Many of you have asked questions like:
- How can I start a dropshipping business?
- What do I need to know to get started?
- How can I make my first $1,000 in profit?
In this article, I will go through the five initial steps to start dropshipping that I wish I knew when I got started. If you follow these steps, you will know exactly what to do to start your own dropshipping store.
I have built dropshipping stores that now allow me to travel the world while making an income, even when I’m on vacation. I’m confident I can help you build a successful dropshipping business.
Step 1: Find 10 Winning Products to Sell
Most dropshipping articles recommend finding one winning product to sell. However, I recommend finding around 10 winning products to sell when you first launch your store. If you find products in an evergreen niche that sells well all year, and load your store with multiple products, you’ll make more revenue than selling just one product.
I’ve built multiple stores using this strategy, selling various products rather than relying on just one winner. Each product makes a profit and brings in revenue.
To find winning products, use a tool like AutoDS. AutoDS provides product research features and a marketplace showing trending products. Since AutoDS analyzes products successful dropshippers are selling around the world, using their data increases your chance of finding winners.
If you sign up for AutoDS’ paid plan, you get access to sections showing trending TikTok products, winning products, and other research tools. In the TikTok Spy section, sort by likes to see products getting high engagement on TikTok. Check the Winning Products section for trending products not related to TikTok.
Use these tools to determine a store category and find multiple products to sell when you launch. Load your store with around 10 winning products to maximize revenue from day one.
Step 2: Sign Up for Shopify and Design Your Store
The next step is to sign up for a Shopify account and start designing your store. I highly recommend Shopify for new dropshippers. It’s easy to use, and I’ve built many six-figure stores with Shopify.
Shopify frequently offers free trials and discount offers for new stores. You can start a free 2-month trial . After the trial, basic Shopify plans start at just $29/month.
When designing your store, study your biggest competitors. See what they’re doing right and wrong, then make your store experience even better for customers. I analyze top competitors when building each of my stores to give myself the best chance of success.
While you can start with a free Shopify theme, I recommend investing in a custom theme as your business grows. Most dropshippers use the free themes, so a custom store design will help you stand out.
Step 3: Install the Right Apps
The next step is to install helpful apps on your Shopify store. Apps extend your store’s functionality and help run your business. However, don’t install too many apps at once. Find specific apps for your needs and focus on using them well.
Here are five apps I recommend for most dropshipping stores:
AutoDS - Helps add products and source trends. Discussed in Step 1.
Privy - Email marketing app. Collects emails to send coupons and discounts to bring customers back.
Sales Pop - Shows recent sales notifications in your store to build trust and social proof.
Simplicity - Creates Google Merchant Center data feeds to list products on Google Shopping.
Google Shopping Feed - A Google Shopping feed app. Essential for advertising your products on Google.
These apps have been instrumental in helping me generate over $100K in revenue with my stores. The Google Shopping ads and feed apps, in particular, drive targeted traffic that has led to major sales.
Step 4: Run Google Shopping Ad Campaigns
I highly recommend running Google Shopping ad campaigns to drive traffic to your new dropshipping store. If you’re selling a product people search for on Google, Shopping ads put your products in front of potential customers ready to buy.
To set up a Google Shopping campaign:
Get approved for a Google Ads account.
In your Google Ads account, click Campaigns and then click “Sales”.
Select “Shopping campaign”. For campaign type, choose “Standard Shopping campaign”.
Enter a campaign name, like “Test”. For bidding, select “Maximize clicks”.
Set an initial small daily budget, like $5-10 to start. You can increase it over time.
Select target locations and devices.
Click “Create campaign” to launch your Shopping ad campaign.
Running Google Shopping ads is one of the best ways to drive targeted traffic and sales to a new dropshipping business. The ads put your products in front of people searching for what you sell. With good optimization, Google Shopping can become your top traffic and revenue source.
Step 5: Optimize Your Ad Campaign Every Three Days
The final step is to optimize your Google Shopping ad campaign every three days to maximize results and ROI. Here are some key optimizations to make:
•Check your daily conversion rate and cost per click (CPC) to ensure you’re getting sales without overpaying.
•Add negative keywords to exclude irrelevant traffic.
•Adjust product image optimizations.
•Modify ad copy. Tweak the product titles and descriptions to improve click-through rates.
•Change your daily budget up or down based on performance. Increase the budget if you’re getting good ROI to scale your results.
•Review and refine your target locations, devices, and other targeting options.
Continually optimizing your Google Shopping campaigns helps generate more traffic and sales over time while reducing wasted spend. Check the key metrics, make changes, review the results, and continue improving your campaigns.
For a deeper dive into starting a dropshipping store from scratch, visit the Shopify Project website. You’ll find step-by-step details on how to launch a successful dropshipping business as a beginner.