Dropshipping has become one of the most popular and alluring types of online business in the last 10 years, and it’s a great way to build a hugely scalable business and put your own unique skills to use.
However the explosion of popularity with this type of business has led to huge competition and a very condensed market that makes it hard for different businesses to stand out from each other, especially as more people than ever are attempting to become successful using this strategy.
One of the keys to success in dropshipping is to stand out from the crowd, however this is more difficult than many people think, especially as the popularity of dropshipping continues to grow.
In this guide we’re going to look at some ways you can help your new online business stand out from the crowd, drawing in more customers and converting sales more effectively and growing your business into a profitable and sustainable enterprise.
Table of Contents
Product
The most fundamental part of dropshipping is finding a product that people want to buy!
This also happens to be one of the most difficult parts of dropshipping, and many people try for years before finding a product that people are interested in.
If you have a clear vision for what you want to sell, but it doesn’t work out or doesn’t deliver, don’t simply double down.
Look at your data and try to work out why it isn’t selling, and try to reconsider and find something that people are interested in!
Many successful dropshippers today took years of trying and failing across many different niches before striking gold, so keep your eye on the market and try to find a niche that plays on people’s emotions and will lead to impulse buys!
Website
Developing a sleek and professional looking website is absolutely key to building trust with your audience and making customers feel like you’re offering something quality and high value.
There are tons of websites to use for this, with one great example being Shopify. However there are several great options, and whatever host you choose, or if you custom build, make sure to get an aesthetic that looks good, and functions well.
Product Images
Clear, well taken product images are also key, and can make a huge difference in how appealing customers find your product.
You want to make sure that the pictures of your products look professional and aren’t over edited or photoshopped, as this will make customers suspicious of your product and of your brand. You can add some flair to your designs and pictures, but don’t go overboard with them and don’t make them too obvious!
Blog
A regularly updated blog is a great way to show customers that you’re working hard to improve your products and builds trust, however blogs can also pull in clicks and customers by using SEO and marketing practices to rank your website highly on Google and start to draw organic traffic to your website and thus increase the number of customers who will be looking at your products.
Exclusives
Customers want a deal, and offering exclusive sales and promotions is a great way to create urgency and hype around your product, especially if this is synchronized with your marketing strategy or uses other popular trends to capitalize on an existing customer movement.
Exclusives can include discounts, free shipping as well as promotional products and limited time products, and all of this can help create buzz around your product and draw customers attention.
Don’t overuse these however, as it may make customers question the value of your brand and your products.
Reviews
Reviews are one of the number one ways to build trust with your customer base and will help reassure new customers that you’re offering great products and services and will help you to convert more sales, especially if reviews are positive and numerous.
This is why Amazon is so desperate for you to review your purchases, as it ultimately helps convince other customers that your product was worth buying!
You can even incentivize customers to leave reviews by offering a promotion if they’re willing to leave a review of your product!
Updates
Keep your website up to date with regular posts and reviews, and also stay abreast of the latest developments in your niche to take advantage of burgeoning trends and get ahead of them and the competition.
Marketing
Almost all successful dropshippers use marketing strategies, and although there are various approaches, the more you use, the better your chances of success are.
Some use SEO strategies, while others prefer influencer marketing or facebook ads. There are many avenues you can go down here, it all depends on your budget and what you think will have the best impact on your product and brand.
Influencers can help build hype and trust around your brand and product, while facebook ads will help you to target customers who would likely enjoy your product and be most likely to purchase, leading to more sales and traffic to your website.
Combining these strategies is the best way to get sustained business.
Pay attention to the data and use it to your advantage, targeting the right people at the right time will increase your odds of success dramatically.
How many dropshippers are successful?
Finally, we come to one of the most asked questions aspiring dropshippers want to know.
How many dropshippers are successful?
The truth is, it’s hard to determine a concrete answer as different people have different definitions of success.
Some people may consider simply launching a small dropshipping business a success, while others only consider massive daily or monthly profits a success.
There are undoubtedly many dropshippers who have become rich and developed great businesses, however there are countless more who have failed and lost a lot of time and money pursuing this dream.
But nothing worth having comes without risk, and if you persevere and use the tips we’ve listed above, you have as good a chance as anyone of finding success in dropshipping.
