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Dropshipping makes it simple to sell products online without investing a lot of money. When managed correctly, it can help you create a thriving online business.
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Dropshipping is a profitable business model for new entrepreneurs. While starting a dropshipping business isn’t totally free, costs are minimal, processes are simple, and the risks are low—since you don’t need to stock products or handle order fulfillment.
Finding a dropshipping business idea is as simple as choosing a product to sell. But with so many products to dropship, how do you know which one’s right for you?
TikTok is a major shopping channel, especially for millennial and Gen Z consumers, who often start their product searches on the app.
Discover your next dropshipping business idea by scanning TikTok hashtags such as #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt to see which products are getting attention. Regularly engage with consumers in an industry you’re interested in and check the Explore page to discover trending products.
Take the TikTok-famous sunlight lamps, for example. Videos on the topic from businesses and individual creators have amassed almost 200 million views. Source a similarly trending product from dropshipping suppliers, sell at a profit, and capture social shoppers looking to get in on the trend.
The biggest online marketplaces sell millions of SKUs from thousands of brands. By 2027, they’ll play a role in 59% of purchases, making marketplaces a great source of data to uncover trending products and dropshipping ideas.
Start by looking at “top product” pages on Amazon, Etsy, and Walmart. Pay close attention to top products in any given category, or those with a “selling fast” icon.
Continue your search on wholesale marketplaces like AliExpress, Alibaba, and SaleHoo. Most of these marketplaces double as dropshipping catalogs, so many top products will also be available for dropshipping.
Pinterest is a social media/search engine hybrid that allows users to save pins to a virtual moodboard. Use Pinterest Trends to see what users have saved the most during the previous weeks and months, then dropship similar products through your online store.
Trendhunter uses page view data, artificial intelligence, and research teams to discover trending products. Recent examples include compostable menswear and muted pink sneakers, though you can browse its website to find many new online business ideas before they become saturated.
Last year, the global beauty and personal care industry generated about $274 billion worldwide—a figure that’s set to increase in the next five years, alongside growing markets for fragrances, skin care, and cosmetics.
People spend big bucks managing their appearance and solving cosmetic-related health issues. Claim your stake by working with a dropshipping supplier to source cosmetics, skin care, and beauty products. Sell them at a higher price through your online store.
Popular dropshipping business ideas in the beauty and skin care industry include:
The global apparel industry is one of the biggest markets in the world, valued at $1.8 trillion. Find a niche fashion market such as accessories or outdoor gear to dropship and make money from online.
Colton Horn, co-founder of energy drink brand Breinfuel, picks out athleisure items like tank tops, sports bras, and leggings as particularly profitable, “even among those who simply want a comfy suit for sitting.”
Within the athleisure niche, Horn tips the “wildly popular and TikTok-approved” scrunch legging as one dropshippable clothing product that looks set to continue trending.
Popular items to dropship in this category include:
Read more: The 15 Best Dropshipping Clothing Suppliers to Grow Your Business in 2024
Online consumers spend more than $75 billion on jewelry each year. If you want to start a jewelry business but don’t have the time or skill to craft products, consider dropshipping items another manufacturer has already made.
The chunky gold jewelry trend, in particular, is one worth considering if you’re looking to use this online business idea. Block gold rings, necklaces, and earrings are back in fashion, with searches for “gold hoop earrings” steadily increasing.
Other notable jewelry products to dropship include:
While almost half of Americans admit to not reading at all, the rest enjoy an increasingly rich publishing landscape filled with print books, ebooks, audiobooks, and long-form online content.
Instead of dropshipping any book you can find, the key is to specialize in one specific type of book. Take academic course materials, for example. Students spend an average of $339 per year on higher-education books.
Other types of books to dropship include:
Online art sales are volatile but can explode when market conditions are right. In 2023, the industry experienced a 7.3% annual growth rate.
The best thing about dropshipping art is that it’s accessible to anyone, regardless of whether you’re an expert. You’ve got the option to dropship fine art, which can fetch thousands of dollars per piece, or handcrafted drawings that are printed and sold at scale for a lower cost.
Find your next dropshipping business idea with products like:
Did you know that coffee drinkers rarely stick to a single cup? This moreish daily habit contributes to a huge industry tipped to reach a $155 billion valuation by 2026.
Dropshipping coffee is a great way to take your slice of this spend. Find a coffee dropshipping supplier like Dripshipper or Aroma Ridge. Add custom labels to coffee-related products and list them on your ecommerce website for a higher price.
Popular items to sell on your coffee business’s online store include:
Cannabidiol products contain non-intoxicating hemp-derived ingredients. Around a third of Americans have tried a CBD product, with 44% of regular customers spending up to $80 on CBD-related products each month.
Although CBD products don’t include the psychoactive compound THC, it’s still a highly regulated industry. Check that your state doesn’t prohibit you from dropshipping CBD products, whether there’s an age limit your customers need to pass before accessing your online store, and that shortlisted suppliers’ products pass FDA regulation.
If you can sell CBD products in your location, try offering these formats and varieties:
Parents and caregivers spend more than $67 billion on baby care products each year—a figure set to reach nearly $100 billion by 2027.
Niche markets are emerging in the baby space. Take the gender reveal industry as an example. An increasing number of soon-to-be parents are hosting parties to announce the gender of their baby. According to Google Trends, searches for gender reveal ideas have increased over recent years, particularly in southern states such as Mississippi.
Serve this demand by dropshipping products to help expectant parents plan unique and fun gender reveal parties. Or, consider selling these baby products as part of your next dropshipping business idea:
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced employees to work from home, exercise levels increased. And while memories of the pandemic recede, new exercise habits have stayed.
Fitness trackers are one dropshipping niche that’s exploded in popularity. Smartwatch shipments are forecasted to hit 402 million units by 2026, with global consumers spending more than $93 billion on wrist activity trackers in 2022.
Aside from fitness technology, consider dropshipping the following exercise products:
Around two-thirds of American households own a pet, contributing to a $150 billion industry.
Capitalize on our love for furry friends by finding a lucrative business idea in the pet industry. Dog vitamins, for example, are just one huge area of spend. Owners splash $81 per year on supplements to keep their dogs healthy.
Other pet-related items to dropship include:
More than 65 million cars are sold each year. Give the millions of consumers who own one the chance to make their driving experiences more enjoyable by dropshipping car accessories.
Accessories don’t necessarily mean body parts or engine components. Many people look for lower-priced gadgets to enhance their vehicle’s interior.
TikTok is a great source of inspiration for these less technical dropshipping products. A quick search for “car accessories” retrieves dozens of popular videos—some with millions of views—in which users share their favorite car accessories they’ve found on Amazon. Use them as inspiration when sourcing products for your dropshipping store. That could be:
Home improvement sales are predicted to reach $621.3 billion by 2025, making it one of the largest consumer markets. Dropship home gadgets, hardware, and decorating accessories to build a profitable business in this niche.
Thomas Sleeth, founder of dropshipping resource Dropshipping Hustle, thinks the home improvement industry is a great choice for new dropshipping businesses. He says, “The best dropshipping products for this year will be anything in the off-the-grid living and homesteading space.
“These niches are continuing their upward trajectory trend, and there are a ton of different supplies in these niches that can be targeted with high- or low-ticket dropshipping.”
Popular home-related items to dropship include:
If you’re looking for a high-ticket dropshipping business idea in the home improvement market, consider dropshipping furniture. Products are often priced higher than small home improvement gadgets. The average hybrid queen-size mattress, for example, sells for $2,000.
The hardest thing about dropshipping furniture is the fact customers can’t always see the product they’re thinking of buying. Solve any pre-purchase anxiety and build consumer trust with extensive product photography, reviews from happy customers, and size charts to scale.
Furniture-related items to dropship include:
From computers to cameras, global consumers spend big on electronics each year. Estimates suggest the global consumer electronics market will reach $1.2 trillion in 2028. This type of product isn’t in short supply—you’ll find suppliers offering dropship electronics across all major dropshipping platforms.
However, the electronics industry is another highly regulated niche. Reputable suppliers will be happy to supply a portable appliance test (PAT) certificate that confirms their electronics have been rigorously tested and meet safety standards.
To turn this niche into a profitable dropshipping business, source trending products like:
Dropshipping is a low-risk business model. However, you can increase the odds of ecommerce success by validating an idea before running with it.
Before running with your next idea, see whether people are already talking about the product you’re thinking of selling.
Do your own research with online tools like Google Trends. The platform shows historical data for how many people search for that dropshipping business idea. Pay especially close attention to keywords on an upward trend. This indicates the product is becoming more popular and demand is increasing. Try to get there before competitors cotton on.
Thomas from Dropshipping Hustle recommends using Google Trends to see how interest in a product has changed over recent years, as well as checking monthly search volumes using keyword research tools.
If you’re torn between two dropshipping business ideas, use Google Trends’ comparison tool to evaluate demand for each term. Knowing one keyword is much more popular than the other can sway you in that direction.
If you go into a niche that’s already popular, it’s going to be super competitive. Paid ads will cost more and keywords will be more competitive for top products.
Target an entirely untapped niche, however, and there’s a risk of nobody wanting to buy the products you’re dropshipping. It’ll be an uphill struggle to build a profitable business.
Ultimately, there is no “ideal” level of demand when selecting the best dropshipping product. There are pros and cons when going niche versus hyper-competitive. The ideal competition level depends on the type of business you want to build.
If you’re struggling to find retailers selling similar products to the one you want to dropship, it’s not a bad sign. Going after a niche market can be a smart business move.
Pros
Cons
Hundreds of other dropshippers selling comparable products might make it harder to stand out, but it proves demand is there. Look at their product pricing strategy and see whether it’s worth competing.
Pros
Cons
Dropshipping suppliers make or break your new business. They’re the ones responsible for manufacturing, packing, and shipping orders to your customers. Be sure that for whatever dropshipping business idea you choose, there are suppliers to work with.
Use platforms like:
Most importantly, recruit a reliable supplier you can trust. Any customer complaints will fall into your hands since the dropshipping supplier acts as a silent partner. Ask for their order accuracy rate, previous customer reviews, and minimum order quantity upfront. It’ll minimize the chances of a supplier’s problems ruining your own brand’s reputation.
Dropshipping isn’t a business you can start with no money—people pay a premium for higher quality products. Figure out whether it’s worth paying more for quality from your suppliers by ordering samples.
Let’s say your supplier stocks three different varieties of the resistance bands you want to dropship:
If you’re looking for a dropshipping business idea that’ll make the most money, you might think Product A stands you in better ground to do that. Lower cost price means higher margins, right?
However, people pay premiums for sustainability. After ordering all three products to sample, you survey your target market and discover they’d pay $28 for Product C—a 79% profit margin (compared to 25% for A and 43% for B).
Ordering samples in advance also gives you first-hand experience dealing with a supplier before your customers are involved. You’ll have the delivery communication emails, unboxing experience, and first impressions your customers get.
Your target market is the group of people who will buy your products. Instead of finding a dropshipping product idea and hoping there’s a market for it, survey your target audience to see:
There are two ways this process tends to go AWOL. First, people are notoriously awful at telling you what they would do or would buy. It’s difficult to get honest opinions when no real money is at stake.
Secondly, small business owners often turn toward their family and friends for market research. They ask if they’d buy a product, only to hear everyone say yes because they didn’t want to hurt a budding entrepreneurs’ feelings.
Solve these issues and ask hard-hitting questions that allow you to verify whether what you think is a great business idea would make money. That includes:
Once you subtract the wholesale price of a product and your overheads, are you left with any profit? Good business ideas are those where products are sourced at a low price and resold higher.
Use Shopify’s free profit margin calculator to see how much money you’re left with after buying the product from a supplier and paying their fee for picking, packing, and shipping.
One route is to find the absolute cheapest product and sell it for as high a price possible. But that strategy comes with risk. You often have to sell as many products as you can, rather than focusing on high-quality customers and building sustainable business.
Invest in brand-building if increasing your profit margin is the ultimate goal. Consumers pay a premium to shop with brands that:
Even if cost prices and competitor RRPs are low, make your dropshipping brand the go-to ecommerce website for consumers who want more than the ordinary.
The success of your dropshipping store depends on the product you choose.
Build a small, low maintenance (and low cost) online store with Shopify to validate your dropshipping business idea and test a marketing strategy. Choose three to five products in the same niche. Invest more time and effort into products proven to sell for the best chance of success.
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