What are you supposed to do when you’ve finally set up your online store and you have some sales going on, but you haven’t quite figured out how to make your business really take off?
Maybe the problem isn’t with the look of your website or the items that you carry in your store, it’s just that the items aren’t available for purchase yet because they’re sitting in a warehouse somewhere. You need an on demand fulfilment dropshipping partner who can ship them to the customer right away, and here are some tips on how to find the right one.
Define Your Needs
To find a great on demand fulfilment dropshipping partner, start by understanding what you need and aren’t getting from your current provider. Do you have specific needs in terms of storage space or time to fill orders? Is there something you wish your supplier could do for you that they can’t at present?
These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself before starting your search. Knowing what sort of relationship and service level you need will help ensure that you find someone that fits with your goals.
Know Your Market
One of your most important and difficult tasks as an ecommerce entrepreneur is finding a great on demand fulfilment dropshipping partner. With just a bit of research, you can find an amazing vendor that will allow you to scale your brand and business without breaking your budget.
You need to be sure they’re able to provide excellent customer service. This means communicating clearly, providing top-notch product quality, and ensuring quick shipping times. Take note of their response time when you contact them; it should be no more than one day unless there’s a major holiday or other unforeseen circumstance preventing them from responding quickly.
Research keywords
One of your first steps in finding an on demand fulfilment dropshipping partner should be research. This means finding keywords and phrases related to your niche that have low competition but high conversion rates. Once you’ve done some searching, narrow down your options to five or six potential dropship partners and reach out with a what would it take email.
Include any special requests or ask questions specific to their business, such as how long they’ve been in business or whether they offer free shipping. You might not find all of those details in their marketing material, but asking for what you want will reveal just how responsive (or not) a potential partner is.
Keyword Tools
Keyword research is an essential part of blogging and site-building. Keywords determine what content you produce, how you produce it, and where you direct your visitors (through targeted traffic). The more visitors that visit your website, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
To find good keywords for your company’s site, use free online keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest. For example, you could enter keywords related to gift card delivery service into one of these tools and learn that gift card delivery service receives roughly 2,800 monthly searches in Google Search.
Buyer Personas
What is it? A buyer persona is more than just a fictional character you dream up and put on your website, designed to make potential customers feel more relatable.
A buyer persona is an amalgamation of your competitors’ top customers—those that buy from them time and time again—combined with your own best-fit buyers as well. In other words, buyer personas help companies get an accurate look at their ideal customer base, down to what they like, how much they’re willing to spend, how they shop online and even where they live.
Vendor Selection Criteria
Be sure you understand all of your options when selecting an on demand fulfilment dropshipping partner. By looking at different vendors’ terms and conditions, you’ll be able to pick one that fits your needs best.
Asking for references and checking out companies with rating/review sites like Google or Yelp can also be helpful in understanding their customer service. Don’t sign up with any vendor without first fully considering all of your available options. And don’t be afraid to reach out to businesses directly—you may find that you get much better answers than what you find on review sites!
The Value Of Reviews
As your business continues to grow, customers will place an increasing emphasis on reviews. And at some point, you may be approached by competitors asking for a review in exchange for a free product—or worse, they could pay you for that privilege.
Take time now to establish ethical policies about what constitutes paying for reviews and what isn’t. It will come in handy down the road when it’s time to make decisions that are best for your company and reputation. If you decide early on that there will be no money changing hands in exchange for reviews or ratings, then you won’t have to go back later and try (unsuccessfully) to remove them.
