It’s easy to see why so many people want to build dropshipping stores. It’s because of the attractiveness of this business model. Just think about it; you only need a few hundred dollars to set yourself up and start running. You won’t even need to own any inventory!
However, you have to make sure that you pick the right eCommerce platform for your store. If you don’t, you’ll waste hours fulfilling orders or give your customers a bad experience. So, what is the best eCommerce platform for dropshipping? Stay tuned to find out!
What are eCommerce Platforms?
Before explaining what makes an eCommerce platform good for dropshipping, we need to understand the definition. eCommerce platforms are places where you build your online store. However, nowadays, they are more than that.
Today, it’s common for platforms to have built-in marketing tools, an app library to add extra functionality to your website, and so much more.
However, eCommerce platforms are divided into two different types. Each one has its pros and cons. Here’s a brief description of each one:
- Open-Source eCommerce Platform: These platforms have their original code freely available. That means you can customize your website to the precise liking you have. However, you need coding skills if you want to use one.
- Hosted eCommerce Platform: These platforms are the opposite of the previous ones. You can't change the original code or customize it as much with them. But you won’t need any technical knowledge to make a beautiful website.
So which one should you pick? Well, if you want our two cents, then for most of you, it’s better to go with the hosted eCommerce platform for your dropshipping store. That’s because it’s easier and faster to build one.
But if you’ve got some great design and coding skills, then an open-source platform might be better for you.
How to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform for Dropshipping?
Now that you have a deep understanding of eCommerce platforms, you might be thinking about what makes a platform great for dropshipping. Well, most eCommerce platforms are suitable for this, but the pens with these three criteria:
- Does it have any dropshipping extensions? That’s something you want to look for. That can save you hours of stress as fulfillment is more manageable, and importing can be done with just a few clicks.
- How long is the uptime? It doesn’t matter if it’s easy to use if the servers are always down. That’s because each hour is a potential profit loss. So find one that has its servers almost always open.
- Is it easy to use? Managing your business is challenging if your eCommerce platform isn’t easy to use. That’s because every task will take a longer time, which in turn could accumulate to hours of wasted time.
If those three criteria have been met, then you can be sure you have found the best eCommerce platform for dropshipping.
Comparing the Best eCommerce Platforms for Dropshipping
You should have extensive knowledge of what makes something the best eCommerce platform for dropshipping. One of these platforms that work is Shoplazza. With us, you can integrate your store with two dropshipping extensions: CJDropshipping and HyperSKU. Both are free to use!
However, Shoplazza isn’t the only great option for dropshipping. So let’s see how it compares with other eCommerce platforms!
Shoplazza Vs. Shopify
Shopify is one of the most popular options when it comes to dropshippers. Just search YouTube for "dropshipping," and you’ll find countless business gurus using Shopify for dropshipping!
These are usually for good reasons. For starters, Shopify is extremely popular. That gives it an advantage as it has more specialists, apps, and themes to choose from. Also, Shopify has a vast number of blog posts and tutorials for its users.
However, it’s not a perfect eCommerce platform. One of the biggest problems with Shopify is that a few features are lacking. For example, you need to use a third-party extension to get installments, while in Shoplazza, it’s already built-in.
Additionally, Shopify hides some of the features behind a paywall. That forces people to upgrade to a more expensive option, making you lose profit. However, with Shoplazza, you won’t have that problem as all features are unlocked with the lowest plan. The only difference between them is the staff account number and the commission fee rate.
Shoplazza Vs. Bigcommerce
Bigcommecre is another excellent eCommerce platform for dropshipping. That’s because it offers you a wider variety of extensions to choose from. That could give you an enormous array of products to sell or faster shipping.
Another thing that BigCommerce has done well is that you can get unlimited accounts on any paid plan. That means you’re not limited by the size of your team when choosing the payment plan that works best for you.
However, like any eCommerce platform, Bigcommerce has a few flaws. One of the worst things is that it forces you to switch to a higher-paid plan when you exceed a specific annual revenue goal. That will affect how profitable your business is!
Another thing is that while the app store is extensive and offers you more functionality for your store, the best ones are paid. That means you'll have to increase your expenses even more. However, with Shoplazza, this doesn’t happen as all of the extensions are free to use.
Shoplazza Vs. Adobe Commerce
Adobe Commerce (previously known as Magneto) is another excellent eCommerce platform. Its biggest strength comes from its ability to customize your store. With the drag-and-drop builder, you can build unique websites without having any design or coding knowledge.
Additionally, Adobe Commerce makes it easy for you to start selling your products on multiple sales channels. After your online store, you could sell your dropshipped products on Amazon, eBay, and other big eCommerce sites.
However, there are a few flaws with this platform. One of the worst things about it is how difficult it is to start dropshipping there. There isn’t any extension that you can use to import and fulfill your products.
That isn’t good because, without it, it will take hours of your time when it should’ve taken you a few minutes. And for that reason, this platform isn’t ideal for you to start your dropshipping career.
Shoplazza Vs. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress websites that turns them from blogs into fully-functioning eCommerce websites.
But what makes this eCommerce platform so great for dropshippers is that it’s trendy. That will give you a slight advantage, as there are a lot of professional themes available, apps to add more functionality, and professionals to help you with designing your website.
Also, if you do it correctly, building a WooCommerce site will be cheaper than using other hosted eCommerce platforms. All you need to do is find inexpensive hosting, and you’re good to go!
However, that leads to the biggest problem with WooCommecre. Unlike other eCommerce platforms on the list, this one is harder to set up. That’s because you’ll need first to get hosting with WordPress, a domain, and finally download the WooCommerce platform.
That will take more time away from you! However, another thing is that the interface isn’t the easiest to use. So you’ll have to go through a steep learning curve before you can make an attractive dropshipping store.
Shoplazza Vs. Wix eCommerce
Wix is a popular website builder. That’s mostly to do with the fact that it’s effortless to use. That’s all thanks to the drag-and-drop builder. If you want to edit something, all you have to do is click on what you want to edit and then change it.
But what makes Wix so impressive is that it didn’t sacrifice customizability for ease of use! You can create stunning websites with just a few clicks. And the best part? You can start building your website for free on Wix!
But there are a few flaws with this eCommerce platform. One of the worst things about this eCommerce platform is its slowness. And speed is essential if you want to create a great e-commerce site.
That’s because a slow site will make visitors bounce and ruin your SEO so that you won’t be seen on the first page.
Shoplazza Vs. Shift4Shop
And lastly, we’ve got Shift4Shop. It’s yet another excellent option for creating a dropshipping store.
What makes this a great one is how budget-friendly it is. That’s because you can create a store and sell there for 100% free! All you have to do is choose their payment provider.
But unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to dropshipping stores. If you want to create a dropshipping store with Shift4Shop, you must pay at least $10 per month. While that might still be lower than most on the list, you’re restricted to how much you can sell.
With Shift4Shop, you can only sell up to $10k per year before you need to upgrade to a higher tier.
Final Verdict: Which eCommerce Platform is Best for Dropshipping business
So, what is the best eCommerce platform for dropshipping? Well, there’s no definitive answer to that. Each of them is amazing for its own reasons, so you need to pick the one that suits your needs.
