How To Start Dropshipping On Bigcommerce 2024

Explore our comprehensive guide to BigCommerce dropshipping, a must-read for anyone looking to start or grow their dropshipping business. 

In this comprehensive guide on BigCommerce dropshipping, you’ll get easy-to-understand tips and strategies tailored to your dropshipping business.

How to Dropship on BigCommerce Successfully?

Conduct Deep Market Research 

In this step, you should understand the challenges your potential customers face. This could reveal untapped markets, such as eco-friendly office supplies, that are on the rise. Also, use this information to tailor your product line and marketing messages. 

To do so, you should:

• Understand Your Audience: Conduct surveys or engage with potential customers on social media and forums like Reddit or Quora to get direct insights into their needs and preferences. If eco-friendly water bottles are your focus, find out what features are most important to your customers—is it the material, the design, or the price?
• Spotlight on Customer Stories: Collect stories from people who are already trying to live eco-friendly lives. What products do they wish they had? What solutions haven’t worked for them? This real-world insight can guide your product selection and marketing strategy.

Build Strong Relationships with Ethical Suppliers

When selecting suppliers, consider not only the cost and efficiency but also the ethical standards and sustainability practices of their manufacturing processes. For eco-friendly products, this is particularly crucial as it aligns with your brand values and appeals to your target market.

In addition, negotiate with suppliers for exclusive rights to sell certain products in your region or obtain products that are customizable. This not only sets you apart from competitors but also strengthens your relationship with suppliers.

Optimize Your Store on BigCommerce

Don’t forget to leverage SEO. Dive deeper into SEO strategies by researching long-tail keywords that could attract a more targeted audience to your store. For example, instead of “eco-friendly water bottles,” target “BPA-free eco-friendly water bottles for hiking.”

Plus, focus on customization for conversions. Utilize BigCommerce’s A/B testing capabilities to experiment with different aspects of your site, from product descriptions to call-to-action buttons. This helps identify what resonates best with your audience and increases conversion rates. Also, show product recommendations based on browsing history or create customer profiles for faster checkouts. This makes shopping not only easier but more enjoyable.

If you want to make your website a marketplace, leveraging the BigCommerce marketplace. It’d be very helpful to the management of your stores.

Manage Legal and Financial Aspects with Transparency

If you plan to sell globally, familiarize yourself with the international shipping regulations, import/export duties, and taxes for each country you’re targeting. For eco-friendly products, certain materials might have restrictions or require special certifications.

Besides, develop a detailed cash flow forecast to manage the financial health of your business effectively. This should account for seasonal fluctuations in sales, especially if your product demand varies throughout the year.

Build Authentic Marketing and Community 

Build a content marketing strategy that positions your brand as a thought leader in the eco-friendly space. This could involve creating informative blog posts, how-to guides, and videos on sustainable living, directly related to your products.

You can also share stories that highlight the impact of living eco-friendly, not just the products themselves. For instance, feature customers who have made significant changes to reduce their carbon footprint using your products.

And it’d be the best if you create a community around your brand by hosting events (virtual or in-person) focused on sustainability, starting a blog with eco-living tips, or setting up a forum where customers can exchange ideas. This fosters a deeper connection with and among your customers.

Streamline Operations

You should develop a comprehensive customer service strategy that includes personalized follow-ups, easy returns, and a loyalty program. For eco-friendly brands, transparency about your sustainability efforts can be a part of your customer service communication.

Also, streamline your dropshipping operations by utilizing fulfillment services like BigCommerce fulfillment solutions, ensuring that your orders are processed and shipped efficiently, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Also, research and implement sustainable packaging options for shipping your products. This not only reduces your environmental impact but also strengthens your brand’s message.

Leverage Data for Strategic Growth

Use sales data and customer feedback to identify new product opportunities or areas for improvement in your existing range. If your eco-friendly water bottles are a hit, consider expanding into complementary products like eco-friendly cleaning products for the bottles.

Don’t ignore market trends and customer data. They can help you identify new geographic markets that are ripe for your eco-friendly products. This might involve localizing your store’s content or adapting your product range to meet local needs.

How to Build a Dropshipping Store on BigCommerce

Step 1: Sign Up for Bigcommerce

This is the first step towards creating a successful dropshipping business on one of the leading BigCommerce websites.

• Go to the BigCommerce page and click on “Start Your Free Trial.”
• Choose a plan based on your needs (e.g., Standard or Plus) and click on “Start Your Free Trial.”
• Fill out the signup form with your:
  • Name
  • Email
  • Password (must be at least 8 characters long)
  • Phone number
  • Store name
  • Store size (number of products you plan to sell).
• Click “Create Your Store” and follow the prompts to complete the signup process.

Step 2: Complete Setup

• After signup, you’ll be guided to set up your store. Provide additional details such as:
  • Existing website URL (if applicable)
  • Type of products you plan to sell (e.g., clothing, electronics)
  • Payment and shipping preferences.
• Choose your store’s theme from the available options or customize it to your liking.
• Follow any additional setup steps prompted by the platform.

Step 3: Explore Your Dashboard

• Log in to your Bigcommerce account to access your dashboard.
• Take time to navigate through the dashboard and familiarize yourself with the layout.

• Review the checklist provided to ensure you’ve completed essential setup tasks such as:
  • Adding products: Click on “Products” and then “Add” to start adding your products.
  • Setting up shipping options: Go to “Shipping” and configure your shipping settings based on your preferences.
  • Configuring payment methods: Navigate to “Settings” > “Payments” and set up your preferred payment methods.
  • Setting tax rates: Under “Settings,” go to “Tax” and configure tax settings for your store.

Step 4: Install Dropshipping Apps

• In your Bigcommerce dashboard, go to the “Apps” section.
• Search for dropshipping apps and select one to install (e.g., Spocket).
• Follow the installation instructions provided by the app to integrate it with your Bigcommerce store.
• Search for “Dropshipping” and install a dropshipping app. 

In this guide, we’d use Spocket as an example. However, you should consider several suppliers to see which is the best for you.

Step 5: Set Up the Dropshipping App

• Click on the Spocket app within your Bigcommerce dashboard to access it.
• Explore the available products and suppliers.
• Use the Spocket extension to import products directly into your Spocket import list.

Step 6: Import Products to Your Store

• From your Spocket import list, select the products you want to sell in your Bigcommerce store.
• Add the selected products to your store by filling out essential details such as:
  • Product name
  • SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
  • Price
  • Description
  • Images
  • Variants (if applicable).
• Ensure all information is accurate and complete.

Step 7: Manage Your Store

• Utilize Bigcommerce’s features to manage your store efficiently.
• Monitor orders, track inventory levels, and ensure products are correctly listed and visible.
• Make any necessary adjustments to product listings or store settings as needed.

Step 8: Start Selling

• With your store set up and products listed, begin promoting your store through various marketing channels.
• Engage with customers and provide excellent customer service to build trust and loyalty.
• Monitor your store’s performance using Bigcommerce analytics tools and make adjustments to optimize sales and conversions.

9 best BigCommerce DropShipping Suppliers

Below is the list of the 9 best BigCommerce Dropshipping companies that we have researched for you. This research is based on their credibility, productivity, and the advantages that they can bring to your dropshipping store:

1. Spocket

Spocket is the top star among all BigCommerce Dropshipping services. Just like any other BigCommerce Dropship service, Sprocket connects online retailers together with thousands of vendors coming from the United States and the EU. It is an ideal market for retailers to launch their online shops and scale them up.

Moreover, when you work with Spocket, you have a discount of up to 60% of every product’s retail price. What a deal! There is no reason to skip this option.

Pricing: Free on BigCommerce

2. Printful

Printful can handle a huge number of goods, so you don’t need to worry about not being able to put on the stalls your requested products. They have everything ranging from posters, pillows, hats, leggings, t-shirts and so on.

At Printful, not only do you have access to free templates, but you also have the right to adjust the retail prices based on your preference; all they charge is only the production fee. Also, with a 20% discount on the original price and free shipping, you have the chance to test their products before actually selling them online.

It is stated that Printful’s customers have gained a profit of more than $690 million, and they are waiting for you to be the next one!

Pricing: Free on BigCommerce

3. AliExpress

AliExpress is one of the most popular BigCommerce Dropship suppliers. AliExpress Dropshipping offers millions of manufacturers’ items divided into 40 segments, including appliances and clothing.

Pricing: $10.00/month on BigCommerce

4. Inventory Source

Inventory Source is pretty different from an ordinary BigCommerce Dropship supplier. Instead of managing your connection with the manufacturers and the transactions, Inventory Source creates a distinct network for its users to take control of the product flow. This ensures that goods, inventories, and orders from diverse drop shipping providers can be automatically uploaded.

With this automation technology, the speed of delivering the products to the customers is much faster.

Apart from that, Inventory Source helps you easily test innovative goods, catch up with social networking trends, and save you a huge amount of time.

Another outstanding feature is that it provides you more than 230 wholesalers without extra fees and you are capable of inserting your own providers beyond the Inventory Source directory. All of these are waiting for you!

Pricing: Custom

5. Dropified

Dropified is one of the few BigCommerce Dropship companies with automatic order fulfillment and price updating system. The synchronization between products and inventory technology is also available.

Dropified offers its users a 60-day training program about eCommerce dropshipping. So if you are a brand new dropshipper, this program will guide you on everything you need to know about dropshipping. You will discover how to maximize your eCommerce platforms to the maximum capacity and how stock management and vendor partnerships operate.

Pricing: Free, with upgradable options on BigCommerce

6. Wholesale2B

What people love about Wholesale2B is that you do not have to create an account for every manufacturer that you are working with, all of your orders can all be supervised from a single dashboard. Plus, you can sell on multiple platforms, like BigCommerce, Amazon and eBay.

If this is your first BigCommerce store or an already-established online store, Wholesale2b got your back.

Pricing: $37.99/month (25% discount on the yearly plan) on BigCommerce

7. Doba

The fact that Doba can host a variety of eCommerce businesses explains its place in the Dropshipping industry – one of the most common BigCommerce Dropship services.

You can have the connections in a single online catalog to millions of items from hundreds of providers at Doba. Details about each supplier can be found on their websites, such as average processing times, the cost, or fulfillment rates. Their search and filtering bar is also an advancement. You can browse and consolidate items into custom lists in your sector.

Pricing: $24.99/month on BigCommerce

8. Sunrise

Sunrise has been working in the dropshipping industry since 1999. It supports an extensive list of product categories, from electronic gadgets, and home decor, to jewelry and toys. Once you install Sunrise, you’ll get access to many great features, such as fraud detection, coupon creation, professional templates, etc.

Pricing: Custom

9. CJDropshipping

CJDropshipping is a wholesale dropshipping company in China. They have worked with almost 1 million sellers worldwide, having more than 100k warehouses worldwide.

Pricing: Free on BigCommerce

11 expert tips for dropshipping on BigCommerce

1. Select the Best Dropshipping Apps

Choosing the right dropshipping app is crucial for your store’s success. 

For instance, AliExpress Dropshipping is popular due to its vast product range and affordability, but remember that shipping can take 20-40 days, affecting customer satisfaction. 

Spocket, on the other hand, offers products from the US and EU, with shipping times typically ranging from 2-5 days, significantly improving the customer experience. 

Syncee is ideal for accessing a curated list of reliable suppliers and products, and its automation features can save you hours every week by simplifying product uploads and updates.

2. Optimize Product Listings for SEO

SEO is vital for online visibility. Including relevant keywords in your product listings can improve your store’s ranking on search engines. 

For example, products with well-optimized titles and descriptions can see a 30-40% increase in traffic. When it comes to blogging, a study found that businesses with a blog see 55% more website visitors than those without. Topics of interest to your audience, such as “Top 10 Home Workout Equipment” for a fitness store, can drive targeted traffic to your site.

3. Implement Effective Use of the Abandoned Cart Saver

With the average cart abandonment rate at nearly 70%, an effective abandoned cart email strategy can significantly boost your sales. Personalizing emails with the customer’s name and the items they considered can increase open rates by 26%. Offering a 10-15% discount in these emails can further increase conversion rates by up to 8%.

4. Customize Your Store with BigCommerce Themes

The right theme not only attracts but also retains customers. A theme that loads within 2 seconds can reduce bounce rates by up to 103%. 

Furthermore, 30% of consumers are more likely to complete a purchase if the online store offers an easy-to-use navigation system. Premium themes, while an investment, can offer specialized features that enhance user experience and conversions in your specific niche.

5. Enhance Your Customer Support

Adding a FAQ section can decrease customer inquiries by up to 40%, freeing up more time for you to focus on other aspects of your business. Implementing a chatbot can handle up to 80% of routine questions, allowing you to provide 24/7 support without significantly increasing your workload. For more complex issues, live chat has been shown to increase conversion rates by 20%.

6. Dive Deep into BigCommerce Analytics

Regularly reviewing your analytics can unveil critical insights. For instance, products that have a high view-to-purchase ratio might benefit from additional marketing efforts or inventory expansion. 

On the flip side, an abandoned cart rate above the average of 70% signals a need for checkout process optimization. Experimenting with free shipping thresholds can also reveal a sweet spot; for many stores, setting a free shipping threshold at 10-20% above the average order value can lift revenue by 10%.

7. Plan for International Expansion

Before going international, know that localized content can increase conversion rates by up to 70%. Services like Weglot can translate your store into multiple languages, making your products accessible to a wider audience. 

Adjusting prices to local currencies can also boost sales; studies show that displaying prices in local currency can increase conversions by 50%. Incorporating local payment methods is equally important, as 60% of international shoppers abandon their cart if their preferred payment method isn’t available.

How Profitable is Dropshipping on BigCommerce?

Dropshipping on BigCommerce can indeed be profitable. But the exact profitability can vary greatly depending on various factors such as the product niche, supplier pricing, marketing strategy, and more. Here’s a general analysis:

• Profit Margin: The most realistic and globally accepted average dropshipping profit margin is around 15% to 20%. However, this can vary. For example, if you’re dropshipping personalized products, your profit margins could be different.
• Revenue: It’s possible to achieve 6 to 7 figures in revenue from dropshipping within your first year. However, this requires diving into the right niche, finding a winning dropshipping product, and targeting the right audience.
• Growth: The dropshipping global market is experiencing exceptional growth. It’s expected to reach approximately $301.11 Billion in 2024 and over $500 billion by 2025.

Let’s consider a simple calculation for a clearer understanding:

Suppose you’re selling a product for $50, and the cost of the product from the supplier is $30. Your gross profit per sale would be $20. If the average dropshipping profit margin is 20%, this means you’re exceeding the average.

However, remember that there are other costs involved in running a dropshipping business, such as marketing costs, transaction fees, returns, and overheads. These costs need to be deducted from the gross profit to get the net profit.

Cons of BigCommerce Dropshipping

Before you start dropshipping on BigCommerce, be aware of the cons associated with BigCommerce dropshipping:

Highly Competitive

Dropshipping is a popular business model, leading to high levels of competition. This can lead to thinner profit margins, particularly in saturated niches. The ease of setting up a dropshipping business means there can be high competition in popular niches. 

For instance, if you sell a product for $30 and it costs you $20 from the supplier, your gross profit is $10. However, after accounting for operating expenses such as marketing costs, transaction fees, and returns, your net profit might be significantly lower. If your margins are any lower than 10%, something needs to change in your business. This could mean finding cheaper suppliers, increasing your prices, or reducing your operating expenses.

Plus, the market is just getting more competitive, with growth rates of 20.7% projected from 2022-2028. This means you’ll need to find ways to differentiate your business, such as offering unique products, providing excellent customer service, or focusing on a specific niche.

Lack of Control Over Supply Chain

In dropshipping, you have little to no control over order fulfillment. This makes it difficult to ensure product quality and handle returns. You are dependent on your suppliers for product quality, fulfillment speed, and return policies. 

If any issues arise, such as delays or product defects, it can be challenging to address them directly with your customers. Shipping updates can be hard to give, especially if the supplier has a few warehouses scattered around, each shipping a part of the order, arriving at different times, via different couriers. This lack of control can lead to customer dissatisfaction and damage your brand’s reputation.

Customer Service Challenges

In dropshipping, retailers entrust the shipping and delivery process to suppliers or manufacturers. This lack of control can result in difficulties ensuring timely and accurate deliveries. Tracking shipments and resolving shipping-related issues become challenging, potentially leading to customer dissatisfaction. 

Trying to handle customer service issues as an in-between can get stressful, as you don’t have full control. This can lead to a poor customer experience, which can harm your brand’s reputation and lead to lost sales.

FAQs: BigCommerce Dropshipping

Bigcommerce Dropshipping: The bottom line

With the straightforward tips and insights provided in this comprehensive guide, you’re well-equipped to build and grow your BigCommerce dropshipping business. Remember, the key to success in dropshipping is selecting the right products, optimizing your store for conversions, and continually adapting to market trends. By leveraging the powerful features of BigCommerce and implementing effective strategies, you can create a thriving online business with potential for significant growth and profitability.