In this post, you’ll discover the key differences between Nextsmartship and Oberlo, and learn which is better for your online business.
If you’re an e-commerce retailer, then it’s likely you’ve come across the term dropshipping. Following the introduction of services like Oberlo, it enjoyed a dramatic rise in popularity and helped entrepreneurs start businesses with limited capital. Dropshipping is an approach to supply chain management in which the retailer does not hold stock but transfers his or her clients’ orders and shipping information to either a drop shipping aggregator, wholesaler, or another retailer who then delivers the products directly to the customer. A dropshipping retailer will display items in a digital product catalog or an e-commerce website for customers to review before they make purchases.
Dropshipping is different from third-party fulfillment, which involves the delegation of tasks such as packaging, inventory management, and order shipment to a third-party logistics provider, also known as a 3PL. With this option, your inventory is sent to a fulfillment center. When customers place orders on your digital store, your fulfillment partner (the 3PL) picks, and packages and delivers the item to the client.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Integration
- Customer Service
- Inventory management
- Shipping Methods
- Fulfillment method
- Conclusion
Overview
Oberlo is a drop shipping extension made for Shopify. The app synchronizes product shipments to customers and helps sellers find new items to add to their online stores. Oberlo works for anyone who owns a Shopify store – It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting from scratch or own an existing catalog and just want to add functionality to your store. The extension will work either way
Nextsmartship is a full-service third-party logistics provider that facilitates e-commerce order fulfillment, crowdfunding campaigns, subscription box fulfillment, and FBA prep services. Unlike most fulfillment partners, Nextsmartship offers end-to-end logistical management to enhance its clients’ brand awareness efforts and improve guarantee customer satisfaction.
Integration
Oberlo’s main strength is its integration with Shopify and AliExpress. AliExpress is a popular dropshipping platform that offers access to thousands of suppliers as well as free product images, prices and other details. Oberlo allows you to import all these details into your e-commerce store. Nextsmartship offers seamless integration with all the most popular e-commerce platforms and shopping carts, which include AliExpress, Alibaba, Taobao, Amazon, eBay, woo commerce, Shopify, and many others. Whereas Oberlo is limited to Shopify and AliExpress, Nextsmartship offers a wider variety.
Customer Service
Oberlo runs a blog to provide information on service updates and new drop shipping strategies. You can also subscribe to the company’s newsletter for news. Direct support is offered through the company’s Facebook channel and an official forum. There is also a knowledge repository to help answer recurring questions. Nextsmartship runs a blog and provides one-on-one customer support. The company’s clients have access to a personal account manager to help with complex order fulfillment tasks.
Functionality
Nextsmartship prides itself on its ability to simplify the order fulfillment process. To this end, the company’s fulfillment software replaces the intricate tabulation formats common in other order management systems with a fully automated solution. After your account has been set up, you can auto synchronize and track fulfillment details, send tracking numbers and shipping status. You can also deliver updates to your customers, choose from a variety of fulfillment options, monitor logistical operations, and view expense details in real-time. Moreover, if you aren’t familiar with backend order fulfillment account synchronization, you can contact their customer service representatives for assistance.
Like Nextsmartship, Oberlo is committed to simplicity, and its interface is clean and user-friendly. However, it can only synchronize products, orders, and tracking numbers, and it lacks direct support.
Value addition
Nextsmartship helps e-commerce owners improve brand identity through value-added services that minimize operational expenses and create cost-efficient supply chains. Oberlo lacks this ability.
Packaging
Nextsmartship offers special packaging for fragile products. The company ensures all items receive appropriate paddings such as airbags, foam, and bubble wrap to prevent scratching and other types of damage during transit. Secondly, the company takes inspection photos of items before shipment to ensure they meet your requirements, and it inspects all products that arrive from the manufacturer for defects. The key takeaway here is that while Oberlo is effective, it is an extension of a separate platform that offers limited functionality. Nextsmartship, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive order fulfillment platform.
Inventory management
With Nextsmartship, you can manage inventory from a central location even though you have several online stores and suppliers. Stock levels are updated in real-time to prevent depletion and overselling. Nextsmartship provides accurate labeling so your customers will always get the exact items they order. The company’s shipping team also scans the orders into the inventory management system so you can track the goods. Although Oberlo supports automated inventory management, there is limited control over the process. Nextsmartship, on the other hand, offers a fully integrated inventory management system with more features and greater flexibility
Shipping methods
Oberlo doesn’t permit retailers to specify preferred shipping methods. This decision is often left to the suppliers or drop shipping aggregators who typically use ePacket. The ePacket service is a collaboration between the United States Postal Service and the postal agencies of China and Hong Kong aimed at boosting trade between the nations. It allows the quick transfer of parcels between the United States and Asian countries. EPacket supports order tracking and delivery confirmation. Packages must not weigh more than 2kg and senders do not receive compensation if a package is lost or damaged. Nextsmartship offers a broad range of shipping methods that include air, sea, and rail shipment. The company will also develop custom shipping solutions for clients with unique needs.
Fulfillment method.
Oberlo only supports dropshipping. The advantages that come with this strategy are the elimination of inventory storage or warehousing costs and the fact that you (the retailer) are not responsible for sourcing, packing or delivering the product.
Unfortunately, this approach has several critical limitations. There is limited control over crucial processes such as shipping, packing, and returns management. Any failure in these areas will directly affect brand image and potentially lead to a dramatic decline in customer satisfaction. Due to growing consumer dissatisfaction, e-commerce platforms and ad services have banned businesses that use dropshipping.
Nextsmartship uses the order fulfillment model, which requires the vendor to have at least a small amount of inventory. Though it may seem expensive, Nextsmartship has no minimum order quantity requirement, and the company offers custom packaging to distinguish products from similar alternatives. Even though the company is located in China, it provides speedy and affordable shipping through partners like DHL, FedEx, and Royal Mail.
Conclusion:
The evidence reviewed in this article strongly suggests that with regard to order fulfillment, Nextsmartship is superior to Oberlo. Though Oberlo is a useful service, it is limited in terms of scope, functionality, and support. Nextsmartship proves itself through a robust inventory management system, multiplatform integration capability, and custom shipping methods. In a world where order fulfillment defines brand experience and profitability, it is the more suitable option.
