Last Updated: January 2025
The global dropshipping market is to reach $591 billion by 2027. So dropshipping business is current a trending and can be an exciting venture to start. And it has great potential to grow and take you places.
Two major reasons behind the rapid growth in dropshipping business is growing preference for online shopping, and the inventory free business model. But this risk free business will show its real color when it comes with right tools and platform for support.
So choosing a right ecommerce platform is crucial for your success in your dropshipping business, especially in this cut-throat competitive landscape. In this article we’ll discuss the top 10 best platforms for dropshipping, those offering unique features to ensure your growth.
Best Platforms for Dropshipping
This is very essential for you to understand the importance of choosing the right platform for dropshipping, before diving into the list of best platforms for dropshipping. According to a recent survey, more than 27% of online sellers are using dropshipping as their primary method for inventory fulfillment.
List:
A right platform can help you many ways by providing services to enhance your customer experience, and easy operation. With so many available options, selecting a platform that aligns with your technical requirements and business goals is essential and tricky.
So let’s start:
1. Shopify
Ratings: 4.4/5⭐
Pricing: Free Trial, $29/month
Shopify is one of the leading ecommerce platform that power over 4.4 million ecommerce stores across the globe. It’s well-known for its user-friendly interface and customization option. Its interface is easy to use for both beginners and established ecommerce businesses those want to migrate from other platforms.
It has a range of integrations to use for dropshipping and marketing enhancement. Its customizations allows you to create an authentic website and customer experience that aligns with your brand.
Pros of Shopify:
- Ease of Use: Intuitive interface suitable for beginners.
- Customizable: Offers numerous themes and apps for customization.
- Comprehensive Features: Includes SEO tools, multi-channel selling, and integrated payment processing.
- Scalability: Suitable for small to large businesses.
Cons of Shopify:
- Cost: Monthly fees and transaction fees can add up, especially for advanced plans.
- Customization Limitations: More extensive customization requires coding knowledge.
- Third-Party App Costs: Many useful apps come with additional fees.
2. BigCommerce
Ratings: 4.2/5⭐
Pricing: Free Trial, $29/month
BigCommerce is unique because of its ability to scale. Its an ideal platform for those who aim to grow faster. It has number of in-built features, that reduces the requirement of external apps. Anyone can start selling on BigCommerce but it best suits large enterprises and enterprise brands.
Pros:
- Scalability: Suitable for businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises.
- Multi-Channel Integration: Sell across various platforms like Amazon, eBay, and social media.
- Built-In SEO and Marketing Tools: Helps drive traffic and increase sales.
- No Transaction Fees: Unlike some competitors, BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees.
Cons:
- Complexity for Beginners: Some features may be overwhelming for newcomers.
- Design Customization Limits: Customizing themes might require coding skills.
- Higher Pricing: The Pro and Enterprise plans can be expensive for smaller businesses.
3. Wix
Ratings: 4.2/5⭐
Pricing: Free, Premium plans starts $16/month
Wix is basically a versatile website builder, having lots of features to create beautiful and convenient website to contribute great user experience. Its top key features includes a huge library of customizable templates, drag and drop editor and build in SEO and marketing tools.
Beside these easy to use website building features, it also offers other services like custom domains, hosting and storage. It also allows users to add custom codes to add advanced features. Using these handy features customers can easily create a good and responsive website to start an ecommerce business.
Pros of Wix:
- User-Friendly: The drag-and-drop editor and pre-designed templates make it accessible for beginners.
- Versatility: Offers a wide range of customizable templates for various types of websites.
- Integrated Tools: Includes built-in SEO, marketing, and analytics tools.
- App Market: Provides a variety of apps to extend functionality.
Cons of Wix:
- Limited Flexibility: Less control over the underlying code compared to open-source platforms.
- Cost: Premium plans can become expensive, especially for eCommerce.
- Data Portability: Transferring your website to another platform can be challenging.
4. WooCommerce
Ratings: 4.4/5⭐
Pricing: Free
WooCommerce ia a wordpress based online store designing platform for ecommerce businesses. Building a responsive ecommerce website is no difficult on Woocommerce because of its extensive customization options, range of extensions and themes.
Woocommerce is suitable for businesses of all sizes. Its key features includes secure payment options, marketing tools and shipping options.
Pros of WooCommerce:
- Flexibility and Customization: Extensive range of plugins and themes.
- Integration: Seamless integration with WordPress.
- Cost-Effective: Free to start, with optional paid extensions.
- Scalability: Suitable for small to large businesses.
- Community Support: Active community and documentation.
Cons of WooCommerce:
- Complexity: Requires technical knowledge for setup and maintenance.
- Costs: Can increase with premium extensions and hosting.
- Performance: May need optimization for larger stores.
- Support: Limited free support; premium support may be needed.
5. Squarespace
Ratings: 4.4/5⭐
Pricing: $16/month
Squarespace is another versatile website-building platform. It offers many features like customizable templates, drag and drop editor, integrated SEO tools to create and design a polished and responsive website seamlessly. Using Squarespace individuals and businesses can create websites for various purposes including a online store for ecommerce.
Pros:
- User-Friendly Interface: Squarespace offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, making it accessible for beginners.
- Professional Templates: A wide range of modern, professionally designed templates suitable for various industries.
- Integrated Features: Built-in tools for SEO, analytics, and e-commerce, reducing the need for third-party integrations.
- Responsive Design: All templates are mobile-friendly, ensuring a consistent experience across devices.
Cons:
- Pricing: Compared to some competitors, Squarespace’s plans can be pricier, especially for advanced e-commerce features.
- Customization Limitations: While flexible, the platform may have limitations for those seeking extensive customizations.
- Limited Scalability: As businesses grow, they may find the platform’s scalability and flexibility limited compared to more specialized solutions.
6. Big Cartel
Ratings: 4.2/5⭐
Pricing: Free, Premium plans starts $9.99/month
Big cartel is platform for new, or artistic entrepreneurs to set up and manage their online store. It has a very simple and user-friendly interface. Best for those don’t want to dive into complex technical things.
Pros
- Ease of Use: Its user-friendly interface allows users to set up and manage an online store easily.
- Customization: Provides a huge range of customizable themes and designing options to make your store look good and responsive.
- No Transaction Fees: Big Cartel doesn’t charge transaction fees, so you keep more of your sales revenue.
- Focus on Creators: It’s designed with artists and makers in mind, offering features that cater specifically to their needs.
- Simple Pricing Structure: There are no complicated pricing tiers or additional fees, making it easy to understand what you’ll be paying.
Cons
- Limited Features: Compared to larger platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce, Big Cartel has fewer built-in features and integrations, which might limit functionality.
- Scalability: It might not be the best choice if you plan to grow significantly, as it’s geared more towards small-scale operations.
- Marketing Tools: The platform lacks advanced marketing tools, so you might need to rely on third-party apps or services for tasks like email marketing and SEO.
7. AliExpress Dropshipping
Ratings: 4.7/5⭐
Pricing: Free
AliExpress is a worldwide popular platform among dropshipping enthusiasts. This platform is best for those who want to sell products online without investing in buying and holding the inventory.
Retailers just need to list products from Aliexpress suppliers to their online stores, and focus on marketing. When customer makes an order, retailer need to put an order for the same from AliExpress for the customer. AliExpress will ship the product directly to the customer.
Pros
- Low Startup Costs: You don’t need to invest in inventory upfront, which significantly lowers initial costs.
- Affordable Products: Many products are priced competitively, allowing for potentially high profit margins.
- Wide Product Selection: AliExpress offers a vast array of products across various categories, providing plenty of options for your store.
- Easy Integration: Many dropshipping tools and platforms, like Oberlo or DSers, integrate with AliExpress, simplifying the process of importing products and managing orders.
- Global Reach: AliExpress suppliers ship to a wide range of countries, enabling you to target a global market.
- No Minimum Order Quantities: You can order as few or as many products as needed, which is ideal for small businesses or testing new products.
Cons
- Longer Shipping Times: Products shipped from AliExpress, especially those using ePacket or economy shipping, can take several weeks to reach customers, which may affect customer satisfaction.
- Quality Control Issues:Product quality can vary between suppliers, and there may be inconsistencies in the items received compared to their listings.
- Communication Challenges: Some suppliers may have language barriers or slow response times, complicating communication and support.
8. Weebly
Ratings: 4.2/5⭐
Pricing: Free, Premium plans starts $10/month
Weebly is a part of the Square suite, that enables its users to build websites and online stores using its easy tools, and establish their online presence. It offers great customizable designs and marketing features and seamless payment receiving option.
Pros of Weebly
- Ease of Use: User-friendly drag-and-drop interface, suitable for beginners.
- Integrated eCommerce: Built-in tools for online stores, including payment processing via Square.
- Responsive Design: Templates that work well on mobile devices.
- Affordable Pricing: Competitive plans, including a free option.
Cons of Weebly
- Limited Customization: Less flexibility compared to more advanced platforms.
- Weebly Branding on Free Plan: Ads and branding are present unless you upgrade.
- Less Control Over SEO: Limited SEO features compared to other platforms.
- Limited Third-Party App Integration: Fewer app integrations compared to competitors.
9. Ecwid
Ratings: 4.7/5⭐
Pricing: Free, Premium plans starts $19/month
Ecwid is an e-commerce platform that enables its users to sell their products anywhere online, inclusively across all social media platforms, google, and own website. Users can manage inventory, orders and everything from a single centralized dashboard.
It has features like automated marketing feature, inventory management, payment options and user-friendly interface. It supports all type of business models like B2C, B2B and Dropshipping.
Pros of Ecwid:
- Ease of Use: User-friendly interface, suitable for beginners.
- Flexible Integration: Can be added to existing websites and social media platforms.
- Scalability: Suitable for small to large businesses with various pricing plans.
- Multi-Channel Selling: Allows selling across multiple platforms, including online stores, social media, and in-person.
Cons of Ecwid:
- Limited Free Plan: Basic features and limitations in the free version.
- Advanced Features Cost More: Higher-tier plans needed for advanced features.
- Customization Limitations: Some users may find customization options limited compared to other platforms.
10. TikTok Shop
Ratings: 9.2/10⭐
Pricing: Free
TikTok is an integrated shopping feature of the TikTok social media platform. It offers businesses to showcase, promote and sell their products directly via tiktok short videos, livestreams and in-app stores.
Main target is to capitalize tiktok’s massive audience, and increase sales numbers. With over 1.04 billion monthly active users, tiktok has become one of the favorite dropshipping platform. Especially for those who want to dive into social commerce.
Pros of TikTok Shop:
- High Engagement: TikTok’s video format attracts younger audiences and creates high engagement.
- Creative Marketing: Brands can use influencers and creative videos for effective promotion.
- Integrated Shopping: In-app purchasing streamlines the buying process.
- Wide Reach: Access to a global audience, especially Gen Z.
Cons of TikTok Shop:
- Target Audience Limitations: Primarily attracts younger users, which might not suit all brands.
- Content Creation Demands: Requires creative video content, which can be resource-intensive.
- Brand Safety Concerns: Potential risks with content moderation and association.
Must Read: Top 6 Shopify Plus Agencies In California
Can You Dropship from Any Website?
Theoretically yes, you can add products from any website to your online store adding some margin for you and sell them to your customers. But there are some crucial factors that need to be considered while doing dropshipping.
Not all websites encourage dropshipping, or want their products to be dropshipped. So its important to check their terms of service before before proceeding with your idea.
Some websites may require special permissions or criteria for dropshipping. You can contact them for the permission and fulfilling the criteria.
Including you also must check some factors like supplier agreement, quality and reliability of products, pricing and margin, shipping terms, legal and tax regulations before starting dropshipping for any website.
Do you know, the dropshipping success rate is estimated to be around only 10 to 20%. So its important to do through research before partnering with any company for dropshipping to ensure you are on the right track to success.
About Saufter
Saufter is an easy to use yet powerful customer support tool, designed to enhance customer experience for e-commerce and SaaS companies by automating various tasks.
Key Features
- Live Chat: Businesses can provide real time support to their customers 24/7 by implementing its live chat feature and answer to their queries anytime and anywhere.
- Email Helpdesk: Its powerful Email helpdesk feature is able to manage tickets seamlessly.
- Social Media Integration: Be available for your customers on various social media platforms to provide them seamless support using saufter. It can be integrated to all popular social medias like Facebook, Instagram and messaging apps like WhatsApp.
- Order Monitoring and Proactive Support: It is able to monitor orders 24/7 and can manage order cancellation, delivery issues and change in order status.
- Insights and Analytics: Provides In-depth performance tracking and customer satisfaction analytics to asses your customer service performance. These analytics includes customer satisfaction rate, resolution time, conversion rate etc.
- Custom Automations: Businesses can automate various tasks as per their specific requirements. Different niches have different set of repetitive tasks, so you can automate the task you want.
Conclusion
As per survey dropshipping business is expected to grow by 22.8% every year between 2023 and 2030
The platforms discussed in this article—Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Big Cartel, AliExpress Dropshipping, Weebly, Ecwid, and TikTok Shop. These all are offering great features and service. They are able to serve various level of technology, business size, and niche.
So what is the right platform depends on your requirements, technical expertise and the expected scale you are expecting.
Includingly, leveraging tools like Saufter can definitely enhance your customer experience and bring effectiveness to your operations.
Choosing the right platform for your dropshipping business and using a powerful customer support tool like saufter are crucial for a successful and thriving dropshipping business.
