Top 7 Categories to Kickstart Your Dropshipping Store

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Dropshipping has gained popularity in recent times because of easy entry to this business venture and the profit potential. Many people think this business model is similar to affiliate marketing, but that’s incorrect. Also, your profit margin largely depends on the products you sell from your dropshipping store.

In this blog here, we have discussed the trending dropshipping niches, the difference between dropshipping and other ecommerce models, the best products to choose for your store, and marketing tips to promote your dropshipping store. Keep reading to imbibe the knowledge we have shared with you.

Key Takeaways

  • Dropshipping is a business model that requires a low startup cost and can be managed from anywhere in the world.
  • The average dropshipping profit ranges between 15-20% per year.
  • Fashion & accessories is the dropshipping niche with the highest profit potential.
  • Product research tools and trending products on online marketplaces give a fair idea about which dropshipping niche to choose.
  • Outdoor furniture dropshipping is one of the top picks among dropshippers.
  • Customer reviews and social media accounts help people trust your dropshipping business.
  • Collaboration with the right dropshipping suppliers is necessary for business success.

What is dropshipping?

Dropshipping business can be defined as an order fulfilment model where you can place your customers’ orders with your dropshipping supplier and they will deliver the product directly to your customers. As you don’t need huge investments to start this business, it is easy to set up your online store with a low startup cost. It’s easy to start a dropshipping business, even college goers and first-time entrepreneurs can build and launch their online store. At times, people have confused dropshipping with affiliate marketing or ecommerce. Let’s understand the difference in the sections mentioned below.

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Dropshipping vs. Ecommerce

The major difference between dropshipping vs traditional ecommerce is the need to stock up inventories. In a dropshipping model, you don’t need to hold inventories as your supplier ships the orders directly to your customers. In ecommerce, you don’t get the benefit of not holding your inventories. You need to manage your inventories and handle the product shipment.

Read more: Dropshipping vs e-Commerce: What is best for you?

Dropshipping vs. Affiliate Marketing

The confusion between dropshipping vs affiliate marketing is in the minds of first-time entrepreneurs. What should they choose and which business model is more profitable are the most asked questions on the internet. Affiliate marketing is more of a promotional marketing where you advertise someone else’s products and earn commission on successful sales. You get a dedicated link for all the products and then you need to market those products using the links.

As we have already talked about, dropshipping is an order fulfilment model where your dropshipping supplier ships the order to your customers. You don’t need to handle the shipping and packaging of the products.

Read More: Dropshipping vs Affiliate Marketing: Which Business Model is the best?

Dropshipping vs. Print on Demand

If you want to start your print-on-demand business, you must know how this business model operates. In this ecommerce business model, you can design your products partially. You can create your own design or purchase a design which will be printed on the products you want to sell from your online store.

Dropshipping does not allow you to customise the products you want to sell from your online store. The product quality and delivery timeline depend on your supplier’s business policies.

How to find winning products for your dropshipping store?

Finding the right products from a high-demand niche is important to grow and scale your dropshipping store. You can do product research for dropshipping from different tools available on the internet. Many companies also publish research on the trending dropshipping niches. These research papers include different statistics and trends that will help you select the right niche for your online ecommerce store. Another way to know the trending niches or find profitable products for dropshipping is by exploring online marketplaces to see which products customers are buying more. Tools like Google Trends and niche finders are also helpful for finding profitable products for dropshipping.

Best niches for dropshipping

Trending Dropshipping Niches Growth Potential
Fashion Fashion is the fastest-growing category and dropshipping kids, women & men’s clothes can help you earn more. The global market for fashion and apparel market will grow by 12.8% every year.
Home & Garden People are more inclined toward beautifying their homes and creating their personal space, boosting the home & garden sector for dropshipping. The home & garden dropshipping industry is worth $29.9 billion.
Pet Supplies Pet supplies is one of the popular dropshipping niches. In countries like the United States, 70% of households own at least one pet. The global market for pet supplies is valued at $222.93 billion, making it a trending dropshipping niche.
Baby Products Baby products will never go out of demand and will continue to be one of the trending dropshipping niches. This market is projected to grow to $325.57 billion by 2028.
Furniture Furniture dropshipping is good for your online store as you receive high-ticket orders and the average order value for furniture dropshipping stores is $170.

Top products to kickstart your dropshipping store

Picking the right products for your dropshipping store is important to make better profits and help your customers upgrade their lifestyles. Here are a few profitable dropshipping products that you can start selling.

Rattan Furniture

Rattan furniture is in high demand among homeowners as well as recreational businesses. Selling rattan furniture from your dropshipping store can help you earn more profits. It’s popular because of its trendy design, weather-resistant properties, and suitability for both indoor & outdoor decor. Rattan-made tables, chairs, dining sets, lounge sets, and patio furniture are in huge demand among customers.

The clean and simple design of this rattan dining set is a good addition to your dropshipping store. Made of PE rattan, this dining set includes a table with a glass tabletop which is easy to clean with a damp cloth. The chairs are easily foldable and easy to carry.

Explore the entire furniture range here!

Kid’s Clothes

The demand for organic and sustainable kid’s clothes is rising especially in Germany and other European countries. The global kid’s clothing market size is expected to grow from USD 211.57 billion in 2024 to more than USD 350 billion in 2032. Selling high-quality and sustainable clothing options will help you make a mark in the kid’s clothes dropshipping space.

This bright-coloured full-sleeved t-shirt is perfect for kids. It’s made of 100% cotton which feels extremely comfortable against the skin.

Check out popular kid’s clothes here!

Household Supplies

Offering home essential products to your customers will keep them coming back to your store. You can sell household supplies like shoe racks, clothing racks, dustbins, and other profitable dropshipping products from your dropshipping store.

This cloth and shoe rack made of engineered wood is of exceptional quality and offers ample space to store essentials. The wide shelves can easily accommodate shoes, bags, and other personal items.

Find home essentials here!

Lighting & Fixtures

Home and corporate lighting solutions are gaining more popularity with each passing day. The average revenue per user in the lamps and lighting market is expected to reach USD 120.40.

Adding this extravagant chandelier to your dropshipping store is a sure-shot way to infuse better cash flows into your dropshipping store. This chandelier offers a bold visual statement and is sure to attract your customer’s attention.

Explore wall lamps here!

Sporting Goods

As people are getting more inclined toward a healthy lifestyle, the demand for sporting goods is increasing. Sports equipment is one of the best dropshipping products for your online store.

Our workout bench has a variety of exercise options for your customers. It is equipped with a barbell and dumbbell set. It’s best to strengthen the arms, back, and other muscles.

See other sporting equipment here!

Animal & Pet Supplies

With the increase in the number of pet owners globally, starting a pet supply dropshipping store is going to be the right business decision. Many households in the United States have at least one pet and this number is going to increase.

Our high-quality pet supplies, including this cat tree, will help your pet perch, climb, rest, and scratch with utmost enjoyment. It’s best suited for your cats during the winter season when they can’t roam around and are stuck indoors.

See our pet products

Hardware

The global dropshipping market is going to achieve a growth rate of 23.4% before 2030. Hardware is a major category and includes the best dropshipping products that you can add to your product catalogue.

Our textured aluminium tool case is made of ABS sheeting and wood. The weather-resistant properties make this tool case a unique product to have in your dropshipping store. Our tool case has an extendable top and 6 trays to store screwdrivers, pliers, and spanners.

Explore our hardware products here

Profit potential of dropshipping

Your dropshipping profit margin can lie between 15%-20%. But it depends on how quickly you are serving your customers and if they are happy with your dropshipping service. Your customers must receive their orders on time and their queries should be resolved promptly. If you are doing these two things right, they will continue buying from your store. The dropshipping profitability also depends on how much commission you need to pay to your dropshipping supplier. This commission generally depends on the product price and how many of a particular item you have sold.

Choosing a dropshipping supplier that does not charge any commission on the sales made by you is difficult. You can approach suppliers like dropshippingXL as they don’t charge any commission, so you don’t need to share a percentage of the profits you make. You can sign up on our platform by paying a nominal fee of 30 euros/month.

Sign up on dropshippingXL

Qualities of good dropshipping products

Every new or seasoned dropshipper wants to pick the best products for successfully running their dropshipping store. What should you look for in the products when choosing winning dropshipping products for your store? Here are a few things to think of:

Not too expensive products

This is no secret that if you want to earn more, you need to sell more. But selling too expensive products might not work in your favour. It’s because high-priced items often have higher shipping costs and can deter customers.

Have a solid MAP policy

Since the competition in the dropshipping domain is low and there is cut-throat competition, no dropshippers can sell the products below the Minimum Advertised Price. Following a MAP policy prevents price wars that can hurt your profit margins.

Hard to find locally

Products that are unavailable in the local market or hard to find are easy to sell online. This gives you a unique selling proposition. If customers can't find the product locally, they're more likely to buy from you.

Branding strategies for dropshipping store

Growing your dropshipping store and making it a known name among your customers requires a carefully designed marketing and branding strategy. Building a brand for dropshipping becomes a bit easy if you follow the tips we have discussed below.

Using customer reviews

What your customers say about your products can help you in build a brand for your dropshipping store. Publishing customer testimonials on your website can help you attract new customers. It also builds trust and credibility with your potential customers. Customer reviews also serve as social proof and help you improve your conversions and sales.

Creating social media accounts

Creating social media accounts is definitely going to help the branding of your dropshipping store. You can interact and engage with your target audience, resolve their queries, and help them know your brand better with your social media. Also, you can also show your new launches and customer testimonials to your customers. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok help you show your creative side and let you connect with your audience organically. You can also boost your posts to bring more customers to your website and improve your conversion.

Writing detailed product descriptions and using professional product photos

Giving details about the products you are selling is important to attract your customer’s attention. Using high-quality, professional pictures of the products gives your customers an idea about how their selected products look. Writing product specifications and highlighting product quality is a good way to let people know what they are buying from your store.

Creating a YouTube channel

Creating and boosting a YouTube channel for your dropshipping store can help you connect with your target audience. You can create engaging and informative videos for your customers. These videos can be related to the niche you are catering to. For example, if you are selling outdoor furniture, you can create videos related to furniture care and decor tips. Apart from creating informative content, you also need to optimise your videos for SEO and conversions. The use of relevant keywords, a crisp headline, and compelling thumbnails can help you boost your YouTube presence.

Taking help from email and text marketing

Email marketing gives one of the highest ROI. The average email open rate is 21.5% across all industries, according to a report published by Campaign Monitor. Email newsletters are one of the most underrated marketing moves. Newsletters can help you keep your customers educated about new offerings, product-care tips, and exclusive offers. In addition to emails, you can also engage with your customers using text messages or using platforms like WhatsApp.

Focusing on customer retention

Retaining your existing customers has more cost benefits than acquiring new customers. Customer retention also improves customer lifetime value and helps generate more profits for your dropshipping business. You can retain your customers by personalising your marketing campaigns. Looking at their previous order history, you can personalise the marketing campaign and also suggest product recommendations. Rewarding your repeat customers with loyalty points and discounts is also a good customer retention strategy.

Collaborating with social media influencers

Social media influencers have a good grip on their followers and they can shape their follower’s buying decisions. Collaborating with influencers is good for your dropshipping brand identity. Your target audience will know you better with influencer marketing. You can collaborate with micro to mega influencers based on your marketing budget. Have a look at their engagement rates and follower count before extending your offers.

Utilising Search Engine Optimisation

Having a solid SEO strategy will take your dropshipping store to another level. Following good SEO practices will help your customers find your store with organic searches and will improve your website traffic. Building backlinks, creating high-quality content, and serving the search intent of your customers will help you promote your dropshipping store. Branding your dropshipping store becomes easier with a proper SEO strategy that includes proper keyword research, optimising your website, and building backlinks.

Retargeting your customers

Retargeting your customers is a good way to improve your conversions. You can retarget the customers who have visited your website but have not made any purchases. You can use social media ads to retarget your customers. Customers who have visited your website and have left items in their carts can be targeted with social media ads. Google retargeting and email retargeting are also good options to think of to bring back your customers.

Create valuable resources

Create valuable and educational resources for your customers through blogs and social media posts. Blogging helps you establish your authority in your niche and educate your customers about your offerings & their benefits. You can create e-books, forums, tutorial videos, and share industry trends with your customers. Encourage your customers to engage with and share your posts. Educational content and style guides will help you brand your dropshipping store and bring interested customers to your store.

The bottom line

Dropshipping is a profitable business and you can earn anywhere between 15-20% profit from this business. This figure is subject to change depending on how efficient you are in retaining customers and offering them the best services. Choosing the best dropshipping products from trending niches is also important for your store’s success. Once you have set up your store, you need to market it well so your target audience can start ordering. Partner with the right dropshipping suppliers to streamline the delivery process and offer high-quality products to your customers. With suppliers like dropshippingXL, you can enhance your profit potential as the platform helps you with 24/7 business support, easy account creation, trendy products, automated ordering process, and transparent pricing.

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Zara Ali

Zara Ali is our seasoned in-house SEO Specialist boasting over a decade of expertise in content marketing and online research. With a passion for delving deep into the intricacies of dropshipping challenges, Zara is dedicated to crafting content that genuinely adds value to dropshippers worldwide.