The growing popularity of online shopping has resulted in the expansion of e-commerce and dropshipping businesses. However, if a business owner does not have the right tools, such as an ecommerce dropshipping platform, it can complicate the dropshipping process. Ecommerce is the online sale of goods by entrepreneurs to customers for a monetary transaction. What do you know about dropshipping? Dropshipping allows business owners to outsource and sell their products internationally without physically touching them. Essentially, a business owner can use dropshipping apps to purchase goods at a lower cost, rebrand the items, and resell them to customers without being physically present.
Among the dropshipping apps that people use with the ecommerce platform are Aliexpress, Orbelo, Spocket, Printful, Spreadr App, Nihao Dropshipping, and CJDropshipping. Now that you’re familiar with dropshipping let’s move on to ecommerce platforms. This article is intended to provide you with a detailed overview of the dropshipping ecommerce platform and some examples to help you stay on track when looking for a platform.
What Is a Dropshipping Platform?
A dropshipping platform is software that allows online retailers to manage all aspects of their business, from outsourcing to selling. Companies can complete all internal and external processes in half the time with the help of ecommerce platforms. For example, the company can internalize its platforms, account for its operations, and create inventories.
Types of Ecommerce Platforms
Many people associate the term “ecommerce” with platforms such as eBay and Amazon. They are correct, but ecommerce is more than just this type of platform. Ecommerce is classified into three types: PaaS (Platform as a Service), SaaS (Software as a Service), and on-premises platform.
The SaaS platforms are similar to Shopify in that they are only software, but when the hardware component is added, they become PaaS. The other one is the on-premise eCommerce platform, which is run in-house. Typically, the software is hosted by the company, and the IT department manages the system.
Self-Hosted Vs Hosted Platforms
Typically, on-premise ecommerce platforms are self-hosted, while Paas and Saas are hosted platforms. What we mean by “hosted platforms” is that a business doesn’t host the software and, in any changes, the supplier updates the software over the cloud storage.
In simple terms, the business person can host the self-hosted platform on the server they want, while the hosted platform comes with a hosted server like cloud storage.
The entrepreneur can customize the self-hosted software while the supplier limits the customization of the hosted platform.
The entrepreneur with the self-hosted platform has to manually add their plugins, while the hosted platforms come with pre-installed plugins and themes.
The self-hosted business platform has an IT support team. In comparison, the customer care platform is rarely supported by a support community.
The business owner has complete control of the self-hosted platform. On the other hand, the software provider for the hosted platform is easy to set up, but the business owner doesn’t have complete control.
Selecting The Right Ecommerce Platform for Dropshipping
The dropshipping platform is the most crucial part of a dropshipping business. An excellent dropshipping ecommerce platform determines the success of the business. How can I find the best eCommerce dropshipping company? Business owners should take into account the following elements when they are shopping for an eCommerce platform:
User-Centered System: The ecommerce platform should have a simple and easy-to-use graphic user interface without very few commands for the user to accomplish their goal.
System Functionality: The platform should have all the necessary software and plugins that online entrepreneurs commonly use.
Customer Care Support: The eCommerce should have reliable customer care support.
System Management: The e-commerce platform should provide content management systems (CMS) and enterprise resource planning systems (ERPS).
A List of the Best Dropshipping Platforms
Now that you know what you should look for when choosing a dropshipping ecommerce system, we will compare some of the best systems to help you decide.
1. Woocommerce
Entrepreneurs prefer Woocommerce because it is a plugin that is easy to install. Furthermore, drop shipping beginners, and non-technical users can efficiently operate the system.
Ease Of Use: The platform has a user interface that makes it easy to sign up and immediately access the services. Woocommerce is also WordPress-based, which makes it easy for new entrepreneurs to create a WordPress website. If you don’t have the technical capability, hiring a person to create a WordPress site is easy and faster.
Customer Support: Woocommerce comes with a pdf of instructions. If users find it difficult to operate, they can go through the instructions. The platform also has a dynamic customer care team.
Price: Online entrepreneurs don’t have to pay anything to access the features of the platform. Woocommerce is entirely free.
Functional Capability: The offers offer many CMS and ERPS that online business persons can access for free. You can download the plugins and easily incorporate them into the platform if you want advanced features.
2. Magento
Magento is more complex than other platforms because it requires some technical knowledge to operate the platform. Many businesses that use Magento have hired developers to manage the platform.
Ease of Use: As seen, the platform is complex, and beginner or non-technical users will find it difficult to use. Online entrepreneurs usually require help to upgrade and solve problems. However, people that have the technical capacity find it more user-friendly.
Customer Support: Magento has a customer support team specifically created to help new users set up and start working. The platform also has many resources online, like blogs, YouTube channels, and many other forums.
Price: Anyone can use the platform since it is entirely free.
Functional Capability: Magento also has all the basic CMS and ERPS like SEO and marketing tools, catalogue pages, high system security and many more.
3. Shopify
Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms, with over 500,000 eCommerce stores. Besides, the platform purchased Orbelo, which is one of the most popular outsourcing apps for dropshipping. Shopify offers both self-hosted and hosted services.
Ease of Use: Users can sign up quickly and access the platform’s features. The good thing is that they also offer the prefilled details to promptly set up your store, like the privacy policy and contact information.
Customer Support: If you check their site, you will find the support contact details and a link to their support forum dedicated to solving users’ problems.
Price: Users need to purchase one of the three subscription plans that range between $29 and $299.
Functional Capability:Â Shopify offers all the services a business will need, like product outsourcing, invoice management, payment options, tax management, multiple languages, and currency hosting, among many others.
Check out this article to learn how to get started using Shopify stores for dropshipping.
4. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another dropshipping platform that has many users. The platforms offer different monthly subscriptions that quickly adapt to the growth of your business.
Ease of Use: The platform is easy to use, and users can quickly access the free trial after creating an account.
Customer Support: BigCommerce has an online forum that is dedicated to handling customers’ issues. Users can also contact them through email or phone.
Price: The platform offers monthly subscriptions that range from $29 to $250, which is cheaper than Shopify.
Functional Capability: BigCommerce offers several ERPS and CMS for you to start your company. However, the user’s subscription fee determines the number of functions that they can access.
5. OpenCart
OpenCart is an eCommerce platform that allows users to install and then set up their accounts quickly. However, the platform accommodates small-to-medium enterprises only.
Ease of Use: The platform is user-centred, which makes it easier for beginners to operate.
Customer Support: The platform has a forum that offers users solutions to their problems. Users can also contact them through email and phone.
Price: OpenCart is free, and users only pay for hosting and additional plugins.
Functional Capability: The platform offers various content management systems and enterprise resource planning systems.
Finally, with all of these ecommerce platforms in mind, it’s simple to determine which platform is best for your dropshipping business. I would recommend Magento and WooCommerce depending on the high quality of customer care, functions, and details that make the system easy to use. However, if money isn’t an issue and you’ve budgeted for an ecommerce platform, Shopify and BigCommerce are viable options. If you are unsure about which one to choose, you can read reviews online.
