How and Why to Start an eCommerce Dropshipping Business in India

The whole idea of shopping is based on convenience. Interestingly, it should not only be convenient to customers but also to businesses so that they can focus on providing better products to add value to people’s lives.

This is where the idea of eCommerce dropshipping comes in. Let’s understand the term.

What is Dropshipping?

Dropshipping is a retail business where you showcase and promote products shipped directly from manufacturers. You don’t need to keep the stocks with you in a physical store. All you need is a partnership with a supplier or suppliers and get customers for the products that you choose to sell.

Why Choose eCommerce Dropshipping?

There are many reasons for choosing dropshipping rather than a regular eCommerce business:

• It’s a fast and easy online business option.
• No physical inventory and related costs are needed.
• No logistics hassle and delivery-related issues.
• Huge customized products and print-on-demand business options.
• No worries about dead inventories.
• Remote working makes the business flexible.
• Easy to pause or (even) quit with no overhead expenses if you need a break or the business is not generating profits.

The level of profitability depends on how many products you choose to sell and how well your marketing is. So, here’s what to do to start your dropshipping business.

How to Start an eCommerce Dropshipping?

Find Your Niche and Products

Since the eCommerce dropshipping business doesn’t require you to manufacture or create anything, you have plenty of options for unique products to choose from. Do thorough market research on what your target audience is, what they want, and what suppliers you can connect with for those products.

This is the perfect time to decide on a unique niche and products that most people would want to buy. For example, unique kitchen tools such as meat thermometers or garlic presses simplify the cooking experience.

Select Your Brand’s Name and USPs

This is a crucial step in eCommerce dropshipping since your promotions depend on your business’s identity apart from your products. When you focus on products that solve a specific problem of your target audience, you get more chances to connect with them.

Another step you can take to add value to your customers’ experience is providing personalized recommendations and curated collections that help your customers do better shopping. USPs such as affordability and lightning-fast, hassle-free delivery can be very attractive.

Besides your USPs, a concise and catchy brand name also plays a crucial role in attracting your customers’ attention. You can also check how to start an eCommerce business: a complete guide to begin this journey.

Choose a Reliable Supplier

Having a reliable supplier by your side is the backbone of your eCommerce dropshipping business. The reasons are many. A reliable supplier keeps their inventory up-to-date and full. It means you’ll never have to make your customers wait in long queues. This also means there will be very few chances of returns and refunds based on damages or wrong products.

Another plus point about a dependable supplier is that they are responsive. You can connect with them at any time for order updates, product availability, order modifications, and complaints.

Set up Your Store

Here comes the decision to choose the hosting platform for your eCommerce dropshipping website. Many options exist such as Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, etc. Depending on your business requirements and preferences, you can compare their plans.

We’d suggest choosing the one that provides easy navigation, a smooth user experience, and secure gateways for your customers. Once you’ve chosen your host, it’s time to set up your store and list your products.

List Your Products to Sell

Listing your products largely depends on your hosting provider and the type of plan that you’ve chosen. However, there are some general practices while listing your products.

Once you’ve designed and set up your eCommerce dropshipping website, start uploading your products one by one on the products page. There are a few points to be careful about:

•  Upload clear and high-resolution product images from different angles.
• Try to add as many explanatory yet crisp descriptions as possible.
• Make sure to add additional information such as “restock available”, “customization available”, etc.
• Don’t forget to highlight the discounts (if available) for relevant products.

That is it! The next comes the step where most customers either finalize their orders or entirely drop their shopping interest.

Select Your Payment Gateway

While deciding on your payment gateways, it’s suggested to do thorough research. Look for platforms that suit your budget and requirements as well as provide a seamless experience to end customers.

It’s very important for a payment gateway to stick to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). It ensures that your customer’s sensitive data is secure with the platform. Additionally, another wise step is to choose a platform that allows different payment modes – a great way to add convenience to the customer experience.

Market Your Products

Your eCommerce dropshipping business largely depends on how you market your products. There are many options, depending on which platform your target audience mostly uses. Google ads, Instagram posts and ads, Facebook ads, and YouTube ads are popular paid marketing tools for businesses. Apart from this, some common practices you can follow are:

• eCommerce SEO of your website to let search engines know what you’re selling and what your target audience is.
• Content marketing via blog posts and informative articles to attract your customers to your website.
• Influencer marketing is one of the most trending and rewarding practices these days.
• YouTube educational and tutorial videos to provide value to your customer's life.

Ultimately, reach out to your customers from as many platforms as possible to grow your business fast.