Have you been thinking about starting a dropshipping business? You’re not the only one! Dropshipping is all the rage right now, and – with global online sales expected to exceed $7 trillion by 2025 – it’s no wonder that around 27% of online retailers have channeled their entrepreneurial spirit in this direction.*
Luckily, setting up a dropshipping business is so easy, you can get your website up and running in no time, especially when you use a well-respected platform like Wix Ecommerce. But even the simplest of tasks can be daunting when you’re just starting out.
Thankfully, we’re here to lend a helping hand. Below, we’ll draw on our expert knowledge and experience to guide you through setting up your dropshipping business on Wix in just seven simple steps.
We’ll take you through each step in detail, providing some helpful hints and tips along the way too. Ready to start building your dropshipping empire? Let’s get started!
What Is Dropshipping?
Before we dive into the technicalities of setting up dropshipping with Wix, let’s clear one thing up first: What exactly is dropshipping?
Dropshipping is an ecommerce model where you can sell products through your website without actually having to store and manage the stock. Instead, you purchase products from a third-party dropshipping supplier who holds them for you. When a customer buys an item from your store, the supplier packs it up and ships it off.
It’s a bit like playing monkey in the middle, except that you (as the monkey) get paid a nice tidy profit each time the ball is passed between the two other players.
So how does this profit find its way into your pocket? When you sell your products to customers, you’ll charge them the retail price. This is higher than the wholesale price you pay to the supplier. The difference between the two is your profit.
For example, if you select a t-shirt from a supplier that has a wholesale price of $10, and then you sell it to a customer for $25, you get to keep the $15 difference! Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Dropshipping is perfect if you aren’t sure what you want to sell, don’t make your own products, or don’t have the room to store a ton of stock. Thanks to the tidy profits on offer, it’s obvious why it’s grown to be so popular.
Want to find out more about dropshipping? Check out our comprehensive guide on how to start a dropshipping business. Or get inspired with our list of dropshipping business ideas.
Now that we’ve covered both the positives and the negatives of dropshipping, it’s time to dive into how to get your business up and running with Wix. Take a look at our step-by-step guide, complete with handy tips and tricks to get you off to a great start.
Dropshipping Pros and Cons
- Good returns with minimal outlay
- You won’t need to invest a ton of cash to get started and the potential profits on offer will cover any initial spend.
- No need for storage
- Suppliers will hold your stock for you, so you won’t need to source warehouse space to store your products.
- No packing and shipping
- Another thing your third-party supplier will take care of, so you won’t have to fuss around with packaging and multiple trips to the post office.
- Work from anywhere
- All you need is a laptop and an internet connection!
- Room to experiment
- Is your t-shirt dropshipping business floundering? No problem! You can try selling something else, without sacrificing any initial investment costs.
- Easy to scale your business
- Once you’ve cracked dropshipping, growing and scaling your business doesn’t require a ton of logistics.
- No control over customer satisfaction
- You aren’t providing the products, so it’s harder to make sure your customers are happy, especially if the quality isn’t up to par.
- Customer Support is all on you
- Even though you’re not the one providing the products, you will still have to offer customer support. As your business grows, investing in software to do this can also be pricey.
- Saturated market
- Dropshipping is a convenient way of making money without any of the heavy lifting – that’s why so many people do it! Because of this, competition is fierce and you’ll need to stand out against other stores selling similar products to you.
- Limited control over shipping
- Letting someone else handle shipping has its advantages, but if something goes wrong or an order is delayed, you’re the one who has to deal with the unhappy customer.
Wix Dropshipping in Action: Pala Leather
- Affordability: It helps us easily create our own online store without spending a fortune on software or web hosts.
- Easy to use: We can add a store to our existing website quickly and easily, with no coding required.
- Compatibility: We can share our store across our social media platforms, increasing awareness of our brand and sales, while gaining increased traffic.
There are several reasons why we recommend Wix as the best solution for dropshipping. First, Wix is an all-in-one solution where we can create a website as well as a blog. Second, they provide a wide range of marketing services to help advertise our new shop. Third, they have such a large network of content that it’s easy to customize our dropship site by incorporating blog posts, videos and images into the design.
#1. Find Your Niche
In this section, we’ll cover:
- Why a niche is important
- Some things to think about when choosing your niche
If you’ve already found your niche, head straight to Step 2, where we’ll outline the importance of setting your budget.
With dropshipping, there are hundreds of products to choose from when you’re trying to decide what to sell. Although it can be tempting to feature a bit of everything as you start your dropshipping journey on Wix, it’s best to narrow down your offering and stick to one thing. That way, your customers will have a better idea of what exactly you’re offering.
This is where having a niche comes in handy. It’s hard to be too specific when it comes to dropshipping, because you aren’t manufacturing the products yourself, but it helps if all of your items fall under a certain theme. For example, sunglasses for kids, or novelty t-shirts.
The best kind of niche strikes a good balance: it needs to be interesting enough that you won’t get bored after a couple of days, but you also want it to have some good money-making potential behind it, too.
When trying to pick a niche, here are a few things we recommend you think about:
- Does the product excite you?
We’re not saying that it has to be your passion project, but you need to have at least a slight interest in what you’re selling. Otherwise, you’re going to find it difficult to be able to showcase and promote it in a way that’ll attract customers.
- Is your niche just a fad?
Remember in the 90s, when tooth gems were the in-thing? It was cool at the time, but the trend fizzled out pretty quickly. Try and pick an evergreen product that won’t be a victim of time – and won’t mess up your customers’ teeth!
- What’s the competition doing?
You’re not the first person on the hunt for a dropshipping niche. There are others who have gone through the same process, so take a look at what they’re selling. Which products do well? Which are the ones to avoid?
- Which products have the best profit margin?
Note down some potential product ideas and check out their wholesale price compared to the retail price other dropshippers are selling them for. There will be items that sell better and have bigger profit potential.
Top Tip!If you’re still stuck on which niche to choose, we recommend taking a look at fashion. This is an evergreen category that also operates on a cycle of trends, so you can take advantage of fads without the long-term risk. As long as you move with what’s in style, your store won’t ever feel outdated – you’ll get the best of both worlds! Plus, there are plenty of sub-categories within the fashion industry to choose from. Bags, sunglasses, jewelry – there’s bound to be something in there that’ll take your fancy.
#2. Work Out Your Budget
In this section, we’ll cover:
- What to consider when setting your budget
Dropshipping – especially via Wix – is definitely a more budget-friendly way of getting into the ecommerce world, but that doesn’t mean it’s free. You’ll have to factor some costs into your planning once you’ve figured out your niche.
A big part of this initial outlay will be the cost of your Wix plan. Although it might have ranked #1 in our top 10 free website builders, you won’t be able to use Wix’s free plan to sell. For this, you’ll need a business account, the cheapest of which costs $29 per month.
Good to know…You’ll pay less with Wix if you opt to pay for your plan annually and use Wix Payments for processing transactions. Because you’re committing to staying with them for a longer period of time from the get-go, the monthly costs are reduced, saving you some cash. However, this might not be an option if your budget won’t stretch to forking out such a large sum all in one go. In this case, Wix does offer monthly memberships.
In addition to your website costs, most dropshipping apps also charge monthly. For example, Spocket offers plans that start from $24 per month. Modalyst has a free plan, but unless you upgrade to a premium package, you’ll only be able to sell up to 25 products.
Having a ballpark figure in mind before you get started will help you keep on top of your finances in the long run. Plus, staying within this budget means that your profit margins will look more impressive, too.
Overspending because you haven’t planned properly is an easy mistake to make when you’re excited to get going, but it’s important to be realistic – there will be plenty of room for growth later!
#3. Register with Wix
In this section, we’ll cover:
- Wix’s different pricing plans
- How to get started with Wix
If you’ve already registered and built your Wix website, head straight to Step 5, where we’ll take a thorough look at the various dropshipping apps you can connect to your store.
Wix is one of the most popular website builders out there, and it came top in our research, scoring an impressive 4.7 out of 5. That means it comes with everything you need to build a successful ecommerce store – we fully recommend it if you’re looking for a platform to get your dropshipping businesses up and running quickly, and with as little hassle as possible.
If you want to find out more about how Wix performed in our research, check out our comprehensive Wix review. We’ll cover everything from Wix’s ease of use to its design functionalities, so you can be sure that this top-rated platform is up to the challenge of building your perfect website!
How Much Does Wix Cost?
When it comes to value for money, you won’t get much better than Wix. In fact, it came joint second for value in our ecommerce research, alongside Squarespace.
One of the main reasons it does so well here is because of its free plan, alongside its 14-day money-back guarantee for all of its paid packages. Unfortunately, if you want to sell anything on your website, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan – the free package doesn’t come with any ecommerce functionality included.
Wix offers three different business and ecommerce packages, starting from just $29 per month when paid annually.
Check out our Wix Pricing for a full breakdown of all of Wix’s costs. We’ll help you decide whether it’s worth investing your hard-earned money in!
Registering With Wix
To get started, head to the Wix website and hit the blue ‘Get Started’ button to begin building your website. You’ll then be invited to enter your email address and a password to create an account. Before going to your site editor, Wix will ask you a few questions, to give it an idea of what you’ll be using your website for.
Getting started with Wix is quick and easy – click the blue ‘Get Started’ button to begin.
Answering a few simple questions will help Wix understand what you want your website to achieve.
If you want your store up and running in a manner of minutes, Wix ADI can take the hard work out of it and do it for you – you won’t have to lift a finger.
You can build your store using Wix ADI, but if you want complete creative control, we’d recommend using the editor instead. Click the blue ‘Edit a Template’ button to progress.
Top Tip!If creativity and design aren’t your specialties and the thought of creating a website from scratch makes you shudder, don’t sweat it! Wix ADI is your answer. This is where Wix will automatically build your site for you. All you’ll need to do is answer a few more questions and hey presto! Your dropshipping website will be ready in the blink of an eye.
#4. Customize Your Website
In this section, we’ll cover:
- How to choose a template
- How to customize your website
If you’ve already registered and built your Wix website, head straight to Step 5, where we’ll take a thorough look at the various dropshipping apps you can connect to your store.
Choosing a Template
Wix has around 800 different website templates to choose from, with over 500 of them specifically designed for ecommerce stores. We recommend using the filter at the top of the template catalog to narrow your search down, and browse them by industry.
Once you’ve found your favorite, you can hover over it and select the ‘Edit’ button. Don’t forget to view it first, though! That way, you can check that it ticks all of your boxes before you start dropshipping on Wix, and see how it looks on mobile devices, too.
Top Tip!We recommend choosing a template that’s already linked to your industry. For example, if you’re selling sports gear, try and find a fitness-related template to start with. Wix gives you a good level of creative control, but choosing a relevant template can help you get to where you need to go that much quicker.
Customizing Your Site
Wix uses a drag-and-drop editor – if you’ve never heard that term before, it’s exactly what it sounds like. You can drag and drop different components into your website, and move them around to sit where you want them. It gives you a great range of creative control, so you can really let your personality shine through.
In the editor, you can alter your color scheme, play around with your font, and insert images that reflect your brand. Wix also has a ton of extra features that you can add to existing pages, such as customer testimonials, email subscription sign-up boxes, and social media integrations.
Wix provides an awesome level of creative control, so you can make sure your site looks exactly the way you want it to.
Use the ‘Manage Products’ button to really customize how your items appear to your visitors.
Sorting your products into collections can make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.
You can also add as many additional pages to your site as you’d like, which is vital for an ecommerce website. After all, you’re going to need to display lots of products, and it makes for a better user experience if they’re not all crammed onto one page.
Wix’s collection function is also useful for this, too. When you’ve selected your products from your dropshipping app (more on that later!), hover over them in the editor and select the ‘Manage Products’ button. This will take you to a popup, where you can view your inventory and sort it into collections for more convenient browsing.
There’s a whole host of things you can do in Wix’s editor, so if you want a more thorough look into how to customize various elements of your site, check out our How To Use Wix guide. It covers all the basics from uploading images to optimizing for search engines!
#5. Select a Dropshipping App
In this section, we’ll cover:
- What dropshipping apps are available on Wix
- Connecting them to your Wix store
So, you’ve found your niche and you’ve begun building and customizing your Wix website – you’re well on your way to getting your dropshipping business off the ground! But there’s one more thing you need to be able to dropship on Wix: a dropshipping app!
Modalyst and Spocket are the two most regularly recommended dropshipping apps, and both make it super easy to start selling. To connect them to your store, search for them in Wix’s app store, and click ‘Add to Site’. Simple!
Below, we’ll dive deeper into how to use both Modalyst and Spocket. Click on the plus icon next to each header to find out more.
Once you’ve added Modalyst to your online store, you’ll be redirected to its website, where you’ll need to enter your email address to create an account. This will allow you to connect Modalyst with your site, so you can start searching for products you’d like to sell.
Finding Products
Modalyst features over 100 million items – with that level of choice, you’re guaranteed to find something to suit your niche. Each product will display the wholesale price, alongside the retail price, so you can calculate your profit margin.
If you click on your product, you’ll be able to see more images, a thorough product description for each, and a supplier rating. Quality is a big concern with dropshipping, and it’s hard to judge items based on a few photos online. If you’re able to, we recommend ordering a sample to be on the safe side! After all, it’s your reputation that will take the hit if the items you’re selling don’t live up to customer expectations.
Adding Products to the Import List
Once you’ve picked out a few products that fit your brand, it’s time to add them to your import list. This couldn’t be simpler – just click the purple ‘Add to Import List’ button that goes alongside the listing.
Once added, you can choose to ‘View in import list’, or navigate to the ‘Import List’ page using the sidebar on the left. This is where you can edit the name of your items, as well as adding them to a pre-existing collection on your website. If you use the tabs down the right-hand side of the page, you can also customize which variants you want to sell by ticking the little boxes on the left of each variation.
When you’ve finished customizing your products, click the ‘Add to Wix’ button on the right, next to your product title. If the item is added successfully, it’ll disappear from your import list.
You can choose to import products one at a time, or, if you’ve got a few, you can make things a bit easier by selecting them in the Import List, and adding them to your Wix store all at once.
Setting Your Pricing Rules
The retail price shown on each product listing will depend on the pricing rules that you set. Modalyst automatically sets the markup to x1.67, although you can override this if you want to.
Similarly, you can set different pricing rules for different products, depending on what you want the markup to be.
Setting pricing rules like this helps to make sure that your profit margins – and those of your suppliers – stay consistent. Plus, it comes in handy if your suppliers suddenly change the prices of their products. The pricing rules will automatically make sure that the retail price changes to reflect the new wholesale cost.
You can access your current pricing rules using the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the Modalyst dashboard.
How Much Does Modalyst Cost?
Modalyst offers a free package called the ‘Hobby’ plan. This means you can start dropshipping without paying a single cent, besides your monthly Wix ecommerce fee, of course. We’d recommend starting out on this plan, especially if you’re just experimenting with dropshipping.
If you’re looking to scale your business, it’s worth investing in one of Modalyst’s paid plans. This is because the Hobby plan has a 25-product limit, so you won’t be able to grow your sales volume if business is booming. With the Start-Up plan, you can sell 250 products for $30 per month, whilst the Pro plan gives you unlimited access but is more than double the price, costing $67 per month.
Finding Products
Adding Spocket to your site is the same as adding Modalyst – just search for it in Wix’s app store and click ‘Add to Site’. You’ll need to give permission for it to integrate with your website, and then you’ll be directed to Spocket’s dashboard, where you’ll get a quick tour of the homepage.
Similar to Modalyst, you can use the search bar to find relevant products, or pick one of Spocket’s popular categories to get started.
Each listing shows an image of the product, plus the listing cost and the retail price. You’ll also see information about shipping times and costs, which is helpful when working out your profit margins.
If you hover over a product in the search results, you can send it straight to your import list, or click on it to access more images and information. You’ll also be able to view the different product variations available, as well as ordering a sample if you’d like to check the quality of the product (we recommend this!).
Adding Products to the Import List
Once you’re happy with the product, you can add it to your import list. As we mentioned, you can do this from the search results or the full listing page – just click the green ‘Add to Import List’ button.
You can check your Import List at any time by clicking on the ‘Import List’ header in the left-hand toolbar. From here, it’s also possible to customize each product listing. You can edit the name and description, as well as adding more images or allocating them to a collection in your Wix store. This is also where you can decide which variations you’d like to sell. In the ‘Variations’ tab, you can select the ones you want to include, and delete those you don’t.
When you’re happy with the items in your Product List, it’s time to add them to your Wix store. Clicking ‘Push Current Page’ at the top of the Import List will add them all in one go, or you can add individual products on their specific pages using the ‘Push to Store’ button.
Setting your Pricing Rules
You can set your pricing rules on Spocket in the ‘Settings’ section of the site. This is accessible via the left-hand toolbar. Navigate to the ‘Global Pricing Rules’ tab to begin. Unlike on Modalyst, there isn’t a default set of rules in place, so you’ll need to add your own before you start adding products to your store.
How Much Does Spocket Cost?
Unlike Modalyst, Spocket doesn’t offer a free plan, so you’ll have to pay to use it. If you want to pay annually, the Pro plan starts at $24 a month, but you’ll only be able to sell up to 250 products, in addition to 25 premium products.
The Empire and Unicorn plans cost $57 and $79 per month respectively, and both allow you to sell up to 10,000 unique products and 10,000 premium products. The Unicorn plan also supports bulk checkout, product requests, and supplier sourcing, which is why its total price is so much steeper.
If you want to pay monthly, rather than annually, Spocket offers a Starter plan from $24 a month which allows you to sell up to 25 products. This is the equivalent of Modalyst’s free plan, so we wouldn’t recommend choosing this option.
#6. Set Up Shipping
In this section, we’ll cover:
- How to set shipping rules
The best part about dropshipping is that you don’t have to worry about packaging and shipping your products – your chosen dropshipping app on Wix will do that for you! Most of them even offer custom packaging and branded invoicing too, so customers get a consistent journey from start to finish.
Both Modalyst and Spocket offer shipping guidance. In the product listings, you can see where the suppliers ship to, and how much it costs to do so.
When you import your products, the shipping fees won’t be transferred to your store. Instead, you’ll need to set them manually in your Wix dashboard, using those provided on your dropshipping app to help you calculate your rates.
This way, you can add a shipping charge, or increase the retail price to include the shipping costs so that you can offer free delivery – the choice is yours!
#7. Tick the Legal Boxes
In this section, we’ll cover:
- Choosing a business structure
- Applying for an EIN
- Registering your business domain name
Like any new venture, starting a dropshipping business with Wix is exciting. But, before you get too carried away and set your store live, there are some very important legal tasks to tick off.
They’re pretty straightforward and nothing to be scared of, but it’s key that you don’t miss this step out. Fighting your way through legal jargon isn’t the most glamorous part of dropshipping, but it is necessary if you want your business to become a reality.
Good to know…Dropshipping requirements vary depending on where you live. The rules are different in every state, so we recommend double-checking what you need to do before you get started. We’re not lawyers, and, although we’ll do our best to give you as much correct information as we can, it’s best to consult a professional or get in touch with your local authority if you’re unsure – just to be on the safe side!
Choosing a Business Structure
All businesses in the United States have a designated business structure. This basically just helps to show which category your business fits into and also determines which umbrella of legal jurisdiction it sits under. There are three main ones to choose from:
| Sole Proprietorship | |
|---|---|
| Sole Proprietorship | This is the simplest business structure, especially when it comes to tax, but it has its drawbacks. That’s because there’s no liability protection, which means you’re responsible for everything, including debts. |
| Limited Liability Company | This business structure strikes a good middle-ground. It legally separates your business from you, so if anything happens, you’re not fully liable. |
| Corporation | This category is where you’ll find most major businesses because it offers the most liability protection, although the costs associated with it are steeper, too. |
Applying for an EIN
If you want to start a dropshipping business, you’re going to need an Employment Identification Number (EIN). This is because most dropshipping suppliers require you to have one before they’ll agree to work with you.
That’s not all, though. Your EIN also allows you to pay taxes, as well as keeping your personal and business taxes separated.
Every business needs an EIN, which is why getting one is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is apply through the IRS website – simple!
Register Your Business
The last thing to do before you can set your site live and start selling is to register your business and domain name. This will help to protect your business name, and stop others from poaching it.
There are different registration options, some of which depend on the business structure you choose, so make sure you register under the one that’s most relevant to you. If you need a hand, check out this useful guide to registering your business.
How To Dropship on Wix: Summary
And there you have it! We’ve covered all of the key steps you need to follow in order to start dropshipping on Wix. It’s not a quick job so well done on getting this far! Here’s a recap of all the steps we’ve gone through:
- Find your niche
- Work out your budget
- Register with Wix
- Customize your website
- Select a dropshipping app
- Set up shipping
- Tick the legal boxes
All that’s left to do now is give your website a once-over and set it live. Dropshipping is a great way to get into the ecommerce space, and whether you’re using it as a side hustle, or taking it on as a full-time project, we wish you the best of luck! Make sure to come back and tell us how you got on after following our step-by-step guide.
For more guidance, discover our top dropshipping tips.
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