Easy Steps On How To Become A Successful Dropshipper
When you hear the word dropshipper, it can mean one of two things. One is a dropshipping supplier, and the other is the one running a dropshipping store. Here today, we will talk about running a dropshipping store. We here at Dropsip USA work with plenty of dropshipping entrepreneurs who wants to make a name for themselves in the e-commerce sector. Our job is to work with them and help them create a platform that is geared towards sustainability.
In our line of work, one of the most common questions we come across is “how to become a successful dropshipper?” Well, that’s what we will talk about here. In the following passages, we will list out some easy steps you can learn to become a dropshipper. Hopefully, by the end, you will know all there is to know on how to become a successful dropshipper. So without further delay, let’s begin.
Why Start A Dropshipping Business?
Before we get into discussing the steps to becoming a successful dropshipper, we thought you should know about it. Now, traditionally when setting up an e-commerce store, you will need to buy products in bulk before offering them to customers. However, with dropshipping, you only purchase the products after the customer has placed the order with you. Then the supplier ships the order to the customer from their end. That means you don’t need to manage or stock inventory, and you won’t have to worry about shipping as well.
All you need to do is promote the products and offer excellent customer service, and you are well on your way to become a successful dropshipper. Another great reason to learn to become a dropshipper is that it requires very little investment. You don’t need a huge start-up budget to get into dropshipping, and you can start with a few hundred dollars. Finally, one of the reasons why dropshipping is so popular is because the risk involved in the business is very low.
Traditionally, gauging the demand for products is always challenging, and if you order something from a supplier only to find out no one’s buying the product can mean utter disaster. However, you bypass all this with drop shipping, and you only buy the products when you have an order. So now that you know why you should start a dropshipping business, you may want to know about the steps to become a dropshipper, and that’s what we will talk about in the following passages. So without further delay, let’s begin!
Finding Your Niche
Finding your niche is the first step to become a dropshipper, and make sure you put in some time and effort when finalizing your niche. Remember that the niche you choose should be promising, interesting to you, not too broad nor too narrow, should be popular enough but not over-competitive. To find the niche you should focus on, and you can start brainstorming, checking out web and social media surfing, visiting popular online retail platforms. You can even take inspiration from your hobbies and interests. Along with that, you can even use online tools like Google Trends and various other keyword research tools to come with your niche.
Remember, you have to make sure you have the product in ample quantity. Check if it is available on AliExpress or not. For specific niches, only getting 50 items in your catalog will do the job. However, if you are looking to sell clothes or something along these lines, then you will need plenty more products. Shipping costs can be a turnoff for your consumers. So make sure when choosing a supplier you choose one that offers low shipping costs.
When selecting your niche, you should look for products that aren’t available locally but aren’t seasonal products as well. You cannot build a business based solely on seasonal goods because that would mean you wouldn’t be able to sell anything for most of the time. Checking out Google Trends is another thing that can help you find the right niche. It shows you everything from how the demand for a particular product or product type behaves and how it goes up and down over time. When it comes to online businesses, SEO or search engine optimization is vital.
You will need to choose and integrate keywords that have 5,000 to 50,000 searches to ensure optimum results. Another critical component to knowing you have the right niche is looking at whether or not the niche is popular on social media. If you find that your niche has at least ten groups with thirty thousand or more followers on Facebook and Instagram, that means it has marketing potential. You should also look at e-commerce trends to look for a viable nice. You can check out our article on e-commerce trends of 2021 for information.
Finding The Right Suppliers
Once you have the niche you want to focus on, the next step is finding suitable dropshipping suppliers that are reliable and ensure quality. There are plenty of platforms like Salehoo and AliExpress that house thousands of suppliers, but it might be a bit hard to find the right ones amongst thousands of suppliers. So to find suitable suppliers, you need to start by searching for popular products. For example, if you are using AliExpress, then look for popular items, utilize the filters, and click on ‘Free shipping’ and ‘4* & up’ to sort the results by the number of orders. Once you do that, your search results will showcase products with the highest number of orders.
The idea behind this is that if the supplier weren’t reliable, there wouldn’t be many orders. But it would be best if you didn’t go by this alone. You should also check the stats of the supplier. Click on the popular product you want to sell and take a look at the top left corner. There you will find some valuable information about the seller, such as the percentage of positive feedback, how long they have been operating, how many followers they have, and other information that will help you make the right decision. Remember to check the customer reviews as well when looking for suppliers.
Go through the comments religiously to find out what kinds of problems other buyers faced with the supplier. Look out for factors like the quality of the goods, communication level, shipping delays, and other essential elements that might hamper your order fulfillment flow. You should also go through the photos posted by other customers to check the quality of the product and see if the quality matches what the seller claims. Once you do that, you will be able to find suitable suppliers for your dropshipping operation. Remember that this is a cornerstone step to become a successful dropshipper. So put your best effort into it.
Defining Your Target Audience
If you ask any dropshipping expert how to become a successful dropshipper, they will tell you that you need to know who will buy what you are selling. That’s why advertising and promotion are a massive part of the process. If you want to learn how to become a dropshipper, then you must know who is interested in buying your products, i.e., defining your target audience. You will have a much better chance of converting them into actual customers if you know what they like and what they need. Once you have the answers to the following questions, you will be able to define your audience better:
- Who Are The Customers?
- What Do They Need?
- How Much Money Do They Spend
So let’s start with the first question on this step to become a dropshipper and then work our way down. “Who are the customers?” Well, you can use Google Trends to find that out. Make a customer profile on the tool to create an average client profile. There you will find a host of important information about your potential customers: region, language, age, gender, marital status, and other social and cultural indicators. You have to make sure you understand them.
Find out what matters to them, where you can meet them, which social media platforms they use the most, and their online habits. All this will help you address customer pain points now and in the future. The next question you need to answer is “what do they need?” Well, this is a relatively simple step. As a dropshipper, you need to make sure you always know what your customer’s problems are. Your job is to find out their demands and then work to meet them. Go on a deep dive to find what are they looking for? And how can your offer help them?
Now, we come to the final question that will help you define your target audience, and that’s “how much do they spend?” If your customers don’t spend on your store, then you will see no profit now, will you? That’s why the financial reliability of your customers plays a vital role in defining your audience and overall success. Find out whether or not they will be able to make impulsive buys, and make sure you don’t target too young of an audience as they aren’t usually able to pay much.
Once you have answers to all these questions, you will be able to attract your audience’s attention more efficiently and choose the right tone of communication. Remember that talking to your customers in their own language is the cornerstone of effective promotion and is something that lets you increase customers’ loyalty in the future, so now that you know how to define your audience. So now that you know how to define your audience let’s move on to the final step. And that’s how to become a successful dropshipper, and that’s getting your online store.
Getting An Online Dropshipping Store
By now, you already know that dropshipping doesn’t require much. You can sell your product through multiple channels and generate revenue. You can use a social network account, or a blog, or an online auction, or some other method. But if you want to become a successful dropshipper, then the best thing you can do is get a website and create your online store. First off, having your own store gives you independence.
You won’t need to follow someone else’s rules and policies. You won’t lose your store if the account is banned, and no one can suspend you. Unless obviously if your store sells something illegal. Also, a specialized site works wonders for your bottom line as it shows your business is trustworthy and inspires greater confidence. Add to that the fact that you will be able to customize and promote your products the way you want to.
Remember, it’s easier to promote a standalone website and optimize it for search engines. Another thing you need to remember is that your store is online real estate. If you’ve cultivated the store and grew it into a successful operation, then you will be able to sell the store for quite a large sum of money and move on to newer and better things.
Work With The Right Dropshipping Website Developers
So there you go, those are the easy steps to becoming a successful dropshipper. Hopefully, by now, you’ve learned how to become one and be good at it as well. Remember, nothing will happen unless you take the first step, and it’s all about trial and error. So make sure you follow these steps and keep grinding and learning how to become a successful dropshipper. Now, to make your dropshipping dreams come true and make your life easier, you will need a highly optimized website to be your store, and that’s where Dropship USA can help you out.
Our years of experience working with dropshippers have given us a unique insight into creating efficient and impactful websites geared towards generating sustainable growth. So if you have any questions regarding dropshipping websites or drop shipping in general, then please feel free to get in touch with us. You can also drop your questions in the comments below or hit us up on our socials, and we will answer them all for you. And with that being said, that’s about all we have for you today. We will come back with something new for you soon. Until then, see ya!
Originally posted in: https://dropshipusa.io/blogs/news/easy-steps-on-how-to-become-a-successful-dropshipper
