How To Start a Dropshipping Business In 6 Simple Steps?

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May 16, 2024

Overview

This is one of the began-with-ease businesses that one could think of, and how great an avenue it is for one with very low capital. Best of all, with zero money required upfront. Besides the yearning to learn this kind of business, all you require are simple supplies. Read on to unravel 6 steps to start your own dropshipping business!

Find Products to Sell in your Ecommerce Dropshipping

First off, when getting started in eCommerce, what one wants to do is find that winning product. What your business needs at the center is something people either want or need; it can’t be old. You can get started on this by finding similar businesses within your niche and see what exactly they are offering and for how much. Now, once you have some products lined up that interest you, log in to Alibaba to compare the prices, seeing who has those items at competitive price tags.

Listed below are a few tips on how to find winning products:

Research similar businesses in your niche
Look up prices on Alibaba
Find suppliers with competitive price tags

Some popular winning products for 2023 are:

LED submersible lights
Polar star floor lamp
Wireless phone chargers
Phone lenses
Couch/sofa guard
Portable blender
Travel backpack
Waterproof shoe cover
Magnetic Moon levitating Lamp

You can also check this video on: How to Find a $1M Dropshipping Product In 10 Minutes (Product Research) for Your Shopify Store.

Research Suppliers

Now that you have a product in mind, it is time to do your homework on your supplier. You want to know exactly who the business is that you are going to deal with and the general word about them within your dropshipping community. You can begin your search by reading up on some reviews of exactly what they offer, how long they have been in business, and most importantly, how their service has generally been thus far.

The following are a couple of the popular suppliers in the UK:

Here are a couple of popular suppliers in the UK:

Avasam: An internet-based wholesale and drop-shipping company located in London, UK. That is, it offers a great array of new and second-hand done in a very fast way within very good customer support services.
Syncee: This is a B2B online shopping mall, supplying most businesses around the globe with a wide array of products. You get full information on all your suppliers with Syncee: contacts, email address, phone numbers, trade experience, and so on.
CJ Dropshipping: is a company focused on dropshipping, providing its customers with products of all sorts from across the globe. The platform boasts quick and fast delivery and the most competitive wholesale prices, the lowest MOQ, no minimum order fee, a 24/7 support service, and a 1-month replacement warranty.
Salehoo: is a Wholesale Directory providing over 1,600,000 products across the world.

While choosing a supplier, consider the following factors:

Quality: Choose a supplier who would provide you with quality which you wish to be associated with your company.
Reliability: Check whether the supplier is reputable and has reliable service.
Prices: Obtain quotes from several vendors and compare in order to find the best quote.

Set Up Your Web Store

Since you have a product and supplier, it is time to set up your online store. You will make use of websites such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce to set up shop. Ensure a responsive and friendly theme for navigation purposes.

Here are some tips on setting up your online store:

Choose a platform that you feel is easy to use and customize.
Choose a responsive and user-friendly theme.
Add high-quality product images with detailed descriptions.
Set up payment and shipping options.

Register your Business

You want to sell, but before that, the very first thing to do is register your business. Now, this will depend where you exactly are, be sure to check with your local authorities just to find out what you need to get in compliance. You might possibly need to get a business license, register for tax purposes, and permits.

The following are some tips to get your business registered:

Check with your local authority if there is any requirement.
Get a business license.
Register with the tax collectors
Get any other required business permits

Start Marketing & Promotion

Now that you have everything set up and registered, begin to create awareness for your store. You can use your social media profiles, paid advertising, and email marketing to promote your brand to potential customers.

Below are tips to help you get started with marketing and promotion:

Reach out to prospective customers actively through social media
Paid advertising to a specific target market
Build a list to email for frequent newsletters
Offer promotions and discounts to attract customers

Lastly, you would want excellent customer support and service. Customers can remain trusting and loyal using such.

Offer Customer Support & Service

Some other ways of customer support and service include:

Like responding to customer inquiries in a timely manner
Offering of refunds and exchange in some cases
Providing extra information and detailed instructions with products
A return and refund policy should be handled in detail
Ticketing to handle customer enquiries

After these 6 easy steps, you can finally get your dropshipping business up and running to sell products online. Remember to stay focused, work hard, and be very patient. Building a successful business will take some time, but with the proper mindset and strategy, you will be on the right path.

Additional Tips

Start Small: Start small, then add more products while expanding your business.
Be authentic: this is because today, customers need effective businesses to be authentic, so be keen on telling the truth to them and offer a customer real product content.
Keep Organised: Have spreadsheet and project management software monitor your inventory, orders, and customer inquiries.
Continuously Improve: Monitor your analytics, and based on the studied trends, the marketing strategy and product offerings shall be worked on from time to time.
Stay up-to-date with Trends: Observe the trends and, thus, align your product offerings accordingly.

Common pitfalls to avoid:

Not researching suppliers: Do proper research on suppliers to ensure you are not scammed or sold low-quality products.
Lack of setting expectations: You must be clear to the customers regarding shipping times, product quality, and returns.
Not being good with customer service: QUICK responses to customer inquiries, really setting up great customer service, builds up trust and repeat, loyal customers.
Not keeping track of finances: One has to monitor at all times finances, save on taxes and other expenses that come along with the operation of businesses.
Not being organized: Keep track of your inventory, orders, and Customer inquiries. You can do this with a simple spreadsheet or more advanced project management software.

Conclusion

Building a dropshipping business may be attractive for earning an extra income or building just about any kind of full-time business. If you follow these 6 easy steps, you shall be well on your way to selling products online just like any other successful business.

FAQs:

Q1. What is dropshipping?

A. Dropshipping is such a kind of business model wherein products are sold with no inventory held. A vendor thus partners up with a supplier who then directly ships products to the customers.

Q2: How to find supplier?

A: You can find suppliers by going to online market places like Alibaba, Thomasnet, or Salehoo. You can also find some by attending tradeshows or events of your industry.

Q3: How to set up my online store?

A: You can set up an online store by using Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. Select a responsive theme that is easy to go through and add high-quality pictures with descriptions of the products.

Q4: How do I set up an online store?

A: You can use websites such as Shopify, WooCommerce, or Bigcommerce to set up your online store. Choose themes that are responsive, easy to navigate, and load time is fast, beside good product images and descriptions.