Dropshipping is a business model in which ecommerce entrepreneurs sell products without having to carry any inventory. When a store owner receives an order from a customer, they simply contact the supplier, who will then ship the products directly to the customer’s door. Dropshipping apps like Oberlo let you add products from various suppliers into your shop to fuel your product offering.
If you’re looking to start a dropshipping business, then you’ll need to use WooCommerce – the most popular WordPress ecommerce plugin. And in this post, we’re going to show you how to set up your WooCommerce dropshipping store in just a few simple steps.
1. Choose Your Niche
The first step to starting any business is choosing your niche. When it comes to dropshipping, it’s best to choose a niche that:
One of the biggest dangers of dropshipping is that it can be difficult to maintain control over your inventory and shipping. Because you are relying on a third-party supplier, there is always the potential for delays or other problems. This can lead to unhappy customers and negative reviews, which can damage your business. Additionally, because you do not have control over your inventory, it can be difficult to offer unique or custom products. Finally, dropshipping can be a relatively low-margin business, so you will need to carefully consider your pricing strategy.
- You’re passionate about – Dropshipping can be a lot of work and if you’re not passionate about your store or your products then it will be very difficult to succeed.
- Hasn’t been done before – The most successful dropshipping stores are often the ones that are doing something new or different.
2. Choose Your Domain Name and Hosting
Now that you know what you’re going to sell, it’s time to choose your domain name and hosting. Your domain name is what customers will type into their browser to find your store (e.g. www.my-dropshipping-store.com). And your hosting is where your website will live on the internet.
We recommend using Bluehost for your hosting because they’re one of the largest and most popular hosting providers in the world. Plus, they offer a special discount for Oberlo users which includes a free domain name when you sign up for 12 months of hosting.
- Visit Bluehost.com.
- Click “Get Started Now” under the “Basic Plan”
- Enter your domain name in the “new domain” field and click “next”
- Fill out your account information and click “submit”
- (Optional) Select additional services and click “next”
- (Optional) Enter Coupon Code oberlodiscount at checkout for a discount
Once you have Bluehost account, now it’s time to install WordPress on Bluehost so that you can start working on your WooCommerce store.
Here are simple instructions on how to install WordPress on Bluehost:
- Login to your Bluehost account and click on “My Sites” at the top.
- Click on “Create Site” button.
- Enter site name, choose site type and click on “Continue” button.
- Choose domain for new site or select existing domain from dropdown and click on “Check Domain” button.
- Click on “All Done” button. Now it’s time move onto next step which is installing WordPress theme.
Installing WordPress theme:
There are two ways of installing WordPress themes: by using the search option inside the WordPress dashboard or by using an FTP client like FileZilla.
Here we will show how to do it by using the search option inside the WordPress admin area:
- Go To Appearance > Themes > Add New
- Click on Upload Theme > Choose File > Install Now > Activate
- That’s it! You have successfully installed a WordPress theme via the search option.
- But if you want to install a theme via an FTP client then read our this guide: “How To Install WordPress Theme Via FTP Client? (FileZilla Step by Step Guide).”After installing the WordPress theme, it’s time to add some plugins which are required to run a WooCommerce store successfully.
- 5. If you want to learn more about must-have WordPress plugins for every website, then read our this guide: “Must Have Free & Paid Plugins For Every WordPress Websites (2019 Guide).” After adding required plugins, it’s time to add products into the WooCommerce Dropshipping store.
- If you want to learn more details about product research, then read our this guide: “5 Actionable Ways For Product Research For DropShipping Stores (2019 Guide).” You have successfully installed & configured WooCommerce Dropshipping store using WordPress & Oberlo plugin.
- If you face any issues during installation or configuration then feel free to comment below or contact us via the contact form.
In conclusion, setting up Dropshipping in WooCommerce is easy and quick to do with these simple steps!