TLDR;
This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide for beginners on creating a successful Shopify dropshipping store. It covers everything from setting up a Shopify account and choosing a niche, to designing the store, adding products, and implementing marketing strategies. Key points include:
- Dropshipping allows selling products without holding inventory.
- AliExpress is the primary supplier for dropshipping products.
- Organic marketing should precede paid advertising to build brand awareness.
Inro [0:00]
John introduces a step-by-step tutorial on creating a successful Shopify dropshipping store for beginners. Dropshipping is presented as an ideal business model for those seeking to earn money online with limited experience and budget, allowing individuals to work from anywhere. The tutorial will guide viewers through building a women's fashion store, where products are sourced from AliExpress and shipped directly to customers, with the seller retaining the profit margin. The tutorial promises to equip viewers with the knowledge to launch their own dropshipping store and begin selling online, with no courses or pitches involved.
Dropshipping Basics [1:10]
The tutorial addresses frequently asked questions about dropshipping. Dropshipping involves selling products online without maintaining an inventory; when a customer buys from your store, you forward the order to a supplier who ships directly to the customer. AliExpress is highlighted as the main supplier, offering cheap prices on products. Starting a dropshipping business involves costs such as Shopify registration ($32 per month, but a special offer of $1 per month for the first three months is mentioned), Shopify apps (around $30 per month with free trials), and marketing costs (starting with free organic marketing, then scaling to paid marketing from around $100). There are two types of dropshipping stores: branded stores, which sell products with a common characteristic, and general stores, which sell across multiple unrelated categories.
Shopify Signup [4:56]
The tutorial guides viewers through registering on Shopify. By clicking the link in the description, users can get a special offer of $1 per month for the first three months. After entering an email address and skipping the initial questions, users select their country and create a Shopify ID. Once the account is created, the tutorial advises selecting the store currency, recommending USD for worldwide sales due to the later addition of a currency conversion app. The account is then confirmed via email. Finally, viewers are instructed to choose a plan, with the basic plan being sufficient for most beginners, and to add their address and payment method, noting the $1 per month charge for the first three months.
Dropshipping store niche [8:02]
The tutorial explains how to choose a niche for a dropshipping store. The simplest method is to explore AliExpress, a Chinese website with cheap prices, to find products. Success can be found in niches like jewellery. To find the best products, sort by the most ordered. You can explore a supplier's full collection by clicking on their name. Another way to find ideas is to look at other dropshipping stores via a Google search. Narrow, targeted niches often see success by focusing on specific customer groups. The presenter advises selling something you're passionate about. The store built in the tutorial focuses on women's fashion.
Add products to Shopify Store [11:25]
The tutorial details how to add products from AliExpress to a Shopify store using the Dsers app. First, install the Dsers app from the Shopify App Store to automate dropshipping and import products from AliExpress. Link Dsers with an AliExpress account and install the Dsers Chrome extension. Configure settings in Dsers, including pricing rules (setting a multiplier for product costs) and a message for AliExpress suppliers to exclude invoices or promotional materials. Then, search for products on AliExpress, considering factors like supplier quality, shipping options, and target countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia). Use the "Add to Dsers" button to import products, amend product details (title, variants, description, images), and push them to the Shopify store.
Create Product Collections [24:53]
The tutorial explains how to create product collections in Shopify. Start by clicking on "Collections" under "Products" and create a new collection, such as "Dresses". Choose the "manual" collection type to add products manually. Browse and select the products that are dresses and add them to the collection. Repeat this process for other collections like "Tops", "Rompers", and "Skirts". The "Homepage" collection will contain products you want to feature on the homepage, typically those with the highest profit margin.
Create brand name and Logo [26:18]
The tutorial guides viewers through the process of branding their dropshipping store, starting with choosing a name. It recommends using Lanoma search.com to generate name suggestions, filtering for appropriate names within the women's fashion niche. Once a suitable name is found, such as "Spark Moda", it's updated in the Shopify settings. Next, the tutorial covers creating a logo using Canva.com, where users can choose from ready-made logo templates, customise the wording, and adjust colours to suit their brand. The final step involves downloading the logo in PNG format.
Shopify Store Design [28:36]
The tutorial details how to design a Shopify store. It starts with selecting a theme, recommending free themes for beginners. The tutorial uses the default theme, Dawn. The Shopify editor allows customisation of different pages, with most work done on the homepage. The site is built in sections, starting with the header and ending with the footer. The announcement bar is used to promote free worldwide shipping. The store logo is added, and an image banner is selected from pixels.com to reflect the brand. The banner text is changed to "Complement your Flawless Beauty". The featured collection is set to the homepage collection, and a new section is added to list product collections.
Register Domain Name [36:08]
The tutorial explains how to register a branded domain name and connect it to a Shopify store. It starts by navigating to the domains section in Shopify settings and purchasing a new domain, such as sparkmoda.com, for approximately $15 per year. After the purchase, the tutorial advises checking your email to verify the domain information. Buying a domain through Shopify allows the creation of professional email addresses using the same domain name, such as [email protected] and [email protected]. The tutorial also covers changing the sender email address in Shopify notifications to the newly created support email.
Store Policies [38:12]
The tutorial explains how to add legal pages and general pages to a Shopify store. It starts by navigating to the policies section in Shopify settings, where templates for refund policy, privacy policy, and terms of service can be created. A standard shipping policy for dropshipping stores is added manually, with a link to a template provided in the description. The store's email address is added to the contact information. The tutorial then covers adding general pages, such as a contact page (created by default) and an about us page, with a template for the about us page provided in the description.
Design Header and Footer [39:44]
The tutorial details how to design the website header and footer in Shopify. It starts with the top menu, where the most important pages are added for easy navigation. This is done by going to online store navigation and then to the main menu, where existing pages are deleted and new menu items are added, such as dresses, tops, rompers, and skirts collections. The tutorial then covers working on the footer by going back to navigation and clicking on the footer menu. Pages like about us, contact us, privacy policy, and refund policy are added. The tutorial also explains how to customise the footer in the theme settings by adding a menu block and disabling email signup.
Shipping Settings [42:06]
The tutorial explains how to configure shipping settings in Shopify. It starts by navigating to shipping and delivery settings. The tutorial advises deleting the domestic shipping zone and editing the international shipping zone to include the countries you want to ship to. Free shipping is set up for all products worldwide. The tutorial then covers clicking on markets and international, and selecting the countries you want to sell to. It advises selecting all countries or focusing on Europe, US, Australia, and Canada. Finally, the tutorial explains how to activate selling to international markets.
Payment Settings [44:01]
The tutorial explains how to set up payment settings in Shopify. It starts by navigating to the payments section. The easiest payment provider is Shopify payments, which allows customers to check out using credit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and so on. However, Shopify payments is only available in selected countries. If your country is not included, you can accept payments through PayPal only. The tutorial also covers using alternative payment methods like Stripe.
Checkout Settings [45:22]
The tutorial explains how to configure checkout page settings in Shopify. It starts by navigating to the checkout section in settings and customising the checkout page. The store logo is added to the checkout page, and the customer contact method is changed to email. The tutorial also advises requiring the first and last name and the phone number for the shipping address. Finally, the tutorial covers giving customers the option to leave a tip after checkout.
Important Apps [46:07]
The tutorial details how to add important apps to a Shopify store to increase sales. The first app is a currency converter, which allows customers to see prices in their local currency. The tutorial recommends the "Best Currency Converter" app, explaining how to install it and configure currency formatting. The second app is Looks, which adds product reviews with photos to the store. The tutorial explains how to install Looks, add widgets to the product page, configure app settings, and import reviews from AliExpress using the Dsers app.
Open store for sales [51:16]
The tutorial explains how to open a Shopify store for customers. It starts by navigating to online store preferences and unchecking "restrict access to visitors with password". This makes the store visible to the public.
Placing a test order [51:53]
The tutorial guides viewers through placing a test order and fulfilling it through the Dsers app. It starts by ordering a product from the store, entering delivery details, and completing the payment. The tutorial then covers fulfilling the order by going to the Dsers app, clicking on AliExpress under open orders, and confirming the order. The order is then placed on AliExpress, and the payment is completed through PayPal. The tutorial explains how to track the order status and communicate with the supplier.
How to promote Dropshipping Store [54:36]
The tutorial explains how to promote a dropshipping store, distinguishing between organic and paid marketing. Organic marketing involves building brand awareness and engaging leads using non-paid tactics, while paid marketing involves purchasing advertisements online. The recommended strategy is to market the store organically for the first three months and then start running paid ads from the fourth month onward. The tutorial covers creating a Facebook page, adding engaging posts, and creating video posts using Canva. The importance of posting daily during the first three months is emphasised.