Legend has it that in dropshipping, of the 10% of successful e-merchants, only 1% really gets rich. Thus, in the midst of a health crisis, many people still wonder about the interest of creating their own Shopify store! Not to mention the fact that with millions of e-commerce sites registered in 2020, one can imagine arriving too late on the market. So, should we still start dropshipping in 2021? Can we still hope to make a living in e-commerce? The answer is YES, of course. Here’s why…

E-commerce in 2021: is it over?

Motivating figures

With more than 4206 billion $ in sales in 2020, online sales will keep growing at a high rate for the years to come. The market size has more than tripled since 2014!

Annual worldwide turnover in e-commerce in billions of $

More design, user-friendly and secure, online boutiques are attracting more and more Internet users. Convenient, easy and fast, ordering online with return and refund guarantees is no longer refused.

Covid 19: the opportunity for e-commerce

While physical businesses have suffered from the pandemic with the mandatory closure of their stores, people have turned to online sites to indulge themselves. A boon for e-merchants, which boosts their turnover. 

An opportunity to give more confidence to the skeptics on the future of e-shops and establish new consumption habits.

Some owners of physical stores also realized the need to duplicate their shops on the web. An alternative that has imposed itself thanks to click and collect to save stocks.

With a successful entry rate of 15%, e-commerce continues to be the solution for those looking for professional retraining or additional income.

How to succeed in dropshipping in 2021?

With such surprising statistics, it is normal to think that you are too late to start your online business. Over the last 10 years, billions of dropshippers have invaded the web. Discouraged, one can imagine the crowded sector, where all the niches are taken and the Facebook ads inaccessible…. That’s not true.

“Too much competition in e-commerce”

Having competition in all areas is not a bad thing in itself. On the contrary, it is a sign of a growing sector with strong potential.

As long as demand is stronger than supply, there is always room to position oneself in a niche. It’s up to you to carry out your market research upstream.

And not all competitors are really in it. Indeed, a product can be sold at different prices according to its range, its technicality. So all of you do not necessarily target the same public.

“Amazon kills the market.”

If Amazon is the pet peeve of e-merchants for its unlimited offer of competitively priced products and express delivery, the site is not sexy and is for everyone. While you, you have the possibility to create a whole universe personalized to the tastes and expectations of your audience.

Better! Why not take advantage of Amazon’s popularity to sell your product on their platform?

In addition to your site, you get a new source of traffic and revenue.

But beware! Please decipher the process of seeling on amazon before you start, because the terms are different compared to Shopify and Woocommerce.

“Saturation of niches and winning products”

Yoga, animals, iPhone shells or beauty and wellness items… All the niches and winning products seem to be over-exploited. So where and how to position yourself?

Start by differentiating yourself!

Be different in your strategy

• Propose new products, bring added value to your store, your customers and your ads. Your competitors are all on Facebook? Use influencers, sponsorship, etc.

Bringing value to your site and everything that revolves around it means working on the branding of your site, highlighting the quality of your product. Detail the benefits for your audience.

• Think about the longevity of your site by working on SEO. This translates into natural traffic acquisition via serious blog posts that answer your visitors’ questions. Or product sheets neat and attractive. All this, written in a way optimized for Google.

In addition to distinguishing yourself through your expertise, you gain notoriety and visibility without having to invest in advertising.

“Everybody knows Aliexpress.”

“Aliexpress is too well known by the general public to continue exporting their products.”

Indeed, dropshipping with Aliexpress is less powerful than before since the Chinese giant is accessible to individuals. A mistrust of Internet users and influencers then settles on the origin of the products offered.

But keep in mind that dropshipping is above all a way to sell a product. If we clumsily link e-commerce with Aliexpress, this Asian platform is not the only condition to do dropshipping.

Since the sale of products online via the supplier can be done in all countries, and even directly from French producers.

To remain competitive, opt for a wholesaler(s) based in China, but outside Aliexpress. They will be just as interesting in terms of purchasing conditions, with ranges of items that meet your requirements.

“Advertising on Facebook is too expensive”

Don’t waste your time and money on FB Ads if it doesn’t work for you. Diversify your marketing strategies. Between Google Ads, SEO, e-mailing or Pinterest… Your sources of acquisition may come from elsewhere. In e-commerce, there is no miracle recipe. It’s up to you to analyze where your prospects are in order to better target them.

 

To all those who are afraid of going into dropshipping for fear of failure: reassure yourself! In constant growth for more than 10 years, the merchant site is not dead. Over the years, strategies have been refined to restore the image of this business model, which has long been decried. In perpetual evolution, Internet pushes web entrepreneurs to constantly adapt their store to the new rules of the game on the web.

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