You’ve decided to embark on a career as an online retailer. And with Doba as a resource, it will be simple to set up a website, find product to sell, and start filling all those incoming orders, right?
Not so fast, bucko. It’s absolutely true that you can be a successful online retailer using Doba, but first, you have to do some homework.
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You need to carefully consider what it is exactly that you want to sell via the drop shipping model. Investigate your options. Do the groundwork. Get all your questions answered. And then, and only then, set up your website and start selling. What I’ve listed here are some helpful tips to get you started:
1. Think: Before you set up a website, decide what you want to sell. If you’re thinking about online sales for your livelihood, you doubtless have some ideas upstairs in your brain. Bring them out in the open air and see if you’re still passionate about them and make sure you know a lot about them. It’s important –especially when starting out — to sell what you know!
2. Brainstorm: Sit down and write out an “idea list.” This list doesn’t have to have any organization at this point, but get everything down on paper. What products grab your attention or spark your interest? Which products do you know a lot about? If you can’t think of “things” to write down, simply write about your likes and dislikes — what items are you passionate about? This will help narrow the field when it comes time to pick a line of products to sell and drop ship.
3. Research: Take a look at what people want and/or need. Surf the Internet, scan the newspaper, look at magazines, and talk with your friends. All of these sources can give you ideas on about items that people can’t do without. Pull out that “idea list’ that you put together previously, and continue to add to it.
4. Analyze your target audience: Next, figure out who is your target audience and what is the demand for the products you’re thinking about selling — again based on your investigations, conversations and list. As your customer base grows and develops, you’ll find the perfect combination of a leading-edge product that doesn’t face a lot of competition in the marketplace.
5. Pick your niche and product or products: Do some tentative “picking” at this point, determining what your niche is going to be and what product or products you’re going to sell. Remember to start small. You can always add more products later as you expand your customer base and determine both demand and supply avenues.
6. Determine drop ship suppliers: Drop ship suppliers are everywhere, and that offers you an opportunity to study how they’re doing. Spend some time investigating these drop-ship distributors and manufacturers to determine a good source or sources for the products you want to sell. Once you get a good volume going, you can also hook up via a software platform like the one offered here at Doba that will connect you with multiple suppliers for your product or products.
7. Set up your website: That’s right. We’re seven suggestions into this thing and now we get to the website. At this point, you’ve got everything in place, including your product/products, initial supplier(s), and a good customer base that has the potential to grow exponentially. The website is where you will actually sell those products.
8. Marketing – Get the word out: They don’t call it “online retailing” for nothing. Many websites these days have integrated features that automatically notify search engines like Google the instant you make updates to your website. Nonetheless, make sure you get the word out that you’re actually online and ready to sell products that are drop-shipped directly to your customer’s home or office address.
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9. Utilize multiple marketplaces: There are many great online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay where you can sell your products as well. You don’t have to concentrate solely on your own website. Look for auction marketplaces and online local classified sites or other markets that you can take advantage of. With online retailing, the sky’s the limit. Start using these marketplaces as another channel for your sales.
