Maybe you are interested in starting a dropshipping business, but you don't have a computer to work on. For many people, this is quite normal, as only around 50% of people worldwide have access to a computer at home.
This leads to the question, “Can you dropship from your phone?”
Yes, you can dropship from your phone. You can create a dropshipping store with the Shopify app, search for products on the AliExpress app, create ads with a photo or video editor app, and market them with the Facebook Ads app!
But, don't worry if this sounds short-sighted. In this article, I will take a look at all the steps which you should take to run a dropshipping store, and discuss if they are possible to do from your phone.
Keep on reading to find out which exact steps you can follow to start dropshipping from your phone!
What are the steps to run a dropshipping store from your phone?
I will tell you about the main steps to create and run a dropshipping store and take a look at whether or not they can be done from your phone.
Note: This article is for those that are wondering if dropshipping from your phone is possible. If you're completely new to dropshipping, then check out this dropshipping beginner's guide first.
Furthermore, don't forget to have the right mindset when dropshipping; it's a real business and not a way to earn ‘easy money online'.
1. Sign up for a free Shopify trial
First things first, you will have to sign up for a Shopify account.
Why Shopify?
Well, it's the most convenient method of building your store because they have a Shopify App, which is available both on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Luckily, you don't have to pay anything yet, because you can sign up for Shopify's 3-day free trial without entering any credit card information!
After signing up, you can download the Shopify app on the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store and sign in to your Shopify account.
Another option is to use Sell The Trend Shops as your ecommerce platform instead of Shopify.
Sell The Trend Shops is a relatively new and free ecommerce platform that enables you to build your dropshipping store in only a few minutes!
A downside of Sell The Trend Shops is that they don't have a mobile app, so you will have to build your website through your phone's web browser.
Tip: If you want to learn more about Sell The Trend Shops, check out our complete review here!
At last, you can also start dropshipping without a website, but this will be more challenging than when you dropship with a website. For example, you can do dropshipping with the Facebook Marketplace.
If you're interested in learning more about dropshipping without a website, then check out this article here.
2. Registering a domain name
The second step of creating your dropshipping store from your phone is to register a domain name for your store.
Luckily, you can directly register a domain through the Shopify app itself. Just click on “Add Domain” on the homepage.
Then, just type in your domain name and click on the buy button. If you are struggling to come up with a creative domain name, this article is for you. It contains tips to choose the best name for your dropshipping store.
Congratulations on your domain name! On to the next step.
3. Doing product research
The next step is to decide which product(s) you are going to sell.
Before you begin your search, make sure that you know exactly what a winning dropshipping product is by reading this article.
If you are dropshipping from your phone, it would be convenient to do product research on an app. Luckily, there are several apps which you could use to search for your winning product!
First of all, you can scroll through Instagram and Facebook for dropshipping product ads. This can give you inspiration and ideas on products that you could sell.
You can also use Facebook to search for winning products in different ways. Click here to find out more about how to find winning products on Facebook!
Another option is to look for a product on the Amazon app. You can get so many ideas on what kind of products are selling well currently (Best Sellers), and you can also see what is trending the last 24 hours (Movers & Shakers). Check out this article for more information about using Amazon to find winning products.
The third app you can use is Wish! A small part of this article explains to you how you can use it to find a winning product.
The last method is to look for products on the AliExpress app. This app is available for both the Google Play store as well as Apple's app store if you're an iPhone user.
Pro tip: Look for products that include a high-quality video from the supplier so you can use the video for your ads!
Check out our article we wrote about How to Find Dropshipping Products on AliExpress for more tips!
4. Setting up your Shopify dropshipping store
Now, you would have to set up your Shopify store.
Luckily, you can set up pretty much everything directly from the Shopify app! You can add products, customize your theme, create the standard pages, and set up the payment providers.
When you're done, check out this checklist of things to do to set up your Shopify store. That way, you will be sure that you haven't missed anything important!
5. Adding Shopify apps to your store
A Shopify store without apps is like a car without air in its tires. You can progress if you really want to, but it will go much easier and faster if you just inflate your tires or download some essential apps.
Check out this list of The 13 Best Shopify Apps for Dropshipping and install the most important ones into your new dropshipping store made entirely from your phone!
While most Shopify apps can be used through the Shopify phone app, some apps like DSers will redirect you to your internet browser.
This can make processing orders and setting up your products a bit more time-consuming and inconvenient, but not impossible!
6. Creating ads
The simplest way to create your ads is to grab your best product picture, write an ad copy around it, and start running your campaign on Facebook Ads.
You can also try to find videos about your product (maybe there is even a video available from your supplier) and edit an ad video on a video editor app such as YouCut on Google Play, InShot on the App Store, or you can install Quick from GoPro.
Even if you don't feel like creating an ad yourself, there is a solution! You can download the Fiverr app and pay someone there to make a dropshipping ad for you.
7. Driving traffic to your store
Once your ad is ready, you can start with marketing your dropshipping store!
After reading this article, you may decide to market your store using Facebook Ads.
Well, even this can be done from your phone with the Facebook Ads App!
Just click on “Create Campaign”, and you will easily be able to start running your ads and analyzing their results from your phone with the app.
Another convenient marketing method that you can use to dropship from your phone is using Instagram theme pages.
In this method, you will first have to find Instagram influencers with the methods described in this article.
Then, you will have to negotiate with them what kind of shoutout they will give you.
When an agreement is reached, you will have to create the content for your shoutout. If you need some inspiration, here is a list of 10 Awesome Instagram Shoutout Examples for Ecommerce!
8. Be reachable for your customers
An important part of having an online store is your customer service.
Dropshippers have a very bad reputation in terms of their customer service, and building a dropshipping business only from your phone isn't an excuse to forget about your customer service!
I would recommend you to read this complete customer service guide if you are just starting out with dropshipping. It will teach you why it is so important and what you should do to have great customer service.
If you are dropshipping from your phone, Shopify Inbox is an amazing mobile app to stay reachable for your customers.
Customers can always reach you since Shopify Inbox works with Shopify Chat, Apple Business Chat, and Facebook Messenger.
If they have questions, you will be able to help them with the Shopify Inbox mobile app, and they can even pay directly without leaving the chat by using Apple Pay!
Conclusion
That's it! As you can see, starting an online dropshipping business involves multiple steps.
But fortunately, they can all be done by just using your phone!
While changing the design of your store, processing the orders, and creating ads can be a bit harder and time-consuming to do on just your phone, I would say that it's definitely possible and that you can indeed dropship from your phone.
Hopefully, you've learned something new by reading this article, and when you have any questions, don't forget to leave a comment below.
Happy dropshipping!
Getting Started with Dropshipping in 2023
So, are you ready to get started with dropshipping? Or maybe you have already started, but you’re looking to get some inspiration?
If so, then I suggest reading this complete Shopify dropshipping guide.
It’s a huge article, but it contains everything that you need to know to create your own Shopify dropshipping store in 2023. It’s like a dropshipping course, but then for free!
Reading this article will surely help you to get started and to stay motivated while beginning and continuing your dropshipping journey.
Just don’t forget that success takes time. Keep improving each and every day!
Shopify Dropshipping: A 20-Step Guide to Starting Your Store
And here are the articles I suggest you read next:
- Unique Dropshipping Store: 11 Amazing Tips to Create One
- Complete Guide: Can You Start Dropshipping Without Money?
- Dropshipping Startup Checklist: 10 Things to Do Before Starting
- 12 Reasons Why Most People Fail With Dropshipping in 2023 | Beat Them!
And also, if you didn’t create a Shopify account yet (to get your dropshipping store online), then you can click here to get a free 3-day trial + pay $1/month for the first 3 months!
