Dropshipping is one of the most popular ways to run an eCommerce business. It’s simple, inexpensive, and easy to get started. You don’t have to stock any inventory or handle shipping which makes it almost hands-off for you. All you do is take orders online then have your supplier ship directly to your customers.
Setting up a dropshipping store is a little more complicated. You need to do some research and find a reliable dropshipping supplier. It would be best to find a way or tool to automate the process because you cannot manually check the suppliers’ prices or stock daily and make changes to your website.
If you want to get a jumpstart, you can sign up for a course like Project Pioneer that offers step-by-step instructions, demonstration videos, tools, and resources that you will need to launch and grow a business successfully. Here’s a detailed review of the course.
Here’s what you will have to do:
Project Pioneer – Identify the right product
What exactly are you going to sell? It’s a good idea to start with a relatively inexpensive product in a stable niche. It is because your priority should be finding reliable suppliers and raising the chance of success. The project pioneer emphasizes choosing a broader category and then manually picking the right product. This is better than using and relying on product research tools. There will inevitably be more competition when everybody uses the same tools or techniques.
You might have heard that FBA products have better margins which are true, but they’re also more expensive and harder to find. Ask yourself these questions – what do you know about? What are your hobbies? How much expertise do you have in the field? What’s your passion? Take that route, and it will be easier to succeed if you’re an expert in that specific field or at least love what you’re selling.
Project Pioneer – Finding the right supplier
You will have to find a reliable supplier and contact them. Use your real name and company name when contacting suppliers. You can either search through Google or various eCommerce forums for suppliers. The project pioneer recommends Aliexpress.com for finding the suppliers. Once you’ve found one that seems legit, look at their rates and minimum order quantity and compare it with other suppliers.
You’ll also have to decide how to ship your products. You have two options here – either drop shipping or using FBA. Dropshipping means you use a mail forwarder, so you don’t need to keep any inventory in your house or spare room. It is the easiest way to get started with no upfront costs.
Project Pioneer – Build Product landing pages
Now that you have the suppliers, it’s time to build your store or product pages. You can either use an existing eCommerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce or go with a custom-built one. If this is your first online business, Shopify is more accessible, so you don’t need to worry about technical stuff. However, it would help if you still read the Shopify reviews before deciding.
Step-by-step instructions are provided in the Project pioneer course on how to create successful product landing pages.
Project Pioneer: Testing & Marketing
Marketing is a vital part of your business. It would help if you found a way to attract visitors to your site, make them buy from you, and keep returning.
There are three ways to do it:
SEO & Content marketing:
You can publish blog posts or videos on sites like YouTube. You can also do keyword research and use keywords in the right places. However, SEO or content marketing can take ages to produce results. This is why Project Pioneer recommends Facebook ads and email marketing. Paid ads can produce results almost instantaneously.
Paid ads:
You can use a platform like Facebook Ads to promote your website. It costs money, but it lets you target specific users, which is excellent if you have an existing audience or email list that loves your products. Do not worry if you’re not familiar with Facebook Ads. The Project Pioneer has multiple video lessons showing how to set up and optimize Facebook Ads campaigns.
Email & SMS marketing:
You can send out automated newsletters to your subscribers and remind them of your products. This only works if you’re actively sending and collecting leads. If not, start building an email list now because it’s a valuable asset for any online business owner. The Project Pioneer has a complete section dedicated to tools and tutorials on setting up email and SMS marketing campaigns.
Dropshipping is a fantastic business model with many benefits, but it isn’t for everyone. It’s essential to understand how this type of e-commerce works before diving in headfirst and starting your venture. The project pioneer can help you get started on the right path to success.