Dropshipping isn’t like any retail business. You don’t need to maintain a physical store to display your goods for sale and a warehouse to keep them. While this cost-cutting method is a perk, it still needs a solid marketing strategy. And like any retail business, a store must offer a product that is in demand to keep the revenue flowing. So how can a dropshipping business owner choose which products to sell?
1. Target a niche market and study what products are needed there
Dropshipping a niche product has its own perks. One of them is you have fewer to zero competitors in the market. If you have your own hobby, you can choose your niche products for fellow hobbyists. For example, if you like hiking, focus the products you dropship on trekking apparel and outdoor tools.
You can also use Google Trends and find out what people search for at a specific area and in what span of time. Here’s a tutorial on how to use the platform.
2. Research your what your competitors are selling
Your competitors might have some products that sell well and by looking visiting their online stores, you might have a good idea of what product you should put into a listing. It does sound risky to invest in a vast competing market but if done right, you can emerge on the top.
A good strategy to beat your competitors is to find a better brand quality and affordability than the products they sell. Even a shorter shipping time makes all the better difference.
3. Search shopping sites for trending and bestselling products
Pinterest, Wanelo, and Etsy are good examples of social shopping sites if your chosen niche products are focused on fashion. But if you’re looking for a wider range of products that sell, visit Amazon’s Bestsellers.
You can find a lot of reviews for every product there to ensure that you’re dropshipping items of high quality. They also update hourly so you don’t have to worry about seeing outdated trends.
4. Identify in-demand products according to season
Summer is here so it’s time to ask yourself, “What products would sell under the season of the sun?” I would suggest that you dropship sunscreens, sunglasses, pool inflatables, and waterproof Bluetooth speakers. And when summer is over, it’s time to brainstorm again what would sell during fall.
5. Use social media platforms
There are a lot of online seller groups on Facebook like Ecommerce Entrepreneurs and Shopify Entrepreneurs where you can get ideas of what to dropship. You can also discuss with other members about dropship marketing and management strategies as well as methods on studying your competitors.
6. Watch out for influencers
Aside from social media groups, fans of Social Media influencers buy similar products their influencers endorse. This is because a good influencer can successfully create trends at a whim.
A good influencer is Antonio Centeno – content creator of Real Men Real Style, a men’s fashion channel. The niche products he endorses are men’s accessories such as watches, belts, shoes, satchels, and many more.
The technique here is to find influencers with a huge fanbase and fan interaction. The larger the number of followers and subscribers an influencer has, the more likely their fans will search for similar products their influencer endorses.
7. Find products of personal preference
We all have items that we never regretted buying and we’re so proud we bought it that we endorsed it to our friends. Then a few days after, they ended up buying one!
So do you see the pattern here? You can choose a product you already own for dropshipping. The best part of this is you can sell it better because you can market it based on your personal experience from the product’s performance.
8. Choose consumable or disposable products
Another product niche that would sell nicely is a product that can be consumed or disposed. For example, toilet papers, hand sanitizers, rubbing alcohols, and face masks. These items once consumed can be reordered. You’ll not only have a recurring revenue, but you’ll also build a loyal customer base that frequently returns to buy again.
To successfully dropship a product, always study the product trends first. Look for a quality item to sell and price it fairly. Study your competitors and deviate your marketing strategies to ways that are new and more effective than theirs.
