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INDEPENDENT RETAILER magazine is now the official news outlet for Wholesale Central visitors. Each monthly issue is packed with new product ideas, supplier profiles, retailing news, and business strategies to help you succeed.

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Conquer eCommerce with Drop Shipping

Nov 1, 2012

  As online shopping figures continue to swell, entrepreneurial opportunities follow suit, and with the help of reliable drop shippers, running a successful ecommerce or mcommerce business is more obtainable than ever. Drop shipping allows any aspiring business owner to fill orders and deliver merchandise without handling the storage, packaging or transportation of products, working to an entrepreneur's advantage if he or she approaches the situation properly. Incorporating drop shippers into a business model requires minimal initial capital outlay, because it relieves the seller from the obligation to purchase and maintain inventory, allowing those owners to pay only for stock that has already been sold through online orders. To avoid pitfalls and to better negotiate the drop shipped deals, consider this roadmap and become your own boss.

  Before making any moves, identify what need your business will satisfy and to whom you plan to sell. Are you looking to sell apparel or kitchenware? Is your customer a sports fanatic or a musician? Just as too narrow a focus can inhibit progress, an overbroad brand is difficult to sell. If you know what genre your business falls into, then it becomes easier to market to a targeted online audience, who will be more likely to buy your product and offer a higher return on investment. Research your idea thoroughly, and brand your idea aggressively. The idea is to be specialized, but to appeal to the average consumer. Upon reaching this point, turn to a reliable drop shipper directory or source, like www.WholesaleCentral.com, to find those suppliers with whom you wish to do business.

  When working with a third-party, there is a warranted concern for the quality and efficiency that the company will provide. In order to ensure optimal performance in your own business, attention to key details about the drop shipper is imperative. First, get an idea of how transparent the company is and how easily you are able to get in touch with a representative. A drop shipper that puts great care into cultivating relationships with its customers will likely heed those customers' orders in the same fashion. Additional details, such as whether or not the drop shipper offers a quarterly newsletter on trends, involves customers with sampling new product or holds web conferences on industry updates, also can offer you insight to its level of dedication to clientele.

  After identifying the purpose and customer profile of your business, and identifying qualified drop shippers, create an online store with an independent ecommerce web architect. Though some drop shippers offer this service bundled with the product, taking your own direction prevents you from being tied to a single distributor and offers greater flexibility and control over your business. You do not have to learn to code and operate websites, but by slightly separating yourself from the drop shipper, you have more freedom in the long run. As in any new venture, there is a learning curve to ecommerce and mcommerce business, but by involving quality suppliers and adequately marketing yourself, your seat in the boss' chair will remain secure.


Topic: Business Strategies

Related Articles: Drop Shipping  eCommerce  mCommerce 

Article ID: 1670

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