For eCommerce businesses, Black Friday is regarded as the biggest shopping event of the year (Dropship Academy). Statistics show that during the 2021 Black Friday, businesses made an estimated $30 to $40 billion in sales (Zippia). For both new and already established businesses, this is a great time to make big profits. It is also a great time for drop shipping businesses to up the game and increase sales.
Drop shipping is one of the easiest business models. In a drop shipping business, a business doesn’t have to own a physical shop or hold inventory. Neither do they need to handle shipping. Instead, through agreements with suppliers, the supplier ships the product to the customer directly. In a nutshell, the customer places an order on your e-commerce business website, making payment to your business and then you send the order details, either manually or using an automated system, to the supplier who then ships the item on your behalf to the customer.
As simple as this e-commerce business model seems, it still requires certain elements to be successful. Here are some of the things you should give attention to.
1. Do adequate product research to ensure you are marketing products that have a high chance of selling.
2. Ensure product descriptions are clear, thorough and accurate. It’s preferred to order and analyze every product you intend to sell so you can know the quality of the product and can include accurate product descriptions and images on your product sales page.
3. Offer free shipping and free return shipping, preferably free worldwide shipping. Easy returns and free shipping encourage customers to buy.
4. Have an easy return policy. I highly recommend giving ample time for product return. For this reason offer a minimum of 21 days or one month.
5. Have an easy to browse website and limited product offering. Too many product choices spoil the sale. If possible, categorize products according to similarity instead of putting all products in one place. This is especially true for a fashion brand. Just as in a brick and mortar store products are differentiated, so should they be in an online store.
6. Give buyers a way to customize their online buying / browsing experience. You might have a survey / test that assesses buyer taste and interests and refer products accordingly. For a fashion brand, this could be a picture survey instead of text. For example, it might have a question like, which of the following clothes do you prefer? Or, of each two products, select the one whose style is closest to your preference. In this way, your business can recommend products customers are likely to buy and improve the buyer experience.
Use these tips to streamline your e-commerce store and make your drop shipping business a success.
