We have already seen that dropshipping is not for everyone. It is a business model with an elaborate strategy, which must be supported by a firm commitment to satisfying customer needs and, as far as possible, a fluid relationship with the supplier.
If you think dropshipping is a good way to start your business and start making money, follow these steps to get started!
1) Find an idea with real added value
You must start with a business idea that provides differentiation.
Creating an e-commerce business with a dropshipping service is no different from other business projects: the first thing to do is to find a good idea that sets you apart from the competition.
Naturally, in the case of dropshipping, you will need to find a supplier or wholesaler. It may be worthwhile to look for a new or niche product and establish a trust relationship with a supplier who is looking for a salesperson to find customers for them.
Once you have found a product, you should ask yourself if:
Your offer responds to a market need in an innovative way. Are you going to sell a product that is difficult to find elsewhere or one that offers real added value to consumers?
You have found a dropshipping supplier that you can work with directly. To make your dropshipping strategy more honest and effective, it is best to have a good relationship with your supplier. This way, you can be held accountable for the quality of the product sold to the customer and for the delivery. Also, if things go well, you could consider an exclusivity contract.
You offer an experience that has value for the end customer. If we put ourselves in the customer's shoes, why would we want to buy from a middleman when we can buy directly from the supplier? What will allow you to differentiate yourself will be your marketing strategy and your support for the customer. You can find more information about this in point 4.
Take your time to conduct a market study and create a business plan that will allow you to see things more clearly and have a global vision of your project.
To find out more – discover our “ Guide to creating a tailor-made online store ”.
2) Choose a platform to create an optimized online store
Once you have found your idea, you will need a showcase website where your customers can purchase your products.
Your ecommerce website is where you can differentiate yourself with your ecuador phone number list brand image and offer a unique user experience.
Luckily, it's not too difficult to create a website these days, and with a little dedication, it's possible to do so without using an agency or an external web developer.
There are numerous solutions that allow you to create a website for free by paying a very affordable monthly fee. Many of these programs offer a drag-and-drop editor. This way, you can place the different elements of your website with your mouse without having to use programming code.
One of the most prominent assisted creation programs is Shopify . If you can invest a little more time and have some basic computer skills, you can turn to open source CMS like Prestashop or WordPress.
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system whose main strength is its large community of users. It is the most widely used CMS in the world and offers a multitude of resources, such as plugins, templates and online tutorials, to cover a wide variety of needs. To create an ecommerce website with WordPress, you only need the WooCommerce plugin .
Learn more – Check out our in-depth analysis of some of the top tools for creating an online store:
Shopify
Prestashop
WooCommerce
3) Choose a dropshipping supplier
Depending on your business model, you will need to find a platform to host your dropshipping online store.
Of course, setting up a manual dropshipping infrastructure is possible: just contact the supplier directly and pass on the orders.
But sometimes it will be useful to use an intermediary solution or to combine both methods, especially if you offer products of various types or brands. There are platforms that provide you with easy access to a large number of products. You can easily import them into your online store and offer them directly to your customers.
These are three dropshipping suppliers that may interest you:
Oberlo
Oberlo is a plugin developed by Shopify and can be installed automatically on online stores created with this platform. By installing it, you will have access to a wide variety of products available on AliExpress (a large marketplace of the Chinese consortium Alibaba) that you can resell.
Advantages:
Very easy installation.
A wide variety of products available.
Simple one-click ordering.
Limitations:
It is necessary to use Shopify to create your online store.
Only AliExpress products are available.
Discover Oberlo
AliDropship
AliDropship is another dropshipping solution developed by AliExpress. It can be installed as an extension on a CMS (such as WordPress) for a price of €75. It can also be used to create a dropshipping online store from scratch, with prices starting at $299 for a one-time initial payment and $48 per year for hosting. The latter rates include advice from the AliDropship team to find the right niche.
- Board index
- All times are UTC
- Delete cookies
- Contact us