If now that it is January you are looking for a new direction for your business, there may be no better option for you to try than dropshipping. This type of business is one which has become incredibly popular in recent years and it sees you acting as a middle man between the product and the consumer. It’s a business which can be fun solely online and this makes it super accessible for many different people around the world. If you fancy trying your hand at a dropshipping business this year; here are some tips for you.
1. Sell Products You Like
With any business, it is important that you have a genuine interest in what you are doing in order for it to work and thrive. This is no different when it comes to dropshipping and you will want to make sure that you are selling products which you have an interest in in real life. If you try to sell something you have no idea or no interest in this can be a big task and you may struggle when it comes to the marketing aspect of the business.
2. Choose Something People Are Passionate About
When you begin your dropshipping business the main decision you need to make is whether or not you will be selling this or that product. When choosing a product to sell you can also think about the kind of passion it has behind it. For example vegan beauty products may hold more weight than regular ones because a lot of people are passionate about animals. Yoga will be more interesting than furniture because yoga is something people have a passion for.
3. Choose Light And Hardy
It might not occur to you at first with your products, but it is always worth thinking about the durability and size of what you are selling. Bear in mind that you will need to be paying for the shipping of items and therefore if they are big and bulky it will cost a lot more to you. Also, fragile items might break in transit and this can lead to you having to give a lot of refunds. It is much easier to choose a small durable product for your business and you can simply keep on selling these and shopping them without any major issues.
4. Dropshipping Platforms
When it comes to dropshipping there will be a few big names out there which you may immediately gravitate towards when opening up your business, however you will also want to look for the more obscure platforms which can actually handle your orders much quicker and more efficiently. For example AliExpress is a platform for dropshipping which is super efficient because it shares the same vendors as eBay. It works incredibly fast for orders so that it isn’t penalised by eBay and this can make it a wonderful choice for your customers.
5. Use Oberlo
On the other hand, there are some of the big names which are too good to miss, and one of these sites has to be Oberlo. This is an incredibly good site for starting a dropshipping business and it allows you to customise your online store and make it ideal for your niche and your market. As soon as you see a product you like and want to sell you can add it too your store without handling it and it will allow you to start selling right away.
6. Build a Strong Brand
Just like any other business and brand you may want to create, you will need to think about the marketing of your shop immediately and make sure that you take the time to really get your marketing strategy right. The best thing you can do if you want to become a successful dropshipper is to stick to one niche and bu of a strong rand around this niche. When you have access to a whole range of products it can be tempting to sell lots of different ones, but in terms of branding this can be confusing to your customers and it will make it harder for you to reach the audience you want to reach. Make sure to market your niche consistently and always engage with your customers online.
7. Get a Shipping Partner
Now that you have your products and you have a shop set up for the business, it is time to think about getting interstate transport and international transport for the business. It is always important to choose a shipping company carefully and in a smart way because they will determine how quick your product arrive with your customers and this can effect the reputation of the business. ShipBob for example doesn’t charge you for packaging or warehousing so this can be a good option for you when starting out. Make sure when speaking to a transport company that you try to negotiate because often you can get money off if you try.
8. Present Your Products Right
Another thing which is super important when you open up a dropshipping store is that you don’t just use the generic descriptions for products and boring photos for the store. It is important to remember that everyone else who is selling the same products as you will have access to the same materials and images, and you don’t want to blend into the crowd. This will be a time consuming job but it is a good idea to send yourself one of each of your products and take photographs of them in a professional and fun way which will allow your online store to look better. The same goes with product descriptions and you will do well to remember that you should use SEO keywords to your advantage as well.
9. Choose a Good Retailer
As the supplier of the products you may want to make sure you have a good relationship with a retailer who will present your products and sell them on to people all over the world. It is important when looking for a retailer that you pick one in the right niche, one which you can trust and also one which is well known by people because this will make it easy to sell. You’ll constantly be exchanging information back and forth with your retailer so be sure you find a contact who you can get along with and talk to without issues.
10. Attend Events
One of the things which will always do you some good when starting a business is to think about attending educational events. There are always ecommerce events around and about and this can be the ideal opportunity for you to learn a little more about your craft and how to really sell successfully to your customers. Make sure that you consider also networking with other people around you as this will allow you to gain tips from real people as well as make some connections should you ever need to collaborate on a project in the future.
11. Be Clever With Pricing
The way you present your products on your website will have a big impact on how people perceive your business and whether they will stay to browse and possibly buy something from you. Think about bringing featured products to the forefront of your site, show discounted prices and think about promotions which will draw people in. You can also be clever about this and compare your price with another retailer and this can be a clever tactic to make people stay on your website to browse further.
12. Sell What You Know
Just as it is important for you to sell products which you have a genuine interest in, it is important to sell products which you know and can really speak about. If you have come from a relatively beauty orientated background you won’t want to be selling tools and car parts, and visa versa. Make sure you pick a set of products which you know about and which you can talk extensively about if you ever need to. This will hugely aid your marketing strategy and it can make a big impact on your business.
13. Get a Sample
Before you even think about selling a product online under your own brand, you need to make sure that the product is to be trusted and that it is a good quality item. When you are narrowing down your search make sure to ask for a sample of the product so that you have the chance to see it and inspect it first hand. This can make a big difference to your business because you will be able to say truthfully that your products are the best ones. It will stop complaints from customers and this will make your life much easier.
14. Go Automated
Managing your dropshipping business effectively will likely be hard work because most of the time you will be working with more than one retailer at any one time and this will become harder to track as you get more successful. An automated system which helps collect and sort data can be a handy tool and one which you should certainly consider when it comes to setting up your new business.
15. Plan for Issues
No matter how amazing your business is and how flawlessly you manage to set things up; there will always be risk. Be sure that you plan for things like broken items, refunds and returns and create a policy which works for you.
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