Has the world of eCommerce been calling your name lately? Have you got the next big idea that you want to turn into a reality, but only a small budget to get it up and running?
Well, dropshipping could be your answer. It allows you to join the highly profitable world of eCommerce just by using the resources at your fingertips.
After COVID-19 rapidly accelerated the growth of eCommerce, joining the digital community has become so much easier. Not only have tools and platforms evolved exponentially, but entire businesses have pivoted to streamline the eCommerce process.
Not only is dropshipping more budget-friendly for start-ups, but it can also help you get your big idea on the road quicker and start making a profit sooner.
You need fewer resources and can spend more time growing your business. Interested yet? Let’s unpack how you can get started today.
Document That Big Idea
The first step that we recommend to any business is to get their business idea down on paper. This serves several purposes. Firstly, it helps you as a business define your goals, strategies, ideas and helps you identify mid to long-term goal posts.
Not only will you be able to identify your USP, your competition and outline your products and services, but you can also map out just how you are going to reach it.
A great idea would be to use a business proposal template, and there are several reasons for this. Not only does it make it more official for your own business, but it is great to have this document ready to send on to third parties.
You might, as your business grows, need to send documentation to potential investors, stakeholders or even buyers. You might also want to have a marketing proposal ready for potential clients or partners. So, have it done professionally, and editable to send off at a moment’s notice.
Get to Know Your Industry
We have seen a number of companies make the critical mistake of simply jumping into a new industry’s deep end without knowing enough about it first. We have repeatedly encouraged business owners to spend time getting to know the industry.
Spend time getting to know your competitors. Do a full customer profile exercise and map out their wants, needs, interests and behaviors. Take time to do keyword research for your SEO, and know what is trending on social platforms so that you can get your marketing right from the start.
Luckily, there are tons of resources available for you to do so. Even if you are in a niche industry like coffee, all you need to do is find a guide to coffee dropshipping and get that big idea underway.
These kinds of guides are great to point you in the right direction when it comes to suppliers, handling procurement, how deliveries and shipping work and how you can build your client base.
Get That Website Up
What is important to remember is that your website is the calling card of your business. It is the face of the brand. It is your salesperson. In fact, many companies center their entire business around their website. So, get it right from the get-go.
Spend time getting those landing pages, product pages and sales funnels right. You want them to be optimized to convert traffic to customers, so spend time on the UX design from the very beginning.
What do your customers see when they land on your page? Are the CTAs above the fold? Are your images eye-catching and high-quality?
Your product pages need to have enough content on them to give your visitor enough information to convert. The copy should be simple, descriptive and informative. Provide enough images for your customer to have a good idea about the product they are buying.
And give them all the information they need to move on to the next step. What are shipping costs? How long will it take to ship?
If you are unsure about your site, have a look for a tool like HotJar, or A/B test every element of the site. Here, you will be able to see where customers gravitate to, what CTAs get clicked and what converts more customers.
Get Your Suppliers and Shipping Lined Up
We mentioned earlier how important it is to do some research and due diligence here. We highly recommend that you spend time picking out your suppliers and supply chain partners. From a supplier perspective, you will want high-quality products that will be able to evolve with your brand.
Remember, you are putting your name behind it, so if there are quality control issues, your brand will take the fall.
Shipping is as important. These are the people that will usually come face to face with your customer. The customer usually associates them to your brand, instead of a third party, so once again here, quality control is vital. We highly recommend you trial a few before picking your long-term partner.
Wrapping Up
Dropshipping is a great solution if you want to get your idea off the ground in a short space of time. Overheads are low, your risks are manageable and quality control is really based on your research. It will allow you to spend more time on building your brand and marketing strategy.
