Drop shipping is an opportunity every blogger should investigate. You can set one up in a day, and it takes minimal time to operate. This nine-step guide could have you selling by bedtime.
Research
Every business is built on research. Your success depends on finding products people need. Needs are relative. Most buyers don’t need a new gadget or pair of shoes, but they want them enough that they will flash the cash.
1. Finding Products
What do you sell when you can sell anything?
You don’t need a cast of thousands. Start small and expand your successful product lines. Source your lines on AliExpress, just like everyone else. You won’t find branded goods on AliExpress, but brands don’t have a monopoly on quality so you will find many items you will feel happy about selling.
Oberlo has a guide to dropshipping that is helpful when choosing products for your first store. This guide also explains what drop shipping is, and exactly how to set up your first shop.
2. Checking the Market
As a blogger, you already have a following, so you needn’t start your drop shipping site from scratch if you market to your subscribers and social media contacts.
You understand your niche and what people will pay for, which are the foundations of your new operation.
3. Checking your Competitors
Never compete on price. There will always be someone with lower costs than you who will undercut you.
You already have your unique selling point, so just use that in your drop shipping store. Compete on quality, delivery options or quirkiness, but never on price. You can check the Shopify stores for sale and get an idea about it.
Your competitors promoted products are where you should start. Other sellers have established that a market for those items exists, now you can hitch a ride on their shoulders and skip some of the trial and error processes of finding what people want.
Actions
Any plan requires you to take action, to follow through on your research; and why wouldn’t you when the startup costs of a drop shipping site are so low? The chief investment is your time.
4. Finding Your Uniqueness
Niche down, or die in the drop shipping jungle. You can’t compete with the giants, so don’t even try.
Each of your drop shipping operations should be as unique as your blog. An e-commerce site’s success depends on matching its products to the needs of a narrow group of customers who come to identify with that store.
Launch multiple drop shipping sitesIf your blog subscribers divide up naturally into different groups. That way you provide for the needs of each group separately.
5. Choose Your Shop Name
Nobody cares about the name of your shop, so don’t expend too much energy on it. The important thing is that it matches your domain name.
6. Choose Your Domain Name
Your domain name must match your shop name.
Ideally, it should be related to the type of products you sell.
One way to divide your blog readers into sub-sets is by nationality and to have a different domain extension for each national group. However, you need to be aware of the restrictions on ownership of national level domains like .us or co.uk.
Domain extensions aside, there are many other ways to tailor different sites to particular groups, just as long as you have multiple sites for the various groups. To make things less hectic financially, you might want to seek out web hosts offering multiple domain purchases at a discount.
7. Set Up Your Store
Setting up a drop shipping store is as simple as choosing a Shopify theme and layout option that works. Make sure your theme has the e-commerce features you need. Import goods descriptions and photos from AliExpress and set up your Shopify account to accept credit cards.
It’s that simple.
8. Spread the Word
Talk about your store on your blog and in your social media groups. Send promotions to your email subscribers. Tell the world, and there is a chance the world will come. Tell nobody, and you are guaranteed never to make a sale.
9. Sell, Sell, Sell
Make a few test purchases from your store to make sure the process has no glitches. Consider offering free postage to attract buyers and ensure buyers know their purchases are coming from China. Not informing purchasers of lengthy delivery delays will lead to returns and charge-backs that will gobble up your profits.
The Short Version
Every blogger who fails to set up a drop shipping site is ignoring an opportunity to cash in on their reputation as a niche expert. Once you have set up your first website, you could quickly set up more, perhaps a site to cater to each sub-niche.
