If you are looking to expand your product offerings, connect your Shopify store to Alibaba to access a wide range of verified suppliers. This allows you to easily browse Alibaba's extensive product catalog, select products, and import them into your Shopify store with accurate descriptions, pricing, and images. It bridges a gap between product sourcing and online retail, making it easier to expand inventory without the need for upfront investment or warehousing.
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced seller, the right integration setup allows you to manage product import, automate order fulfillment, and boost your sales. In this guide, we provide a step-by-step process to link these two platforms.
Why Integrate Alibaba with Shopify?
Alibaba is a global wholesale marketplace where businesses connect with manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors. On the other hand, Shopify is a leading e-commerce platform that helps merchants to build and manage online stores.
Linking Alibaba to Shopify allows merchants to:
Vast Product Selection
Alibaba offers millions of products in every category, giving Shopify merchants the ability to expand their product variety for their online stores.
Dropshipping
This integration allows store owners to sell products without holding physical inventory. When customers place an order on Shopify, the supplier on Alibaba directly ships the order to the customer.
Scale Quickly
Merchants can easily add, remove, or switch products sourced from Alibaba, adapt to new market trends, and reach global customers without upfront investment.
Competitive Pricing
Source products at lower costs from Alibaba compared to other platforms, and improve the profit margins when reselling on Shopify.
How to Connect Alibaba to Shopify?
There are 6 steps to connect Alibaba to Shopify.
1. Sign up Alibaba Dropshipping
- Go to dropshipping.alibaba.com.
- Click on “Sign in” and then “Create account”.
- Fill up your details like email, mobile number, company name, full name, and company address.
- Verify your email address with the code sent to you.
- After verification, you’ll access the Alibaba Dropshipping Center.
2. Log in Shopify Account
Log in to your Shopify admin dashboard with your email and password. If you do not have Shopify then create one.
3. Connect your Store to Alibaba
- In the Shopify admin dashboard, navigate to Settings > Apps and sales channels.
- Click on the Shopify App Store and search for the third-party apps that support Alibaba dropshipping, like syncee.
4. Import Products From Alibaba to Shopify
- In the Alibaba dropshipping dashboard, navigate to "Search Products" and find products you want to dropship.
- Open the product and locate the Dropshipping option.
- Edit product details like title, description, price, and variants, then click Import to Store.
- Verify that the product appears in your Shopify store catalog.
5. Manage order
When a customer places an order from your Shopify store, the order is automatically transferred to the Alibaba supplier for fulfillment. The supplier ships the product directly to your customer, and you can track the order status from your Shopify dashboard.
6. Sync Orders
Regularly synchronize your Shopify and Alibaba orders to maintain inventory levels and update order status in real time.
Troubleshooting Common Issues When Connecting Alibaba to Shopify?
If you're having trouble connecting Alibaba to your Shopify store, here are some troubleshooting steps to fix it.
Products Not Syncing
Syncing can take a few minutes. Wait up to 10–15 minutes before rechecking. If it still doesn't work, In the Alibaba Dropshipping Center, go to My Order. Click on Synchronize.
Unable to Install the Dropshipping-Alibaba Official App
The Dropshipping-Alibaba Official app is removed from the Shopify App Store and is no longer available for installation. To continue importing products from Alibaba, you have to use third-party apps to establish this connection.
Contact Shopify Support
If you're still facing issues after following these steps, contact Shopify support for assistance. Provide them with information related to specific error messages to help them resolve faster.
