You might think of dropshipping as a scheme to fill your pockets quickly. Initially, it may seem that all you have to worry about is having customers because products abound everywhere. But once you get in, you will know that it takes more than just some marketing skills to be on the top of your game.
Get smart and learn about the following eight dropshipping mistakes that could sabotage your business.
1. Wrong Niche
If you get into the wrong niche, then your dropshipping business could be doomed from the outset. Certain niches are highly competitive, due to which newcomers will have a hard time surviving, let alone earning a profit.
Choosing the right niche and product is important because even if your site is not the very best, you could still earn an income. But even with the best-looking site, you cannot hope to make money with the wrong niche and products.
So do your research to find out about the niche with low competition that might work well for you.
2. Choosing the Wrong Suppliers
A major con of dropshipping is that you have virtually no control over product quality, order fulfillment, and shipping. It is up to your supplier to ensure satisfactory performance on all these fronts. So if you choose the wrong supplier, then you could suffer from poor delivery time, order fulfillment errors, and other problems that could lead to customer dissatisfaction.
You must find the right supplier to avoid bad product quality and poor product support.
So before committing to any supplier, make sure that you talk to them via Zoom, Skype or email. Make sure that you know your supplier and that you can depend on them for good service quality.
3. Poor SEO Optimization and Site Design
Just like any other eCommerce store, you will need solid SEO to drive traffic to your site. On top of that, you will need a great site design and top-quality content to convert visitors into loyal customers.
The site design should be optimized for a good user experience. It should be easy to navigate and must load quickly so that visitors don’t feel frustrated.
Another key design factor to look out for is mobile-friendliness. You will likely be getting much of your traffic from phone users, so if your site is not good for mobile browsing, you will lose many of your visitors.
The site theme, design, layout, fonts, and other design facets should be aesthetically appealing. An authentic-looking design that purveys credibility can build confidence in you and encourage visitors to buy from you. Bad site design, on the other hand, will give the impression of a shady website.
Many dropshippers drop the ball on SEO and hardly pay any attention to it. That is a big mistake. SEO is free and over time, even getting the basics right can provide much higher traffic. Those who skip SEO are essentially missing out on a large monthly stream of customers.
4. High Prices
Setting high prices might seem like an easy way of earning more. Unfortunately, with the high competition and customer skepticism, high prices could have your dropshipping business fail.
You need to look at prices offered by competitors on the same products that you are selling. Most customers look around for the best prices before deciding to buy from someone. So your prices should be level with the competition if you want to have any chance of people buying from you.
5. Poor Customer Service
Providing good customer service for dropshipping can be a challenge since you will have little to no control over product delivery, quality, and order fulfillment. That is all up to your supplier.
Hence, it is not easy to promise your customers that they will receive their products by the given date. Your supplier will have to be careful about delivering by the due date.
In case there is any delay, you will have to quickly get in touch with your supplier to find out what’s wrong.
You will also have to coordinate with your supplier over refunds, returns, and product quality issues so that you can serve your customers on time and resolve their problems in a timely manner.
6. Shipping Times
Shipping times with dropshipping can take long. It can take up to 2 weeks before ordered items are finally delivered to your customers, especially if you have China-based suppliers. Waiting 20 days for a phone case can feel quite annoying.
You will have to be upfront about product delivery times. Be honest with your customers about when they can realistically expect to receive their products.
Also, make sure that you check up on expected delivery times before settling for a supplier. Opt for those suppliers who have the fastest order fulfillment times.
7. No Investment on Your Dropshipping Site
There is no doubt that dropshipping requires minimal investment, especially when compared to other businesses, including eCommerce stores. However, you must be ready to pay for a few things that could bring value to your dropshipping business.
Besides paying for hosting, you will have to think about buying the right conversion tools. These tools can help boost conversion rates and thus provide you a greater return than the investment. Timers, trust badges, and other necessary apps are imperative for dropshipping, keeping in view the stiff competition. If you are not willing to invest in these essential apps, your dropshipping business will likely suffer.
8. Failing to List All Costs
Your profit margin will be less with dropshipping due to the high competition, and that your supplier will have a sizable share in your profit margins.
You will also have to make sure that you factor in delivery costs and other expenses. You must check these against your expected sales to arrive at your profit figure.
SO be careful when starting your discount promotion since your already low-profit margin will get even thinner.
Bottom Line
Looking out for common dropshipping mistakes will reduce the chances of committing these mistakes and paying the price as countless others have.
