Best Dropshipping Platforms in Nigeria

As e-commerce becomes more and more popular in Nigeria, never-before-widely-practiced businesses such as Dropshipping are making their way increasingly into the Nigerian business space.

In this article, I look at best Dropshipping platforms which you can operate in Nigeria. These platforms have high reputation from past customers for their credibility, usefulness and profitability.

Before I delve into these platforms, let me quickly take a peep into what dropshipping generally entails.

What is Dropshipping?

Dropshipping is an electronically-based commercial activity in which a seller trades his/her products without any need to have possessed the products him/herself. All that dropshipping entails are a web page which displays the pictures of the products and their costs, a factory for supply, and prospective buyers.

The supplying factory does the delivery of the products to the buyer through his or her shipment information. The one involved in the Dropshipping business serves as a middle man between the selling company and the prospective buyer(s). This really absolves the headache of establishing an on-site business environment which could include getting a warehouse or store, or paying bills.

In this article, I bring to you 2 top platforms on which you can practice your dropshipping business here in Nigeria namely AliExpress and Shopify.

Best Dropshipping Platforms in Nigeria

Best Dropshipping Platforms in Nigeria

ALIEXPRESS (Alidropship Plugin)

AliExpress, as you already might be aware of, is the most renowned online commercial platform in the world today. It is the online retail platform of the popular e-commerce Chinese group, Alibaba. A report states that the amount of orders placed on AliExpress exceeds the combined amount of orders placed on eBay and Amazon put together.

One of the quick perks about AliExpress is that the prices you obtain on the platform could be extremely cheap, hence making a large room for profit-making. Perhaps this is the reason why there are many Nigerians who are interested in trading on AliExpress.

However, dropshipping with AliExpress is a lot easier, owing to their introduction of AliDropship Plugin.

Related: Dropshipping and Mini Importation: Which is better?

What is AliDropship Plugin?

AliDropship Plugin is a peculiar software based on WordPress for WordPress blogs and websites. It was developed to aid in setting up and integrating AliExpress online stores on WordPress for those interested in the dropshipping business, or in the importation of goods. It is designed to make dropshipping much easier.

Key Benefits of AliDropship Plugin:

  1. Has a smooth goods’ upload and search structure
  2. It works perfectly with WordPress + WooCommerce
  3. Works perfectly with WordPress site.
  4. Gives real time updates and stats
  5. It has ready-made designs which can be adapted to your personal preferences
  6. There is a one-off payment fee for updates, as well as support from the company.
  7. With this plugin, you don’t need much funds to start Dropshipping, etc.

One awesome feature of AliDropship is the option of importing reviews into your personal dropshipping store. What this means is that, let’s say you have six products on your online store which already have 350, 280, 110, 330, 1100, and 190 reviews respectively on AliExpress, you could actually import those customer reviews of the products, onto your own store, matching it with your own goods. Interesting, isn’t it?

This gives your store some form of integrity check, as well as visibility. This really stands out AliDropship from the rest of the platforms out there for dropshipping.

For a detailed comparison between Dropshipping and Mini Importation, check this article.

How Much Does Starting A Store On AliDropship Plugin Cost?

AliExpress plugin for dropshipping goes for a one-off payment of $89. It does not request for any further annual or monthly payments.

SHOPIFY (Oberlo)

I go on to the next big platform for carrying out dropshipping business in Nigeria, Shopify. Shopify is online commercial platform that could be used to purchase goods, either for your online store on on-site store. To put it more simply, what WordPress is to bloggers is the same thing Shopify means to store owners. Shopify actually allows for both electronic payments and in person payments with their POS.

Shopify offers its prospective customers a free 14-day trial. Actually, even if you do not have any money to purchase a store at the beginning, you could set up an online store, market your goods and make profit within the 14 days free trial which could then be used to pay for the monthly dues Shopify requests for.

How Much Does It Take To Start An Online Store On Shopify?

The least amount it takes to set up an online store on Shopify is Nine dollars ($9). Shopify has a regular plan billed at Twenty Nine Dollars ($29) every month. Depending on your already attained business scale, you might want to take a particular package suitable for your unique usage.

The Different Operational Options Available On Shopify:

Yes, there are Shopify Plus, Shopify Lite and Shopify POS.

  1. Shopify Lite: Shopify Lite is the cheapest plan on Shopify. It comes at a monthly rate of $9. On this plan, you are able to sell your goods, with an already existing site. Should your website not be such that it is hosted by Shopify, then you’d have to use their “Buy Button” option without being hosted on Shopify. The plan, in addition, allows their users to sell both offline and online, use chat apps, etc.
  2. Shopify Plus: Shopify Plus is set up for larger business enterprises that want to expand their businesses. It gives more advanced customer services, increased order volume and better reportage.
  3. Shopify Point of Sale (POS): Shopify POS allows for the sales of products offline. You can even trade with a physical store, at events, etc., using the app. Payments can be accepted with your mobile devices, right where you are.

Merits of Using Shopify for Dropshipping Business

  1. Just about anyone could own a store on Shopify.
  2. Shopify offers flexible payment plans.
  3. They offer free features, such as themes for building your online page, etc. This would be very appealing especially to those who are just learning the ropes of online trading.
  4. Shopify provides real time updates and statistics of how products are doing on the store.

What about Shopify’s demerits?

  1. It isn’t so easy to operate.
  2. It comes with monthly maintenance fees.
  3. Shopify, all by itself, does not determine your business success. You’ll have to learn along the way; and learning comes with a lot of twists and turns. The choice to do well lies with the mindset as well as marketing strategy of the business owner. If you lose, it is not Shopify’s concern. It is up to you to make gain. All Shopify is interested in is charging you their monthly renewal fees.

Oberlo

Oberlo is the dropshipping platform of Shopify. It allows you to trade with a wide range of products for dropshipping. On making your sale, the supplying company would ship the goods to the buyer’s shipping address. In just few clicks, you’re on your way into kick-starting your dropshipping business with Oberlo.

So, there you have it on the best platforms for your dropshipping businesses from anywhere in Nigeria. With this information, you can start dropshipping businesses in Nigeria right away. If you have questions or contributions to make to this, kindly do so using the comments section below and we’ll get in touch soon. Have a good day.

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