B2C online commerce is at an all-time high, and the good news for those contemplating dropshipping is that it shows no sign of abating. Indeed, e-commerce is projected to be worth trillions of dollars next year, and dropshipping is a broadly digital trend that is set to grow, alongside digital life overall. While there are some essential ingredients that cannot be ignored – like only dealing with trustworthy dropshipping suppliers – the model is a simple one that has allowed many people to get into business and earn an income online.
Given the tough economic forecasts for the next few years, however, finding reliable revenue streams is becoming an essential rather than simply an added perk. Moreover, South African businesses that manage to survive the increasingly competitive climate can look forward to greater market share in the mid- to long-term.
Make no mistake: dropshipping is a business, the online version of the old “buy-and-sell-on” model that is a central pillar of so many of today’s successful stores. The online model is as simple as that, too, and doesn’t have much of a barrier to entry nor any ensuing complicated demands.
With that said, it’s essential that you only ever associate with reputable dropshipping suppliers, especially when dealing with the sometimes still tentative South African consumer, and that you’re highly visible in your service ethic.
Not All Dropshipping Suppliers Are Equal
Look at any modern interactive forum like Quora or Reddit, and there will always be an abundance of queries and complaints around dropshipping, from practitioners! One of the biggest questions encountered in start-up dropshipping forums is: where do I buy my stock? Questions like “What are good products to dropship?” might seem inane to those looking from the outside in, but that, for example, is a huge consideration and a lynchpin of any successful online store.
The more wannabe dropshippers have arisen, the more lousy dropshipping supply stores have emerged, too. It’s crucial to dropshipper success that you have a trustworthy supplier at your back, one whose products are as good as they claim, and one who prides themselves on prompt delivery, and great overall customer service.
Dropshipping, for better or worse, takes the quality control over manufacturing or delivery out of the business owner’s hands. In fact, the store’s very reputation hinges on the quality of goods and service you get from your dropshipping suppliers. While this comes as a huge relief and is one of the reasons it’s possible for anyone to get into online business without much in the way of starting capital or established supply chains, it also makes the selection of dropshipping suppliers crucial to your future success. Erratic or late supply, poor quality goods that lack popularity, or poor service delivery are all fatal for the store owner. In dropshipping, you get all of the benefits, but also all of the fallout if things go wrong.
Partner with a Quality Dropshipping Supplier
More than any other aspect, it’s critical for dropshippers to get their supply chain in order. Unlike in the legacy arena where you have a host of options to tweak things in order to meet customer demands and grow the business, with dropshipping, you’re as good as your suppliers. Quality goods delivered professionally – all else follows from there.
Ecomstock is a specialist supplier to dropshippers in South Africa. We aim to have everything you need under our roof, and go to great lengths to ensure that we maintain our availability of popular goods and also that we deliver them promptly and professionally. Call on us to populate your store and get dropshipping happening for you – we’re in it for the long haul, and pride ourselves on being the most enabling wholesale supplier in the country!