Social media accounts have been going on and about ‘dropshipping’ for a long time now. With thousands of videos explaining what this term really is, there is barely any available guide to help readers in understanding the depths of requirements for beginning a dropshipping business. From setting your online store to finding the right supplier, there is a world of processes that needs to be understood for running a successful dropshipping business.
In this article, you will see a broad spectrum of topics ranging from the meaning of the term to the special tips for running the business. By providing the tools of information, it will help you in planning the perfect strategy for your business.
Table of Contents
What is Dropshipping?
The process of supplying the purchased products to the consumer is termed as dropshipping. Instead of directly manufacturing the goods or selling them in a physical store with inventory, you can reduce your cost of starting a business with dropshipping. The framework of this business is easy to create, execute, and manage.
If we try explaining this by an example, a supplier builds contact with a drop shipper. Now a drop shipper has his own website that sells goods from different brands. A drop shipper doesn’t need to work with one particular retailer. When a customer places an order on the drop shipper’s website, manually or automatically the supplier receives the details of the order. This order is then forwarded to the drop shipper who packs and ships the order to the consumer’s place.
Who can dropship?
Many businesses are now beginning to dropship because of the ease of operation of their business model. Without the compulsion of having a physical store, all you need is a strong internet connection and a laptop to manage the orders. Even the physical owners of stores are adopting this model to test the demand for certain types of products. The attractiveness of this business structure can pull many types of entrepreneurs to itself, but can anyone start a dropshipping business?
For individuals who aim at getting big profit margins, instead of connecting with the supplier, they should connect directly with the manufacturers of the products. But usually, manufacturers never associate with drop shippers because of the volatility of this business field. You can always choose to shift your focus and start another business if dropshipping doesn’t appeal to you.
This brings us down to the conclusion of this section. Businessmen who are trying to test new products, try new ways of earning money while on a strict budget, sell multiple types of products without committing to one brand, or beginning to step in the world of business, are the right people to start with a dropshipping business.
Is Dropshipping a profitable business?
Dropshipping business can be a learning step for individuals who are trying to understand the world of business. If you’re speaking of it as a long time goal, it isn’t possible to gain much profit from this business model when compared to the actual manufacturing of the products. Learning the industry’s environment and demands of the consumers becomes easy with this low investment and low-risk model.
Points to consider before choosing dropshipping products
- Profit margin: Do you wish to sell low-profit items in bulk or high-profit products in the minority?
- Shipping Details: Are your products bulky? Do they require big packages which increase your delivery charge?
- Brand: Are you selling one brand of product or multiple brands of multiple products?
- Related items: Do you plan on selling just the main item or the items associated with it too?
Mistakes many people make
- Expecting a huge profit margin from dropshipping
- Selling items without considering the consumer demands
- Not learning about the online tools that help to study the audience
- Illegally selling true copies of original brands
- Not investing enough time researching the latest trends of products
Online tools for drop shippers
- Shopmaster
- Google Trends
- Google Adwords
- Mail Chimp
- Google Sheets
- DSM Tool
- HotOzCoupons
- SEMRush
- Live Chat Inc
- Woocommerce
- ZenDesk
How do you find the right dropshipping supplier?
After working on the main details concerning your target audience and their needs, it’s time to find the right supplier. Your supplier is the soul of the dropshipping business. Customer satisfaction comprises 3 major factors – timely delivery, high-quality products, and receiving the right product. The supplier is solely responsible for all these factors.
Directly, the consumers cannot approach your supplier, so if anything goes wrong in this process, you are the face of your business who will face the blow of unsatisfied customers.
To avoid these complications, the listed points will help you in choosing the right dropshipping supplier. You can also take a YouTube dropshipping course to learn better about this process.
- Learn about the experience and qualifications of your supplier
- Research the satisfaction rate of the supplier. Consider the punctuality and quality of the products delivered.
- Choose a drop shipper who is well-versed with the technical aspect of this business viz receiving the orders and facilitating their delivery to you with the help of a computer.
Starting a dropshipping business is easy if you’ve got the basics covered. It may take time to set up initially, but running the business is extremely easy once the structure is regularized.
