Wondering if Wiio is the right platform for your dropshipping business?
It’s an end-to-end service provider that offers a one-stop solution for all your ecommerce logistics needs. From sourcing to transportation to last mile delivery, Wiio has you covered.
Cloud based services like Wiio are not new. There’s been a spurt in the last few years of startups coming up with innovative logistics solutions that use technology to make the process more efficient.
The question is, does Wiio really live up to the hype? We decided to find out.
Here’s our Wiio review.
What is Wiio?
Wiio is a cloud-based ecommerce service provider that enables businesses of all sizes to create an online store and sell their products and services.
Wiio offers a wide range of features and tools that allow businesses to automate the entire ecommerce workflow, without cutting corners on quality or customer service.
This includes multiple one-click integrations, such as Shopify and Woocommerce to name a few, bespoke sourcing, custom images and more. For a business, a service like Wiio seems like a no brainer as it provides an all-in-one solution that can take care of the entire ecommerce process from start to finish.
But often, such services come with several caveats that make them unsuitable for businesses of certain sizes or with specific requirements. We will take an objective look at it.
Who can use Wiio?
Essentially, dropshippers or any ecommerce business that’s looking for a comprehensive solution that can automate the entire ecommerce workflow, can use Wiio.
Unlike typical 3PL fulfillment services, which are generally geared towards larger businesses, Wiio is designed to be used by businesses of any size. So, even start-ups and SMBs can take advantage of Wiio’s features and tools to build and grow their businesses.
You might be interested in our: Top Dropshipping Agents Review
What are the key features of Wiio?
With dozens of similar solutions on the market, it can be hard to differentiate one service from another. So, let’s take a look at some of the key features that make Wiio stand out from the rest.
1. One-click integrations
Wiio offers multiple one-click integrations with popular ecommerce platforms. There are four of them to be precise. These are Shopify, Woocommerce, Yampi & Cartpanda. These four are hands down the most commonly used ecommerce platforms among businesses of all sizes.
So, if you’re using any one of these platforms, then you can easily connect it to Wiio and get started with selling your products online. They do not offer a custom api yet. So, if you are using an ecommerce platform like Magento, or a custom solution, you cannot use Wiio yet.
2. Product sourcing
Sourcing from China is one of the most important, and often overlooked aspects of running an ecommerce business. You will have to find reliable suppliers who can provide you with good quality products at competitive prices. Ones who can consistently meet your delivery deadlines.
This can be a daunting task, especially if you’re sourcing from China for the first time. This is where Wiio’s sourcing team comes in. They have a team of sourcing agent who can help you find the right suppliers for your products.
They will also work with you to negotiate the best prices for your products. That said, Wiio will be the mediator between you and your supplier. So, if there are any issues with the product or the order, you will have to go through Wiio to resolve it.
Related reading: Best Sourcing Agent in China
3. Warehousing
Wiio has two warehouses in China. One in Hangzhou and another in Shenzhen. If you’re sourcing your products from China, then your products will be stored in one of these warehouses.
They have an in-house team that handles inventory, packaging, and shipping. So, you can be sure that your products will be well taken care of and will be shipped out on time. But Wiio is one of the few services that also has a warehouse in the US.
That’s a huge advantage, especially if you’re targeting customers in the US. Because, having a warehouse in the US means that your products will reach your customers much faster. It also means that you won’t have to deal with customs and other import-related issues.
4. Quality check
When you’re sourcing products from China, it’s important to make sure that the products are of good quality. After all, you don’t want to end up selling subpar products to your customers.
Wiio has a team of quality control managers who inspect each and every product before it is shipped out. They check for things like manufacturing defects, damaged products, and so on. So, you can be sure that only the best quality products will be shipped to your customers.
5. Automated fulfillment
Fulfilling orders can be a time-consuming and tedious task, especially if you’re selling a lot of products. But with Wiio, you can automate the entire fulfillment process.
Their system is integrated with major shipping carriers like DHL, UPS, and FedEx. So, once an order is placed, their system will automatically generate a shipping label and send it to the respective carrier. The carrier will then pick up the order from Wiio’s warehouse and deliver it to the customer.
This entire process is automated, which means that you don’t have to do anything. Just sit back and relax while Wiio takes care of everything.
6. Customization
If you are looking to build a private label brand, then custom packaging goes a long way in making your brand stand out. Wiio can help you with that as well.
They have a team of designers who can design custom packaging for your products. They offer custom product photography, custom cards and inserts with your customer’s name, and custom logos.
The Benefits of Wiio
As we said, there’s no dearth of competition that offers a similar service. But the way we look at it, here are the top reasons why a business might want to consider Wiio instead.
1. No MOQ
Many startups in the ecommerce space have a low budget. And when you’re starting out, you usually don’t have the luxury of ordering in large quantities.
This is where Wiio’s no MOQ policy comes in handy. Unlike other services that require a minimum order quantity, Wiio doesn’t have any such requirement. So, you can order as little or as much as you want.
Even if you are generating one order a day, or 100, you can still use Wiio to source and ship your products. This is a huge advantage for small businesses and startups.
2. Express shipping to key markets
Customers today expect fast delivery, regardless of where they are shopping from. And if you’re selling to customers in the US or Europe, then you need to be able to deliver your products quickly.
Fortunately, Wiio offers express shipping to key markets like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The shipping time ranges from 7-12 days. But you can always consider stocking inventory in their US warehouse to further reduce the shipping time.
3. Customization
Brands these days need every advantage they can get to stand out from the competition. And one of the best ways to do that is by displaying custom product images, using custom packaging, and so on.
The fact that Wiio has an in-house design team that can help you with all of that is a huge advantage. They will help you design custom packaging, product photography, and more.
4. Trending products
One of the biggest hurdles that inexperienced, and sometimes even experienced, entrepreneurs face is finding the right products to sell. In ecommerce, it’s called the Winning product. Finding a winning product takes a lot of time, effort, and money.
This is where Wiio’s Trending Products feature comes in handy. Wiio has a team of trend analysts who keep track of the latest trends in the market. They also have a database of over 1 million products.
Their Trending products is a list of products that are currently selling well in the market. So, if you’re not sure what to sell, you can simply pick a product from this list and start selling it. There’s no doubt that the competition for these products is high. But if you can find a way to differentiate yourself, then you can still make good money.
5. USA Warehouse
In the cut-throat competitive world of ecommerce, one of the biggest advantages you can have is speed. Customers today expect fast delivery, regardless of where they are shopping from.
If you’re selling to customers in the US, then you need to be able to deliver your products quickly. Fortunately, Wiio has a warehouse in the US that can help you with that.
Stocking inventory in their US warehouse will help you reduce the shipping time for your customers. In some cases, it can even be as little as 2-5 days. What’s more, Wiio also offers free returns for US customers. So, if a customer is not happy with a product, they can simply return it for free.
The Top 5 drawbacks of Wiio
As we mentioned at the onset, services like Wiio often come with certain drawbacks. Here are some of the things that you should keep in mind before signing up for Wiio.
1. No transparency about vendors
Wiio claims that they have a network of over 10,000 vendors. But they don’t provide any information about these vendors.
This lack of transparency is a huge downside, especially for businesses that are new to the ecommerce space. When you’re starting out, you need all the information you can get about your vendors. Otherwise, you risk working with vendors without knowing where your product comes from or the accurate prices.
While the vetting process from Wiio does add an additional layer of protection, it’s still not enough. The fact that they don’t provide any information about their vendors may be a deal breaker for large merchants. For all you know, you could be sourcing products from a supplier and not a manufacturer.
The supplier in turn could be sourcing products from a third party, and so on, which will reflect in the prices.
Sourcingbro’s solution: Complete transparency about vendors
This is one of the core values of Sourcingbro. We believe that our customers have a right to know about the vendors we work with. That’s why we provide complete information about all our vendors, including their contact details, manufacturing capabilities, and more.
What this does is that it gives our customers the peace of mind that they are working with a reliable and reputable vendor. It also allows them to do their own due diligence on the vendor if they want to. Also, we give you the option to source from your own supplier as well.
2. Prices
One of the claims that Wiio makes is that their product prices are cheaper than Aliexpress. Now that’s a bold claim. Aliexpress is this massive marketplace with over 10 million products and suppliers from all over the world.
To say that Wiio can beat Aliexpress on price seems a tad far fetched. Often, such claims are based on a few products which may be priced cheaper on Wiio. But when you compare the overall prices, you’ll find that Aliexpress is still cheaper.
The other thing that you must take into account is the shipping cost. Based on our analysis, Wiio’s shipping prices are often higher than Aliexpress. So, even if the product is priced lower on Wiio, the final price after shipping could be higher than Aliexpress.
Most of the time, Wiio’s shipping price is more than $7, which can really add up, especially if you’re buying multiple products.
Sourcingbro’s solution: Precise shipping costs every time
Sourcingbro provides precise shipping costs for every product, so you know exactly how much you’re going to pay. We do not let fluctuating shipping costs from Chinese logistics companies affect our customers.
Our team constantly stays on top of these changes and updates our system accordingly. This way, you can be sure that the shipping cost we quoted is the one you’re going to pay. No surprises, no hidden costs.
3. No MOQ
What seems like a blessing, can often turn out to be a curse. Wiio does not have any minimum order quantity (MOQ) requirement. This is great if you’re just starting out and want to test the waters with a small order.
But as your business grows, you’ll find that this can be a huge disadvantage. You will be at the mercy of your supplier, who could change the price or delivery timeline at any time.
No MOQ also means that the bulk of Wiio’s customers will be small businesses and not established enterprises. This can be a problem when you’re looking for prompt answers from the customer service team.
They might get inundated with queries and your issue could fall through the cracks.
Sourcingbro’s solution: Low MOQ. One on one attention
Sourcingbro is selective about the businesses we work with. It’s not because we do not want to work with beginners. But because we want to be able to provide the best possible service to all our clients, big or small.
To that end, we have a reasonable minimum order quantity (MOQ). This ensures that we can work with businesses of all sizes and still give them the attention they deserve.
In addition to that, all our clients get one on one attention from a dedicated account manager. This way, you can be sure that your queries will be promptly addressed.
4. Inventory management is not done for you
As your business grows, you will realize that having your own inventory is the best way to maintain consistency in order fulfillment, but inventory management is the trickiest part of the whole operation. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially if you’re working with multiple suppliers.
While Wiio does claim to have an inventory management system, it is not as robust as some of the other options out there. This means, that the onus to keep track of your inventory is on you.
You will have to manually keep track of what’s in stock, what needs to be reordered and when. This can quickly become a full-time job, taking away valuable time that could be spent on other aspects of the business.
Sourcingbro’s solution: Done for you inventory management
At Sourcingbro, we have a team of experienced professionals who will take care of your inventory for you. We will track what’s in stock, what needs to be reordered and when.
This way, you can be sure that you always have the products you need, when you need them. In addition to that, we have backup suppliers ready to jump in, in case of any delays. This gives you the peace of mind during peak sales seasons, when manufacturers are often backlogged.
5. Pay upfront
Just like most other Chinese suppliers, Wiio requires you to pay upfront for your order. This means every time you generate a sale, you have to pay Wiio before the order is fulfilled.
This can affect your cash flow, particularly if you have a small business. You see, your payment processor might take a few days to release the funds to you.
But Wiio will not start working on your order until they have received the payment. Small businesses require a smooth cash flow in order to function properly.
Sourcingbro’s solution: Flexible payment terms
At Sourcingbro, we understand that not all businesses have the same cash flow. This is why we offer flexible payment terms.
You do not need to pay us every day. Instead, we have weekly payment options available. This way, you can better manage your cash flow and keep your business running smoothly.
The Bottom Line
Wiio is one of the many Chinese dropshipping suppliers that you will come across when sourcing products. They have some advantages, such as no minimum order quantity and a wide range of products.
But they also have some disadvantages, such as poor customer service and a lack of inventory management.
At the end of the day, you need to weigh the pros and cons and decide if Wiio is the right supplier for your business. If you’re looking for an alternative to Wiio, then we suggest you check out Sourcingbro. We offer low MOQs, one on one attention and flexible payment terms.
Most importantly, we have a team of experienced professionals who can take care of your inventory for you. This way, you can focus on other aspects of your business and leave the sourcing to us.