Although many things have changed in the industry, dropshipping is still a viable business path to pursue in 2019. Due to its minimal startup costs, as well as the relative ease of launching a website and making supplier connections, dropshipping has become easier than ever. As a result, it has also become more competitive than it was even a few years ago. However, that means that there is more opportunity to do it right. With that in mind, here’s what you need to do to get started in dropshipping in 2019 and rise above the competition.
Research Your Niche Properly
A lot of novice dropshippers think they can get started right away, and just pick an industry and a market to dropship in without doing proper research. If you do this, it would be a huge mistake, and can potentially cause your business to fail. As such, you need to make sure that you properly research the niche that you are working in and make sure that you can come up with an idea for a dropshipping store that can work within that niche.
For example, if you are interested in men’s fashion, make sure to take a real look at the market and make sure that it’s not oversaturated. Then, you need to focus on what you want to actually dropship within men’s fashion. You may find that athleisure ware will do well, based on your research. Once you are able to find the proper niche, you will then need to make sure that suppliers of these products are willing to work with you. Only then should you proceed with building a dropshipping store around this niche.
Use the Right Dropshipping Tools
If you use the wrong dropshipping tools, then you might have a hard time getting your dropshipping business off the ground. Different types of store will require different types of solutions, and you need to do proper research into what your store will need. For example, if you don’t see yourself marketing much on social media, then you likely won’t need an ecommerce tool that has multichannel capabilities. Make sure that you know your market and where your potential customers spend time online before committing to a specific dropshipping tool.
Market Your Droshipping Store Correctly
Most importantly, a dropshipping venture fails or succeeds on the back of its marketing efforts. As such, you need to make sure that you are an expert in online marketing. This includes social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, as well as customer service and support. You need to look at your store as a vessel for people to order products from – not a business in and of itself. As such, you need to take online courses, or even college level courses, and gain a broad competency in all facets of internet marketing. You also need to make sure that you understand how to market products that are not of your own design. Only then will you be able to get started as a dropshipper in 2019.