Dropshipping is probably one of the most powerful practices available to budding online entrepreneurs.
Selling anything online involved a lot of prerequisites. Creating an ecommerce website or app was not the end of the road. Other dynamics like inventory, order tracking, and customer service took a lot of resources off the bat.
Dropshipping eliminated these concerns, atleast for beginners. Entrepreneurs and small companies can now sell products in any part of the world using dropshipping. They don’t even have to worry about problems like inventory and product storage. Their entire focus can be on accumulating orders and passing them down to the suppliers.
A basic overview of dropshipping
A dropshipping business essentially rakes in orders from customers through a website or another platform. It then passes down the order information to the supplier. The supplier is then in charge of delivering the product to the customer.
The main advantage here is the seller relieving the task of manufacturing, inventory, and delivery to the supplier. The only thing you need to think about while running a dropshipping business is growing sales.
There are many little details that can go wrong during a typical dropshipping process. We cover five valuable tips that help entrepreneurs set their business on the right track.
#1 – Your dropshipping business should not appear like a dropshipping business
Confused?
Dropshipping is essentially reselling products to customers at a mark-up price. You’re not really manufacturing the products in-house.
Do your customers need to know this? No. Customers prefer to buy products directly from sellers instead of dealing with a middle man. You need to thus create the impression that you are not a middle man, but the real manufacturer.
How do you make your customers believe you’re not a dropshipping business?
This is where the overall quality of your online store comes into the picture. The following points can help your website look like a legitimate business and not a dropshipping store.
- Use high quality images. Most online purchases driven by Facebook CBO campaigns are driven by consumer instinct. A prospect won’t generally read every line of your product description. The purchase will most likely be driven by the quality of your image. The best option is to take the image the supplier is using. These images are generally 3D rendered and appear much more appealing than normal photographs.
- Make sure the products in your store belong to the same niche. Customers will doubt your credentials if you sell products that do not match a specific niche. For instance, let’s assume you’re selling protective cases for Amazon Kindle devices. If you’re also selling antique door handles on the same store, customers will guess your dropshipping background.
- Do some level of branding. Dropshippers don’t generally focus too much on growing their brand and instead push their investments into ad campaigns. Branding can help set your online store apart and give it a unique place in the market. It can also allay fears customers might have about the real manufacturer of the products in the store.
#2 – Choose a CMS you’re familiar with
Generally, a website is the best way to sell products. While you also have the option of using a mobile app builder to go from WooCommerce to Android mobile app, it’s best to first start selling with a website.
Which CMS should you use to start a dropshipping website?
There are three options that generally come to mind – Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento.
Shopify is the most popular option because it has a small learning curve and is essentially a plug-and-play solution. It also works well if you plan on scaling your dropshipping business.
WooCommerce requires a slightly steeper learning curve. Users have to become familiar with both WordPress and WooCommerce. Despite the additional learning barrier, WooCommerce offers way more customization features. WordPress is also very conducive to businesses looking to scale.
Also read: WooCommerce vs Shopify: Discover the pros & cons of the choicest eCommerce platforms
Magento is a very popular ecommerce CMS, but it requires some level of programming knowledge.
All these three CMS options offer a path to establish a successful dropshipping business. You must choose the option that suits your situation. If you’re already familiar with WordPress, WooCommerce is an extremely viable option. Without knowledge of programming or WordPress, Shopify offers the best way forward.
Make sure the choice you make ultimately causes the least hassle to your dropshipping business.
Also read: Top five eCommerce platforms to start your online business with
#3 – Focus on customer service to ensure longevity
Many entrepreneurs don’t start a dropshipping business with a goal to take it beyond one year. They simply extract as many profits they can from a website before moving on to another product.
This style of functioning is not entirely wrong. It also doesn’t tie entrepreneurs down to a product or brand for a long period of time.
However, if you plan on dropshipping the same range of products for the next five or ten years, create a customer service infrastructure.
Sales alone will not ensure the longevity of your dropshipping business. You need to keep customers happy and stay ahead of competitors. A solid customer service infrastructure can ensure your brand doesn’t get tarnished because of some disgruntled customers.
#4 – The product matters
Most dropshipping entrepreneurs would attest to the importance of the right product. You can pump as much money as you want in Facebook ads, but if the product isn’t right, you won’t turn a profit.
What is the right product? The first thing you need to know is where you’ll sell your products. Generally, dropshippers rely on Facebook ads to get going.
What types of products are ideal for Facebook? Let’s take two products and discuss their viability for Facebook. The products are door handles and Amazon Kindle cases.
When is someone likely to buy a door handle? Such a purchase generally happens when an existing door handle stops working. It is not exactly an instinctive purchase. Most people in the world have doors and could use the door handles you’re selling. How many of them would simply see your door handle and make an instinctive purchase?
Probably not many.
Now let’s discuss Kindle cases. You’re selling the product to people who have a Kindle device. Buying a Kindle case is based less on the need for one and more on the design of the case. A good design can attract a prospective customer more easily compared to the previous option
Thus, the product you choose should match the platform. If you plan on using SEO traffic to dropship products, selling door handles does make sense. However, Facebook is probably not the right platform for such a product.
The success of your product choice is closely linked to the platform you choose.
#5 – Work on a mobile strategy
The ultimate branding solution for a dropshipping business is to launch a mobile app. Nothing else screams longevity and trust more than an app. After all, nobody brings an app to market if they’re only in it for the short term.
Also read: Benefits of converting your eCommerce store into an m-Commerce application
Creating a mobile app is the only challenge here. If you choose WooCommerce to run your dropshipping business, creating a mobile app is much easier. You only need to convert WordPress to mobile app using a reliable online app maker. AppMySite is an example of the same.
In conclusion
Dropshipping has grown into an ideal practice for entrepreneurs to learn the craft of selling products. This piece provides valuable tips for dropshipping entrepreneurs to put into use and create a successful business. These are not the some total of all the positive things an entrepreneur can do. Yet, putting the above lessons into practice can skyrocket the growth of any given dropshipping business.
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