“I have earned $442,991 USD in just six months by building a dropshipping business that people loved”.
Enter your email and download
"The Art of Finding Winning Products"
By entering your email we'll also send you marketing emails related to Spocket, subject to our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Are you looking to start a dropshipping business? You'll need a reliable platform for your online store. WordPress with WooCommerce is one of the top options available.
WordPress is flexible, customizable, and perfect for dropshipping. You can equip it with a variety of tools and themes to create a beautiful online storefront. It’s also supported by a large community, making it easy to find help and resources.
Interested in learning more? Here's how to create a WordPress store for dropshipping products.
Dropshipping means you let someone else handle making and shipping the products. You don’t have to create, store, or ship anything. You just sell the product, and the supplier takes care of the rest.
It’s a simple and low-risk business model. First, you set up a dropshipping website with products you want to sell and market it to your target audience. When a customer places an order, you send their details to the supplier, who then packages and ships the product. After that, you just update the customer with a confirmation and delivery timeline.
You might be wondering why you should dropship with WordPress instead of other platforms. Well, there are several reasons:
Have you ever heard the advice to "focus on one thing and do it well?" This couldn't be truer in dropshipping. With the market becoming more competitive every year, you are better off specializing in a specific niche rather than trying to sell everything to everyone.
When choosing a niche, keep the following factors in mind:
Pick a niche you're passionate about. Loving the products will motivate you to market and sell them. Plus, your enthusiasm will be clear to your customers.
Check out your competition. Look at what other dropshippers are doing in your chosen niche. Too much competition makes it hard to succeed. But no competition might mean there's no market.
Consider the profit margins. Dropshipping involves thin margins, so choose products that allow for a decent markup. High-ticket items might give you better returns.
Make sure you have reliable suppliers. Good suppliers will have quality products and timely shipping. Bad suppliers can ruin your reputation with customers.
Research if there's demand for the products. Use tools like Exploding Topics to see what people are searching for. You need a niche that people are interested in buying.
To start dropshipping with WordPress, you need a domain name and web hosting. The domain name is your website's address, and the web hosting is where all your site's data lives online.
Picking a domain name is simple. Choose something related to your products or a general name. If you’re struggling to come up with a unique name, try Spocket's business name generator to get ideas.
Once you pick a name, secure it quickly via a registrar like Namecheap or GoDaddy.
When setting up an eCommerce site, securing customer transactions is essential. Google even mandates it for better search rankings. To ensure your site is secure, you need a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate.
You can get an SSL certificate from a Certificate Authority (CA) or check if your web host offers one. Many hosting providers include SSL certificates with their plans. For instance, providers like Bluehost or SiteGround offer free SSL certificates. You can usually find SSL options in your hosting control panel.
With your domain and web hosting set up, it's time to install the core software: WordPress. Ask your hosting provider if they offer a one-click install option—many providers include this service as part of their packages. For those that don't, they are often willing to install WordPress for you.
To convert your WordPress site into an online store, you need to install the WooCommerce plugin. To do this, log into WordPress and click Plugins → Add New. Now search for WooCommerce and press enter. You’ll see a bunch of results—spot WooCommerce and click the Install Now button.
After it installs, click Activate to set up the plugin. The WooCommerce setup guide will help you set up your store’s products, location, and currency.
With WooCommerce activated, your WordPress site is now ready to function as a full-fledged online store. You'll have options to configure payment methods, shipping details, and even tax settings to suit your business needs
The appearance of your website can greatly impact how visitors perceive your store. A well-designed theme is likely to attract and retain customers. To achieve this, make sure to choose a high-quality, responsive theme.
WordPress offers plenty of options to suit your needs. Here are some of the best themes for creating a visually appealing and functional store:
Creating a brand image is a step that most dropshipping stores skip, but it’s a must for standing out. Your brand identity defines who you are, what you stand for, and how you talk to your audience.
Start with understanding your brand's core—your values, mission, and target audience. What drives your business? Are you all about the latest trends or quality craftsmanship? And who are your products for? Knowing your audience's age, interests, and buying habits helps shape your store and marketing.
Once you have a clear picture of your brand core, develop your visual identity. This includes:
Now it’s time to create your pages for your WooCommerce dropshipping store. The exact pages you need will depend on your business, but a good place to start is with:
WordPress makes it easy to create these pages with its visual block editor. You can add text, images, buttons, products, videos, and more with just a few clicks.
Adding products to your WooCommerce dropshipping store involves installing a plugin. Spocket is a great plugin that allows you to source products from US and EU suppliers. You can choose from a variety of niches, including beauty, electronics, fashion, and more.
To integrate Spocket with your WooCommerce store, follow the steps below:
Once you’ve connected Spocket to WooCommerce, you can go to its dashboard and choose the best products to dropship from different categories.
Spocket lets you filter products by cost, shipping, and vendor. And it also makes it easy to add them to your dropshipping store. You just need to perform these actions:
Now that you’ve imported your products, it's time to organize them into categories. This helps your customers find what they're looking for quickly.
Head to your WordPress dashboard. Go to Products and click on Categories. Fill in the name and slug. For instance, name one category Laptops. Hit Add New Category. You can also make subcategories. For the category you just created, you could have Gaming Laptops and Business Laptops.
Assign each product to the right category. This way, when someone visits your store, they can easily browse through the sections to find what they need
A payment gateway facilitates the transfer of credit from the customer to the merchant. WooCommerce integrates with many payment gateways, so you'll have options no matter where you are.
Consider what works best for your business. Look at the fees, the currencies you sell in, and what kind of checkout experience you want for your customers.
A great place to start is WooCommerce Payments. It's a free extension that lets you handle payments and refunds directly from your WordPress dashboard.
Depending on where you're located, you might need to charge sales tax. WooCommerce lets you set tax rates by default and offers the free WooCommerce Tax extension. This handy tool automatically figures out the correct sales tax based on where you’re shipping to.
After setting up your WordPress dropshipping business, the next step is to spread the word and attract customers. Here are some effective ways to promote your store.
Since consumers can't touch or see your products in person, you need to do your best to showcase them online. That's where social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram come into play. These platforms help create an immersive experience that can draw customers in, making them feel like they're getting a closer look at your items. You can even sell directly via these platforms by integrating them into your WooCommerce store to sync inventory.
Influencer marketing has evolved with micro-influencers. We're talking about regular folks who have a dedicated following. These influencers are more approachable and cost-effective. You can get in touch with them via DM and propose collaborations that benefit both parties.
Using Google Ads and Bing Ads allows you to target specific keywords that your potential customers are searching for. This form of paid advertising puts your store at the top of search results, attracting customers already interested in your product niche. Set a budget, choose your keywords, and watch the traffic to your store increase.
Another key aspect of dropshipping with WooCommerce is processing and fulfilling incoming orders. You don't have to handle this manually—dropshipping plugins like Spocket come with built-in features to help you.
To process an order in Spocket:
After placing the order, you will receive an email confirmation, and the supplier will be notified to start fulfilling the order.
To fulfill an order on Spocket, follow these steps:
There’s also the option to bulk export orders via CSV. To do so, choose the orders you need to export and click Export Orders.
These are all the steps you need to start a WordPress store for dropshipping products. Remember, setting up your store is just the beginning. Keep learning and adapting to grow your business.
Absolutely. WordPress is perfect for dropshipping when paired with WooCommerce. You get flexibility, and tons of plugins, and it's easy to customize your store.
Both have their perks. WordPress with WooCommerce offers more customization and lower costs. Shopify is user-friendly and has great support. pick what suits your needs best.
Start with a reliable hosting provider and install WordPress. Add WooCommerce to set up your store. Choose a theme, install essential plugins, add your products, and set up payment gateways.
Watch out for unreliable suppliers and poor product listings. Always research suppliers, optimize your product descriptions and images, and set up solid customer service. This helps attract and keep customers.
Adeel holds a Master’s degree in digital marketing and is a passionate e-commerce marketer. He specializes in long-form content creation and has a conversion mindset, which helps him focus on elements that generate sales for businesses.