Online retailing has become one of the most popular ways for people to shop, and there’s a lot of success to be found in the dropshipping industry. Thankfully, this business has been around for a while and there are some established, tried-and-true methods that can be applied. If you’re trying to build your dropshipping business, here are a few tips that could help.

1. Stay Away From Trends

There’s a online business for every product and service a person could possibly want, and many make the mistake of choosing to sell whatever item is hottest at the moment. But that’s a really easy way to blend into the background and become just one of thousands of options. Plus, once a product becomes high-demand, it’s no longer lucrative to try sellingit.In order to stand out from the competition, your dropshipping business needs to have something nobody else has.

2. Find Your Niche

Succeeding in smaller dropshipping businesses is about finding your specific niche – there’s something you have that targets your specific customers and fulfills their needs. Whether you’re using dropshipping software to discover your unique strengths or using market research to understand your customer’s unique needs, it’s important to find that niche and stick to it. One of the biggest benefits of dropshipping is the ease with which you can try new things and experiment with new products.

Rather than buying tons of product and hoping it sells, you’re simply collecting the revenue once something has already been sold. You might feel like customers may as well go to Amazon or Walmart with their needs, but you could be surprised by what customers are looking for that can’t be found with big box retailers. It’s up to you to provide specialized services, because you don’t face the same risks other retailers do.

3. Stock Seasonally

A huge way to gain regular streams of revenue for a dropshipping business is by stocking seasonal merchandise. Because you have the flexibility to sell small amounts of product, it’s safe for you to invest in a new product line multiple times per year. Rather than having seasonal merchandise like Jack O’ Lanterns or Christmas wreaths taking up space in a warehouse after a season has passed, you don’t have to worry about having leftover products. You can set up a schedule for purchasing specific popular products every season to ensure that customers can buy them as soon as they’re ready to.

4. Become an Expert

Building trust with your customers is important, and a good way to do that is by selling products that you know everything about. Because you understand this product and likely use it yourself, you know exactly what customers expect and want from it. Before deciding on merchandise, it’s a good idea to ask yourself what kinds of things you know more about than the average casual customer. This can help you narrow down your niche, and also ensures that you stay interested in your product.

5. Play Around With Shipping Rates

You might be surprised by how many of your customers are abandoning a purchase because the calculated shipping rate was higher than they were willing to pay for. It’s worthwhile to take some time and experiment with your shipping rates to see what the limit is for the average customer. Building your shipping rates into your products may end up selling more of them than charging for shipping separately. A lot of psychology is going on under the surface when a customer makes a purchase, and it’s important to leverage their mindset to make more sales. 

Another way to encourage a completed purchase is by offering free shipping once the customer has reached a certain amount of revenue in their shopping cart. They might be more willing to put more products in their cart than to continue through checkout and have to pay shipping. Succeeding in dropshipping requires a willingness to experiment and and open mind about the possibilities of your business.