Lately, this business model has become very popular in the world of electronic commerce thanks to its potential to generate sales and the low risk to start selling. Basically, dropshipping consists of publishing an item in your online store for sale so that your supplier can then send it directly to your client from its warehouse, this allows you not to have your money frozen in inventory and concentrate only on the sales work. and the marketing of your website.
I will give you a simple example: Perritos Felices has just opened its online store for pet supplies, but since it does not have the capital to buy inventory, it decides to implement the dropshipping model to start its business. After searching and evaluating several suppliers, he decides to work with a factory located in China which is willing to work under this model. By uploading its supplier's products to its online store, Perritos Felices begins to promote the products in its catalog on social networks. Customers start arriving and when orders drop, the supplier in China receives a notification of the items that were ordered in the order along with the customer's shipping address and proceeds to prepare the items to ship to Happy Dogs customers. Meanwhile, Perritos Felices receives the money from its client and with the total, pays its supplier and keeps the difference, thus creating a business model with minimal risk.
As you can see, dropshipping can be a very easy and effective way to enter the world of e-commerce, but before you want to put all Aliexpress products in your online store, I recommend that you take this into account:
- The more general your store is, the less likely you are to generate sales. Focus on a niche market and aggressively attack it with digital marketing and affiliates such as influencers.
- Offer confidence with things like warranty and return policy so you can create exceptional customer service.
- Sell products that add value. Always look for your products to solve a problem, not just sell something to sell it. Normally these types of marks do not last long.
- It complements a product or service that you currently sell. If you are a company that is not dedicated to selling products, you can use dropshipping to generate memorabilia or merchandise of your brand to connect with your audience and generate more sales.
And now, how can I find suppliers for dropshipping?
Luckily for you, there are several platforms that help you find reliable products and suppliers. In addition, they can be fully integrated into platforms such as Shopify to manage your catalog in an easier way. These are two of the most complete platforms I know of.
Oberlo
Oberlo is one of the most popular platforms for dropshipping. In addition to having courses, a blog, and success stories, Oberlo offers you a platform that you can link to your Shopify store to easily manage your inventory. Their subscription plans are very affordable and they even have a free plan. It is a very complete platform that can help you take the next step.
Thieve
Thieve is another platform that focuses on dropshipping, but they put a lot of emphasis on helping you find good products on Aliexpress. Using real-time data like trends, conversion rates, keyword research, and more, Thieve helps you find the best e-commerce niches for your dropshipping store. Their plans are a little more expensive, but they offer you things like: professional advice, photography for your products, and courses to help you boost your business.
Entering the world of e-commerce has never been so easy, acquiring interesting products to sell and being able to send them practically anywhere is now just a few clicks away. Focus on doing good marketing, building trust, and adding value to your customers and you will most likely have a successful brand. What are you waiting for to open your store?