With the rise of online shopping in the early 2000s, a world of opportunity opened up for people looking to start their own ecommerce businesses. Now, 20 years later, it’s easier than ever to create a website and begin selling products—and dropshipping simplifies things even more.
Unfortunately, the ease of creating dropshipping businesses means that the market is saturated with copycat businesses and similar products. And because consumers have thousands of options to choose from, dropshippers have to compete tirelessly for their attention.
This makes dropshipping for beginners (or even seasoned entrepreneurs) feel like the wild wild west. But don’t worry; with hard work, patience, and persistence, you can build a thriving store. In this post, we’ll explore 17 dropshipping tips you can follow to set you apart from competitors.
Dropshipping is still relevant in 2024, but you shouldn’t view it as a get-rich-quick scheme. As with most things in life, achieving success in dropshipping requires time and effort. You’ll even need to invest some money to get your website up and running and pay for ads.
Many people view dropshipping as a low-effort, low-cost way to generate income. That may have been the case once. But over the years, the low barrier to entry has made the industry very competitive. Only a small fraction of dropshippers actually become profitable and keep their business running.
The good news? For those willing to invest time, effort, and money into dropshipping, the business model works great. One survey found that 87% of retailers report increased revenue through dropshipping. And the dropshipping market is growing; between 2021 and 2026, it’s forecast to grow to 476.1 billion U.S. dollars.
So yes, dropshipping is a viable ecommerce strategy in 2024. But to take your online store to the next level, you have to stand out from the pack with strategic product selection, focused marketing, and great website design.
If you’re asking yourself, “how can I get better at dropshipping?” you aren’t alone. Building a successful dropshipping store is all about breaking the mold, and you can make your ecommerce storefront stand out in many ways.
Here, we present some of the best, tried-and-tested dropshipping tips to build your site. The tips are divided into three categories:
As a dropshipper, it’s critical to sell the right merchandise, source from reliable suppliers, and clearly communicate the unique benefits of your products. Let’s review some ideas to make product selection and sourcing more successful.
When building a dropshipping website, one of the most important steps is to know your audience. Even if your products have universal appeal, you should choose a niche and focus tightly on your ideal customers.
If your goal is to get as many customers as possible, narrowing your niche can feel counterintuitive. But trying to cater to everybody usually results in a site that caters to nobody. So define your audience, consider their needs and concerns, and build your dropshipping site to speak directly to them.
Struggling to find (or refine) your niche? The following suggestions can help:
While competitive pricing is important, avoid underpricing your products.
Underpricing can have two negative outcomes. In addition to impacting your profit margins, low prices often signal to consumers that your products are low quality. Price your products appropriately, considering factors like product quality, brand positioning, and market demand.
Keep in mind that while you should avoid too-low prices, you can use discounts strategically to create a sense of urgency and increase conversions.
Bundle complementary products together to provide added value and encourage customers to make larger purchases.
For example, let's say you run a dropshipping store specializing in home fitness equipment. You could create a bundled package featuring things like a yoga mat, resistance band set, jump rope, water bottle, and exercise guide.
Bundling these products together offers several benefits for both you and your customers. In addition to increasing AOV, it provides added value and convenience for customers, as they get all the necessary tools for a comprehensive home workout in one package.
Since suppliers provide products and handle shipping, they play a crucial role in the customer experience. To attract and retain customers, partner with reputable suppliers who consistently deliver high-quality products and meet your shipping requirements.
Conduct due diligence, read reviews, and communicate clearly with suppliers to establish strong and reliable relationships.
Leveraging seasonal trends and holidays allows you to tap into the increased consumer spending associated with these periods. Promote seasonal products through targeted marketing campaigns to maximize your sales potential.
Seasonal products and promotions can look different for every business. For example, let's say your dropshipping store focuses on home decor items. You might curate a collection of products tailored to specific seasons or occasions, such as spring floral arrangements, summer outdoor decor, fall-themed accents, and holiday ornaments.
This approach would not only enhance the relevance of your products but also increase the likelihood of capturing the attention of customers actively seeking seasonal or holiday-themed decor.
If you’re building a large dropshipping store, it’s tempting to rely on the original product descriptions from suppliers. However, this can create problems for your store and your customers.
Search engines penalize duplicate content, so using large amounts of copied content could result in your store being downgraded on search engine results pages. Additionally, generic descriptions clue customers in that they can find the same product elsewhere, potentially for a lower cost.
Taking the time to create unique, compelling product descriptions is a valuable way to boost your site’s SEO and make your products more appealing to consumers. When you speak directly to your target audience, you’ll increase the chances that they’ll make a purchase.
Having great products is the first step on the path to dropshipping success. The second step is to sell those products through effective website design and marketing. This section will explain how.
Your website serves as the face of your business, so make sure it’s visually appealing, user-friendly, and optimized for conversions. Invest in professional web design, optimize loading times, and ensure seamless navigation for a positive user experience.
Invest in marketing tools that can help you effectively promote your products and reach your target audience. Tools like email marketing platforms, social media management software, and SEO analytics can enhance your marketing efforts and drive traffic to your online store. It’s worth investing some time in learning how to use these tools to propel your success.
With dropshipping, suppliers are responsible for packaging and shipping products. But you retain responsibility for the delivery experience, and if things go wrong, customers will expect you to replace their product or issue a refund.
To save money and provide greater peace of mind for customers, consider adding package protection to your shipping offerings.
With a free Shopify app like Norton Shopping Guarantee with Package Protection by EasyPost, you can give customers the option to purchase shipping insurance during checkout. If their package gets lost, stolen, or damaged, the cost won’t come out of their pocket—or yours.
The app comes with another important benefit: sitewide trust badges. Whether your business is already well-established or just getting started, adding trust badges to key pages reinforces your credibility, convincing customers that they can trust you enough to make a purchase.
While your own website is your most important asset, you can expand your reach by selling on multiple ecommerce platforms. Experiment with popular platforms like Amazon, eBay, or TikTok to tap into their existing customer base. Each platform has its own rules and requirements, so familiarize yourself with their policies and optimize your listings accordingly.
Establish a consistent brand image across your website, social media profiles, and marketing materials. Consistency builds trust and helps customers recognize and remember your brand.
You’ll need to think about four things: brand identity, visual design, tone and voice, and customer experience.
Although suppliers handle order fulfillment, you still have to pay for shipping, and most dropshippers pass these costs down to customers. Consider the following strategies, keeping in mind how your suppliers handle shipping costs.
Shipping costs can have a major impact on conversion rates, so experiment with different shipping rates and options to find the right balance between affordability and profit margin.
Protect your customers' personal information and secure your website by implementing SSL certificates, using secure payment gateways, and regularly updating your software and plugins. Prioritize data security to build trust with your customers.
Finally, let’s cover some tips to help you focus more on the customer experience before, during, and after purchase.
Remember, your current and future customers aren’t just data or demographics; they’re human beings with unique emotions and experiences. When you understand and meet customer needs, you’ll do a better job attracting and retaining them.
New store visitors might be skeptical about whether your site is trustworthy—but they’ll be reassured by reviews or testimonials written by fellow consumers.
You can take advantage of social proof in several ways. You might allow customers to write reviews on individual product pages, feature testimonials on your home page, or encourage customers to post product reviews on social media. To take things to the next level, you could even partner with influencers.
When customers have good things to say about your brand, shoppers can be sure that their money is safe, the product they order will arrive, and that it will match their expectations based on the listing they viewed.
Clearly communicate your return policy to customers, making sure it’s fair, easy to understand, and prominently displayed on your website. A hassle-free return process can boost customer satisfaction and encourage repeat purchases.
Chargebacks can be frustrating, but your response can help mitigate issues for everybody involved.
Although some people purposefully commit chargeback fraud, others have simply had a bad buying experience and don’t understand how the chargeback system works. When you see a chargeback for an issue a customer hasn’t approached you about, reach out to them. Ask about their complaint and find a resolution that’s satisfactory to both parties, like issuing a refund or replacement. Norton Shopping Guarantee with Package Protection reduces chargebacks by up to 50% as result of the guarantees and package protection offering.
When customers file chargebacks for illegitimate reasons, file a dispute with the bank and provide the necessary evidence.
Your customer service says a lot about your business. If you show customers you care about them, they’ll be far more likely to shop again. The following strategies will help improve your customer service process.
What about preventing issues in the first place? Since you’re dropshipping, you won’t have total control over product quality, packaging, or shipping. But you can work with suppliers to determine the root cause of any issues with shipping or product quality. Proactively solving these problems will save time for your customer support team.
The best dropshippers approach things with enthusiasm and optimism, but they also understand that building a business is a process that takes time. Staying committed will keep your momentum going, and you’ll eventually reap the reward: a loyal customer base and skyrocketing sales.
When you’re running an ecommerce business, dropshipping is a great way to minimize upfront costs and eliminate inventory management hassles. By following the dropshipping tips in this article, you’ll put your business on the path to success.
Norton Shopping Guarantee is here to help! With package protection, shopping guarantee benefits, and trust badges, the app helps Shopify store owners build trust with shoppers and save thousands of dollars a year on refunds and replacements.