Shopify has three price tiers, with $299 per month being the most expensive. If you plan to start a dropshipping business, do you really need this? The plan I suggest you choose if you plan to dropship is the Basic Shopify, which is only $29 per month.
If we only consider the cost, it makes logical, right? I’ll outline the additional justifications for why the Basic Shopify plan is the best choice for dropshipping today.
What Shopify Plan Is Right For You?
Before you determine which Shopify plan is best for your dropshipping business, let’s first break down each plan.
Efficacious Online Shop
You can create a fully working store with the Shopify Basic plan. This indicates that the following are all present and correct on the website:
- Product pages by theme
- blogs and other websites
- SEO
You can incorporate these payment processors, including PayPal, Skrill, and many others, if you purchase the Shopify Basic plan. Along with the option to incorporate your own domain name, you will receive a comprehensive collection of features.
This plan’s themes all have elements that can be altered. Numerous them are also cost-free. Use one of Shopify’s free themes if you don’t want to spend money on a theme.
Even though these free themes offer few modification options, you can still choose whether to add or delete sections.
The Basic Shopify theme is a comprehensive set in general. Customers can pay you and check out, and you’ll be notified if a sale is made.
Social Marketing
You can link your store to your social network accounts using the Basic Shopify theme. Why does this matter?
You can open an account with Amazon and sell there if you don’t want to restrict yourself to selling exclusively through your business. The same thing is possible on Facebook, where you can set up a feature known as a Facebook shop channel.
The good news is that these stores no longer require you to upload each and every item. It only requires a few button clicks to incorporate a social media channel once you setup your Shopify store.
All of your Shopify products will appear on your social media profile after this integration is complete.
You can urge your clients to pay you by alternative methods, such as Western Union, since Facebook does not yet offer a money processing channel. You might alternatively suggest that they just visit your Shopify store and make the transaction there.
Your product listings on Facebook and Amazon will likewise alter if you remove an item from your Shopify store. You can integrate more platforms besides Facebook and Amazon. The same is possible with Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and other services.
Staff Reports and Accounts
Many online marketplaces don’t include additional staff accounts in their entry-level plans. An account that is not yours is referred to as a staff account. For instance, you can have a worker who requires entry to the store.
You can add one staff member and manage the employee’s access level with the Shopify Basic plan. It is up to you if you don’t want the employee to be able to create discounts.
You are permitted to create two accounts under the Shopify Basic package. The first one is for you, while the second one is for someone else. You will need to upgrade as your company expands and you need to add more staff accounts.
The fundamental plan provides you with a variety of statistics relevant to your company’s operations in terms of reports. You will see, for instance, a summary of your revenue in a daily and weekly report. The top-performing item will also be shown on your website.
The reports you see are rudimentary only. This is fine. You don’t really need a lot of data to examine in a dropshipping business, especially if you’re just getting started.
I advise integrating Google Analytics with your Shopify store if you enjoy data. It is feature-rich and free, and it will keep you updated on the status of your online store.
Apps and Assistance
You cannot access plug-ins if you create your dropshipping store on WordPress.com without upgrading to a commercial plan. This is a pain because you’ll quickly discover that you have to constantly upgrading in order to enjoy apps and the other capabilities.
With Shopify, this cannot happen. Regardless of your plan type, you can download and install apps on this platform. This means that you are on an equal footing with those who can afford to pay $299 every month.
You could set up a carousel app if they could. Shopify offers more than 4,000 apps. There are both paid and free options. The prices for these apps are the same regardless of your plan choice. Only having more money to spend on these apps gives larger companies an edge over you.
The drawbacks of the Shopify basic plan
If you choose the Shopify basic plan, there are two things that you could find a little frustrating. The first is that only a small shipping discount is offered.
DHL Express, UPS, and USPS can all be integrated if you are on the basic plan. This indicates that you may print shipping labels using your account with these delivery couriers. You’ll receive a 74% discount because the systems have identified the sale as coming from Shopify.
No discount is offered if you use different shipping couriers. You can receive a discount of up to 76% if you choose the top plan. Even while this difference might not seem like much, it will eventually add up as your company grows in popularity.
The inability of the Shopify Basic plan to work with other shipping accounts is the other concern. Only those who purchase the Advanced package are able to accomplish this. There is no way for you to see the calculated shipping charges of other couriers because you are unable to do this.
Despite these two issues, I still believe that the fundamental plan is the greatest for dropshipping. After all, paying $299 for a store where the only differences are mostly in the amount of staff accounts, the shipping discount, and the capacity to integrate additional shipping couriers does not make financial sense.
Which Shopify plan is best for dropshipping, in conclusion?
With dropshipping, your goal should be to lower operating expenses. Although you do not need to pay for inventory, you still need to cut back on your usual spending. You do not really need the additional perks of the top-tier programs if you are just starting off.
For instance, if you do not require 25 staff accounts, there is no justification for purchasing the Advanced Shopify plan. Additionally, since you are not delivering in quantity, you do not require significant delivery reductions.
Purchase the Shopify Basic package if you intend to launch a dropshipping business. It contains all the features and functionalities you require. Use the money you save to buy advertisements or other tools that can help you market your store, like email marketing software.
