Start Your Successful Drop Shipping Business in 6 Simple Steps
Since you are reading this, you already know that Dropshipping is an extremely popular and successful business model for new entrepreneurs, especially if you have limited funds.
How does Dropshipping work?
It is simple, really. You have an e-commerce website where you showcase third-party products for your niche. You can be a registered dropshipper with the third-party manufacturer or supplier. Customers buy on your website but the order is fulfilled by the third-party. In other words, you do not have to manufacture or stock inventory. This cuts operational costs and leaves you free to focus on customer acquisition.
In a dropshipping business, you are responsible for creating your own website and brand, as well as choose and market the products you want to sell.
The following 6 steps will help you set up and run a successful Dropshipping business on a limited budget.
Choose a niche
You must select a specific product niche and cater to a particular target customer, not to mention you should be genuinely interested in it. Things to remember while selecting your niche:
- Select a niche with higher margins – In a dropshipping business, your focus is on acquiring customers, in other words, you are putting in the same effort to sell something whether its retail price is $20 item or $200. So, pick a product range where you can make more money.
- Check shipping costs – Although your supplier or manufacturer will fulfil orders and ship them to the end customer, high shipping costs can push customers away. Offering free shipping to your customers can help you attract more sales.
- Your product must appeal to buyers who have the financial ability to make a buying decision on the spot.
- Pick products that potential customers are already searching for. You can use Google’s Keyword Planner and trends to check common search terms related to your potential niche.
- Build your own brand – Your dropshipping business will be more valuable if you can rebrand the products you are selling. Find out products you can white label and sell with your custom packaging and branding.
Research competition
As a dropshipping business, you will be competing with other dropshipping businesses as well as big retailers. Research how they are selling similar products. That will help you mark up your products and evaluate customer acquisition strategies.
Don’t try to pick a product that has little to no competition. That may be a sign there isn’t demand for that particular product, the shipping costs are too high, or poor profit margins.
Find a dropshipping supplier
Most dropshipping suppliers are overseas and you need a reliable one. Ensure that you can communicate well, and their turnaround time is low. Alibaba and AliExpress are some of the largest online databases of potential manufacturers and suppliers.
Build your dropshipping -commerce website
One of the most important steps in building your dropshipping business is to have a custom e-commerce website that can support your business now and later when you scale up.
There are many template-based platforms available but the problem with them is they will make you a cookie cutter website that will not be search engine friendly. Such platforms often keep increasing their fee gradually or you have to pay additionally for every feature you add. This means that despite spending time and money in making your website, it will not be easily visible to your target audience, which means your products will not sell as much and as fast as you want them to. In addition, it will be quite difficult for you to move your website to another platform, if you want to do so in the future.
On the other hand, a custom website may seem a little more expensive upfront but is a one-time expense with no hidden costs. However, you own your custom website, and it can be scaled up easily, as business grows. Another huge advantage with a custom dropshipping website is that it is unique and search engines love custom websites. As a result, you are likely to rank higher, SEO is easier and you are more easily visible to potential customers. In other words, more sales and higher profits.
The fastest way to build a successful dropshipping business is to have a custom e-commerce website built by experts who know what they’re doing, such as Ogrelogic solutions, who have been creating custom e-commerce websites for more than 6 years. Ask for a free consultation and the technical team will help you create a custom, e-commerce dropshipping website to suit your budget.
Create a customer acquisition plan
Once you have a great website and products, you need to attract potential customers. This can be effectively achieved with social media marketing, including ad campaigns.
This strategy allows you to generate sales and revenue right from the start, which can contribute to quick scaling. Social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, allow you to place your offer directly in front of a highly targeted audience, allowing you to compete with the largest retailers.
In the long term, Search Engine Optimization and email marketing is important. Collect emails and set up automated email sequences to offer special offers. This can help you generate revenue with your existing customer base, without additional ad spend.
Learn, Learn, Learn
Track and analyze all metrics available for your dropshipping business. Use tools, such as Google Analytics and Facebook pixel data, and track every single conversion. There is no standard advertising or marketing solution. Keep testing new opportunities, tweaking current campaigns, and optimizing campaigns.
If you need help building your Dropshipping business e commerce website, consult the technical team at Ogrelogic Solutions or call +1 (512) 861-8471 for a FREE CONSULTATION. With more than 500 satisfied clients, Ogrelogic is a team of dedicated developers, designers, quality experts, marketers and project managers that work on all the latest technology platforms and help you build a business from the start.