Drop shipping is a technique for selling products online that has been practiced for many years in the United States by web marketers. This practice has started to settle in the American market and to rise in popularity thanks to social networks in the last few years. One of the reasons is that the ecommerce market in America is one of the most attractive in Europe and also growing.Dropshipping attracts a lot of interest due to its concept. It is a technique of reselling a product without having stock and without having to worry about the logistics aspect. Product creation and shipping are fully supported by a vendor. The owner of the ecommerce store takes care of being the intermediary between the customer and the supplier and decides the price of the product on his store to receive the difference as commission on the sale. IN this article, we will see what are the important elements to consider when choosing a product to sell in drop shipping and how choosing the right supplier can simplify the creation and launch of your online store.
The forums
Forums are a good information resource for doing your market research. Sites like Quire, Reedit or even Facebook groups will allow you to analyze the needs of your future customers according to the theme you choose for your store. If we take the example of Yoga. By using the Quire search engine with the keyword “yoga mats”, I can start to gather the information I need on my topic and analyze the problems people are having.
SEO tools
SEO tools such as Ahrefs, Serums or Ubersuggest allow you to analyze users’ keyword query volume by country. Thus, you will have an idea of the demand according to the market you want to target and this will help you to validate the choice of the product to promote. You can also use a tool like public answerthepublic to see the types of queries people are looking for on the search engine for the keyword “yoga mat “Carrying out this market study before you start will allow you to validate the choice of your product according to the demand on the Internet.
How to choose a good product to sell in the chosen theme
In order to choose a winning product, that is to say a product that will sell easily, the product must be able to satisfy several needs.
Solve a problem
The product must provide a solution to the problem that customers encounter. For example, a laptop backpacks. If a person travels often for work and needs to carry their computer, having a backpack that is sturdy, comfortable to carry, and with the necessary compartments to protect the laptop will meet the buyer’s needs.
Cause a “wow” effect
The desired effect is to make the product indispensable in the eyes of the customer from the first glance. It is preferable in this case to target a passionate audience in the theme of your product. If we keep the example of the laptop. A winning product that has been all the rage in recent years is the anti-theft backpack with the zipper accessible only through the back of the backpack. Perfect for travel.
Make a profit
It is important to take into consideration the profit margin generated by the sale of a product. Make the difference between the price of the product minus the cost of production and promotion to get your profit. If the product solves a particular problem, then half the work is already done. This is why it is important to carry out your market research and take the time to look for the right product because it is this one that will determine the success of your online store.
Choice of supplier
There are several types of drop-shipping suppliers. You can either promote an already existing brand. In this case, you are just acting as an intermediary between the customer and the supplier. Sites like Oberon, Aliexpress, or Saleroom can put you in direct contact with a brand that sells products that you can add to your online store as a reseller. However, keep in mind that you will not be the only reseller and that the competition can be tough depending on the popularity of the product and the theme you choose. But you can completely use this method to complete your product catalog without worrying about the logistics aspect. Or you can use Print on Demand or POD services, which allow you to sell branded products. You have access to a wide range of products (t shirt, shoes, phone cases, etc…) to which you can add your brand, slogan or other. As soon as a customer purchases a product from your store, the order information is automatically sent to the partner company who invoices you for order management, printing and packaging of your product and ships it directly to your customer under your brand. The advantage of this method is that you can personalize the product with your brand image and make it unique to the consumer and set you apart from the competition. This is exactly how Painful works and can become an ideal white label partner for your online store. You can check out our step-by-step guide to help you launch your online clothing store or watch our video below showing how to use our services.
Consult the supplier’s product catalog according to the chosen theme
It is important to consult the list of products available from suppliers according to the theme of your store. Whether mono-product or generalist. Be sure to look at the product description sheet, customer reviews, product quality, type of material used in order to meet transportation standards and satisfy your customers in terms of quality. It is important to spend time reviewing products and even ordering samples to validate your choice. The last thing you want is to sell a failed or harmful product to your customers and damage your brand image. The good news about using the drop shipping and print on demand method is that you can add products to your store from different suppliers. Therefore you do not put all your eggs in one basket. However, keep in mind that the types of packaging and package customizations differ from vendor to vendor. So make sure this is in line with your branding. If we take the example of printout. You have a catalog of more than 210 products. Each product offers a descriptive sheet giving you all the elements necessary to make the right choice. And it is possible for you to personalize the packaging of your products by adding your logo on the packages as well as personalized accessories and messages for the unboxing experience of the product for the user.
Consult the supplier’s delivery conditions
Finally, it is important to take into consideration the conditions of delivery and return of products in case one of your customers is not satisfied with the product received. First of all, the delivery time is an important factor to take into consideration. Some Drop surfing vs. Drop Shipping suppliers can take up to 2-3 weeks to deliver a product. And that should be information to share with your customers so they know what to expect. Most complaints about the shopping experience in Europe relate to delivery time, technical faults and damaged items. And 72% of customers cite delivery as the most important criteria when shopping online. Some customers used to placing orders internationally are prepared to wait for this delay, others are not. Therefore, finding a supplier with faster delivery times can be a competitive advantage for your store. Or, one way to optimize this problem is to use the product warehousing services of your suppliers. Some have warehouses based in Europe and North America to promote the speed of product delivery depending on the markets you are targeting. Second, the product returns conditions. These represent an essential step in after-sales service; the return of an item must be as smooth as possible for the e-consumer. According to the 2017 UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper survey, 68% of merchant site visitors review the return policy before purchasing. Therefore, be sure to draft your product return conditions according to those drafted by your suppliers. Some suppliers take care of the return, others don’t. These conditions vary from one supplier to another. For all these reasons, returns can have a significant impact on the profit margins of e-merchants. If you decide to use the printout services, you can view our delivery and product return conditions here .The choice of a drop shipping product therefore depends on the strategy and the theme that you want to use for the promotion of your online store. Once this has been decided, all you have to do is validate the quality of the products according to the supplier (s) chosen and the delivery conditions to inform your customers of the different deadlines. Take the time to do your market research and choose the supplier based on the type of product you want to sell and the preferential services they offer to their customers. In the end, you help them develop their business, so you might as well find partners who meet your business needs. By validating these different points, you make sure you choose a product that your customers will appreciate and are on the right track to having a successful online store.
This article is written by the professional marketing team of Oil Change Service in Dubai – Al Qusais
