Dropshipper Checklist: A Guide to Proper Integration

Imagine having a cool product gallery on your online store. You don't need to maintain all those things in stock or worry about shipping them when a consumer purchases something from you. Instead, you collaborate with vendors who can manage all of that. Follow the dropshipper checklist, for you must pick the products, promote them, and ensure your clients receive their orders.


We refer to this as dropshipping. eCommerce shops that choose dropshipping may make more money than those that rely on onsite inventory. 

In this article, we will discuss:

Dropshipper Checklist

Your online store needs to be integrated well to set up a proper dropshipping business.Their ability to dropship must be evaluated, and information needs to be gathered so that the integration process may be kept harmless and free from any hassle when the dropshipper is installed in your eCommerce account. To install a dropshipper in your eCommerce account, you will have to ask your dropshipper several questions to check their compatibility with the help of this dropshipper checklist:

Step 1: Determine Compatibility

Inventory Feeds

  1. Can they connect through one of these Integration types: FTP/FTPS, HTTP, SSH/SFTP?
  2. Can they provide the files in one of these formats: .csv or .txt?
  3. Can they provide the credentials for the feed Inbound URL (if FTP directs to the folder, if HTTP directs to file), File Name, Inbound Username, and Inbound Password?

Order Management

  1. What is the file delimiter (Comma, Semicolon, Tab, Tilda, or Vertical Bar)?
  2. Will the order feeds be communicated through FTP, SFTP, or email? 
  3. Will the tracking and carrier information be communicated through FTP or SFTP? 
  4. What are the fields required for a dropshipper to process/fulfill the orders? 
  5. Does your drop shipper send tracking updates for you?
    • If so, are they able to provide the Order Number, Carrier, and Tracking Number? These fields are required for us to process the tracking information.

Step 2: Ensure Proper Integration

If they do support the above requirements, you will need to gather the following information from them to ensure a proper integration:

Inventory Feeds

  1. The URL on which your dropshipper will be placing their inventory file. This is called the Inbound URL. 
  2. The name of the inventory file on the URL if there is more than one file at that location.
  3. A username and password are needed to access that site if needed.
  4. A copy of the file so that you can create a matching import format that will allow your eCommerce account to import the data properly.

Order Management

  1. The URL on which your dropshipper would like your eCommerce account to place your order. This is called the Outbound URL. 
  2. The URL on which your dropshipper will be placing their tracking file onto. This is called the Inbound URL.
  3. The name of the tracking file on the URL if there is more than one.
  4. A username and password are needed to access those sites if needed.
  5. A copy of the tracking file so that you can create a matching import format that will allow your eCommerce account to import the data properly.
  6. A copy of a sample order file in the format they need will allow you to create an export format that will provide them with the data they need in the format they need it in.

Review

Remember to streamline your operations and prevent potential integration concerns using our dropshipper checklist. Make sure your dropshipper and eCommerce platform work well together. It's important to have communication and a mutual understanding of needs to succeed in dropshipping. By paying attention to these checklists, you'll be prepared to integrate your dropshipper effectively and make the most of your online business.