How to Make Internet Work for You: The Increasing Business of Dropshipping and How You Can Join

Next week you have an important job interview, and you need a new dress? Buy it online. Your refrigerator is empty and you need to stock up? Order them online! These days, people buy everything online, from mere candy to something as big as a wardrobe.
If you have keen eyes on business opportunity, you’ll be no doubt itching to get involved in this online shop bloom. Nowadays, setting up online shop to sell products is very easy. You can make your own website, or blog, or even doing it on Instagram.
But, what if you don’t have any product to sell? Can you still take a part in this e-commerce business? Sure you can! The answer is, dropshipping.
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What is dropshipping?
In the simplest term, dropshipping means selling products without keeping stock of the products. So, when a customer buy a product, a dropshipper will notify the wholesaler and the wholesaler will process the shipment of the product to the customer.
It means, to be a dropshipper, you don’t need to provide a big land for both brick-and-mortar store as well as warehouse. You don’t need to hire shop assistant, cashier, as well as warehouse worker. All you need is a place to show your products catalogue, and a way for your customers to contact you and place their orders.
In the old time, dropshippers are identic with people who bring printed catalogue whenever there are people gathering. They’d lend the catalogue and tell the potential customers to call them to place the order.
But of course, here we’re not going to tell you which gathering you should come to, and how to persuade those crowd to buy something from your catalogue. We’re going to do it a little more modern. We’re going to show you how to start up an online dropshipping business.
What should you prepare?
Are you interested yet to start an online dropshipping business but have no idea what to do? No worry, here are preparations you should complete before you can open your very own dropshipping business.
1. Research the market
The key for a successful business, is to know the market well. Even a sophisticated product won’t sell if nobody needs it. If you’re going to sell fur coat, you better not set your shop at tropical countries.
So, before deciding to open a shop, think carefully. Who will be your target market? Are there enough of them to keep your business running? What is the biggest target market currently? Women or mother or millennial?
Once you’ve decided on that, think carefully, what do they need? Women love fashion and make up, but tons of shops are already providing them with that? Why don’t you offer more specialized products, like cute gadget accessories that women will love?
Of course, that’s only one example. There are plenty of products, and a lot more people with different taste and necessity. Get to know what these people want, by reading news and research, observer competitors, and maybe even talk to some of them.
The goal is to know what product will likely sell well, and who you should sell them to.
2. Decide on the wholesaler
Once you’ve known what product are you going to sell, it’s time to find who you want to supply those products for you.
You’ll want to find supplier who has complete line of products offered, reliable and trusted by other dropshipper, has online inventory system and good shipping history.
If your wholesaler is also the producer of the products, the first condition is usually not a concern. However, if your wholesaler is not the producer and merely a third party, then you must make sure what this wholesaler will provide or sell all products line offered, so you won’t have any problem in the future of displaying and recommending products to try for your costumers.
3. Create the business plan
Now you have the products to sell, and the customers to sell to. What you need next is strategy. Here is another hard, but necessary step of the preparation: create a business plan.
Why do you need a business plan? Business plan will be the blueprint of your business. You must know all the aspects of your business – from the financial aspect, marketing aspect, resource aspect, as well as the operation aspect.
In your business plan, explain all your plan for each aspect. For financial aspect, think about how much capital you’ll need (hint: not much), how much is a rational target profit, etc. For marketing aspect, think about the promotion or partnership, or other effective program to sell more to your target market.
4. Setting up the shop
Now, you already have the product, the (potential) customers, and the strategy to develop your business. It’s finally time to set up your online shop.
Would you believe that this is actually the easiest part of the preparation?
Even if you don’t know anything about coding or setting up website, you can still have the most sophisticated-looking online shop. There are plenty of business offering their service to build you an online shop specially made for dropshipping business, such as Ali2Woo.
What if you already have an online shop set up, but it’s not suitable for dropshipping? We’re sure you don’t want to build a new shop from zero. Again, it’s nothing difficult. There are plenty of dropshipping plugins available for you to buy, such as Ali2Woo who’ll integrate your online shop with AliExpress.
Have you made it up until here?
Congratulation! You’ve just learned the fundamental step to open up an online dropshipping business. After you’ve completed doing all four steps above, you’ll be able to start to actually operate the business. You can start receiving orders and passing them to your wholesaler and receiving the profits from the e-commerce transactions!
Of course, to make your business grow profitable or even hit the break-even point, it will take time, and it depends on the amount of time and effort you dedicate to maintain and polish your business.
Happy dropshipping!

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