Do you have a dropshipping store on Shopify? Good choice. Shopify is undoubtedly one of the best platforms for managing all your operations. Like any selling channel, it has challenges, benefits, and shortcuts.
To be a successful dropshipper, it’s essential to understand as much as possible about the site where your customers connect with their audience; that’s why today we will delve into one of the most important aspects: how to add products to your Shopify store.
Grab a pen and paper (or your preferred virtual note-taking tool), and let’s get right to it!
Streamlining product uploads via automation drastically saves time and reduces manual errors.
AutoDS simplifies Shopify integration, enabling efficient product selection and automated importing.
Customizing product details remains flexible within AutoDS, aligning listings with brand values.
Automatic inventory and order syncing ensures real-time accuracy and seamless customer experience.
The product is the “WHAT” of our Shopify dropshipping business. Before deciding “HOW” we will sell something and to whom we will sell it, we need to know what product or category we will offer. This is not irreversible, of course, nor do we have to choose just one category to dedicate our entire future to dropshipping. We can always test how different sectors perform for us. Still, it is essential that once we select a niche based on our preferences or specific demand, we choose the ideal products from that niche to promote in our store.
It is necessary to emphasize this because we might think that if we choose, for example, the pet products niche, we only need to list as many items related to dogs as we can find, and we’ll start selling. This is not the case; it is essential to constantly filter and curate products based on trends to make a difference against the competition.
Conducting proper product research is part of the ABCs for any beginner dropshipper. This way, we can identify items that don’t perform well for competitors or discover temporary trends that we can leverage to increase our profit margins.
Once we understand this, we ask ourselves: How long will it take me to select and list these products? Should I do it individually for each item? But let’s not rush; as a spoiler for the following sections, we’ll cover that there are two ways to do this: automatic and manual.
Both have pros and cons, and the choice of method will also depend on how each person wants to establish their business. Let’s look at a simple comparison, and then we’ll develop each method thoroughly so that no doubts are left.
To put it a certain way, dropshipping and automation are like peanut butter and jelly, hamburgers and fries, or members of The Beatles: they work well separately but are much better together! Dropshipping, particularly the process of importing products, involves many time-consuming subtasks that may seem small but can accumulate and become tedious over time.
One of the significant advantages of automation is precisely saving time. We all know how valuable time is, whether we need to manage our dropshipping store alongside another job or if we need that free time to think of strategies to grow our business.
Of course, the less time we spend working on tasks we can solve in other ways, the more time we’ll have to spend quality moments with our loved ones or engage in activities promoting a healthy lifestyle.
On the other hand, automating tasks like product importing makes them more efficient. Human error is standard, and while it may not be a big deal to make a small mistake occasionally if we can avoid all those errors, our store will scale much faster, and we will save ourselves a lot of headaches.
Tools like AutoDS, Oberlo, or Spocket can help us with everything related to importing. Below, we will detail how to use the first of these tools to make this process more efficient and practical.
As we can see, the cons are more like obstacles that can be easily overcome if we choose reliable and user-friendly automation tools that allow us to resolve these issues quickly. Want to know a secret? AutoDS fits this description, so keep reading to find out why:
It may seem like many steps, but don’t worry; we’ll go slowly, and you’ll see how easy it is.
Of course, the first step to integrating your store with AutoDS is to have a Shopify store.
Beginner’s Tip: If you haven’t read your store yet, don’t hesitate to set one up using the AutoDS AI Shopify Store Builder with just a few clicks.
Next, we need to log in to AutoDS and go to the top left corner to select “Add Store.” There, we will need to choose Shopify from the options and connect.
We will be directed to the Shopify App Store, where we must click on “Install App” to add AutoDS to our store.
Once we have set up our online store and integrated it with AutoDS, we will select the products we sell to our audience. This is not about choosing randomly but selecting the best dropshipping products that can help us differentiate ourselves from the competition.
Specific characteristics define a winning product, and we can use different methods for conducting proper product research to identify items with high demand or trending. But hey! Let’s not get off topic because we must continue learning how to add products to your Shopify store.
And this is where automation gets fun. Once we have our list of winning products, it’s time to add them to our store. With the AutoDS automated product importing, this process is so easy that it’s hard to believe: We simply need to:
It’s important to clarify that this process works for individual products and adding multiple products simultaneously. AutoDS also enables Shopify sellers to import products to their Shopify store using our Product Page template to optimize it. This can enhance dropshippers’ sales by using a superior template that is optimized for conversions. On top of that, it utilizes AI so sellers can take advantage of a dynamic template that users can link when importing products.
Basically, we save time when we automate the process of downloading the information, images, and videos for each product, writing the descriptions, and showing customers everything we need to show for each item.
Now, one of the advantages of AutoDS’s automatic product importing is that even though all the information mentioned is copied automatically, we can edit it to our liking from the drafts. This way, we can customize each listing to align with our brand values. Here’s what we can optimize from this section:
Integrating our Shopify store with AutoDS also allows us to access features that enhance the efficiency of our business, the customer experience, and scalability regarding products. It is worth mentioning these benefits:
AutoDS allows us to set up notifications to inform us about important inventory changes. We can directly configure alerts for stock changes and price fluctuations from the settings menu.
This ensures that we are always aware of any updates affecting our product listings, allowing us to react promptly to maintain competitiveness and avoid stockouts.
Well, how did we get here? As mentioned above, there are two main ways to import products into our Shopify store, and we still have one left! Let’s look at the details of manual importation:
Manual importing requires a bit more work and attention than automated methods, so we must ensure to follow each of the following steps carefully:
First, we need to open our Shopify account. To do this, go to the Shopify landing page and click on “Log In,” then fill in the spaces with our information.
Once inside the Shopify Dashboard, we should navigate to the “Products” tab on the left sidebar, where the Export, Import, and Add Product options will appear. We will click on the last option.
If we think about it from a common-sense perspective, it’s easier: when we ourselves click on a product we want to buy, what information do we need to know for sure? Just in case, let’s list all the fields that need to be completed to add a new product on Shopify.
Once we finish this basic setup, through which the customer understands what the product is and the minimum details, we need to configure the pricing, shipping, and inventory details:
Now, offering detailed information is correct. However, our customers don’t just want to read a guide, and in these times where everything is visual, it’s necessary that we illustrate our products in the best way possible by adding images, videos, or GIFs.
For this purpose, it’s crucial that each audiovisual file we upload to our Shopify store is of good quality, aesthetically pleasing, and serves its purpose: showcasing the product. We’re talking about professional and realistic images that highlight the positive features of our product. It also helps to show articles from different viewpoints.
We can always use the product images provided by suppliers’ websites, but of course, we will have to download those images one by one and then add them. To do this, on the “Add Products” tab, we need to click on “Add Files.” We can also choose to paste the URL of the image.
Products need to be categorized so that customers can find them more easily. To do this, Shopify allows us to categorize them according to their nature or category. We just need to go to the “Collections” section. From there, we will select the product category, then we can check which collections apply to the item and add tags that seem relevant and creative.
And now it’s time for a final check of everything to ensure we haven’t forgotten to add any details. With so many configurations to handle, we need to pay special attention and review everything more than once. Once we are confident that the information is correct, we can publish the product on our Shopify page.
We can review the product status to see if the item is set as active or is still in drafts. Additionally, we have the option to manage the sales channels or apps where we want to list the product. In fact, it’s even possible to schedule when the item will become available on our Shopify store.
When deciding between manual and automated product additions for our Shopify store, we should consider several factors to determine which method aligns best with our business needs. These are the main ones to think about:
Feature | Manual Product Importing | Automated Product Importing |
Time Efficiency | TIme-Consuming. | Highly efficient. |
Accuracy | Higher risk of errors. | Reduced errors. |
Customization | Retail High degree of personalization. | Less chances of customization. |
Scalability | Difficult to scale. | Easily scalable. |
Inventory | Requires manual tracking. | Automatic syncing. |
When adding products to our Shopify store, it’s easy to overlook important details that can impact customer experience and sales. Here are some common mistakes to avoid to ensure our product listings are practical and appealing:
Yes, you can switch between manual and automated product addition depending on your store’s needs. For example, you might manually add unique or custom products, while using automation for bulk products from suppliers. Many store owners use a hybrid approach to get the best of both worlds.
To optimize your products for SEO, focus on writing clear, keyword-rich product titles and descriptions. Use high-quality images with descriptive alt text, organize your products into relevant collections, and include proper tags and categories. Additionally, ensure that your product pages load quickly and are mobile-friendly.
Yes, using automation tools like AutoDS, you can sync your product inventory and orders automatically with Shopify. This ensures that your product listings are always up to date and that customer orders are processed smoothly, reducing the risk of overselling or inventory issues.
And that’s all we can help you with today regarding what you need to know to import products to Shopify. Between the two methods for carrying out this task, automation is objectively the most practical and efficient in both the short and long term.
Of course, ultimately, the choice between manual and automated methods is entirely yours, but it’s beneficial to make an informed decision by understanding each approach better. This way, you can ensure that you select the option that best meets your expectations and those of your business.
To continue exploring the vast world of e-commerce, we recommend checking out some of the following articles!
Get the latest posts in your email.