The year is 2020. The dropshipping industry has recorded 128.60 in revenue. Projections have the numbers at 243.42 billion USD by 2023, opening the door to competitive selling.
If you already own a Shopify dropshipping store, using a Shopify spy tool can help you keep tabs on your competitors and remain relevant in the industry.
In this guide, we have compiled a list of the 7 best Shopify spy tools for dropshipping in no particular order.
Read on to also discover alternative ways to conduct competitors’ reach without using spy tools.
Uses of Spy Tools
Spy tools, often referred to as competitive analysis or market research tools, are used to gather information and insights about competitors, industry trends, and market conditions. They are commonly employed in various business and marketing contexts to make informed decisions and gain a competitive advantage.
Here are some common uses of spy tools:
1. Competitor Analysis
Spy tools are extensively used to gain a deep understanding of competitors and their strategies. These tools can track and monitor competitors’ websites, tracking changes in content, design, and functionality.
They also keep tabs on product offerings, pricing, and promotions. This information helps businesses identify opportunities to differentiate themselves or capitalize on gaps in the market. For instance, if your competitor raises their prices, you can lure more customers with competitive pricing.
2. Keyword Research
Spy tools assist in identifying keywords and search terms that competitors target in their online content and advertising. Spy tools analyze the organic and paid search landscape to uncover keywords that competitors are ranking for and bidding on.
This data is invaluable for businesses aiming to improve their SEO strategies. Targeting the same or similar keywords can help increase your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and compete effectively in the online marketplace.
3. Ad Campaign Analysis
Spy tools provide insights into competitors’ advertising campaigns, enabling businesses to optimize their advertising efforts. Spy tools can reveal the ad creatives, ad placements, and ad spending of competitors in various advertising networks (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads).
Studying competitor ad strategies enables businesses to make data-driven decisions about their ad campaigns, such as crafting more effective ad copy, targeting the right audience, and allocating their advertising budget wisely.
7 Best Shopify Spy Tools for Dropshipping
1. Shine Inspector (Formerly Commerce Inspector)
Need to know the top-selling products to dropship? Shine is the tool for you. Shine gives you access to real-time data on over 300,000 Shopify stores.
You can view high-in-demand products, discover trending products, monitor competitor’s ad campaigns and website traffic, and more.
However, finding products to sell is one thing, selling them is another. Shine helps you discover result-driven tech solutions for improved marketing and sales.
Key Features
- Spy on your competitors: get insight into what your competitors are selling and their overall website activities.
- Search by product: Shine allows you to search for individual products on Shopify and provides accurate data insight.
- Track product trends: keep track of product performance to evaluate sales and demand levels.
Pricing
Shine offers three pricing plans and a free trial without commitment.
- Starter Plan: costs $99 per month
- Growth Plan: $199 per month
- Pro Plan (get unlimited access to all features and tools): costs $499 per month
- Enterprise plan: contact the Shine team for a customized plan.
2. FindNiche
FindNiche is a Shopify spy tool for dropshipping that helps you identify profitable niches and products to dropship. It provides a rich database on Shopify and sales details of over 1,200,000 stores.
You can see the products, monthly sales, monthly store visits, and ads on each of these stores when you sign in. These details can serve as a pointer when picking a dropshipping niche and the specific products to sell.
FindNiche not only works for Shopify but Aliexpress as well. This makes it a great one-for-two dropshipping tool for your business.
Key Features
- Find profitable dropshipping and Aliexpress niches
- Gain access to Shopify database and sales details on over 1,200,000 stores
- Get ad insight on top-selling products
Pricing
- Basic Plan: costs $9 per month
- Elite Plan: costs $59 per month
- Premium Plan: costs $99 per month
- VIP Enterprise: costs $200+ per month
3. Shopify Scraper
If you are looking to set up a new Shopify store but don’t know where to start, Shopify Scraper is what you need. This tool helps you import over 1,000 products and their details from other Shopify stores into yours within minutes.
Key Features
- Shopify products exportation to CSV file
- shows details of specific products on Shopify
Pricing
- Free Plan: export 160 products
- Premium Plan (access to all features): costs $19.99 per month
4. DropshipSpy
DropshipSpy gives you access to a large database of high-in-demand products perfect for dropshipping.
This tool makes dropshipping a walk in the park by providing sales and data history of specific products. With key indicators to help you decide what to sell, you can craft unique ad copies that target the right audience.
In addition, DropshipSpy conducts Amazon and Aliexpress analysis to identify hot products and provides thousands of social proofs.
Key Features
- A large pool of winning dropshipping products
- Access to free video ads and ad copies
- Data insight on product performance
Pricing
- Free to use
- A Premium version ($39 per month): offers unlimited access to hot-selling products and other features.
5. Thieve
Discover trending products and reliable dropshipping suppliers on Aliexpress using Thieve. Thieve provides extensive research tools and extensions that help you find hot products you can dropship through your Shopify store.
It offers multiple product categories/niches including photography, electronics, homeware, toys, travel accessories, men’s wear, stationeries, and more. In addition, it can help you create captivating images for your products.
Thieve has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to find whatever you need. The tool is suitable for businesses, organizations, and solo tradersl.
Key features
- Provides a variety of profitable niches and products
- Offers tools and extensions for finding suppliers on Aliexpress
- Create premium product images
Pricing
Thieve offers a 14-day free trial period. However, it will require your card details to get started.
- Dropship Plan: costs $15 per month
- Pro Plan: costs $49 per month
6. Semrush
Semrush is a powerful all-in-one marketing tool that offers many impressive features including competitor analysis. It provides insights into competitors’ organic and paid search strategies, keyword rankings, backlinks, and content performance. It also offers a domain overview to compare websites.
Its spying prowess allows you to eavesdrop on your competitors to identify areas of your keyword and search strategy that need improvement.
Key features
- Competitor analysis
- Keyword research
- Market analysis
Pricing
- Pro Plan: costs $129.95 per month
- Guru Plan: costs $249.95 per month
- Business Plan: costs $499.95 per month
7. Sell The Trend
Sell The Trend is another powerful dropshipping spy tool. It uses AI-powered technology to identify trending products perfect for dropshipping.
Sell The Trend has made it easy for you to build a dropshipping business by providing a built-in website called SHOPS. However, it allows you to connect your Shopify or Woocommerce store if you already have one.
When it comes to finding products, you are not limited to one platform. Sell The Trend provides Amazon, Aliexpress, and TikTok trend explorer that exposes you to trending products across the globe and ad inspirations. These features are essential when managing an e-commerce dropshipping business.
Key Features
- Trending Product
- Built-in dropshipping website
- Data analysis
- Viral ads for inspiration
Pricing
- Lite Plan: costs $24.97 per month
- Essential Plan: costs $39.97 per month
- Pro Plan: costs $99.97 per month
Alternative ways to conduct competitor research
In addition to using spy tools, there are several alternative methods and strategies to conduct competitor research:
1. Manual Website Analysis
Visit competitors’ websites regularly to analyze their content, design, user experience, product listings, pricing, and customer reviews. Check for any updates or changes to their website, such as new features or promotions.
2. Social Media Observation
Follow your competitors on social media platforms to monitor their posts, engagement, and interactions with followers. Analyze their social media advertising campaigns and sponsored posts. Deduce trends and patterns in the type of content they share and the frequency of their posts.
3. Mystery Shopping
Secretly evaluate competitors’ offline services by posing as a customer. You can do this by shopping from them to assess the quality of their customer service, in-store experience, and product knowledge. Note pricing strategies, promotional offers, and product displays.
4. Supplier and Vendor Contacts:
Speak with suppliers, manufacturers, or vendors in your industry who may have insights into competitors’ business activities. Suppliers often have a good understanding of who is ordering what and in what quantities.
5. Online Reviews and Forums
Platforms like Yelp and TripAdvisor are great for gauging customer sentiment about competitors. Reddit and Quora contain a truckload of juicy information about most of your competitors – and potential customers and industry experts. Get on those platforms.
FAQ
1. What are Shopify spy tools, and why do I need them for dropshipping?
Shopify spy tools are software applications that help you gather insights about successful Shopify stores. You need them in dropshipping to understand market trends, competitor strategies, and product opportunities. These tools empower you to make informed decisions and stay competitive.
2. Are Shopify spy tools legal to use?
Yes, using Shopify spy tools for competitive analysis is legal. They gather publicly available information and data, which is not against the law. However, always use such tools ethically and respect privacy and terms of service.
3. Are there free Shopify spy tools available?
Some basic features of Shopify spy tools may be available for free, but comprehensive and advanced features typically come with a subscription fee. Free trials are often offered so you can assess their usefulness before committing.
Wrapping Up
The recommended Shopify spy tools discussed in this guide offer invaluable insights and features needed to successfully set up and manage a dropshipping business. By understanding your competitors and learning ways to stay ahead of the market, you can drastically improve the performance of your Shopify dropshipping store.
With Adoric, you increase the chances of converting your store visitors into paying customers. See how Adoric helps fellow merchants sell better on Shopify.
