Dropshipping is a business model that has been around since the 1960s (that was even before the internet!), but has only gained more traction in the last few years and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its low barrier to entry and its accessibility for anybody to start, grow and build their own profitable e-commerce store.
Are you planning to start your own dropshipping business through Shopify? Using the right apps can make or break your new venture. Before you launch, use this guide to ensure your new dropshipping business is set up for higher conversions and high-ticket sales with productive automation.
“Work hard, work even smarter.”
1. Order Status and Tracking
No one wants to be left in the dark as to where their package is. Particularly these days when shipping times are longer than usual, keep your customers updated of the whereabouts of their orders until delivery to boost your sales and credibility with your customers.
AfterShip (4.4 / 5), free & paid ($9 - $99 / mo) plans available
Free plan includes: 50 Shipment Tracking, Branded Tracking Page, Email Notifications
Engages customers with a branded tracking page that you manually set up
Track and trace all shipments and parcels across 500+ carriers worldwide in one place
Improves SEO ranking & site traffic with their auto-generated link
Reduces customer inquiries & complaints
Integrates with Klaviyo, Shipstation, UPS, FedEx, USPS
ParcelPanel Order Tracking Pro (4.8 / 5), free & paid ($9 - $99 / mo) plans available
Free plan includes: Up to 20 orders / mo, Branded Tracking Page within Your Domain,
Custom Order Status, Estimated Delivery Date, Product Recommendation
Engages customers with a branded tracking page that automatches your store
Simplifies after-shipping service with automatic tracking in real-time
Improves the purchase conversion rate by showing product recommendations
Features specifically designed for dropshipping users: hide shipper origin, shipper info, carrier name and logo, display the tracking detailed info in the local language on your store tracking page, etc,.
Integrates with USPS, FedEx, ePacket, Aliexpress (CAINIAO), 600+ other carriers, OpenStreetMap
2. Marketing Automation
Marketing automation is all about sending anticipated and relevant messages at the right time. With these apps, you can drive sales on autopilot by capitalizing on pre-built automation workflows that you need to set up only once. From email campaigns to abandoned cart recovery, reactivate lost customers and engage them throughout their lifecycle and journey using email, SMS, and more.
Omnisend Email Marketing (4.7 / 5), free & paid ($16 - $99 / mo) plans available
Free plan includes: Email Campaigns (15,000 emails / mo), Signup Forms, Boxes &
Pop Ups, Reports
Drives sales at scale across multiple channels: email, SMS, Facebook, Google, and more
Uses robust segmentation based on shopping and email campaign behavior
Integrates with Privy, Smile.io, Yotpo, AfterShip, Recharge, Nosto, MailChimp
Klaviyo: Marketing Automation (4.3 / 5), free & paid ($20+ / mo) plans available
Free plan includes: Maximum 500 Email Sent, Up to 250 contacts, Email Support
Automate messages across the entire customer journey with pre-built workflows, including abandoned cart and winback emails
Offers 100+ pre-built integrations ranging from shipping solutions to rewards programs
Top integrations include Facebook, ShipStation, Yotpo, Smile, Privy, Recharge, Zendesk, Swell Rewards, Smile.io, AfterShip
3. Sticky Add-to-Cart
While good SEO product descriptions, large images and product reviews all help store traffic, your content can make your Add-To-Cart button “get lost”. To enhance your user experience and increase your conversion rate, add a highly visible 'sticky' Add-to-Cart button to all your pages whenever your usual add-to-cart button can't be seen. This will greatly reduce abandoned carts with an easier and faster checkout process.
Sticky Cart‑Sticky Add To Cart (4.8 / 5), free
Adds a sticky Add-To-Cart button to desktop and mobile
Features a mini-cart to see products without leaving the product page
Sticky Cart by Uplinkly (4.9 / 5), free and paid ($9 / mo) plans available
Adds an optimized sticky add to cart button that perfectly matches your theme
Integrates with Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics
4. Sales and Conversion Optimization
Who doesn’t love discounts? By offering bundle pricing, not only are you increasing your average order value (AOV), you are also rewarding your customers for their indulgence of your products - a win-win! Create sweet up-sell deals for your customer and you’ll earn their loyalty and repeat business.
Volume & Tiered Discounts (4.4 / 5), free and paid ($9.99 / mo) plans available
Free plan includes: Quantity-based Discounts, Fixed Discount offer, Multiple Discount
Types, Pause Offers, Bulk Discounts, Works with Discount Code
Offers percentage-based or dollar-based volume and quantity discounts
Creates dynamic discounts for future products and wholesale pricing
Adds unlimited discount levels
5. Page Speed Optimizer
A slow loading page can be detrimental to the success of your e-commerce store. In this day and age, consumers require instant access to information and services. The longest time for your page to load should be 5.3 seconds; any longer may cause your customers to bounce and leave your store.
Page Speed Booster (4.6 / 5), free
Tells your browser to use idle time to retrieve or prepare to retrieve page contents in anticipation of the user's next action
Makes your site's pages almost instant to improve your conversion rate
No coding skills needed
6. Copy Protector
Search engines like Google value original content. If your Shopify store’s content is found to be duplicated, your ranking will drop significantly. Protect your store’s content, images and texts from being stolen with a few simple clicks.
Cozy AntiTheft (5 / 5), free
Restricts the download of images with drag and drop, as well as right click
Protects the content from being copied using keyboard shortcuts or context menu
That's it! Now that you know the apps to help optimize your store for success, it all comes down to finding the best ones that suit your business and customer needs.
Overwhelmed with setting up your Shopify store? I understand that starting your own dropshipping business can be quite daunting - if you need professional assistance or insight, feel free to reach out here.
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