Running a dropshipping store is hard enough, but what if you had to do it twice?
If you have been thinking about starting a second dropshipping store, you should consider a few things before starting.
Running multiple dropshipping stores is not impossible, but it’s not easy, either. In other words, you can run multiple dropshipping stores, but the decision of whether or not you should do it will depend on your situation.
This article will guide you in the right direction on running multiple dropshipping stores and walk you through the pros and cons of starting a second dropshipping store.
Finally, I will show you some tools that will hopefully make the process a whole lot smoother!
How do you run multiple dropshipping stores?
First things first, can you run multiple dropshipping stores? And if so, how?
Well, you definitely can run multiple dropshipping stores. The creation of multiple dropshipping stores isn’t that hard.
It works in the same way as creating a single dropshipping store. The only thing is that you will have to make two accounts for everything!
Most ecommerce platforms won’t support the possibility of managing multiple dropshipping stores from one account. However, nothing stops you from creating a new account for each dropshipping store you set up!
Some ecommerce platforms offer you the possibility to manage multiple stores from one account. Unfortunately, it often requires an expensive plan to be a viable option for most people.
Remember that if you start running multiple dropshipping stores, you will have to set up multiple accounts for your dropshipping stores and each store’s social media pages, Facebook ad accounts, and other dropshipping tools.
The pros and cons of running multiple dropshipping stores
Running a dropshipping store is an exciting experience. It can be a lot of fun to start a store, build up your social media presence, and watch the orders come in. Hopefully, after all the hard work, you will be left with a sustainable and profitable business!
If you are currently running a profitable dropshipping store, you might be asking yourself if you should start a second, third, fourth, or even fifth store.
It’s a great question with a complicated answer that depends on your situation. To make the decision easier, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of running multiple dropshipping stores!
The pros of running multiple dropshipping stores
Why would you run multiple stores if there weren’t some benefits involved?
Let’s take a look at the pros of running multiple dropshipping stores:
Diversify your product portfolio and test more niches
The first benefit of running multiple dropshipping stores is diversifying your product portfolio and testing more niches.
Of course, this will only count as a benefit if you are running niche stores. General dropshipping stores can already sell anything and everything!
Niche dropshipping stores are limited in the types of products they can sell. They are catered for a kind of people with the same interests.
So, if you are running a successful store in the fitness niche, but have just found an awesome-looking cat toy in the pet niche, then you might be missing out on sales because publishing that cat toy on your fitness niche store isn’t an option.
If you dropshipped with multiple stores, you would create a store in the pet niche and start selling the product there!
Create multiple income streams
Running multiple dropshipping stores allows you to create multiple income streams.
The importance of this is illustrated by a famous quote from American business magnate and investor Warren Buffett:
Never depend on a single income source. Make investments to create a second source.
It helps you avoid getting stuck with a single product
If you are running a one-product store or even a niche store with one main product, it can be hard to realize that it won’t work and move on. Trust me. I have been there!
It’s a situation where you are trying to apply all tips to get your first dropshipping sale or become profitable. However, it just isn’t working.
Sometimes, people can get stuck trying to become profitable with a single product. This is also called “marrying a product. “
Don’t worry. It’s okay to step away from a product and move on to another one.
You will have more chance of succeeding by testing new products than marrying one product and trying to make it work for too long.
Running multiple dropshipping stores can prevent this situation because if one product or store doesn’t work, you will be able to concentrate your efforts on your other products for a while.
Allows you to expand to different countries
Let’s say you have been successfully running a local dropshipping store in one of the best countries for dropshipping, Germany.
Your whole store is explicitly created to operate in Germany. You have set up suitable payment gateways, the best suppliers from Europe, and the entire store is written in the German language.
However, the store is running so well that you want to expand your business to other countries.
In this situation, it is not always possible to use a tool like Langify to translate your store and start selling worldwide simply.
In some situations, it’s crucial to use the correct translations, other currencies, other suppliers, other payment gateways, or other products.
If this is the case, running a second store might be a great solution. You can leave your German store running, and in the meantime, create multiple stores catered for other countries.
You will be able to set up everything ranging from the product descriptions to the currencies and suppliers specifically for that country!
The cons of running multiple dropshipping stores
Running dropshipping stores has multiple pros, but don’t forget about the cons!
Many people want to run multiple dropshipping stores because they believe they have a better chance of success.
This might be true, but there are a few cons to consider before starting a new dropshipping store.
It’s difficult not to lose focus.
You probably know that running a dropshipping store is incredibly challenging. It’s a lot of work, especially if you plan to stay in business for the long run.
Therefore, it requires a lot of focus.
To set up a store, you will have to complete several tasks, from content to branding and marketing.
When running multiple dropshipping stores, you will need a lot of time to keep the right focus for all your stores and keep them running well. And as I said, that isn’t an easy task.
If your first store isn’t running that well yet and you try to start a new one, your first store will likely get neglected. It will be challenging to focus on both stores at the same time. In the end, you may end up with two stores that look pretty bad.
So, don’t start running multiple dropshipping stores if you don’t have enough time for it!
You will have to deal with more issues.
When running multiple dropshipping stores, you will have to deal with more issues.
If you are managing a dropshipping store, you will have to deal with suppliers, customer issues, payment gateway issues, advertising issues, and more.
Running two dropshipping stores means having to double your efforts to solve all kinds of issues.
Example of an email you could get when running a dropshipping store
In the end, this also equates to needing more time to run multiple dropshipping stores properly!
More costs
Lastly, there is one more con that you shouldn’t forget about; the costs!
Doubling the amount of dropshipping stores equals doubling your fixed costs.
You may have to pay for things like your domain, business email, and more outside of these costs!
If you multiply all these costs by the number of stores you are planning to run, you will have your total fixed costs.
These costs can add up quickly for several dropshipping stores and become a serious consideration.
In the end, the added costs are an added risk for running multiple dropshipping stores. However, remember that multiple dropshipping stores can also bring in more revenue!
3 Tools that can help you to run multiple dropshipping stores
- ShipStation
The first tool is called ShipStation. As the name implies, ShipStation is shipping software for your ecommerce store.
It allows you to import orders from your dropshipping stores into one dashboard.
Then, you can use scan-based workflows, bulk updates, and automation processes to quickly fulfill your day’s shipments.
Once the tracking information is available, ShipStation can instantly update the information to your ecommerce platform, and the customer will be notified!
Besides this, ShipStation can also help you to brand your shipping using branded tracking pages, SMS tracking pages, and more.
- SkuVault
Let’s continue with a tool for ecommerce inventory management: SkuVault.
When running multiple dropshipping stores, you will likely be using multiple dropshipping suppliers as well.
SkuVault allows you to connect all your stores and efficiently organize your suppliers’ warehouses and inventory.
The tool uses simple workflows and can lead to faster order fulfillment, fewer out-of-stock cases, and fewer shipping mistakes. Check them out!
- Stitch Labs
Stitch Labs is all about managing multi-channel operations. In other words, about managing multiple dropshipping stores!
It’s a bit of an all-in-one tool. Stitch Labs is a tool offering:
Inventory management
Order management
Fulfillment management
Reporting & analytics
Using Stitch Labs, you gain better control over your dropshipping stores. Last but not least, it integrates with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce!
Conclusion
You definitely can run multiple dropshipping stores. Whether or not you should do it depends on yourself.
Try to outweigh the pros and cons to find out your best path to take.
And remember, you don’t have that decision right now.
If you are unsure about taking the next step, it’s often better to wait a few more days or weeks. Running a dropshipping store takes up more of your time than you might think!
Good luck with everything!