Modalyst vs Spocket: Which Should You Go for?

If you’re searching for a Modalyst vs Spocket review, you’re in luck because we’ve written one for you.

There are so many different options out there for someone running an ecommerce store or thinking of starting one up, so much so, that it's really confusing trying to find the best one out there.

It's vital to understand from the get-go that today’s consumers are proudly internet-intelligent. They look up products, their prices, scour both good and bad reviews and are hyper-critical when things go wrong, especially where shipping is concerned.

You can be sure that today’s online shoppers have one eye out for bargain-priced yet excellent quality products and the other on inexpensive (or free shipping).

This is why picking the right dropshipping solution is imperative. So, with that in mind, let's dive into the crux of this review.

So What’s Next?

You need to trust your dropshipping provider implicitly. So, it's vital you use a brand with a good reputation for picking top-notch products and packing and dispatching items quickly and effectively. Fail to do that, you're on a slippery slope to damaging the reputation of your brand.

It goes without saying, customers who receive their items on time, in one piece, and quickly, are more likely to leave glowing reviews than those who have to wait and are disappointed with the quality of the product.

Not to mention, using a decent drop shipping provider gives you the time you need to expand your business, rather than forcing you to concentrate on the more mundane aspects of your ecommerce store. For instance, sourcing high-quality products.

So, with that in mind, let’s look more specifically at Spocket and Modalyst.

Who’s Modalyst?

Modalyst focuses on automating many of your e-commerce related tasks. For your convenience, they highlight what they do in four simple steps :

“Step 1 Source an amazing assortment of products in one click

Step 2 Customer purchases a product through your storefront

Step 3 Shop purchases item directly from supplier on Modalyst

Step 4 Supplier ships the product directly to the customer. Tracking number is automatically communicated.”

Modalyst‘s well-renown for providing a huge selection of products from high-quality and independent brands from all around the world. Typical products include things like clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, etc.

In other words, it’s a B2B marketplace. You don’t buy anything in advance. Instead, you simply choose the items you want to sell on your ecommerce store and then order these goodies when a customer makes a purchase

Its website tells us that “more than 150,000 successful ecommerce businesses have added Modalyst products to their store.”

Founded in 2012, its headquarters are based in San Francisco. Jill Sherman is the CEO and her fellow co-founder is Alain Miguel, who famously made Forbes’ 2015 30 under 30 list for retail. Modalyst mostly concerns itself with fashion brands and connecting them with retailers, designers, agents, and consumers.

Its reviews in the media are overwhelmingly positive. Including flattering mentions in publications like Vogue, TedX, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Fashion Digital Daily.

Who’s Spocket?

On its website, Spocket tells us it;

“allows you to choose the best products to sell from thousands of dropshipping suppliers from all over the world.”

Spocket is basically a Shopify and WooCommerce dropshipping app that allows you to connect with suppliers in both the US and  EU. You just have to install the Spocket app on your Shopify store, choose items to sell from their catalog, and add them to your ecommerce site. It really is that simple.

You can also order sample products to test them out first. Because Spocket suppliers are mainly based in the EU and US, deliveries tend to be far more reliable than the majority of Spocket's competitors.

It's well-reviewed by sites such as GeekWire and Daily Hive. Founded more recently in 2017, this Vancouver based outfit has raised a total of $2.3m in funding over three rounds. Pretty impressive, right?

Modalyst vs Spocket: A Quickfire Price Comparison

Monthly

Modalyst

• $0 for the Hobby Plan, with a product limit of 25
• $35 for the Start-Up Plan with a product limit of 250
• $90 for the Pro Plan, which entitles you to infinite products

All plans charge a 5% transaction fee

Spocket

• $9 for the Starter Plan after a 14-day free trial
• $49 for the Pro Plan after a 14-day free trial
• $99 for the Empire Plan after a 14-day free trial
• $299 for Unicorn Plan after a 14-day free trial

Yearly

• Modalyst offers a 25% discount on the Start Up and Pro Plans if you pay annually.
• Spocket offers up to five months free if you pay annually upfront.

Spocket’s website is more transparent about what you get for each type of plan, so let’s list them here below.

FYI: It’s less user-friendly on Modalyst, so although you get an easy to read price plan, there’s no list or table to see what you get for each program. The information is there, but we’d prefer it if it were categorized per price plan.

So, over to Spocket:

Starter Plan

• Up to 25 unique products
• Currency exchange
• Real-time inventory updates
• 24/7 chat support
• Unlimited orders
• Global pricing rules
• Shipment tracking numbers

Pro Plan

Everything above, plus:

• Up to 250 products
• Up to 25 premium products
• Branded invoicing
• Exclusive deals
• Premium search

Empire Plan

Everything above, plus:

• Unlimited Products
• Unlimited Premium Products

Unicorn Plan

Everything above, plus:

• Bulk checkout
• A dedicated account executive
• 24/7 phone support
• Product requests

Modalyst Features at a Glance

• Millions of dropship products
• You can customize product listings and pricing with just a few clicks
• Order tracking is included. You'll receive instant notifications with this info, as will your customers
• Easy integration with your site, including Shopify and BigCommerce.
• You can import products to other ecommerce sites using CSV files
• Make data-driven decisions when switching between wholesale and virtual inventories
• Standardized contracts including a 14-day return policy
• Direct shipping to the customer from the brand itself
• Inventory management
• Custom data exports and real-time analytics

Modalyst vs Spocket: Their Pros and Cons

Modalyst's Pros

• Access to high-quality brands
• Modalyst handles customer returns
• Access to US and EU suppliers
• Tracking information
• Direct integration with BigCommerce and Shopify
• No inventory costs
• A free plan

Modalyst Cons

• 5% transaction fees across the board
• 60% of suggested retail prices go to the brand regardless of what amount you sell it at
• Shipping times and costs vary
• You can’t see the full supplier network unless you’re on a paid plan
• Placing orders isn’t wholly automated

Spocket Pros

• You can order product samples
• They offer a free plan
• You can automate pricing levels
• Automatic inventory updates
• A reliable Shopify integration
• Simple user interface
• You own branding

Spocket Cons

• Costs are higher when shipping outside of the US and will take longer
• Customs tax and duty aren’t included in the product prices, so you need to factor that into your product prices and profits
• Those on the free plan don’t get chat and call support
• Selling on eBay, Wish, Amazon, and Etsy isn’t possible
• No BigCommerce or Wix integration

Their Websites

We have to say that out of the two websites; we prefer the Spocket site for one big reason; it’s easier to navigate and is written with the customer in mind. Modalyst‘s website assumes a certain level of knowledge, and it doesn’t have as much information about them as a company.

Both sites, however, provide useful resources, mostly in the form of blog posts and articles for wannabe entrepreneurs and ecommerce store owners. Both sites are, in that way, big on empowerment. Spocket is big on stressing how they've helped, to date, around 30,000 entrepreneurs. It also has a neat feature where you can order products yourself to be sure the dropshipping function works the way it’s meant to.

Modalyst vs Spocket: Integrations with Ecommerce Platforms

Modalyst integrates with Shopify, BigCommerce and Wix. Spocket integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce.

Modalyst vs Spocket: Resources

We’re talking about training and help here. Modalyst has a “Dropshipping Insights” section on its home page. Here they have articles on subjects such as “100 Profitable Products to Sell in 2019”, “The 2019 Ultimate Dropshipping Business Guide for Beginners,” and more.

Modalyst also has a Help Center which covers subjects such as setting up your account, handling customer orders, pricing rules, and shipping. There’s a search box where you can type in a question or subject matter and find helpful answers.

However, there doesn’t appear to be a forum or a helpline that we could find, but there's a live chat support option that’s available from 9 am to 5 pm PST. Modalyst also offers something it calls “Showroom and Profile Uploading,” saying that if you’re “too busy to create your profile. Let us know, and we’ll work something out for ya.”

As far as Spocket's concerned, its homepage has a Help Center right at the top. Here, customers can find FAQs, articles on how to contact the Spocket help team, and more. Also, there’s a link to the Spocket Community, which takes you directly to its Facebook page. They're also transparent about its reviews on the Reviews tab at the top of its homepage. Naturally, we saw 5-star ratings a-plenty!

Overall, we feel the resources offered by Spocket are far superior to those provided by Modalyst.

To Sum Up: Modalyst vs. Spocket

Of course, we can’t choose for you. But, if you want to be part of a community and get support along the way, then Spocket is the one for you. Spocket’s cheapest offer is reasonable, and a good choice for startups or beginners who are just starting out in ecommerce.

If, however, you don’t want to concern yourself with shipping at all and just want to sell known brands, then Modalyst is the app for you.

Over to you — which will you opt for?

The post Modalyst vs Spocket: Which Should You Go for? appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.

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