Introduction
Even as the trend of online shopping keeps rising, some online store owners still find it tough to tap this market. Why? More stores are shifting their businesses online, which has crowded the eCommerce retailer space.
Additionally, dropshipping has made it easier for online businesses to emerge and grow exponentially.
One of the key players in the dropshipping industry is Shopify. Shopify is one of the top eCommerce dropshipping platforms, and it had a 10% market share globally as of July 2022.
According to its 2022 second quarter financial results, the company stated it powers millions of businesses in over 175 countries.
Although these figures are impressive, they imply you have to compete with millions of other businesses on the platform.
Therefore, you need to be intelligent when selling using the platform to stand out among your peers and businesses on other eCommerce platforms online.
One of the most effective ways to stand out is to use dropshipping apps to modify and optimize your store operations.
These apps enable you to manage your supply chain, market products, and track & fulfill orders efficiently to maximize customer satisfaction and build a good rapport.
However, finding the right apps can be time-consuming and tiring. We have curated a list of the best under-the-radar dropshipping apps to help you get started. But first, let’s define dropshipping and its advantages.
What Is Drop Shipping and What Are the Benefits of Using It?
Dropshipping is an order fulfillment service where sellers set up websites and sell products they don’t have in stock.
When an order comes in, the seller sends it to a third party, who is the manufacturer, wholesaler, or another retailer. This third party then fulfills the order, sending it directly to the buyer.
The sellers act as middlemen, earning the difference between the wholesale and retail price as profit. Also, they can raise the product prices to earn more revenue.
Cross-selling
With the right Shopify app, you can show your customers other relevant products they can buy. Things that naturally “go together”.
Amazon has this down.
How many times have you seen “frequently bought together” at checkout? That’s cross-selling.
Dropshipping Benefits
Dropshipping is a popular business model for small and large enterprises because of the following benefits.
Requires Less Upfront Capital
Arguably the best advantage of dropshipping is that you can start an online store without investing a fortune in inventory. Retailers traditionally had to acquire stock before going into business physically or online.
This model also eliminates the risk of losses, especially when dealing with fragile or perishable goods.
Low Overhead Costs
Since you don’t have to purchase inventory, your dropshipping store’s overhead costs will be low. Think about it. You won’t need a warehouse, staff, or retail space.
Although the costs will increase as your business grows, they will be significantly less than what you would incur when dealing with a physical brick-and-mortar shop.
Location Flexibility
You can run a dropshipping business from anywhere, provided you have a laptop and an internet connection. The most critical thing is to ensure you can reach your customers and dropshipping suppliers to manage the business.
Easy to Start
Unlike other enterprises, you don’t need extensive experience to set up a dropshipping business. You can launch the store and learn how to scale it as you go.
Additionally, you don’t have to:
However, you need foundational knowledge on dropshipping and the best Shopify dropshipping apps, like the ones listed below.
Easy to Grow/Scale
If running a traditional retail business, you’ll have to do five times the work if you receive five times the orders. In most cases, you will have to change your business model to cope with the high sales.
But with dropshipping, most of the order processing work goes to the suppliers. Additionally, your infrastructure and overhead costs won’t skyrocket as you scale your business.
This model gives you more time to focus on marketing and improving the customer experience.
Easy to Test
Dropshipping can act as an insightful test to check the demand for additional product categories. If you have a physical store with an in-house inventory, you can use drop shipping to determine if it is worth buying a large stock of new product variants.
Easy to Manage
Since you don’t need to hire staff or rent warehouse space, you can manage a dropshipping store with minimal hassle. After setting up the online store, finding suppliers, and setting up everything else, your work will be to:
In a nutshell, your job will be to manage the storefront online.
Broad Selection of Products to Sell
Another benefit of dropshipping is that you can upsell and cross-sell a wide selection of trending products to potential customers. Since you don’t have to pre-purchase stock, you can list any product listed by your supplier on your dropshipping store at no additional cost.
Best Dropshipping Apps for Shopify
To enjoy the benefits explained above, use these apps to help run your Shopify dropshipping store efficiently and optimally.
1. Auto DS
Auto DS stands for automatic dropshipping, and the app lives up to its name. It automates the entire dropshipping process so that you can manage your store from one place.
The process begins with a product research tool that enables you to research, discover, source, and import trending products effortlessly.
Besides saving time & money, this feature keeps you one step ahead of the competition, enabling you to increase profit margins before they catch up.
After researching, the app gives you a product importer tool that accesses items from over 25 global suppliers. It features a bulk and scheduled importer, product listing optimization, and automated settings for:
Another vital feature that makes Auto DS live up to its name is its automatic order processing. When an order comes in and appears on the orders page, the app processes it from the supplier to the buyer automatically.
Additionally, it changes the order status, then grabs & updates tracking information from the supplier as soon as it’s available. Once it gets the tracking info, it changes the order status from ordered to shipped.
Therefore, your store can fulfill orders while you are away and enjoy freedom while generating revenue.
Pricing
Auto DS has three pricing tiers primarily separated by the number of imported products. There’s also an advanced customized package if your business imports over 800 products.
Each of these plans has a 14-day trial period to help you kickstart your automation process, and you can cancel anytime.
The product research tool comes free with all packages, but the auto ordering system, mentoring, and VA access are add-ons that require extra payment.
2. Automizely
Automizely is a complete one-stop dropshipping solution optimized for the US market because it offers free 3 to 10-day trackable shipping to the region.
The app works with trusted, handpicked carrier partners, which include:
Automizely also features a product finder tool for searching which products to sell among thousands of listed high-quality products.
Once you select the products, a pricing automation tool sets the listing price automatically to save time and preserve your profit margin.
There’s a bulk product editor, as well, for modifying the product images, descriptions, and listing faster.
Another vital feature is that the app allows you to place your brand’s logo on the order packages. This feature helps increase brand awareness and build trust with customers.
A one-click import to your Shopify dropshipping store synchronizes with your storefront seamlessly, placing your listing live with a single click. You don’t need to do any coding.
Pricing
The best part about this app is it is free to install. However, you need to cover the cost of the sold items, and additional charges may apply.
Automizely has other features you should consider for your business, such as an email marketing tool, SMS campaigns, and a page builder. These are not free but are essential for your Shopify store.
3. CJDropshipping
CJDropshipping is a Chinese dropshipping supplier and fulfillment service with warehouses scattered all over the globe. This broad network of storage spaces cuts the delivery time to all corners of the world, leading to a better customer experience.
Additionally, the platform lists thousands of products distributed in different categories, including print on demand with 3D printing. Therefore, you have multiple options to pick from, and you don’t have to pay to use the app.
The platform lists thousands of products because it sources them from suppliers in marketplaces like Taobao and 1688.
On top of that, their prices tend to be lower than AliExpress, so you can sell at affordable prices to increase sales volumes.
Pricing
The app is free to use, but there are product and service fees. Warehouse fees for those based in the US and China cost zero for 90 days, and there’s no monthly or setup fee.
However, the MOQ is not less than ten pieces for a variant and not less than 100 for a total. There is no MOQ for warehouses based in China.4. Dripshipper
If you want to start a coffee shop in the US, UK, or EU, Dripshipper has roasting partners in these regions that provide full coverage.
The app gives you access to a wide variety of coffee, including mint, mocha, hazelnut, pumpkin spice, blonde, etc. You can also order private-label coffee, where you can design the package and order within minutes.
Whichever type you list on your online store, Dripshipper can customize the product to have your brand logo and name so that it looks like it came directly from you. You only have to upload a logo or use a label template to upload a customized label design.
The FDA regulates caffeine in drinks, so there is safety to consider. But this issue should not worry you because Dripshipper is FDA compliant.
Besides that, the app fully automates the ordering process, so you won’t have to do anything when a customer places an order. Your task will be to focus on customer experience and scaling.
Apart from dropshipping, the app offers fast-track and monthly training on sales and marketing, including 1-on-1 coaching when you get stuck.
There is no minimum MOQ when buying the coffee in bulk to resell (you can purchase a single bag). However, buying many bags will be cheaper, translating to lower costs when reselling.
Pricing
Dripshipper has a simple 3-tier pricing mechanism that starts at $30 monthly. However, this plan does not include monthly coaching or 1-on-1 coaching.
Each plan has a 14-day trial period, but you must provide credit card details when signing up.
5. DropCommerce
If the primary goal is selling to the US market, DropCommerce is the go-to option. The platform provides reliable US shipping with a shipping period of 3-5 days.
The dropshipping industry can have some unreliable suppliers, but this platform has over 400 of them located in and shipping from Canada and the US.
This close positioning ensures fast shipping times, which improves customer satisfaction levels. Additionally, it keeps the shipping costs low, sometimes free.
DropCommerce has a branded invoicing feature that lets you customize the receipts to add a special touch to each shipment. This labeling helps grow your brand and build trust with customers.
Once the orders come in, each transaction attracts zero fees. Therefore, you get to keep all the markup for the order.
Besides the dropshipping service, DropCommerce offers complete, professionally pre-built Shopify storefronts at reasonable prices.
Pricing
In addition to having a 14-day trial period, DropCommerce has a free plan, albeit with limited features. It only enables you to browse products and order samples.
But if you purchase a pre-built online store, you get the Pro plan free for three months.
6. DSM
DSM takes the stress of sourcing from you by providing links to over 50 websites, including AliExpress, Costco, Amazon, etc. Once you find the trending products to sell, the app has a single-click importation feature for listing the item in your store.
Before listing the products, you can use the collage generator to create beautiful images, then import and list multiple products in bulk.
Once listed, DSM synchronizes and monitors price and stock changes for each product several times a day.
If the supplier’s website changes the price, the app recalculates the listed price in your Shopify store. Similarly, if a product goes out of stock, DSM lists the same on your website.
When an order comes in, this app has a robot for auto-processing. You can manage the order status manually, then update customers with the tracking info from the supplier in one click.
Additionally, there is a chat feature for complementing the order tracking element in case customers have queries about the order delivery status.
Pricing
Like DropCommerce, DSM has a free plan for beginners. You can also begin with the paid plans for free using the 7-day trial period without providing your credit card details.
After the trial period lapses, You can pay monthly or annually, but the latter has a better deal. The app gives a 72-hour money-back guarantee for your initial payment, meaning you can give it three extra days of testing.
7. EPROLO
EPROLO and CJDropShipping have one feature in common; print-on-demand. This app works with Inkedjoy to offer:
The primary business here, therefore, includes apparel customization, with items like hoodies, shoes, t-shirts, hats, swimsuits, etc.
Whether you print or not, EPROLO has a branding feature to place custom logos on the clothes, packages, or products you sell.
Subscribing to this membership affords you several benefits on customizing the packing bag, hangtag, gift card, scotch tape, and label. Also, there’s no minimum order quantity.
Another benefit of the platform is its efficient fulfillment service. It has over 26 global warehouses in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and China.
Whether you purchase merch from the supplier or EPROLO, the inventory goes to EPROLO warehouses. Once there, you get a tracking number in two hours, and the package goes to the logistics provider in six hours.
Pricing
The print-on-demand service is free to use, but there are product costs. However, the branding service has two pricing tiers with three and five benefits.
However, the primary source of the platform’s revenue comes from shipping (warehousing and fulfillment). The service has different rates for China, the US, and other warehouses.
8. Gooten
Gooten is one of the best Shopify dropshipping apps for print-on-demand solutions designed for ”visionary brands.”
It has a wide selection of custom products, including over 150 best-selling print-on-demand products, such as socks, scented candles, acrylic square magnets, and more.
The platform includes an intelligent supply chain to handle mass personalization, which is the future of retail. This chain features a simplified workflow for automatic order fulfillment without requiring costly integrations or APIs.
However, the platform still has powerful and flexible APIs you can use to manage multiple stores for easy scaling. Additionally, you can use these APIs to build custom user experiences for each store, and Gooten will support their desired user journey.
Pricing
Gooten is free to install, but there are charges on the cost of production and shipping.
9. Inventory Source
With over 230 integrated suppliers, Inventory Source offers a wide selection of trending products, exclusive brands, and large catalogs.
The platform pulls all the data provided by the suppliers and gives you a catalog manager with a modern UI to filter, price, and categorize the products to curate your listings.
After that, the app will create the product listing on your store and update your inventory levels several times a day to ensure you sell items currently in stock. Additionally, it will update the prices to reflect changes made by the suppliers.
You have the option of automating order processing using the full-automation plan. This feature picks orders from your sales channel and routes them to the respective dropship suppliers for fulfillment.
Full automation also picks the tracking number from the supplier as soon as it is available, then places it on the sales channel to keep the customer updated.
Pricing
Since full automation is optional, you can opt for inventory automation only for as low as $99 monthly.
Full automation is costlier but has ordering and tracking automation features. However, the number of integrations and monthly product orders vary on each plan.
You can use the app for free, as well. With a directory account, you can:
10. Modalyst
Modalyst is a single, centralized platform that enables you to create your personalized brand with dropshipping and print-on-demand products.
It allows unlimited inbound messages so that you can communicate with suppliers and brands to understand their products and background better. You need this information as a drop shipper because your business will be to market products from different sources under your brand.
Once you identify your favorite suppliers, the app has a follow feature that keeps you updated on any new products listed in their profiles.
Profits are crucial in any business, and Modalyst enables you to set custom pricing rules differently for each inventory type. Once done, the app marks up all items automatically based on the set prices and margins.
Also, you can calculate the projected revenue figures in real-time using the app’s profit calculator.
Most apps offer automation, including updating products in your dropshipping store when the supplier’s stock runs out. However, Modalyst takes it up a notch, notifying you of the low inventory count.
This update gives you ample time to reach out to the supplier to request them to restock or find out what’s causing the issue.
Pricing
If you are a beginner, Modalyst has a free Hobby plan with several key features and a product limit of 25 units to help you get started.
Start-up and Pro plans give you more options, and you’ll be better off paying annually to enjoy the 25% discount.
11. Oberlo
Although Oberlo is no longer available on the Shopify store, it is arguably more popular than other dropshipping apps. Why? Oberlo was among the first to implement automated product synchronization and order tracking on Shopify stores.
Currently, the app offers critical business tools for free to help your business get on its feet. These include a business name and slogan generator for polishing your brand’s identity without infringing on other trademarks.
Oberlo also features a traffic calculator that gives you a rough idea of how much traffic you need in your store to attain your sales target.
This tool pairs perfectly with the profit margin calculator, which enables you to determine the profit levels that match your goals.
Lastly, you can buy ready-made stores dealing with different products from previous business owners on the platform. Alternatively, you can use the app’s fully-customizable website builder that requires no coding experience to set up a storefront.
Pricing
Oberlo is not available for Shopify stores. However, you can buy the ready-made websites from the platform or try the website builder, which has a free 7-day trial period.
It is vital to note that Oberlo was a product of Shopify. Shopify partnered with DSers to assist its users in migrating data and settings seamlessly to continue with AliExpress dropshipping. They then shut down Oberlo on June 15, 2022.11. Printful
Printful rivals Gooten because it is a print-on-demand dropshipping and warehousing app. Try the app if you have zero design experience but want to sell printed merch online. It features free clipart graphics and premium images to get you started.
But even with no design skills, you can quickly learn to use the app’s intuitive, built-in Design Maker to create minimalist, patterned, intricate, or simple graphics for the merch.
Since Printful is a white-label partner, you can grow your brand while getting them made by a third party. And you can rest assured that your customers will get quality items because the platform uses high-quality inks, industry-leading tech, and premium materials.
There are no minimum order quantities, so you won’t have to deal with leftover stock. You only pay when you get an order, and the app offers smooth automation by receiving and fulfilling customer orders on your behalf.
With 17 fulfillment centers distributed across the globe, Printful minimizes shipping costs and lower customs taxes in several regions. Additionally, this network shortens the delivery time and enables you to sell to all continents.
Pricing
You can opt to purchase the different items offered individually (like the premium images) or subscribe to either of the three available plans. The limited free plan still has some key features, but Plus is better.
Plus costs $9 monthly, and there is an additional sales tax if you use a US billing address. This tax varies depending on your location.
The Pro plan unlocks the most features and is the best option for businesses with high sales volumes.
These features cost $49/month or $539 if you pick the annual subscription.
13. Printify
Printify is an alternative to Printful because it offers a wide range of merch for customized printing/labeling. These include t-shirts, mugs, home decor, hats, etc., on which you can place your designs using a user-friendly mockup generator.
The app offers some of the lowest prices in the on-demand printing industry to give your business an edge over the competition. Combine this pricing with the best selection of over 600 products & top brands, and you get a lethal combination that increases your chances of success.
Additionally, this extensive partner network and automatic routing functionality will enable your store to handle peak-season demand during holidays to hasten business growth.
Besides Shopify, this app can integrate with several eCommerce platforms like eBay, Wix, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Etsy, Squarespace, and PrestaShop. On top of that, it has an API for customized integration to enhance the power of your website.
Pricing
If starting a business, Printify has a pocket-friendly free plan with unlimited product designs and integration of up to five stores per account.
You can also get a tailored solution if your orders exceed 10,000 daily.
14. SMAR7 Express
Smar7 Express operates like Oberlo or Spocket, but with one unique advantage. It is a complete dropshipping solution with a diverse item collection. The app robotizes your dropshipping store and offers seamless integration with AliExpress.
This integration allows you to import products with a single click, including their description, variants, and images.
Order fulfillment also occurs using one click, which is faster than doing it manually 1-by-1.
If you have products pre-existing in your eCommerce store, you don’t have to go through the tedious task of re-adding them.
You only need to go to the app’s dashboard, select the pre-existing products and connect them with the equivalent products on AliExpress.
After that, match the product’s variants, and that’s it! Those pre-existing products will be ready for automated fulfillment.
Pricing
This dropshipping app has one of the most straightforward pricing mechanisms because you only get it in one tier. There is no free plan, but you can get the features above for as little as $7.99 monthly.
However, there is a 7-day free trial period that includes customer support to help you get started.
15. Spocket
If you sell beauty and apparel products in the US and EU, Sprocket should be your go-to dropshipping solution because 80% of its suppliers operate in these regions. Therefore, you can expect cheaper and faster deliveries than shipping from Asian suppliers.
Additionally, the app gives good discounts on the listed products, some going up to 40%. These are comparable to wholesale prices, and there is no minimum order quantity.
Combined with cheaper shipping, you can expect to sell at affordable prices that attract more orders, translating to more revenue.
Once you pick products from various categories and suppliers, Spocket updates their details automatically in your store, including the stock levels.
Besides growing your revenue, this app helps you build a powerful brand using customizable invoices that feature your store’s logo and personalized notes.
Real-time order tracking keeps you and your customers in the loop about the package’s location until it gets to the customer’s doorstep.
Pricing
There is no upfront cost when you start using this dropshipping service. You can access the app’s product catalog, 24/7 support, and AliExpress integration with the free plan.
However, the paid plans give better options, such as image searching and communication with the supplier. These subscriptions come with a 2-week free trial period that requires no registration fees or credit card details.
It is worth noting that the yearly subscription can give you superb discounts of up to eight months off.
16. Spreadr App
Spreadr takes a unique approach to dropshipping. Instead of connecting you with several suppliers, it links you to Amazon with product importation using one click.
The app uses the official Amazon API to pull product data from the provided link. You can then list the product data from Amazon as an affiliate marketer.
Visitors to your dropshipping store can view and buy the products, after which Amazon will fulfill the orders. Since your store will run as an affiliate marketing website, Amazon will pay a commission for each sale.
However, for this product listing to work, you must first sign up for Amazon’s affiliate program. Once set up, you can curate the product list to have quality, trending products that will give your customers reasons to return.
If the item listing on Amazon does not seem optimized enough, you can edit the product title and description to improve the SEO and increase organic traffic.
Alternatively, you can use the app as a dropshipping source. To do this, collect orders on your Shopify store and then fulfill them instead of linking them to Amazon.
Either option gives a consistent store UI with the same look and feel. Additionally, you get a price and stock level auto-update feature to match the product listing on Amazon.
Other vital features include bulk importing, currency conversion, auto-tagging, and geo-localization.
Pricing
Spreadr has six pricing tiers, starting with a free plan that matches Shopify’s trial period and has unlimited product imports. The five paid plans have a 7-day free trial period, with the cheapest going for $5 monthly.
They include Basic, Pro, Gold, Super, and Jumbo. Additionally, there is a custom plan with a higher auto-synchronization limit.
Spreadr charges appear automatically on your Shopify invoice, so you don’t have to provide credit card information when signing up.
17. Syncee
Last on the list is Syncee, a global B2B platform built for retailers, suppliers, and drop shippers. Diversity is one of the app’s primary advantages because it features verified drop shippers from various regions globally, including the US, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia.
With these diverse suppliers and over 12,000 trusted brands listing a wide array of award-winning and niche products in close to 400 categories.
The platform does not have any hidden suppliers. Whichever you pick, you can communicate with them directly via a built-in chat to straighten up any arising issues.
Using the app’s intelligent product search, you can pick products individually or collectively from wholesale companies or suppliers to add to your store.
Additionally, you can set a unique price margin, tiered structure, or rounding rules to customize the product prices. Syncee will automatically update the product prices and stock levels to match the supplier’s listing.
If you are a retailer, you can bring your supplier to the platform by uploading and updating products in the DataFeed manager.
On the other hand, suppliers can build online retail networks consisting of trusted retailers to control sales. Therefore, while drop shippers gain a significant brand reputation, suppliers can use the platform to build a strong reputation for their products.
Pricing
You can implement some of these features at zero cost because this app has a free plan. The only notable disadvantages are the limited products (25) and manual updating.
However, the plans allow you to scale your business as you upgrade gradually. The DataFeed manager has a separate pricing structure, though.
Suppliers will have it easier on their pockets because the features they get on their end cost nothing.
FAQs
We have covered most of the details, but here are a few clarifications about dropshipping.
Which Shopify App Helps in Dropshipping?
Several apps listed in the Shopify app store can help in dropshipping. The order fulfillment service has multiple moving parts.
Some apps like AutoDS and Automizely provide complete solutions to manage dropshipping stores. Others have specific features such as faster fulfillment and delivery to optimize some parts of the process.
Therefore, you should compare the app’s features with what you need for your Shopify store.
Is Shopify a Dropshipping App?
No. Shopify is an eCommerce platform for dropshipping businesses. It provides a suite of services to enable online businesses to function. These include marketing, shipping, payment, and customer engagement tools.
Dropshipping apps are like the ones reviewed above. However, Shopify is an overall eCommerce platform. Its peers include WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, and the like.
To put it into context, think of Shopify as the iOS or Android platform for smartphones. Dropshipping apps are comparable to the App Store or Play Store apps.
Can Dropshipping Get You Rich?
Yes. Dropshipping is profitable to store owners, but it is not a get-rich-quick scheme. You should be good at selecting fast-moving or trending products and marketing to make good profits when dropshipping.
Takeaway Points
As you can see, dropshipping apps are essential for Shopify stores, more so if you want to scale and grow revenue. Some automate the entire process, enabling you to run your business in the comfort of your home.
However, you need to weigh the pros and cons of each app, including the prices and features included in each pricing tier. The app’s features should support your brand’s growth, goals, and budget, so take your time and make an informed decision.
That’s it for now! We hope this article has been insightful and if you have any questions or comments, contact us for more details. You can also check out these 8 best dropshipping suppliers for newbie merchants if you are getting started.