Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn't keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. This eliminates the need for inventory management, warehousing, and upfront product purchases, making it a low-risk e-commerce model.
Developers should learn about dropshipping when building or maintaining e-commerce platforms, as it requires specific technical implementations like API integrations with suppliers, automated order processing, and inventory synchronization. It's particularly useful for entrepreneurs starting online stores with minimal capital, businesses testing new products, or developers creating scalable e-commerce solutions that handle multiple suppliers.