How to make the most of dropshipping
So you've chosen to dropship. Exciting! But there are little hacks and tips to make the most of it for your business. We'll discuss them here to do our part in helping you become the e-commerce superstar you've always wanted to be. This is the second part of our dropshipping two-parter – go read our introduction to the pros and cons of dropshipping here.
Go wide
Because dropshipping offers virtually unlimited storage space at a third party (at a price, of course), you can choose to go wide in your product offering. This could be interesting if you're mostly serving horizontal markets, i.e. functional job types rather than markets, such as IT, office assistants or marketeers.
Suppose, for instance, that you specialize in ink and pens. Why not broaden your horizons to paperware, desk furnishings and photo frames? You can switch between several products to see what speaks to your audience – even cooler, Sayl Retail lets you do native A/B-testing in this regard. You'll find out soon enough what works, and at virtually no risk.
Go deep
Another option is to go deep. This works especially well if you're serving vertical markets such as automotive, energy or finance. Dropshipping can let you establish yourself as the pre-eminent expert in your field by covering an entire vertical.
An example could be gaming, where you now have space to offer not just games, consoles and peripherals, but also magazines, vintage gaming materials, figurines and cosplay. This signals to a gamer that you are fully immersed in their world and understand their headspace.
Make the images count
As they say, an image says more than a 1,000 words. It can pay dividends not to use drab pictures that are used by other webshops, but to invest in good photography that really lets your products shine. This makes your webshop more original and papers over the fact that the products aren't really in your stock, but hosted by a third party.
If you are more technologically inclined, you could even consider adding a touch of augmented reality (AR). For instance, if you sell furniture, you can offer the option for customers to image their future furniture items right in their living room. It does take time and resources to get this right, but it could make your shop stand out.
Because dropshipping offers virtually unlimited storage space at a third party (at a price, of course), you can choose to go wide in your product offering. This could be interesting if you're mostly serving horizontal markets, i.e. functional job types rather than markets, such as IT, office assistants or marketeers.
Suppose, for instance, that you specialize in ink and pens. Why not broaden your horizons to paperware, desk furnishings and photo frames? You can switch between several products to see what speaks to your audience – even cooler, Sayl Retail lets you do native A/B-testing in this regard. You'll find out soon enough what works, and at virtually no risk.
Go deep
Another option is to go deep. This works especially well if you're serving vertical markets such as automotive, energy or finance. Dropshipping can let you establish yourself as the pre-eminent expert in your field by covering an entire vertical.
An example could be gaming, where you now have space to offer not just games, consoles and peripherals, but also magazines, vintage gaming materials, figurines and cosplay. This signals to a gamer that you are fully immersed in their world and understand their headspace.
Make the images count
As they say, an image says more than a 1,000 words. It can pay dividends not to use drab pictures that are used by other webshops, but to invest in good photography that really lets your products shine. This makes your webshop more original and papers over the fact that the products aren't really in your stock, but hosted by a third party.
If you are more technologically inclined, you could even consider adding a touch of augmented reality (AR). For instance, if you sell furniture, you can offer the option for customers to image their future furniture items right in their living room. It does take time and resources to get this right, but it could make your shop stand out.
Make the shopping experience incomparable
Dropshipping is a cost, sure. But to compete with other dropshippers or wholesellers, you can make your webshop provide a frictionless user experience that encourages people to actually shop. In addition, the cost you save on not having to do stock management or rent storage space, you can spend on making your webshop work for you.
Of course, that is our area of expertise: Sayl Retail pop-up shops are optimized for mobile and desktop, are fast and offer no interminable screens and carrousels to browse through. This optimizes your sales and can turn more visitors into customers, i.e. what's commonly known as the conversion rate. Traditional webshops boast a paltry 1% conversion rate on mobile, whereas Sayl Retail stores sit around 4%.
Show yourself
You probably know some celebrity CEOs, but they are the exception rather than the rule. If you pump gas at a Shell station, do you ever think about who leads it? Do you have a personal connection with Samsung or Toyota? Again, to obfuscate the fact you're outsourcing your stock-keeping, you can add a personal touch.
SMEs actually have the underdog advantage here. Everyone loves an authentic story behind a local business. So don't be shy about showing yourself or your employees and add a deft personal story with some good photographs or even some video. People like buying from people – we are social animals, after all.
Dropshipping is a cost, sure. But to compete with other dropshippers or wholesellers, you can make your webshop provide a frictionless user experience that encourages people to actually shop. In addition, the cost you save on not having to do stock management or rent storage space, you can spend on making your webshop work for you.
Of course, that is our area of expertise: Sayl Retail pop-up shops are optimized for mobile and desktop, are fast and offer no interminable screens and carrousels to browse through. This optimizes your sales and can turn more visitors into customers, i.e. what's commonly known as the conversion rate. Traditional webshops boast a paltry 1% conversion rate on mobile, whereas Sayl Retail stores sit around 4%.
Show yourself
You probably know some celebrity CEOs, but they are the exception rather than the rule. If you pump gas at a Shell station, do you ever think about who leads it? Do you have a personal connection with Samsung or Toyota? Again, to obfuscate the fact you're outsourcing your stock-keeping, you can add a personal touch.
SMEs actually have the underdog advantage here. Everyone loves an authentic story behind a local business. So don't be shy about showing yourself or your employees and add a deft personal story with some good photographs or even some video. People like buying from people – we are social animals, after all.
For your consideration
Do you agree or disagree with what we say? Would you like to discuss dropshipping or general e-commerce issues with us? We're always happy to have a little chat with you, no-strings attached. Say hello at hello@saylretail.com or reach out to us through social media. You can also use our contact form.
Even better, you can try out Sayl Retail for yourself, completely for free, to see if we can make good on what we say.
Do you agree or disagree with what we say? Would you like to discuss dropshipping or general e-commerce issues with us? We're always happy to have a little chat with you, no-strings attached. Say hello at hello@saylretail.com or reach out to us through social media. You can also use our contact form.
Even better, you can try out Sayl Retail for yourself, completely for free, to see if we can make good on what we say.
Apply what you learned
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