Are you tired of spending hours fulfilling orders, tracking inventory, and managing shipping for your dropshipping business? As an entrepreneur, you can only do so much by yourself, and these tasks can quickly become overwhelming.
That’s where automated dropshipping comes in. By using the right tools and services, you can run your dropshipping business on autopilot, saving yourself valuable time and energy.
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What is automated dropshipping?
Automated dropshipping is the process of using a third party to handle tasks like inventory management. The aim is to remove mundane or tedious tasks so that the business owner can focus on what’s most important: marketing and customer service. Rather than manually approving, sending, packing, and shipping orders, an automated dropshipping business relies on technology to streamline the workflow for the merchant.
Pros and cons of automated dropshipping
Automated dropshipping is a great way to run an ecommerce business. Here are a couple reasons why:
Pros
1. Reduce cost
Automated dropshipping can be an effective way to reduce costs in your dropshipping business. One way it helps with cost reduction is by minimizing data inaccuracies and human errors. This results in fewer losses due to incorrect data or mistakes in fulfilling orders. Additionally, automated dropshipping lets you complete repetitive tasks like inventory management much faster and more efficiently. This helps you save money and time, which you can invest in other areas of your business.
2. Improve efficiency
When you automate dropshipping tasks, you significantly improve the efficiency of your business. Instead of waiting for manual approvals, reviews, and communications, you benefit from systematic workflows that save a lot of legwork. Set the rules once, then let technology handle the rest. This improves the quality of your operations so you can scale your business quickly.
Cons
1. Requires technical know-how
When it comes to automating your dropshipping business, it’s essential to understand how to use software and digital tools correctly. This involves finding the right platforms to implement and performing ongoing maintenance and updates. But if you’re bootstrapped or have minimal technical expertise, this can be a significant hurdle to overcome, especially in the initial stage.
How to automate a dropshipping store
1. Get automated dropshipping tools from the Shopify App Store
Shopify is an excellent choice for building, customizing, and launching an automated dropshipping ecommerce store. After you create your online store, you can install dropshipping software that makes sense for your business. The Shopify App Store has many options for all-in-one dropshipping automation software, including:
- AutoDS All-In-One Dropshipping: If you want to find and import dropshipping products from sites like Alibaba, Amazon, and more, this app is a great choice. The app will automatically fulfill orders and update tracking numbers, making it easy to manage your business.
- Automizely Dropshipping: With this app, you can easily dropship from platforms like CJDropshipping and AliExpress. Automizely also has automated features for finding the right product pricing, making it a great all-in-one option.
- Duoplane: If you work with multiple dropshipping vendors, Duoplane can help you streamline your order processing. This automation tool fully automates your multi-supplier order flow, freeing up your time to focus on growing your business.
2. Work with your dropshipping supplier to streamline order processing
Order processing is perhaps the most valuable automation option available to dropshippers. When a customer orders from your website, you need to send the supplier the customer details. Instead of manually typing out all the details to your supplier, most apps will ask you to click a button and the order will be sent over to the supplier automatically. Platforms like Duoplane also work with multiple dropshipping suppliers and route orders to vendors based on their capacity.
When you automate order processing, you eliminate potential delays, which means your customers get their products faster. With 58% of consumers shopping online in search of the fastest shipping option, this kind of automation can be a game-changer for your dropshipping store.
3. Optimize pricing for your business
Many automated dropshipping software tools have features for automating, syncing, and automating pricing information. Automizely, for instance, has a “price multiplier” feature that lets you create your pricing rules and apply them automatically each time you add new items to your store.
When using automatic pricing, make sure to establish parameters that safeguard your profits. The last thing you want is to find yourself selling products at a price point where you end up making a loss. Likewise, you want to avoid pricing too high. To create a profitable dropshipping business, make sure to stay in a competitive price range.
4. Align inventory control across all vendors
When it comes to dropshipping, achieving inventory accuracy is crucial for avoiding costly challenges like overstocks and out-of-stocks. With Duoplane’s vendor inventory feeds, you can stay on top of your stock levels for each supplier. This enables you to route your orders to the right vendors based on their fulfillment capacity.
By having this real-time inventory data at your fingertips, you can avoid unnecessary costs and make more-informed decisions, all while providing a better experience for your customers.
5. Automate order tracking
In ecommerce, it’s critical to keep shoppers informed about the status of their packages. With automated order tracking, you can provide them with real-time updates about their package. This can help create a positive perception of your brand, as more than 87% of consumers find the shopping experience better when real-time order tracking is offered.
AutoDS offers automatic tracking number updates, while Duoplane automatically populates shipment feeds with vendor tracking data. With these apps, you can improve the post-purchase customer experience and build long-term brand loyalty.
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Conclusion
Automating your dropshipping business can help free up your time so you can focus on marketing and customer service. By focusing your efforts on that instead of the manual tasks, you’ll be more likely to scale your business’ growth.
Automated dropshipping is entirely possible, and it can extend into your marketing efforts as well. If you focus on doing the kind of work you’re great at and automate the rest, you’ll be able to run a successful business all by yourself.
Want to learn more?
- 16 Dropshipping Tips for New Entrepreneurs
- 14 Best Marketing Automation Tools
- 10 Ecommerce Automation Tools
- 9 Shopify Tips for New Store Owners