Note: Oberlo was acquired by Shopify and discontinued in 2022. While the platform is no longer available, this blog provides valuable insights into dropshipping.
Do you want to become an entrepreneur, but are not sure where to begin. Then Dropship business model will help you to kickstart your entrepreneurship journey. The Oberlo Dropshipping business paves way for you to sell different products to customers at your own price using your brand. You do not require any huge investment or a physical inventory to store the products. In this digital era, starting an e-commerce business has become really easy with a lot of business models like dropshipping.
In this blog, you will be introduced to Dropshipping and Oberlo. You will get to know various Oberlo Dropshipping features and their pricing. You will learn about the process of starting with Oberlo. The benefits of Oberlo Dropshipping 101 are also discussed.
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Introduction to Dropshipping
Dropshipping is one of the most interesting business models with which you can run your business without having any inventory. This business model does not require any storing, packing, or shipping of products. The Dropship model has gained increased popularity in the last 5-10 years. This is an online retail business. In this business model, when a customer orders from your online store, you forward the order to your wholesale supplier after holding on to your profit. Then your wholesale supplier delivers the product directly to your customer. Since the shipment of the products starts from an off-site location without any direct involvement of the seller, it is known as Dropshipping.
Introduction to Oberlo
Oberlo is the leading Dropshipping App in the Shopify app marketplace. Oberlo 101 basically works with the AliExpress and Shopify platforms. AliExpress is known for selling products at ultra-low prices. Oberlo helps you to import your desired products from AliExpress into your existing Shopify store. Oberlo acts as a connecting bridge between your online business and your wholesale supplier i.e. AliExpress. This creates an opportunity to sell products quickly and easily. Oberlo 101 imports products from AliExpress directly into your Shopify online store and additionally ships your products directly to your customers.
Oberlo was found in 2015, and now it has over 7,000 active Shopify stores and has made $36 million in sales so far. Oberlo 101 is a powerful tool for your e-commerce journey. You can start your online business from here, or find ways to grow your existing online business using Oberlo. You can get access to Oberlo 101 in the Shopify App Store or get the Chrome extension from the Chrome store.
Oberlo Dropshipping Features
Oberlo Dropshipping 101 has wonderful features that will help you to convert and track sales at ease. It also aids in updating your website based on the sales easily. The significant features of Oberlo Dropshipping include:
Product customization
Oberlo app provides you with options for customizing your products. You can change the product titles, images, and other features to make your business unique. You can also customize your product descriptions with SEO keywords to win among your competitors.
Pricing Automation
You can control your profit margins with Oberlo 101. Oberlo app also provides you options to customize your profit margins for everyday and special promotions. You can update product prices in bulk using the pricing rules you first created.
Add products from AliExpress at ease
Oberlo app is more compatible with AliExpress. You can browse the huge product database of AliExpress with over 20 million products and add products to your Online business with just one click. You can also use the ePacket filter to select and import the products with fast delivery. You can create unique selling points and improve your sales conversion rates. If you already sell products from AliExpress, then connecting it with the Oberlo app will leverage your sales. It saves your time and increases your efficiency.
Alter the product suppliers as you wish
You can find the same products from multiple suppliers in AliExpress. Each supplier will have its own prices and delivery. Oberlo app will help you in changing the suppliers as you desire to depend upon the pricing and delivery. You can check the feedback and ratings of the suppliers at AliExpress and decide.
Automated Product Inventory
Oberlo offers you an automated product inventory in which the products count and status get updated automatically. You can save a lot of your time. You need not bear the burden of updating the inventory report every time. It even eliminates the risk of selling an out-of-stock product. This avoids negative reviews from customers and helps you in gaining customer trust.
Automated order tracking
Oberlo offers an automated tracking facility. It provides detailed tracking information to the customers and also provides speedy processing. After confirming the customer’s payment, the order delivery becomes fast and simple. You just have to click “Order Product” to ship your product to your customer. Oberlo will take over from there, it will provide a complete tracking facility and status of the shipping to you and your customer. You can visit the “Orders” page to track your orders. This option is available only in the “Basic” and “Pro” plans, the “Starter” plan does not provide this opportunity.
Sales tracking
Oberlo offers a complete dashboard with all your Sales information. You can keep a track of your entire Sales using that Sales dashboard. This Sales dashboard holds information of the sales with respect to date and time. This will enable you to strategize plans to leverage your business further.
ePacket delivery
Oberlo provides another exciting feature for faster delivery. This ePacket delivery is an agreement between the USPS and the Hongkong Post to deliver the small packages at greater speed. It delivers within 7-10 business days. This also provides door-to-door tracking and free returns for products that were not delivered.
Work with Multiple user accounts
Oberlo’s pro plan has the multiple-user account option. This feature helps you when you expand your business to the next avenues. Your evolved business can get an organized setup with this feature of Oberlo.
Oberlo Pricing
Oberlo currently provides you a free 30-day trial which transitions into the Starter plan at the end. This free trial will contain all the main features of Oberlo. The three types of plans available in Oberlo include:
Oberlo Starter Plan- $4.90 per month
The Oberlo Starter Plan costs $4.90 per month. This plan will suit you during the initial period of your business. This plan is the best if you are new to the e-commerce business and online store concept. One main drawback of this plan is that it does not provide a detailed order tracking option.
Oberlo Basic Plan- $29.90 per month
The Basic Plan of Oberlo is preferred if you process up to 500 orders per month. This plan will cost you $29.90 per month. This Plan owes an advantage of the shipment tracking and order monitoring features.
Oberlo Pro Plan- $79.90 per month
The Pro Plan consists of all the features mentioned above and has multiple user accounts feature in addition. This plan will be your choice during the leveling process of your business with unlimited orders per month. The Pro plan costs $79.90 per month. The future advancements planned by Oberlo will be a part of this plan.
How to Get Started with Oberlo Dropshipping
There are 4 basic steps involved to kick start your journey with Oberlo Dropshipping. The four steps include:
- Sign up or Login with Shopify
- Install Oberlo
- Customize AliExpress Products
- View the products in your Shopify Store
Step1: Sign up or Login with Shopify
The first thing to do to get started with Oberlo is to Login with Shopify if you have an account. In case, you don’t have an account, Sign up with Shopify.
- Set up an account in Shopify.com.
- Sign up with your name, mail ID, and your Shopify store name.
- Fill in the other essential details.
- After your successful signup, you will land in your dashboard which is your Shopify Admin area.
Step2: Install Oberlo
- In the Shopify app store, look for Oberlo App.
- Install the Oberlo App.
- Provide all the confirmation for the App installation and set up your application before importing products to your online store.
- Search for the products you desire from AliExpress. For this, search for the Products Page and select the products you want to import into your Shopify store.
- Import AliExpress products into your Shopify online store.
- Ensure to customize your product information before taking your products live.
Step3: Customize AliExpress Products
- This is the last process of step2. To customize the AliExpress products, first import the products. Click on “Add to Import List” button near the products to import them.
- In the Import List, edit the product information before pushing them into your Shopify store.
- Customize your product titles and descriptions to make them unique.
Customizing your AliExpress products before pushing them into your Shopify store is really essential. Search Engine Optimization builds your online business site. Ensure to have unique and compelling product descriptions to set your product to stand out from the crowd.
Step4: View the products in your Shopify Store
Now the final step is to view and verify your products in your Shopify online store. Ensure your customers are able to see and purchase your products. All you have to do after this is that, once you get an order, navigate to ‘My Orders’ page on Oberlo. On the ‘My Orders’ page, confirm that order you’ve received on AliExpress.com.
Benefits of Oberlo Dropshipping
The major advantage of Oberlo Dropshipping 101 is that you do not require to stock a large number of products and find a place to store them. You can expand your online business without any physical limitations. You can save a huge sum of money and invest them in marketing and other administrative costs.
You need not bear the shipping cost and hence can concentrate more on customer service. In case of returning the product again, the customer directly deals with the manufacturer and the seller is not involved in between. In addition, there are a lot of benefits of Dropshipping. In the table below, dropshipping is compared with traditional e-commerce and affiliate marketing.
| Traditional E-Commerce | Affiliate Marketing | Dropshipping |
---|
Responsibility | Fully responsible for stock and administration | No stock, although fully responsible for administrative processes and staying up to date | Administrative responsibility only |
Shipping | Full responsibility | Not responsible | Not responsible |
Running Costs | Usually higher than the alternatives | Dependant on the operation and team size | Relatively low, although operation size is relevant |
Time Consumption | Not only time-consuming but physically demanding | Very time consuming, unless looking at a seasoned autonomous business | Moderate, seeing as responsibility is split |
Table Source: digital.com
Oberlo Review Summary
To summarize the Oberlo Dropping App, the much-needed features for any e-commerce business are available in it. The main feature here is the “one-click” or automated system which leverages your business when the number of products you sell increases. The outstanding auto-updating feature is the feature on the hat of this App. This makes your entire task of product updation very easy.
The exclusive partnership with AliExpress provides you access to 20+ million products. This partnership simplifies the entire task of deleting products after being sold out and entering again after regaining the stocks. The only setback of Oberlo is its pricing. The lack of tracking option in the starter plan is a small negative faced in it. And there is a steep increase in the pricing between the Basic and Pro plans.
Conclusion
From this blog, you have learned about Dropshipping and Oberlo. You would now appreciate the various Oberlo Dropshipping features and their pricing. You would now know the process of starting with Oberlo. The emphasized benefits of Oberlo Dropshipping 101 will help you kickstart your Oberlo Dropshipping business idea.
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Share your experience of understanding Oberlo Dropshipping in the comment section below! We would love to hear your thoughts.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is Oberlo shutting down?
Oberlo was shut down in 2022 after being acquired by Shopify, as Shopify decided to streamline its services and focus on other solutions for dropshipping.
2. What replaced Oberlo?
Shopify recommends using DSers, a dropshipping app that integrates seamlessly with Shopify and offers similar features to Oberlo.
3. What is the most profitable product to dropship?
Products with high demand, low shipping costs, and good profit margins are ideal. Examples include phone accessories, beauty products, and fitness gear.
Sherly is a data analyst with a passion for data analysis and architecture. Currently a Business Analyst at Hevo Data, she specializes in advanced analytics tools like Tableau and Python, harnessing them to drive data-driven decision-making. With a Master's in Healthcare Data Analytics and a PGP in Data Science, Sherly excels in designing scalable data solutions that optimize business processes and enhance operational efficiency.