How to Make Money Dropshipping: 7 Ways to Make Your Brand Stand out

Dropshipping is a business that has been around for many years, though its profitability and scale are often questioned by many. Regardless, the industry gives you a low-risk business model that can be very profitable if you know how to make money dropshipping.

Despite the doubts raised on the potential of the industry, the global dropshipping industry is projected to reach $1670 billion in 2031. This shows just how big your dropshipping store could be if you are able to learn all the things that go into making it a successful venture. 

Other dropshipping merchants usually employ a few tricks that ensure their success in the market. This is why we bring you this blog that discusses all the steps you need to take to ensure that your online store starts making you a hefty profit.

Dropshipping – A Profitable Business Model

The dropshipping business model allows new entrepreneurs to basically start their businesses without a dime in their pockets. This unique opportunity does put your skills in marketing products and building customer loyalty to the test quite aggressively.

Though because of this simplicity, you also get a lot of competition with other dropshipping businesses looking to establish themselves in the market. You also have to accept the thin margins that you will get because of all the effort put in by the third-party supplier.

Though if you are able to offer products of great quality and market them well, then you should have no problem turning them into a profitable business. Despite dropshipping being around for so many years, there are still new businesses that have become wildly successful in the market.

7 Easy Steps to Start Making Money with Dropshipping

As an online store owner, it is your duty to make your dropshipping business as profitable as possible, though it is not always easy to find new ideas to do so. This is why you should follow the below-given steps to boost the number of sales generated by your store. 

1. Pick the desired niche

To run a successful dropshipping business you must first choose a niche that you can delve into without a lot of hassles or troubles. Such a niche is usually something that you are already passionate about as it allows you to use your preexisting knowledge about the subject. 

You must also see if your chosen niche has enough dropshipping suppliers to offer a diverse range of high-quality products to consumers at reasonable prices. Picking a niche that you know the ins and outs of is crucial if you want to run a profitable dropshipping business. 

If you are having a hard time choosing what dropshipping niche to dive into, then you could conduct some market research of your own or read a blog about dropshipping business ideas. Choosing the right niche is the most important step when you start a dropshipping business. 

2. Decide your products

When choosing what products to sell, product quality should be of paramount importance. This is because it is what determines how well your customers like the product. If you fail to deliver a good product on your eCommerce store then, you are not likely to have good customer retention.

To find such high-quality products, you will have to spend time looking at and comparing different third-party suppliers to find the right fit. Ideally, the supplier or dropshipper has fast delivery times, great products, and a good profit margin for you. 

3. Differentiate your brand

Since other merchants on the web are going to sell similar products to yours, it can often be difficult to differentiate them in a meaningful way. This is why you must focus on other aspects such as packaging and marketing to make the product stand out to the audience.

Though one way to make sure that you are able to form a loyal customer base is by maintaining a consistent quality of products and services. This will separate your brand from the competitors and consolidate your image as a trusted and reliable merchant in the market.

4. Offer combo deals

To boost the number of products sold you could always sell products in a combo deal that looks better to the consumer. Combo deals present a better value proposition to customers, giving you greater chances of making money online by selling multiple products at once.

Even if you offer a simple product alongside the usual orders, you might see a spike in sales purely because of the combo offer. The slightly lower prices in combo deals are irresistible to potential customers looking to buy your products. 

5. Target an audience on social media platforms

The best way to start gaining new customers without spending a fortune on a big marketing budget is by building a social media community. This is because there are almost no complexities or expenses involved for any online business to start building an online following.

Once you have a sizable audience following your social media pages, you can easily market new products to your newly established customer base. Building an audience will also build trust in the consumers that are hesitant when trying out new products. 

6. Consider selling products to the local market

Many dropshipping stores have started and grown their business by simply catering to their local area’s requirements. Because they understand the needs of their locale the best, they are able to offer the finest products from the dropshipping industry. 

They are also able to keep shipping costs at a minimum because of the centralized location of all of their customers. Marketing your products will also be easier as traditional marketing methods are cheaper and you are equipped with the knowledge of what works. 

7. Keep introducing new products

A dropshipping business cannot afford the stagnancy of its brand image. This is why you must constantly introduce new products to your online store. Thankfully due to the nature of the dropshipping model, you do not have to worry about inventory costs at all. 

Though, always make sure to keep your products within the niche to retain the target market and not dilute your brand value. If you are able to bring in new products that are consistent when it comes to quality, then you should have no problem running the business long-term.

Factors That Limit the Profitability of Your Dropshipping Business

While it is possible to create a successful online business, there are still some factors that will limit the profitability of your business. These limitations mostly have to do with the inherent nature of the dropshipping industry, though they can still be under your control.

1. Slim profit margins

Because dropshippers allow you to sell online without holding inventory or worrying about shipping, they are usually entitled to most of the profits. While there is not much you can do about this, you can always look around for alternative suppliers that offer you a better deal.

You could also start keeping stock yourself as your business scales up in size. To make the dropshipping business model work in your favor, you will constantly have to research the market for new avenues of profit. 

2. Lack of demand

While you could offer products of the finest quality, ace the marketing strategy, and offer great customer service, it is still not going to make your business profitable if there is no demand. Such uncertainty about product success is why market research is prioritized so much.

A successful dropshipping store knows exactly what to sell and to whom. Unless you share the same knowledge it is best to spend more time on research so that you have a surefire way to start earning new customers as fast as possible. 

3. Shipping costs

When you are able to gain the interest of potential customers and show them the product’s price, they are often disappointed by seeing the shipping costs. This is mainly because of the supplier shipping the products from afar and the high costs of last-mile delivery. 

While you could simply pair the shipping costs to the product’s price and call it a day, you still run the risk of disinterested new customers. This is why you need a solution that can help drastically lower the costs associated with last-mile delivery. 

4. High competition 

The biggest reason for many dropshipping companies giving up on the industry is undoubtedly the sheer amount of competition that they face. Some of the competitors that you will see in the industry will go to great lengths to ensure that their business stays on top as the industry leader.

They will employ advanced search engine optimization tactics and offer the products at much lower prices to throw other companies out of the water. To counter this you must build a loyal customer base and consistently offer great products and services.

5. Unreliable suppliers 

Despite all of your efforts in marketing the product and acquiring new customers, the end fulfillment responsibility lies on the shoulders of the supplier. There have been many cases of suppliers being incompetent in dealing with the supply chain processes. 

Therefore, it is best to do your due diligence before choosing any supplier to handle the orders that you get from your customers. The best way to combat this is by going with a supplier that has a reputation for being reliable in the industry with other dropshipping merchants.

How Does Upper Make Delivering Products to Customers Easier?

The biggest costs in a delivery process come from last-mile delivery. This stage of delivering products is notorious for being riddled with route inefficiencies that cause everything from delivery delays to greater delivery costs. An issue such as this needs a quick and simple remedy.

This is why Upper is here to change the game for deliveries. With the powerful route planning abilities of Upper, your deliveries are carried out faster and cheaper. Almost all route-based issues are instantly eliminated when you have Upper to automatically plan your routes. 

Timely delivery is the best way to gain customer satisfaction and Upper makes it possible for you to do so with highly accurate estimated times of arrival and customer notifications. Surpass the competition and lower the costs of delivery today by planning your delivery routes on Upper.

Conclusion

While you could debate the profitability of the dropshipping business forever, it still remains a viable option for those that know the market well enough. The reason why you see plenty of new dropshipping companies make wild amounts of money with some simple marketing tricks. 

Much like any other business, dropshipping only requires you to properly understand and cater to the demands of your customers. Though that can be difficult to do when you have high prices to deliver the products to your customers. 

Upper exists to vanquish these issues for those that conduct regular deliveries. This is done by giving businesses the most optimized routes for their delivery crew. The innovative and reliable features are best experienced by trying out our 7-day free trial.