This blog post started with the title “Is Shopify Dropshipping Dead?,” a complex question that does not have a definitive answer.
On one hand, dropshipping is getting harder and harder every single day. With increasing competition rising daily, the world of dropshipping is getting more and more crowded. And even then, I have read that anywhere between 90% and 99% of new dropshipping stores fail within the first few months.
On the other hand, plenty of stores (the best dropshipping stores) have figured out how to crack the code and become profitable. The people who run these stores are working hard to adapt with the times and are trying to constantly learn how to get better.
So in that sense, if you are trying to start an online store to get rich quickly dropshipping might not be for you. But if you are willing to put in the work, get better and are open to new ideas that will help you adapt to increasing competition, there still might be an opportunity for you to build a successful store.
In this post we are going to take a look at what the top Shopify stores are doing to keep themselves ahead of the competition.
What Are Shopify's Best Dropshipping Stores Doing To Succeed?
Finding A Niche
Remember when I said competition is growing every single day? With so much competition, running a general store of products that span from sportswear to video games might not be as feasible as it once was. While there are examples of good general stores, finding a specific niche of customers to market to can be beneficial in the long run.
Instead of being known as a store with a wide reach, but shallow offering, offering a deep inventory of products for that niche can help establish you as a brand known for being the one-stop-shop for all things in your niche.
Example: Dog Pawty
Dog Pawty is a dropshipping store that focuses on all things “dogs.”
From celebrating dogs with dog-themed jewelry to dog toys, Dog Pawty has it. This site taps into the dog lovers and gives customers a single place to shop for all of their puppy needs.
Making Custom Product Photos
Product photos control your customer’s first impressions of products when browsing a store. In that sense, they better be good and eye-catching.
While AliExpress product photos might get the job done at first, taking your own product photos can help you get an edge over your competitors.
Taking your own product photos helps you make a unified look and feel of your store, whether it be uniform backgrounds, lighting, etc.
You can also get the product in your hands, use it, and take photos of the product in use so you can give the customer an idea of what they will be using it for.
Example: 18 Karat Wholesale
18 Karat Wholesale has an amazing list of products with even better product photos. The photos are not only eye-catching, but also give you an idea of what the products look like and how much space they will take up in your home.
Advertising Effectively
What’s the point of having a niche if you aren’t targeting them well? Luckily advertising has gotten a lot easier with services like Facebook Advertisements. Using customer interests, you can pay Facebook to specifically target certain audiences with ads that suit them.
Just targeting a certain audience might not be enough. The best dropshipping stores use an advertisement that grabs customers’ attention and hooks them in, whether it be a beautiful product photo or a video showing the product in action.
Example: “The Facebook Ad That Generated $253K in Sales”
Not only does this link talk about the ad, they give you the step-by-step instructions on how the ad became a huge hit.
It shows you how to best showcase your products while finding the perfect audience to advertise to.
Being Open And Honest With Customers About Return Policy, Shipping Times And Customer Service
The best dropshipping stores have a transparent return policy is important for customers to understand what the process of returning items is.
Whether you have a zero-return policy, a defectives-only return policy or 30-days with no questions asked; having a place on your site for customers to see it is mandatory. That way you can ensure there is no confusion when your customers order products.
Not having a return policy in an easy-to-find place can lead to bad feedback from customers.
Customers want to trust the company they are buying products from. That is why it is of the utmost importance that you are open and honest about the time it takes to ship when you are shipping from AliExpress or suppliers overseas. A product can take weeks to ship, especially if they do not support ePacket shipping. That is why you want to let customers know up front that shipping times can take a while.
In this day and age where some companies offer free two-day shipping for products, customers might have high expectations for shipping speed. That is why it is so important for you to make it abundantly clear that your customers might be waiting a few weeks for their product to get to them.
If a customer has a question, they need somewhere to turn to get it answered. That is why having a phone number, email or chat client is important. If a customer can’t get questions answered, they might leave bad feedback.
Examples: Well…finding an example of stores missing some of these features is hard…because many have gone out of business. So that should show you how important transparency is with customers.
While all stores are different, the best dropshipping stores are all starting with finding their niches, creating the best product photos, effectively advertising to their main audiences and being transparent with customers about returns, shipping times and customer service.
