The world of dropshipping is vast and full of paths to take. In this Shopify tutorial for beginners, we will share the main steps to establish your dropshipping business on Shopify.

Shopify is a great choice for sales channels for dropshipping. Although it is a versatile and intuitive platform, beginners may encounter obstacles or aspects they don’t fully understand. 

Don’t despair! We will cover everything you need to take into account to make your dropshipping business on Shopify a reality in no time!

Key Takeaways

Shopify is an excellent platform for beginners in dropshipping, offering a low-risk business model with accessible initial investment options.

The user-friendly interface, comprehensive tools, security, payment processing, and scalability make Shopify accessible for inexperienced beginners.

Integration with automation tools like AutoDS streamlines business processes, saving beginners time and effort.

Market research, selecting reliable suppliers, and optimizing Shopify store pages are crucial steps for beginners to succeed in dropshipping.

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Is Shopify Good For Beginners?

Yes, Shopify is considered an excellent platform for beginners in dropshipping for several reasons. Firstly, nowadays, finding a tangible way to ‘Be Your Own Boss’ is hard without falling into get-rich schemes or pyramid systems. This Shopify tutorial for beginners offers hope: Dropshipping is a genuine way to start an e-commerce business on your own.

Since it is a low-risk business model with an accessible initial investment, dropshipping allows you to take your first steps in a self-made business experience without risking too much money and time

Anyone who has a general understanding of the main aspects of dropshipping for dummies will find in this Shopify tutorial for beginners that setting up your own online store and starting to sell is easier than you might think.

Overall, Shopify presents a lot of positive factors that make it accessible for beginners with no technical knowledge:

  • User-friendly interface
  • Comprehensive tools
  • Security and reliability
  • Payment processing
  • Business scalability
  • Easy integration with automation tools

Of course, these are just some reasons why Shopify is a good choice for your dropshipping business. Established as one of the leading sales channels in the market, it can solve many important factors in establishing and operating your business. Join us as we delve step by step into how to start dropshipping on Shopify! 

Shopify Tutorial For Beginners

First, we want to clarify that this Shopify tutorial for beginners goes straight to the point and aims to answer questions instantly, covering all the basic aspects concisely and practically. It is a summarized version of our Complete Shopify Guide For Beginners, where you can delve deeper into each point if you need to.

With that said, let’s review the first steps in setting up your Shopify store.

1. Sign Up For Shopify

Sing Up shopify tutorial for beginners

To create a Shopify store, navigate to the Shopify homepage and click on the “Start Free Trial” button at the top of the page or select “Create Account.” Afterward, provide the basic details about your business. This will include:

  • Naming your store
  • Connecting to a domain
  • Design a logo 
  • Choosing a theme

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be ready to explore all the features Shopify offers to help you build a profitable online store!

Beginner’s Tip: If you want to save time, you can opt for our AI Shopify store in less than 2 minutes feature. With it, you can create a functional store automatically and modify any details you want!

2. Select A Shopify Plan

Of course, this wouldn’t be a good Shopify tutorial for beginners if we didn’t talk about the variety of plans the platform offers for entrepreneurs. Depending on the type of business you’re running, you can choose between plans that require more investment or affordable plans with which you can quickly start your dropshipping business. Let’s compare the features of each one. 

Plan PriceCharacteristicsIdeal For
Shopify Starter$15/monthAllows adding purchase links to existing websitesBeginners, side hustles
Basic Shopify$29/monthEssential e-commerce features for new businessesNew e-commerce businesses
Shopify$79/monthExpanded features for growht, in-store and online salesEstablished stores looking to expand
Advanced Shopify$299/monthAdvanced reporting and features for high-volume businessesLarge-scale, high-sales businesses
Shopify PlusFrom $2300/monthTailored enterprise-level solutions with expert guidanceEnterprise-level businesses

Keep in mind that currently, Shopify provides a one-month trial for only $1, allowing you to establish your store before committing to a payment plan. We recommend carefully assessing your needs and those of your business to choose the most convenient plan for your situation.

Pro Step: Connect To AutoDS

Many beginners in dropshipping or e-commerce feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks they need to manage, often due to a lack of knowledge or time. This is where an automation tool like AutoDS can make a significant difference.

AutoDS is an all-in-one dropshipping tool that helps streamline your business operations. It automates essential tasks such as product sourcing, order fulfillment, price monitoring, and inventory management. This not only saves you time but also reduces the risk of errors that can occur with manual handling.

Why Use AutoDS?

  1. Simplified Product Research: AutoDS helps you find trending products with high-profit potential by providing detailed analytics and insights.
  2. Automated Order Fulfillment: The platform automates order processing, ensuring quick and accurate fulfillment, which keeps customers satisfied.
  3. Price and Stock Monitoring: AutoDS continuously monitors prices and stock levels, automatically updating your listings to reflect any changes.
  4. Time Efficiency: Automating routine tasks gives you more time to focus on growth strategies and other priority tasks.
  5. Comprehensive Dashboard: AutoDS offers a user-friendly dashboard where you can manage all your operations, making it easy to track your business performance and make informed decisions.

By integrating AutoDS into your workflow, you’ll have more time to focus on growing your business and less on repetitive tasks. Moreover, you can explore all the features risk-free with our 14-day trial for $1, allowing you to see firsthand how AutoDS can enhance your business operations.

To start automating your Shopify dropshipping business, you need to create an AutoDS account. After logging in, follow these steps:

connect autods to shopify tutorial for beginners

And that’s it! You’ve already connected your Shopify store to AutoDS. Now, you can explore many different ways to make your business work better, which will give you more free time and more income at the same time.

3. Conduct Product & Market Research

Hand Picked Products Hub AutoDS

The next step in our Shopify tutorial for beginners is one of the most critical for a Shopify business and any type of dropshipping or e-commerce venture. We’re talking about the products you’re going to sell. Once you’ve set up and established the store, the plan, the aesthetic aspects, and the automation, we must carefully choose the products we will offer. 

Basically, it’s necessary to choose a niche, preferably something we understand or enjoy, and find the winning products that stand out within that niche. A winning product in e-commerce is one that meets market demand, solves a problem, and stands out from the competition. It typically has high-profit margins, low competition, and appeals to a broad audience. Additionally, it should have strong visual appeal, compelling benefits, and the potential for repeat purchases.

To properly conduct product research, we suggest you leverage the following:

  • Google Trends: Google Trends is a valuable tool that allows us to see the search volume of a term or product, filtering it by time and location. This allows us to observe which products are trending at a particular time or throughout the year.
  • AutoDS Ads Spy Tool: Spy Tools like our TikTok Ads Spy allow you to access data on competitors’ posts to evaluate why a product is doing well or poorly and to determine which strategies we can imitate or avoid for our store.
  • AutoDS Hand Picked Products Hub: Through our Hand Picked Products Feature, you can access a collection of the best-selling items carefully curated by our team and constantly updated.

This Baby Head Fall Protection Pad Cushion is a fine example of a winning product you can find in the AutoDS Hand-Picked Products hub. Why is it a winning product? First, it has a high Engagement Score, which shows a high level of audience interaction. Baby products is the evergreen niche with constant demand, and this product solves a very important problem of kids’ safety.

autods winning product example

Second, the market is not oversaturated with these types of products. While there is competition, you can still stand out without too much effort. Third, you can source this product for less than $7, including shipping, and sell for over $30, making some great profits.

4. Select A Reliable Dropshipping Supplier

AutoDS Suppliers

Choosing the right supplier is one of the aspects that makes a difference in your store. It’s a factor that directly influences your relationship with your customers. These are some of the things you should look for in a good supplier:

  • Pricing: Choose a supplier that offers good prices to make the most of your budget.
  • Reliable shipping: Ensure the supplier works with major carriers and offers fast shipping to deliver products on time without issues.
  • Return policy: Look for suppliers with quick and easy return options to simplify things for your customers.
  • Location: A supplier close to your target audience can help speed up deliveries.
  • Payment Flexibility: Having various payment methods available when working with suppliers is helpful.
  • Customer reviews: Check public opinions about the supplier to gauge the quality of their products.

AutoDS Marketplace offers a diverse range of private, retail, and wholesale suppliers. Plus, you can explore our list of suppliers for a curated selection that guarantees product quality and reliable shipping. We have carefully vetted these suppliers to enhance your dropshipping experience!

5. Import Products To Your Shopify Store

Once you have completed the previous steps, the next point in this Shopify tutorial for beginners is to import our chosen products into our Shopify store. This task can be done manually or automatically.

To do it manually, we need to go to our supplier’s page, download the photos, copy the descriptions, and gather all the necessary information. This can be tedious for each product, but automation is here to lend us a hand!

Through AutoDS, importing products takes just one click and, of course, much less time. Our Shopify Product Importer extracts all the necessary information from each product to add it to your catalog in a matter of minutes. This is how you use it:

1. Click on “Add Product” and paste the URL of the products you want to add to your store, or use the one-click import button on the supplier’s product page. 

AutoDS import Products

2. Click on Edit Upload Settings to optimize anything you want before importing the product to your store.

AutoDS product Importer

3. Configure your product settings: Dynamic pricing, template, shipping policies, automation options, and more. 

6. Optimize Your Shopify Store Page 

Optimizing product pages is crucial for improving sales in online stores. Here are some things we recommend you consider to optimize your store:

  • Product Pages – Ensure your product pages are clear, informative, and visually appealing. Use high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and customer reviews to build trust and encourage purchases.
  • Store Homepage – Your homepage is the first impression customers have of your store. Make it clean, easy to navigate, and focused on your key products or promotions.
  • Store Currency – Display prices in the currency that matches your target market to reduce friction for international customers and make the shopping experience more familiar.
  • Checkout & Shipping – Simplify the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment. Offer multiple payment options and transparent shipping information to ensure customers feel confident ordering from your store.

Beginner’s Tip: Through AutoDS, you can complete all the steps from one dashboard, with changes automatically syncing to your store. It’s a game-changer for managing your store efficiently!

Establishing store policies and legal pages is vital for dropshipping on Shopify. These pages encompass store policies, legal details, FAQs, and contact forms. Store policies are critical in providing customers with essential information, minimizing confusion and misunderstandings. Typically, these pages are accessible from a Shopify store website’s header and footer menu.

To incorporate store policies and legal pages into Shopify’s dashboard, go to Settings from the left lower side of the page, then click Policies. There, we can find different policy settings for our store and edit or replace them with newer ones.

8. Market Your Shopify Dropshipping Store

Market Your Shopify Store

Of course, this Shopify tutorial for beginners cannot overlook marketing. Marketing drives our audience to our online store and encourages them to purchase our products. There are various ways to market our Shopify Store; here are some:

  • Organic Short-Form Video Content: Create engaging short videos on platforms like TikTok, IG Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Test different content to find what resonates with your audience.
  • Create a Blog Page: Establish a blog to share valuable content, such as insights, product details, and industry trends. This helps build credibility and drive organic traffic to your store.
  • Email Marketing: Nurture relationships with your audience through email marketing. To foster brand loyalty, keep subscribers informed about new products, promotions, and exclusive content.
  • Facebook Ads: Invest in targeted Facebook Ads to reach specific demographics. Use advanced targeting options to maximize ad effectiveness and drive traffic to your store.
  • TikTok Ads: Leverage TikTok’s popularity by running paid ads. Utilize the platform’s creative features to capture the attention of your target audience and increase brand awareness.
  • Google Ads: Use Google Ads to appear prominently in search results and attract users searching for your products or business. This can be particularly effective for driving immediate traffic to your store.

9. Set Up Your Payment Providers

One of the last steps for this Shopify tutorial for beginners is setting up the payment system. Customers need to use a payment method when buying from our store, so it’s crucial to integrate the right payment provider.

The choice of payment providers usually depends on where we’re located. Different countries have different options. For example, Shopify Payments is the default and best choice in the US because it accepts major credit cards. Additionally, PayPal is another good option. To set up our payment method, we go to Settings and select Payments. Then, we pick one of the suitable payment methods.

Shopify Payment providers

However, if we’re not in the US, we must use a third-party payment option. Shopify’s Payment Gateways provides a list of payment gateways specific to our location. For instance, if we want to sell in Germany, we select Germany from the list and see all accepted payment options in that country.

10. Provide Excellent Customer Service

We’ve almost reached the end of this Shopify tutorial for beginners, and while it’s not just another step, we can’t overlook the importance of providing good customer service. Excellent customer service ensures customers have a positive experience when interacting with your store. Satisfied customers are more likely to return for future purchases and recommend your store to others.

Also, it helps build a strong brand reputation. Customers who receive prompt and helpful assistance are more likely to view your brand positively and trust your products and services. Overall, providing excellent customer service is essential for building a successful and sustainable Shopify store. It enhances customer satisfaction, strengthens your brand reputation, promotes customer loyalty, and gives you a competitive edge in the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Money Do I Need To Start With Shopify?

The money needed to start with Shopify varies depending on your business needs and goals. The platform offers various plans starting at $15 per month.

How To Sell On Shopify For Beginners?

You can start selling on Shopify by setting up an account, selecting a niche, adding products, customizing your store, and promoting your products through various marketing channels. Utilizing AutoDS can streamline and automate many aspects of the process, making managing your stores easier.

How Much Does Shopify Take Per Sale?

Shopify charges a percentage of each sale made through its platform, the exact percentage of which depends on the pricing plan you choose. The percentage starts at 2.9% + $0.30 per online transaction, 2.6% + $0.10 per in-person transaction, or 2% if using a third-party payment provider.

Conclusion

With this information, it shouldn’t be difficult to understand how Shopify works for a dropshipper and what you need to consider to establish a Shopify online store to start selling your products. Remember, this is a Shopify tutorial for beginners, and there is always more information and details that can be useful to you on our blog.

As with almost everything related to dropshipping, we must again emphasize the advantages of automation. Tasks that consume our time and energy can be done automatically, giving us free time to plan strategies or enjoy the day. We recommend the following articles to continue exploring the wonderful world of dropshipping.