The advice we can give you is therefore the following, start with a single-product or themed dropshipping store. If that works, you can then consider the idea of going on generalist. In no case do not go on generalist thinking that “the more products there are, the more chances I have to sell”. This does not turn out to be correct.
Opting for a generalist online sales site only makes sense IF there is a real concept behind it that justifies it, and not simply to “have more choice”. For example, a concept could be a store that will aim to have traffic looking for “gift idea for Christmas”. In such a case, it makes sense to have many diverse products, but it is justified by your concept. In case of dropshipping course this is important.
Select the right product or a good theme
When you know the type of store you want to set up, the work doesn’t stop there in your first steps in dropshipping. Next question to ask yourself: what to sell in dropshipping? Now you have to find the right product or, failing that, the right theme. In this phase, no need to scatter. Think about current trends and try to sniff out those of tomorrow to stay ahead of your competition.
You can use the Google Trends tool to find out how often a keyword appears and how it has changed in order to draw conclusions. We can see with the example below that between summer 2018 and 2020, the search for “electric scooters” experienced extremely strong growth. You can even compare two terms to make the best choice. For high ticket dropshipping this is important.
Google trends
The goal is to find the winning dropshipping product that will hit the nail on the head, but it can take a little time and that’s normal. Knowing what to dropshipping is not innate. To guide you a little, remember that experts do not recommend the sale of electronic devices or clothing brands since consumers know the approximate price of an Adidas stamped t-shirt or a pair of Nike shoes.
- Choose products that your customers will have a hard time knowing the true value for. This is where you can get the best margins by giving value to your product thanks to good promotion (marketing).
- When you have your product or your theme, it is interesting to order a few samples to be able to test it and confirm (or not) your choice.
Last important point:
When you are looking for a dropshipping niche, the goal is not to differentiate yourself at all costs. If you really think you have the right idea and that one of your competitors is positioned in the same niche, don’t necessarily give up on your project. On the contrary, don’t be afraid to reuse it and think of a way to sell that same product better than it. For free dropshipping sites this is important.
An additional challenge
Find a supplier for dropshipping
You have selected the winning product, all you have to do is find a merchant site that sells it. So how do you find a supplier for dropshipping? Suppliers, wholesalers or dropshipper are one of the keys to the success of your dropshipping store.