When “Move Fast and Break Things” Doesn’t Work
Let’s be honest: most approval processes are broken. Someone emails a spreadsheet. Three managers reply-all with conflicting feedback. A product launch gets delayed because Karen from Finance missed the memo. For e-commerce teams using tools like Dropship Spy to track trending products, these bottlenecks aren’t just annoying – they’re revenue killers.
That’s why pairing ApproveThis (approval workflows that don’t suck) with Dropship Spy (your product research sidekick) is like giving your team a caffeine shot. You keep the pace of a scrappy startup without the chaos. Let’s break down why this combo works and how to set it up before your competitors do.
Why This Integration Isn’t Just Another Zap
Dropship Spy helps you find winning products. ApproveThis makes sure you don’t fumble them. Together, they automate the gap between “This product could trend!” and “Let’s launch this thing.”
Here’s the deal: When you add a new product in Dropship Spy, ApproveThis can automatically kick off tailored approval chains. No more herding stakeholders across Slack, email, or carrier pigeon. Finance reviews margins. Legal checks trademarks. Your warehouse lead confirms stock capacity. All before you commit to inventory.
And here’s the kicker: approvers don’t need a Dropship Spy license. Just send them an email or Slack message via ApproveThis. Useful when working with freelancers, suppliers, or that one contractor who still uses AOL.
Real-World Use Cases That Don’t Involve Pizza Budgets
Scenario 1: The Speedrun Playbook
Imagine you’re a mid-sized beauty brand. Your Dropship Spy alert finds a viral TikTok skincare tool. Normally, you’d need:
- Product team approval (is it on-brand?)
- Finance review (does the margin clear 60%?)
- Legal sign-off (any patent risks?)
With ApproveThis + Dropship Spy? The moment you save the product, Zapier triggers a parallel approval workflow. Each department gets role-specific data:
- Finance sees cost breakdowns + profit calculations
- Legal gets supplier contracts + IP history
- Ops reviews shipping timelines
Decisions happen in hours, not weeks. You beat competitors to the trend.
Scenario 2: The “Oops, We Scaled” Fix
Your 100-person startup just hit 500 employees. Suddenly, every product request dies in a “Who needs to approve this?” loop. ApproveThis adds guardrails:
Example: For products under $5K, auto-approve after one yes from the category manager. Over $5K? Require sequential approvals from Finance → Legal → CEO. Dropship Spy data (like predicted sales volume) can even adjust these thresholds automatically.
Features Your Team Will Actually Use
ApproveThis isn’t just about routing forms. These features matter for e-commerce:
Approval Thresholds: Auto-approve low-risk products (e.g., replenishing a bestseller) but escalate trending items with slim margins. Uses Dropship Spy’s demand forecasts to make smart calls.
Calculated Fields: Show real-time profit estimates in approval requests by pulling Dropship Spy’s supplier costs + your markup rules. No more back-and-forth about “Did you include tariffs?”
Vacation Delegation: Supplier in Bali for a month? Approval authority temporarily shifts to their deputy. No bottlenecks.
Setup: Less Time Than a Teams Meeting
1. Connect Zapier: If you’re new to Zapier, here’s their guide. (It’s easier than setting up a Shopify store.)
2. Choose Your Trigger: Pick “New Product in Dropship Spy.” This starts the automation whenever you add a product.
3. Map Critical Data: Pull Dropship Spy fields like supplier cost, MOQ, and trend score into ApproveThis. Pro tip: Add a link to the Dropship Spy product page in the approval request.
4. Set Approval Rules: Assign approvers based on product type or cost. Use ApproveThis’ conditional logic – like requiring CEO review for products over $50K.
5. Test With a Real Product: Add a test item in Dropship Spy. Confirm approvals route correctly. Celebrate with coffee.
Who Benefits? (Spoiler: Everyone)
Product Teams: Kill Bad Ideas Faster
No more wasting cycles on products that’ll get vetoed by Legal later. Set rules to auto-reject items with trademark risks or unsustainable margins.
Finance: Guardrails Without Micromanaging
Get alerts only when products exceed budget thresholds. ApproveThis can even auto-deny items that don’t meet ROI goals using Dropship Spy’s data.
Ops: Stop Playing Detective
When ApproveThis greenlights a product, automatically send pre-filled PO forms to your ERP. No manual data entry. Fewer errors.
The Bottom Line
Dropship Spy finds opportunities. ApproveThis ensures you capitalize on them without reckless haste. For teams between 50–5000 people, this isn’t about bureaucracy – it’s about moving faster safely.
Ready to stop losing trends to approval chaos? Book a demo or start a free trial. (Your future self, relaxing on a beach thanks to hitting Q4 goals, will thank you.)
More Ecommerce integrations you might like
-
Cardivo
Published: March 10, 2025Cardivo lets you offer custom digital gift cards to customers easily with no code. It automates the entire process from purchase to redemption.
-
BaseLinker
Published: March 10, 2025BaseLinker is a cloud-based system integrating 1000+ marketplaces, stores, carriers, accounting and many more. Handle orders 10x faster!
-
ChannelDock
Published: March 10, 2025Automate your inventory and order process with ChannelDock; you'll make not only yourself, but also your customers happy.
You'll ❤️ these other ApproveThis integrations
-
SphereMail
Published: March 10, 2025SphereMail's is a virtual office platform that makes it easier for mail administrators and customers to access, view and manage mail online or from a mobile device.
-
karmaCRM
Published: March 10, 2025KarmaCRM is a simple CRM that helps you nurture personalized relationships at scale by connecting your email, calendar and team to bring all your data into a single place.
-
Formbricks
Published: March 10, 2025Formbricks is an open-source survey platform to gather insights at any point in the user journey.