Choosing the best ecommerce platform for dropshipping is one of the first steps you need to take.
We know how intimidating it can be as a beginner to ultimately pick one when there are so many options.
However, let’s keep it simple.
Shopify is the best ecommerce platform for dropshipping.
Although there are many platforms such as WooCommerce and Magento, we have used Shopify for over 3 years and have built dozens of successful (7 figure+) stores with it.
Shopify is our bread and butter, and the ecommerce platform that the majority of our 50,000+ students use.
Who Are We?
Verum Ecom was founded by one of the most notable dropshippers in the community, John Yoon.
Over the past 4 years, we have been able to generate 8 figures in sales and gain a deep understanding of the dropshipping business model.
As we started getting more recognition in the community, dropshippers would commonly ask us for help.
For this reason, we created a YouTube channel where we teach dropshipping and Facebook ads content for completely free.
Click here to check out our YouTube channel.
We also have a Facebook group with 53,104 active members that discuss dropshipping and Facebook ads related topics.
Click here to join our Facebook group.
This article will walk you through why we say Shopify is the best platform to host your dropshipping store on, as well as go through the other ecommerce platforms and talk about their advantages and disadvantages.
We will also give you our top 7 best ecommerce platforms for 2020.
Keep reading to gain a full understanding of our decision making, so you don’t make the same mistakes we did.
What is an Ecommerce Platform?
Simply explained, an ecommerce platform allows you to build a complete dropshipping store with just a few clicks of your mouse.
It negates the need to write thousands and thousands of lines of code.
Everything is given to you in a convenient bundle, and you just have to follow a few steps to set up your online store.
They are specifically designed to allow online stores to manage their website, sales, and everything else.
Why Shopify?
Objectively speaking, all the ecommerce platforms are relatively similar in function.
The main reason why Shopify is a better ecommerce platform comes down to experience and ease of use.
We started our first dropshipping stores using Shopify 4 years ago, and are still using it today.
Although we’ve tested other platforms over the years, we have stuck with what we know and trust.
Since all of our content and tutorials will feature Shopify as the ecommerce platform, we highly recommend you use it as well to best follow along.
Think about it like this.
Back in high school math classes, 99.99% of people used a TI-82 or TI-84 calculator.
The reason for this is because the teacher and textbooks taught the class material using these calculators.
Sure there are other calculator brands, but the learning material is scarce and you’ll have to spend more time alone learning how to use it.
Shopify is that TI-82 calculator and we will be your teacher in mastering its functionalities and uses.
Shopify is the best all-around ecommerce platform for dropshipping. The ease of use, pricing, and its overall capabilities make it a household name in ecommerce.
Shopify is the Best Ecommerce Platform for Dropshipping
Our experience and mastery in using Shopify aren’t the only reasons that it is the best platform for dropshippers.
We’ve researched and tested all the big ecommerce platforms and picked a list of criteria we deem important.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is the most important criteria for somebody who’s completely new to dropshipping and ecommerce.
This is what Shopify’s admin homepage looks like.
The backend and design of the Shopify admin is unparalleled in convenience and efficiency. It’s easy to navigate, easy to understand, and easy to follow along with when watching a tutorial.
Shopify allows you to build an online store without needing to have any design or coding experience. All you need to do is pick a template, download some apps, upload your products, and you can begin generating revenue.
Here are a few of the free themes Shopify offers:
Dropshipping Support
Sure, the design and user-friendliness is top-notch in Shopify, but does it have any support for dropshipping stores?
The answer is a clear and definitive yes.
The reason Shopify and dropshipping go so well together is because of app integration.
Shopify has thousands and thousands of apps to make the dropshipping process smooth and precise.
Here’s a list of apps we have installed on one of our stores:
Furthermore, Shopify makes it easy to track all the important numbers such as revenue, cost of goods, and net profit.
Customer Service
One of the best perks of using Shopify is its 24/7 email, phone, and chat support.
I still vividly remember all the times I was working late into the night and needed to troubleshoot an issue with a store.
Whether at 3am or 3pm, the live chat and call center is always available with people willing and capable to solve your issues.
Furthermore, the support team is constantly following up with emails and making sure your issues have been resolved.
They are friendly, understanding, and do everything within their power to help you.
This type of customer service is the same type you should be providing on your dropshipping store.
Pricing
A common issue that users have with Shopify is its pricing when compared with other ecommerce platforms.
Although Shopify is not the cheapest platform, it offers the best bang for your buck.
Think of the ease of use, dropshipping support, and customer support!
No other ecommerce platform in the dropshipping space has as much functionality as Shopify. After a certain point, the Shopify fees will become negligible compared to other platforms, and you will understand and see for yourself why Shopify is the best ecommerce platform for dropshipping.
Shopify Pricing – you can choose out of 3 different Shopify plans depending on how large your store is and how much revenue you are generating.
- Basic Shopify: $29 per month
- Shopify: $79 per month
- Advanced Shopify: $299 per month
Check out our article “Shopify Plans Comparison” to learn more.
Reputation
Shopify was founded in 2006, and has been a trusted ecommerce platform for over a decade.
Year after year it continues to improve user experience and fill the needs of the modern entrepreneur.
Furthermore, the company IPO’d in 2015 on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols “SHOP” and “SH” respectively.
The 2019 annual revenue for Shopify was $1.58 billion and the stock price has jumped over 300% from $300 in September of 2019 to $970 in September of 2020.
As the ecommerce space grows as a whole, Shopify will continue to stay ahead of the curve.
These 5 characteristics are what make Shopify the gold standard for dropshippers.
Another important topic to touch on is one of the main differences that separate ecommerce platforms.
This has to do with whether the platform is Hosted or Self-Hosted.
We recommend hosted platforms (like Shopify) because of their ease of use, but let’s take a closer look at their functionalities.
Hosted vs. Self-Hosted Platform
This section will give you a bit of knowledge about the two different types of ecommerce platforms before diving into our top 7 ecommerce platforms list.
There are two types of ecommerce platforms:
Hosted and self-hosted.
It’s important to understand what the differences are, so we will give you a short introductory.
A hosted platform offers an all inclusive website solution. For example, Shopify is a hosted platform. It’s beginner friendly, easy to use, and all the templates and applications are quick and easy to customize.
On the other hand, a self-hosted solution is when you have complete control to create whatever you want. A popular competitor to Shopify, WooCommerce, is an example of a self-hosted ecommerce platform. It’s much more difficult to use than Shopify because you need to have an understanding of web design and coding.
We consider self-hosted platforms unnecessary and sometimes even harmful for an ecommerce store.
Rather than putting your energy into learning how to completely customize a website, it’s much more efficient to just choose a beautiful Shopify theme and focus more on learning the advertising required to run a successful dropshipping store.
Picture it like this:
A hosted platform is like an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico where everything is already paid for and convenient to use.
A self-hosted platform is akin to buying a home and then having to renovate and maintain it.
For us, this decision is a no-brainer and another reason why Shopify shines as the best ecommerce platform for dropshipping.
Top 7 Ecommerce Platforms
Although Shopify is the best platform of online dropshipping, let’s take a look at a few other options so you have a better understanding of the landscape.
1. Shopify
Verum Ecom’s gold standard and the most beginner friendly ecommerce platform. Since Shopify is a publicly traded company, they constantly update and improve the platform. There’s a reason why after 3 years of dropshipping, we have continued to use Shopify.
2. BigCommerce
Shopify’s biggest competitor. The biggest advantage over Shopify is its SEO features that help the store rank online. We deem this unimportant as we will be generating our traffic through paid advertisements instead. It’s also a great platform, but not as beginner friendly as Shopify.
3. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an ecommerce plugin that turns your WordPress website into an online store. It’s an open-source and self-hosted platform, so it’s extremely difficult for beginners to use and we recommend against starting with it. You will need to hire someone with coding experience or need to know how to code yourself.
4. Magento
Another Self-Hosted platform like WooCommerce that is even less beginner-friendly. People using Magento already have tons of experience in dropshipping and coding, so we highly recommend against using it if this is your first time dropshipping. Magento is built for experienced dropshippers looking for ease in scaling their stores to the next level. You are allowed to host an unlimited number of products, as long as you understand how to manage the platform.
5. 3DCart
3DCart is a hosted platform like Shopify with a powerful backend, but it’s quite difficult to learn and use. Building a store in 3dcart is quite tricky because of its tacky design. There’s inconsistent fonts and colors, as well as an absence of an undue button.
6. Volusion
Volusion’s closest competitor is BigCommerce because of their similar functionalities and capabilities. However, when put up against one another, BigCommerce took the cake in most categories including: product features, web design, integrations, and ease of use.
7. Prestashop
Prestashop is another self-hosted ecommerce platform where you have complete control over everything on the website. It’s an open-source software where there are 1,000+ volunteers who work on updating and improving it. When comparing it to WooCommerce, it didn’t perform as well and had less functionality because WooCommerce is integratable with WordPress.
All 7 of these ecommerce platforms work well for dropshipping. However, they can vary with regards to whether the platform is self-hosted vs. platform-hosted, and its overall ease of use. Shopify is the clear winner because of its overall value and beginner friendliness for dropshippers.
Shopify vs BigCommerce
If you still aren’t convinced Shopify is the best ecommerce platform for dropshipping, let’s take a closer look at its biggest competitor:
BigCommerce.
Like Shopify, it’s a dedicated selling platform with an ease-of-use and ecosystem that provides excellent dropshipping support.
The main advantage of BigCommerce over Shopify is its built-in integrations.
It relies much less on third-party apps than Shopify.
However, this is actually a double-edged sword.
Having more built-in integrations may sound enticing, but it makes the platform more difficult to learn and use.
In our opinion, apps make building a store much easier and efficient. Although apps can be an additional expense, they are ultimately worth it because of the value they provide.
A $10 app shouldn’t sway your decision in choosing an ecommerce platform because you need to think big.
$10 in the long-run of a 6 of 7 figure business is nothing.
The value and time-saving capabilities the apps on Shopify provide pay-off strides in the long term.
After testing both Shopify and BigCommerce, as well as hearing from our students’ experiences, we came to the conclusion that BigCommerce’s editor is difficult to navigate with hard to understand language.
Closing Thoughts on the Best Ecommerce Platform
Always remember this:
Shopify is like that TI-82 calculator from High School math.
Although it’s fun to try something new and be different, Verum Ecom recommends you always choose Shopify if you are a beginner dropshipper.
Our entire curriculum is taught on this platform because it’s the easiest to use and is constantly improving its user experience.
Picking an ecommerce platform is easy; it’s learning how to sell products through paid advertising that is the tricky part.
But don’t worry, our YouTube tutorials on Facebook ads are considered the best in the space, so be confident in your ability to build a successful store.
