Dropshipping Automation in a Mobile App

10-05-24Read Time: 8 min

Dropshipping is in demand in e-commerce because it allows entrepreneurs to make sales without owning a warehouse. An online store does not have to worry about storing goods; direct shipments to buyers are made by a supplier – a wholesale warehouse, distributor or manufacturer that provides dropshipping services. Such a business model is beneficial to both parties – the supplier gets established distribution channels in the retail network, and the seller sells the goods in his own name and makes a profit on the price difference.

When an online store sells hundreds and thousands of items from different suppliers, the question of automating work processes arises. For this purpose, special software is created, which is conveniently implemented in the form of a mobile business application. The main features of such a program are

• Creation of the product catalog;
• Automated order processing;
• Accounting of goods, payments, sales, deliveries, stock;
• Price management according to the chosen margin;
• Maintenance of the database of suppliers and buyers;
• Synchronization with online stores and marketplaces;
• Integration with third party services;
• Reporting and analysis.

Benefits of using a mobile application for dropshipping automation

Save time. Automating tedious manual tasks in the application saves time, reduces labor costs, and decreases the number of employees involved in processing and tracking requests. Automated management of the flow of requests eliminates the need for a large staff of administrators and managers. This is a significant savings for the company and an opportunity to redirect resources to more important strategic processes, such as promoting the business or developing new directions.

Accuracy. Automatic processing of a large amount of information in the application reduces the risk of errors and inaccuracies that can occur due to human error. Each stage of the dropshipping organization is automatically tracked and controlled – the program cannot lose an order, forget a customer, mix up consignee data or shipping dates. The system works smoothly and without failures, technical problems do not prevent the company from providing quality service to customers.

Benefits of the mobile format. Unlike desktop PC applications, the mobile application is available 24/7 on iOS and Android smartphones anywhere in the world, regardless of the location of administrators, managers, buyers, and suppliers. This gives business owners more freedom, allows them to work on flexible schedules, simplifies communication, and speeds up operational tasks. Modern applications are convenient and productive when working with large amounts of data – thousands of goods, customers, orders, shipments.

Secure data storage. The mobile application stores all the information necessary for the seller’s work – a database of suppliers and buyers, product catalog and inventory, tracking of payments and deliveries. The data is hosted on secure remote servers with protection from unauthorized access. The application becomes a single platform where the entire history of interaction with each buyer and supplier is stored.

Quality customer service. By automating manual tasks and streamlining dropshipping processes, companies can provide better customer service and avoid common problems such as out-of-stock items or order fulfillment confusion. Customer benefits of implementing a dropshipping automation system:

• Always up-to-date catalog of goods, showing actual stock levels;
• Quickly update the assortment with full description, characteristics and prices;
• Order status tracking – picking, shipping, delivery.

Comprehensive analysis and reporting capabilities. The mobile application collects data and generates instant, automated reports to analyze sales, orders, vendors, payments, and other critical indicators. Statistical data provides a true picture of business efficiency, helping to adjust marketing strategy, optimize the supplier list, and modernize the assortment. Analytics highlight weaknesses and show ways to solve problematic issues.

Dropshipping automation mobile application functionality

Goods Accounting

The application automates the labor-intensive process of adding products with photos, descriptions, and tabular features. The backend logic and API data exchange controls this process so that the application only receives up-to-date data on product availability, stock levels and prices. This not only reduces the time it takes to fill the catalog, but also avoids misunderstandings with customers due to orders for unavailable products. Tracking the quantity of goods in the supplier’s warehouse allows you to plan sales for a certain period and, if necessary, look for goods for a shift.

Synchronization with Online Store and Marketplaces

Goods uploaded to the application database are automatically placed in the company’s online store and on selected marketplaces (OLX, Prom, Rozetka, Allo and others) thanks to additional integrations with these marketplaces. This way, labor-intensive processes of uploading goods with current prices, descriptions and features are simplified and accelerated. The exchange of information between the dropshipping program and the selling site takes place in real time. Orders accepted on the site and marketplaces are automatically recorded in the application, allowing you to maintain the relevance of the catalog and preserve the history of orders. Integration of the application with PWRO with automatic generation of fiscal receipts in the program interface will help ensure accurate reporting and generation of financial documents.

Order Processing

The mobile application automates all stages of order fulfillment:

• Process a retail customer’s request to purchase goods;
• Checking the availability of goods in the supplier’s warehouse;
• Transmitting the order to the supplier;
• Communicating with the customer in a single application interface;
• Controlling order fulfillment by the supplier;
• Track payment and delivery;
• Completing the purchase, storing the purchase information in the mobile application database;
• Processing and sending exchange and return requests to the supplier.

Orders are collected from all sales channels (marketplaces, online stores) and consolidated on a single platform – a mobile application for dropshipping automation. To manage all the information (orders, sales, payments, deliveries), a convenient admin panel is created to manage the application.

Counterparty Database

The backend database stores complete information about suppliers, customers, partners, and buyers of the online store. For each counterparty the chronology of interaction is recorded, the history of purchases and orders is stored, contact information and other working information is reproduced. Examples of using such a database are launching an automated loyalty program for buyers, analyzing the results of cooperation with suppliers, searching for suppliers by various criteria. Centralized storage of counterparty data increases the efficiency of an online store and provides more opportunities for analysis.

Logistics Tracking

An online store that sells goods through dropshipping is completely dependent on the supplier to organize the delivery of orders. If it is not possible to influence the quality of logistics, it is possible to track these processes and provide customers with up-to-date information on delivery. The mobile application displays the status of order fulfillment – from picking and packing to shipping and receiving goods. Synchronization of the application with the delivery services of Novaya Posta and Ukrposhta allows you to track the movement of orders by express waybill number. Such integration is performed through the backend using API or using libraries or SDK (Software Development Kit) of postal services. Customers receive information about the parcel location on the website of the online store or via SMS/e-mail.

Accounting and Analytics

A mobile app for dropshipping automation becomes a feature-rich analytics tool that allows you to

• Track orders, sales, deliveries, and payments;
• Track the efficiency of individual sales channels and the business as a whole;
• Evaluate the productivity of cooperation with suppliers;
• Analyze demand for selected groups of goods;
• Create financial reports.

The program tracks orders, purchases, deliveries with distribution by suppliers, distribution channels and product groups. This information is collected in analytical reports and used to adjust the dropshipping strategy, optimize the assortment, regulate relations with suppliers. Based on the analysis, the company decides whether to find new sources of supply or deepen cooperation with existing partners, whether to expand the catalog or drop unpopular product items.

Why it pays to order your own dropshipping app

Today, you can find various offerings of ERP and CRM systems for drop shippers with paid subscriptions for different pricing plans. Such tools are convenient and functional, but they have several fundamental drawbacks that can be critical for a business. Paid services are provided for temporary use, so the dropshipper is dependent on the software provider in all aspects.

Technical support, release of updates, bug fixes, optimization of functionality – all this is outside the responsibility of the customer. This can be convenient up to a certain point, until problems or controversial issues arise. It is impossible to immediately correct the unavailability of the service due to technical failures, expand insufficient functionality, adapt the interface to the specific requirements of a particular business – these nuances are often faced by users of universal drop-shipping programs.

These disadvantages are eliminated by a corporate business application, developed at the individual request of the company. When developing the program, the basic principles of automation of the dropshipping system are implemented, but taking into account individual features – the type and assortment of goods, specifics of logistics and delivery schemes, payment and order accounting systems, etc. The company becomes “its own master” – it does not depend on external services, adapts the application functionality to its needs, can independently manage technical support and make any changes to the program.

Interested in the idea of creating a CRM application for dropshipping? Contact the KitApp team – we have powerful resources to develop and launch mobile e-commerce platforms of different directions and any complexity.