Starting a dropshipping business is one of the smartest moves you can make in 2020. It’s a great first step into the world of entrepreneurship. And with a WooCommerce dropshipping plugin, you can start building your brand right away.
You don’t even need to pay for an inventory until the product is sold to a customer. Even more exciting, you set your product prices and make your desired gains. When the horizon is as promising as such, you may want to start your online business even today.
But how do you go about it? Do you just set up a website and begin selling?
It’s OK to have such questions ringing on your mind. After all, you’re just starting and you don’t want to make a risky move. Even then, most people are making bountiful gains from e-commerce sales. Therefore, starting a dropshipping business is a lucrative option right now!
However, before we roll out the steps on how to go about it, let’s first understand what dropshipping is all about.
What’s Dropshipping?
A dropshipping business is whereby you can sell products directly to your customers without holding an inventory. A customer buys a product at retail price, and then you forward the order to your supplier and get the merchandise at wholesale price. As soon as the manufacturer gets the order, they ship the product to the customer under your brand name while you earn the profit margin.
All you’re required to do is build a retail website, install an appropriate WooCommerce dropshipping plugin, market your brand to find customers, and handle customer support. A good deal, right?
How to Start a Dropshipping Business
1. Choose a Dropshipping Niche
Simply put, a niche is a segment of the market. The first step to starting a dropshipping business is choosing a niche. Since the business is increasingly becoming populated, it might be challenging to find a niche that isn’t saturated. But even then, new products are emerging every other day, and, therefore, there are endless options to choose from.
A popular misconception about dropshipping is that one can be successful in any niche. That’s very far from the truth. If you choose a niche that’s already crowded, you’ll find it hard to establish your new business.
While choosing a niche, keep two things in mind: the competition and profitability of the market segment you’re interested in. You can hop into a segment that’s already packed, but still, beat the competition by bringing unique products on board. Only that, don’t go for a dropshipping product that’s dominated by major brands, as it would be hard to break through the competition.
2. Find a Dropship Supplier
Once you find a suitable niche, it’s time to look for a dropship supplier. Finding a reliable supplier is more challenging than selecting a WooCommerce dropshipping plugin for your retail website.
A dropshipper relies on the supplier to keep the products in stock, ensure orders reach customers on time, and to uphold product quality for their brand’s sake. As you can see, your supplier is a key person in your dropshipping business. The success of your brand heavily depends on their reliability. It’s essential to note that not all manufacturers offer dropshipping services. Therefore, make sure your supplier has room for such a service before contacting them.
The other factors you should consider include:
- Low order fees: Don’t go for a supplier who charges huge order fees.
- High-quality products: Request product samples to test before committing to a supplier.
- Provide referrals on request: Your supplier should readily link you with businesses that can verify their services. Don’t make a decision based on the customer reviews you find online, as they can be manipulated.
You can search for dropshipping suppliers online or use a wholesale directory. The latter option saves you time and keeps you from eCommerce fraud.
3. Get a Sales Tax ID
In case you’re setting up your dropshipping business in the United States or Canada, there’s a high possibility you’ll need a sales tax ID. A sales tax is charged on the sale of physical goods, and it’s usually anywhere between 6% and 9% of the selling price. Like every entrepreneur out to make some gains, you can include the tax in your pricing to pass it to the consumer in a subtle way.
In most cases, a wholesale supplier may require you to have a sales tax ID before they start doing business with you. Therefore, be sure to get one if it’s a requirement in your state.
4. Select a Selling platform
You already have a product and a dropshipping supplier. Therefore, you need a platform to start selling your items. It’s essential to go for a platform that’s easy to set up an account with, has high traffic, is trusted by consumers, and allows you to make substantial gains through them.
However, whichever platform you choose, be prepared to pay some fees for every sale and face stiff competition from other sellers. Even so, you can still make it provided you market your brand adequately.
5. Get a WooCommerce Dropshipping Plugin and Create Your Online Store
Now that you have everything set, it’s time to get in touch with the best web developer to create your online store. This comes at a cost, but it’s worth it. There are several dropshipping plugins out there. Therefore, be sure to get one that’s not only affordable but also offers a wide range of features to ensure things run smoothly in your store.
As you finish up setting up your online store, don’t forget to create room for Handsome Checkout and One Click Upsells. With Handsome Checkout, you’ll be able to create high-conversion optimized checkout pages with testimonials, product info and security badges, replace default WooCommerce checkout page (if it’s ugly) or embed checkout into your sales page. In that way, you can automate a follow up to encourage them to complete the purchase process the next time they visit your store. One-Click Upsells allows you to sell more than what a customer intended to buy. Therefore, you don’t want to miss this in your dropshipping store!
Are you now ready to start a dropshipping business? Get the appropriate WooCommerce dropshipping plugin and set things running.
Leave a Reply