If you are consideringcreating an online store, especially if you are going to bet on the advantages of dropshipping in your beginnings as an entrepreneur, you will be assailed by thousands of doubts about where to try your luck with your first project.
Starting from inexperience, because even if you have seen tutorials or have signed up for a specialized membership, one thing is theory and another is practice, it is very likely (and it makes sense) that you first try a project that requires a minimum investment, and then it will be seen if you are climbing or take advantage of what you have learned for another online store that can offer you a higher profit margin.
What if we told you that you can try your first steps as an online seller of physical products for free? Let’s be honest, we’re going to talk aboutShopify, which is an e-commerce platform conceptually similar to WordPress, with many free apps and some essential ones that you can try at zero cost. As if that were not enough, Shopify offers its members the possibility of joining its partner program, thus having additional ways to generate income if you fall in love with the platform.
The truth is that, if a friend asked us how to start in the red ocean of e-commerce with hardly any risk, the response of almost all marketers would be similar: “try Shopify for freeand choose a good dropshipper, or more than one”, And you probably don’t even want to hear about giants like Amazon or, in countries where stores are allowed, Aliexpress.
What is Shopify and why is it not popular in some countries?
We already told you a moment ago that Shopify is an electronic commerce platform , one of the most appreciated internationally, especially in the tough US market. But if the jargon scares you, we’re going to tell you that Shopify is to small business e-commerce what WordPress is to blogs.
The operation is also similar to that of creating a site with wordpress.org, but instead of plugins, what you are going to add to your site are apps, which you can search for and compare in theShopify app store. Shopifypricesadapt to all budgets, as part of the Lite plan for $9 per month (about €8), which is the cost of a good shared hosting in the case of blogs. But with the advantage that you can try the platform for free for 14 days and there are many completely free apps and others that are paid for in their more advanced versions.
As with wordpress.org, you can customize the design of yourShopify storeas you like, through the use oftemplatesor themes , whose use is included in the membership and, of course, in the trial.
But Shopify strives to retain those who dare to try and offers a free academy, where you will find valuable advice both for your first project and for later, more ambitious or competitive ones. And, to top it off, if you get the hang of it, you can offer yourself as a Shopify store designer for others, charging through itspartner program, which includes the possibility of monetizing through affiliation, recommending paid apps.
The question ofwhy Shopify is not as popular in countries like Spainis simple and sad: pure ignorance. Many venture with ecommerce platforms that depend on WordPress, without knowing everything they can get for free, included in their program (remember, from $9 a month, about €8).
Tips for Shopify Newbies
In case you’re wondering,Shopify and dropshipping are a good couple, which saves you management costs and the need to have a stock of stored products that you can not sell. To ensure your customers are satisfied and keep coming back to your site, it’s crucial to know how to find dropshipping suppliers and carefully select them. Pay special attention to delivery times and whether there could be problems with customs if your supplier is abroad.
For the rest, if you still don’t have it clear, let us give you some tips to make your first ecommerce a success, in addition to the perfectionist selection of suppliers.
- Before creating your store, you must be clear about what products you are going to sell and who yourbuyer personaor ideal customer is. Give them a name, write their gender, age, tastes and interests and think about how you are going to address them and present your products, so that they look at you with good eyes from the moment they land on your site and do not go to see your competition.
- To achieve the sale before your competition you need to do SEO. Do not suffer, because there are greatShopify appsfor this task and free. We recommend Plug in SEO for its simplicity of use and its results and, already set to go for all in visibility, Google Shopping , another app that comes out of the pin.Google Shoppingwill allow you to access Google Merchant, to display a catalog of the products you want, and it is perfectly compatible with Google Ads, in case you dare to invest in SEM (if you have never done so, Google itself gives you a balance for your first campaign).
- It offers the more payment options the better, so as not to lose more fearful customers with the use of online credit cards, despite the existence of secure platforms.
- And, very importantly, if you live in Spain, remember that you must register as self-employed before launching your online store and starting to sell.
Of course, your store will need an onlinemarketing planthat you will manage as you wish, either by investing in some apps that multiply the rate of purchases, or with advertising or the simple management of social networks, provided that you have some experience in these last two fields. Otherwise, you can always delegate to a professional or train just before you start setting up your site.
The corollary of all this is that you can take your first steps as an e-commerce owner with little investment and without the need for advanced technical knowledge if you choose Shopify, as it offers you many resources such as freeShopify apps and templates, a trial also free of charge and even training so you don’t want to work with anyone else.
