Going to start your dropshipping business? Congratulations, you are at the right place. But, you know what? For an exceptional dropshipping experience you’ll need an exceptional platform for your online store as well.
BigCommerce Dropshipping stands out as an excellent choice as a great platform for an online store for dropshipping ventures.
BigCommerce gives one of the best services and features that enable dropshippers to make an exceptional online store for an exceptional dropshipping experience.
Here are the 13 points to start your dropshipping business on Bigcommerce:
- Sign up on BigCommerce
- Decide Between a General, Niche, or One-Product Store
- Learn the Characteristics of Winning Dropshipping Products
- Find a Dropshipping Supplier
- Connect Your Supplier to Your BigCommerce Store
- Create a Dropshipping Pricing Strategy
- Pick a BigCommerce Theme for Your Niche
- Create Standard Online Store Pages
- Design Your BigCommerce Store
- Create and Optimize Product Pages
- Install Essential BigCommerce Apps
- Set Up Store Settings and Payment Gateways
- Start Marketing to Drive Traffic
Don’t get afraid of these steps if you are. We are diving deep in this article so that you can learn maximum and you can start your perfect dropshipping business with Bigcommerce.
We will learn how to find profitable dropshipping products, optimize your BigCommerce store, and craft effective marketing strategies to attract visitors.
Let’s go!
13 Steps to create a BigCommerce dropshipping store
Now, let’s learn deeply of the exact procedure for bigcommerce dropshipping:
1. Sign up for a free trial on BigCommerce
The first step of to sign up in the platform..
You can get a free 15-day trial by clicking on the provided link. BigCommerce will not even demand for your credit card details in this 15 days free trial.
Upon completing the signup form on BigCommerce’s designated page, you’ll be prompted to click the ‘Create Your Store’ button.
In the BigCommerce home dashboard, you’ll encounter a centralized hub where crucial analytics and orders about your store are showcased.
It’s noteworthy that once your trial period concludes, BigCommerce offers three pricing plans: Standard, Plus, and Pro.
The Standard plan, priced at $29.95 per month, is usually sufficient for most users, especially if your annual sales remain under the $50K threshold. The other three are still there. You can select Plus plan for $79 per month and also Pro plan for $299 per month.
Then you can select the BigCommerce plan perfect according to your dropshipping business.
2. Decide between a general, niche, or one-product store
Once you made your BigCommerce store then the next step will be to make your store and dropshipping business structure.
Now, you have to select your niche, product and area of play among the market niches.
You can make one of the three types of store.: general, niche, and one-product stores.
Each type has its own pros and cons and have different dropshipping strategies to follow to make the store successful.
However, in our experience, we recommend starting with either a niche or one-product store as it is easier because you have a specific audience with the similar interests and easier for you to decide what to dropship and sell.
Some of the detailed advantages of a niche-specific store are in this infographic.
3. Decide What To Sell
Now, you have to select the right products to sell. Here, you need to put a lot of efforts and time and have to select those products that are trendy, in-demand, good profit margins and also their interest.
Some points to consider while choosing your products are given in the following infographic.
Note: Please don’t mind that in infographic the heading must be “5 Factors to consider while choosing a dropshipping product”.
Take some time to acquaint yourself with these key characteristics. Additionally, exploring curated lists of top-performing dropshipping products can provide valuable insights and inspiration for identifying potential winners.
Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the product selection process and position your dropshipping store for success in the competitive ecommerce landscape.
4. Find A Best Dropshipping Supplier
So, you have a store, you know what to sell and now this is the time to discover the compatible dropshipping suppliers whether online or offline, local or global.
Finding a reliable dropshipping supplier is very crucial to ensure your smooth dropshipping business on BigCommerce or even on any other dropshipping platform.
Selecting the right supplier is a critical yet manageable task, provided you know where to direct your efforts.
Explore the overview table below, which serves as a valuable resource in your quest to find the perfect supplier:
This comprehensive resource offers insights into various suppliers, allowing you to evaluate their offerings and make informed decisions.
By clicking on the supplier’s name, you can navigate to their website for further exploration.
| Supplier | Primary Location | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Spocket | US/UE | $40 / $60 / $100 / $299 per month |
| AliExpress | China | Free |
| CJDropshipping | China | Free |
| SaleHoo | US | $67 per year or one-time $127 |
| Syncee | WorldWide | $0 to $129 per month |
| Avasam | UK/US | £20 / £50 / £100 / £150 per month + VAT |
| Alibaba | China | Free |
| BigBuy | Europe | €69 to €99 per month + €90 registration |
=> Learn about the best Eco-Friendly Dropshipping suppliers.
Additionally, the ‘Read Review’ link provides access to detailed reviews outlining each supplier’s pros and cons, empowering you with valuable information to guide your selection process.
Should you prefer to explore suppliers based on specific regions or niche specialties, dedicated lists are available to cater to your preferences and requirements.
Whether you’re targeting a particular geographic market or focusing on niche segments like fashion, these specialized lists offer tailored recommendations to suit your needs.
Feeling uncertain about which dropshipping supplier aligns best with your business objectives?
Our specially crafted quiz simplifies the decision-making process by analyzing your preferences and requirements to provide personalized recommendations.
Armed with these resources and insights, you’ll be well-equipped to forge partnerships with reliable suppliers, laying a solid foundation for your BigCommerce dropshipping venture.
5. Connect the supplier to your BigCommerce store
Now, after searching for the potential dropshipping suppliers you have to connect and communicate to every supplier and decide which of them is suitable for you and your business.
Once you made a strong connection and open communication, you can:
- Import products effortlessly from your supplier directly to your store’s catalogue.
- Syncing real-time stock levels, ensuring accurate inventory management and preventing overselling.
- Streamlining order fulfilment processes, allowing for prompt and efficient order processing.
- Tracking order statuses seamlessly within your BigCommerce dashboard, providing valuable insights into order fulfilment progress.
The BigCommerce app store hosts a range of integration solutions designed to facilitate connectivity with various suppliers.
For most suppliers listed in the table provided earlier, you’ll find dedicated apps tailored to facilitate integration with your BigCommerce store.
6. Create a dropshipping pricing strategy
Now, is the time to create listings and decide the prices of the products on your BigCommerce store.
To decide on better pricing, you have to:
- make some research
- analyze competitors
- understanding the value of your products
Product costs, marketing expenses, taxes, hosting fees, app subscriptions, and psychological pricing principles are also very important to decide the best pricing for your products.
For Example, let’s assume you got a product from your supplier for $5 and plan to sell it for $20 in your store.
Now, this can seem to be profitable but after calculations, we come to know that it may not if it has the following calculations.
- $2 shipping per product
- $10 Cost Per Purchase for marketing initiatives
- $1 transaction fee imposed by your payment provider
- $100 monthly expenditure on apps
- $29.95 subscription fee for BigCommerce
- And other miscellaneous overheads
So, you have to calculate it before you set a price for your products on your BigCommerce store. Consider the following points.
Also, you can use tools like a profit margin calculator to find out the best pricing and charges for your dropshipping products.
7. Pick a BigCommerce theme according to your niche
As you gear up for the design phase of your store, selecting a suitable BigCommerce theme takes centre stage.
Your choice of theme serves as the cornerstone of your store’s visual identity, shaping its overall appearance and ambience.
While your BigCommerce store initiates with the default ‘Cornerstone light’ theme, the platform offers a plethora of both free and premium themes in its theme store:
When browsing through the assortment of themes, it’s crucial to align your selection with the specific niche of your store.
BigCommerce facilitates this process by providing a handy filter for ‘Industries,’ allowing you to pinpoint themes tailored to your niche.
For example, consider the ‘SURFup PetCity’ theme, which exudes vibrancy and is ideally suited for a pet-centric store.
8. Create your standard online store pages
Now, it’s time to establish the foundational pages of your online store.
Consider pages such as your privacy policy, FAQs, or shipping policy. While they may not be the most thrilling to develop, they are indispensable for every online store.
Navigate to Storefront -> Web Pages within your BigCommerce dashboard to set up these crucial pages.
For further insights into the creation and customization of these standard pages, refer to this informative article, which offers valuable guidance to streamline the process.
9. Design your BigCommerce store
Crafting the design and branding of your BigCommerce store stands as one of the pivotal and time-intensive phases of your journey.
Your store’s design should seamlessly align with the essence and values of your brand, a reflection of your product concept.
Upon signing up for BigCommerce, you’ve designated a name for your store. Now, it’s time to deliberate on whether to finalize this choice or refine it further.
Selecting a distinctive, concise, and memorable name relevant to your niche is paramount. If you’re seeking inspiration, consider utilizing a name generator such as Namelix or Shopify’s Business Name Generator.
For additional guidance on selecting the ideal name for your BigCommerce store, refer to this comprehensive article outlining ten valuable tips.
With your store name in place, embark on the actual design process.
Much of this endeavour unfolds within the ‘Storefront’ settings, particularly under ‘Storefront -> Themes -> Customize’.
Leverage BigCommerce’s user-friendly, drag-and-drop page builder within this interface to tailor your store’s appearance to your exact specifications.
As you embark on this design journey, draw inspiration from the aesthetic choices of leading ecommerce brands.
Explore notable examples highlighted in this insightful article to fuel your creativity and refine your store’s visual identity.
10. Create and optimize your product pages
Now comes the pivotal step of adding your products to your store!
Utilizing the integrations provided by your supplier to link them to your store is the most efficient approach.
This seamless integration facilitates the importation of product information into your store with just a few clicks.
Once the products are imported, you retain the flexibility to fine-tune details such as their name, description, and category via the ‘Products -> View’ setting on BigCommerce.
Should you seek inspiration for crafting remarkable product pages, explore this compilation featuring ten exemplary examples!
11. Install the essential BigCommerce apps
As you delve into refining the design and branding of your BigCommerce store, you’ll observe that it’s entirely feasible to craft an appealing store sans the use of apps.
However, incorporating several indispensable BigCommerce apps empowers you to augment your store with outstanding functionalities. (For instance, you might have already integrated an app for linking your store to your supplier!)
Navigating to the ‘Apps’ page from your BigCommerce dashboard unveils featured collections housing the most beneficial apps:
These apps serve diverse purposes, from aiding in email marketing and enhancing conversion rates to facilitating accounting or order management.
It’s unnecessary to inundate your store with a plethora of apps; simply install the ones you deem beneficial.
To kickstart, here are some apps that we advocate for every BigCommerce store:
12. Set up your store’s settings and payment gateways
The final step of your dropshipping business set-up is to set up payment gateways and payment procedures on your store.
Navigate to your Settings -> Setup page on your BigCommerce dashboard to access these:
A payment gateway serves as the conduit enabling you to accept payments online.
When a patron seeks to purchase in your store, ensuring you have a payment gateway configured is imperative for them to complete the transaction.
Several payment gateways are available for integration into your BigCommerce store.
When selecting one, it’s pivotal to ponder over the following facets:
- Whether your store’s business model is compatible (certain payment gateways may not support dropshipping stores).
- Compatibility with the country and currency of your target demographic.
- Transaction fees.
- Quality of customer service.
Curious about the optimal payment gateway for your BigCommerce store? Your quest concludes here!
Selecting a payment gateway can be streamlined by adhering to these guidelines:
- Identify the countries you intend to sell to and the predominant payment methods therein.
- Preferably opt for a renowned payment gateway like PayPal.
- If encounter challenges, consider experimenting with and evaluating smaller alternatives.
And there you have it! You’re now primed to commence sales on your freshly minted BigCommerce store.
Next up, let’s delve into the concluding yet perpetual phase: marketing!
13. Start marketing to drive traffic to your store
When your store is ready, listings are ready and everything is good to go then you have to market your products well.
Every business needs marketing to be successful and dropshipping needs it also. You have to promote your store with different suitable ways and have to keep your business up and stand out so that people can consider it while making such a purchase.
However, if you seek a concise overview of which marketing method aligns with your objectives, peruse the following infographic:
Once more, marketing encompasses a broad spectrum of strategies. Therefore, this article elucidating marketing for dropshipping will undoubtedly propel you further!
Should you do dropshipping with BigCommerce?
Why Not? BigCommerce is a great option to start your dropshipping journey with an excellent start and if you are already in the field and want to migrate towards this platform then it is also not a bad option.
With over 60,000 merchants across 150 countries, BigCommerce is a reliable and a fully hosted platform.
BigCommerce also allows many customizations including HTML and CSS customizations.
Moreover, BigCommerce offers many benefits and easy solutions for dropshippers, including:
- Check out customization options.
- Support for payments in over one hundred currencies.
- Multilingual storefront capabilities facilitated by translation apps.
- Comprehensive international shipping and tax solutions.
- Exceptional site speed, ensuring a seamless user experience.
- 24/7 live chat support and US-based phone assistance.
- Mobile-optimized themes
So, these benefits make BigCommerce a perfect fit for those who want to start their dropshipping business there.
3 Final tips for dropshipping with BigCommerce
Before concluding the article, we’d like to offer you three last tips for optimizing your BigCommerce dropshipping store!
1. Think about which country you’re going to target
When engaging in dropshipping, it’s crucial to strategize which countries to target.
Selecting the appropriate countries can significantly impact your success rate.
Ideal countries for targeting typically exhibit high GDP per capita, reliable shipping options, sizable populations, and extensive social network penetration.
For instance, the United States exemplifies these qualities:
Discover ten additional excellent countries for dropshipping targeting in this informative article!
2. Try to create a unique dropshipping store to beat the competition
Establishing a dropshipping store presents numerous benefits.
From avoiding inventory holding to selling diverse products, the advantages are plentiful. However, many dropshippers fall into a trap of complacency.
They neglect to enhance their store, relying solely on quick advertising post-launch.
To stand out from such competition, focus on crafting distinctive images, descriptions, and other elements for your store.
Interested in learning how to do this effectively? Dive into this insightful article!
Explore a stellar example of a unique store, exemplified by Carbon Coco:
3. Start collecting emails from the start
Collecting your customer’s email addresses can prove very beneficial for you in many ways like in marketing purposes.
These addresses provide a direct line of communication, allowing you to maintain engagement long after purchase and keep your products and services top of mind.
Initiating email collection from the outset enables you to cultivate a reservoir of potential customers for future outreach!
FAQs about BigCommerce dropshipping
Does BigCommerce allow dropshipping?
Yes, BigCommerce does allow dropshipping, providing a great platform for dropshippers and giving them many facilities and good 24/7 support.
Is BigCommerce good for beginners?
Yes, BigCommerce is an excellent choice for beginners because it gives a user-friendly interface, great customer support and many additional features. BigCommerce can facilitate dropshippers and can help them get a better start in dropshipping.
Is dropshipping still profitable in 2024?
Yes, dropshipping is highly profitable even in 2024, the market is increasing day by day. However, your success here will be decided by the efforts you put into learning and applying that learning in your business.
What mistakes do you avoid with dropshipping?
To avoid mistakes in dropshipping learn from experienced people and their mistakes. Do great research, work hard to make a great store, manage your inventory and last but not least take care of your customers’ needs.
Summary
Before concluding, let’s summarize the key points discussed in this article:
- Start dropshipping on BigCommerce fearlessly because you have a 15-day trial. If you will not like then move back.
- Take your time and find the right product and dropshipping supplier.
- Consider a better BigCommerce theme for your store.
- Explore the apps of BigCommerce to add more functionality in your store.
- Don’t forget to market your products well.
Conclusion
After a great research and own experience, our conclusion in that doing dropshipping with BigCommerce can be an amazing experience for you.
This platform offers you many solutions like great themes, reasonable pricing, apps and good support.
Wishing you the best of luck as you embark on creating your BigCommerce dropshipping store!