping Provider

In case you cannot afford spending much time on finding the right supplier, you can use services of dropshipping whole directories like Wholesale Central or Wholesale2B. Nevertheless, indirectly, it might turn out to be more expensive than looking for a dropshipping supplier on your own. 

Tip: Most ecommerce platforms and marketplaces have ready-made integrations for dropshipping suppliers. The integration process may differ, so check in advance the requirements.

How To Promote Your WooCommerce Dropshipping Store

Regardless whether you are having a dropshipping shop or not, the market nowadays is savage. Therefore, if you want to monetise your business properly, you need to market your store as much as you can. Your main goal is to promote your goods and bridge the gap between the customer and the supplier. Therefore, it is very important to set up the right marketing and promotion strategies for your online brand.

Digital Marketing for Dropshipping Store

One of the best ways in this modern era of technology is marketing through social media and any online outlets that can link back to your store. 

1. Dropship through Instagram. Luckily, specifically for this occasion, WooCommerce created an Instagram integration, so you could promote your online store through the world’s most popular social media platform. Instagram is a great place to connect and engage with your customers. Moreover, through this app, you can also connect with other brands, influencers that can help to spread the word about your business. 
2. Facebook Ads are still trendy. Even though Instagram took the crown of the most popular social media platform, Facebook is still alive and kicking. It is especially good for certain markets where potential customers choose it over other platforms. Moreover, Facebook ads are highly customisable which allows you to reach your target audience in the most efficient way. Once you understand your customers, look into the options that would suit your current marketing budget.
3. Video content for dropshipping. Another important thing that is often overlooked by the dropship store owners is video content. It is a perfect example of a wasted opportunity, if you don’t do anything about it.  After all, YouTube is the second most popular search engine after Google. In addition, if your video content gets some traction there, it is also a powerful marketing tool to advertise your business with absolutely minimum costs. Apart from YouTube being a great place to advertise your brand, you can also add videos onto your pages with products. Because at the end of the day videos also started to rank better in Google these days. 
4. SEO your content. It is extremely useful if you want to come across as a trustworthy and reliable online store and attract more organic traffic. And don’t forget that whenever you produce the content, you have to maintain it. This is where SEO comes into the game. You need to optimise your content with new keywords and make sure that the information you provide is up-to-date. In addition to that, fixing the technical part of SEO will help you to rank higher in Google. 

Content Marketing and Dropshipping 

As we mentioned before, content is the king and therefore it is very important to not only create it but also advertise it well. As you could see from the above examples, there are multiple channels that you can use to promote your content. 

Start from creating evergreen content that you can reuse for newsletters or your articles. Make sure you show your expertise through blogging and whitepapers (if applicable). Sit down with the team and brainstorm about your content calendar and strategy. Think about your tone of voice and brand value you want to bring across to your customers. The options are literally endless. 

Customer Reviews 

This is another great way to build social authority on your website by providing customer reviews and testimonials to your website. This will help your customers feel safe ordering with you. The reviews will help customers understand how the product turned out for previous buyers, as well as often provide images, so users can get an insight into how the product really looks.

Connect your Woocommerce Shop With Helloprint Create & Sell WooCommerce Plugin Today

Are you looking to take your business to the next level with creative plugins and smart APIs? Do you want more time focused on expanding growth instead of time-consuming orders operational activities? By using Helloprint Create & Sell plugin for WooCommerce, you can focus on solely growing your business, while we ensure end-to-end fulfilment and manage every step of your client's orders, from printing to shipping. 

With our plugin you get access to a full catalogue of 10 million product options globally, produced by 180 print partners locally in 18 different countries, which you can easily add to your website to extend your product range and get seamless automation of all the processes. 

Conclusion

So it's easy, right? You now are ready to set up your very own WooCommerce for dropshipping in a few simple steps that we have gone over in this article. Now that you have heard the pros and cons, the process and how to market your shop, you should be ready to jumpstart your dropshipping business with WooCommerce. Remember, growth does not happen in a straight line, it comes in waves, just remember to keep up with the trends whilst staying consistent with your brand!

FAQ’s

Can You Dropship With Woocommerce?

Yes, you can Dropship with WooCommerce, it is a very easy process to set up and start selling. You can have access to thousands of products and suppliers to help expand your business.

Why Use Woocommerce For Dropshipping?

Using WooCommerce for Dropshipping is designed to make selling hassle-free and easy, allowing more time for you to focus on selling your products and time for essential parts of your business. 

How To Setup Woocommerce For Dropshipping?

Setting up your WooCommerce for Dropshipping is a short and easy process of registering your domain name, signing up for website hosting, installing WooCommerce, choosing your theme, creating your website content, setting up website functionality and connect your dropshipping supplier, like Helloprint Create & Sell for custom print products and hey presto! You're ready to sell!

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