If your dropshipping store is not the best it could be, maybe it’s time to look to others for inspiration. In this post, we’re going to look closely at the best dropshipping stores around so we could take a leaf out of their book.
Other dropshipping stores are great templates for what you want your store to be. You can find inspiration for design, products, pricing, or marketing. Of course, you can’t just copy everything because you have to do things your way and establish your store’s uniqueness.
What is dropshipping anyway?
First, we have to understand what dropshipping is and why people go into this business. If you already know all the ins and outs of dropshipping, you can skip ahead to the first store example.
If not, then I’ll outline the process here for you:
- You open up an online store using Shopify and Sellfy filled with your products you source using a company like Spocket. However, you don’t have these products on hand. That’s where a supplier comes in.
- If someone places an order on your online store, you have to place the same order with your dropshipping supplier. There are some apps that will automate this process for you, so you don’t have to worry about doing this manually. After all, we are prone to error.
- Your dropshipping will handle the rest. They have your products in storage, so they will prepare the package that has to be sent out. They will also handle the delivery of the order straight to your customer’s doorstep.
- Your customer will receive their order directly from your dropshipping supplier. You never even have to see or touch the product that they bought from you.
Now, you might have this question hanging in your head: won’t the customer know that the package didn’t come from me?
The answer is no. Suppliers won’t put any logos, advertisements, or receipts in your packages, given that the service provides blind drop shipping.
So why is the dropshipping business so popular right now? Why would you want to go into this business? Well, there are some significant advantages to owning a dropshipping store, which are:
- A chance to earn more money
If you pull off dropshipping correctly, you have the potential to make a lot of money. It’s like any other business. If you play your cards right, your revenue might be big enough to be your primary source of income.
- Being your own boss
Some people don’t thrive under authority. With your own store, you can be your own boss. You can strategize, manage, and conduct the business of your own accord.
- Working from anywhere
One can run a dropshipping store anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You have to be online to manage your store and communicate with suppliers and customers. But you never have to leave your house to be a successful business owner.
Related Reading: Amazon Direct Shipping Freebies – Read Here
Why should you look at dropshipping store examples?
For inspiration, of course! First of all, looking at successful dropshipping stories is hugely beneficial for beginners. You’ll learn what an online store is supposed to look like and how it operates. If you want to get tons of traffic to your store, it would be helpful to look at others who are already doing so.
We all could use inspiration every once in a while. We’re in different stages of our lives as entrepreneurs. Many have already made a fortune with dropshipping stores, so why would you give yourself the opportunity to learn from them?
Examples of Successful Dropshipping Stores
Are you ready to learn from the best? I compiled a list of the best dropshipping stores around and explained how they got to earn their status. I hope you can find some stuff that you want to emulate and adapt. Let’s get started.
1. Bluecrate
Bluecrate rakes in a lot of orders from the massive traffic they generate from Facebook advertisement videos. The company started out as a general store, but they have since changed their products to more personalized unusual gifts.
The most noteworthy thing about their marketing strategy is their Facebook videos. I suggest you go on their Facebook page and watch a couple of their self-produced ads. They also take great care in photographing and editing their product images.
Take a gander at their wares. They certainly look more appealing than images you get from a supplier.
2. Inspire Uplift
Inspire Uplift is a general dropshipping store that’s been around for a while now. They get nearly a million visits every month because they’re so good at generating traffic. How do they do it?
First, they made sure to engage with customers on their social media accounts. I suggest you look at their profiles and check out the massive following that they have in each one. Check out how they interact with old and potential customers as well.
Next, they have a comprehensive Help Center. If a potential buyer of theirs has a question or two, they can find the answers in this resource. You could also put up your own Help Center or FAQs page to increase your conversions.
Finally, they have a YouTube channel. If you’re on the internet a lot, you’ll know how much power YouTube has and its potential as a marketing tool. You might want to think about starting your own channel and producing relevant content that will make people want to buy your products.
3. HYGO
HYGO is another general dropshipping store that takes advantage of Facebook’s marketing power. If you go on their timeline, you’ll see many self-product product videos.
The most noteworthy aspect of their store is the quality of the reviews that they get. They earn comprehensive, well-written reviews with photos from customers.
They also have a “frequently bought together” feature that boosts your average order value. Visitors wanting to purchase one product will get the suggestion to buy more. Industry giant Amazon does this too. When you browse on Amazon, you’ll see a section titled “customers who viewed this item also viewed:” encouraging you to check out more products.
4. Meowingtons
Meowingtons is a branded dropshipping niche store. They sell cat-themed apparel, accessories, and home decor. How did their store get so popular? They put up a lot of funny cat posts.
Customers who sign up in their app get exclusive deals and discounts. It’s a good tactic to give incentives to potential customers.
Meowingtons also has holiday pricing, encouraging customers to buy more during special occasions.
The best thing about this store is its philanthropic aspect. The company gives back to foster centers by donating essential supplies and enrichment toys. They also sponsor community cat adoption events. Customers are more likely to buy their products since they know that some of the proceeds go to charity.
5. Gadgetox
Judging from the name of the site, you might have already guessed that this dropshipping store sells gadgets. How do they beat out any other electronics store? They write excellent product descriptions.
Gadgetox’s product descriptions are a cut above the rest. They also make sure the text is in an easily readable font and pair it with high-res images.
Gadgetox also shows their visitors how much money they can save if they purchase products immediately or at a particular time. You can attract a lot of buyers by giving them an actual amount they can make in savings.
6. Mooshe Socks
Mooshe Socks is another excellent example of a niche dropshipping store. They sell adorable socks made of vegan fabrics. Mooshe Socks drives in the fact that they’re environmentally conscious.
They can sell products quickly because their customers want to reduce their impact on the planet as well. They send out products in minimalistic packaging, hence decreasing the prices of their products in general.
The company also has a membership box that customers can sign up for. Those who pay for it will receive a pair of socks every month. A monthly subscription is an excellent way to keep loyal customers.
7. Wikipedeals
On your first visit to Wikipedeals, you’ll be impressed by the eye-catching home page. If you check out their product pages, you’ll see that they’ve put effort into writing their product descriptions.
They split each description into three sections: the general description, what you’ll love, what you might hate. This split test helps them figure out what their target audience likes. Customers can also make an informed decision about what they purchase. It’s a win-win on both ends.
Each product also has a GIF image explaining the product. People who don’t like perusing online shops so much get brief descriptions if they hover over a product image.
Lastly, Wikipedeals implements a currency converter. The site automatically converts prices to the currency of the visitor (based on their location). It’s always handy to get a clear idea of how much you have to pay in your currency.
8. Dog Pawty
As you might have guessed, Dog Pawty is a dropshipping niche store that sells dog products. The company made the smart move of being active on its social media profiles. Check out their Facebook page. It has 300,000 likes!
When you look at their product descriptions and images, you’ll get color options. Selecting a color will change the image corresponding to your choice. This is an excellent way to show customers precisely what they’re getting.
Plus, they have a blog! Blogging is also a smart move if you own a niche store. A blog is an excellent tool that can drive more traffic to your store. You can also publish niche-related content to establish your authority in your industry.
9. Life Booster Shop
Life Booser Shop sells products that can improve your quality of life, mainly home goods. What’s so special about their store? First, they sell genuinely unique products that you’ll rarely see anywhere else.
For example, one of their top products is a Multifunctional Universal Hammer. It serves as a power nail gun, pipe pliers, live wrench, screwdriver, clamps, pincers, vice, and hammer! If you go on the product page, you’ll see that this versatile tool gets 5-star ratings all around.
Working hard to get good reviews will establish trust with your potential customers. When was the last time you blindly bought something without reviews? Most of the time, we as consumers depend on reviews more than the company’s marketing.
High ratings will also improve your search engine rankings. Google won’t advertise stores with few or bad reviews.
Finally, it looks like they put some time and effort into designing their logo and homepage. Establishing a strong brand look will help you set yourself apart from your competition.
10. Trendy Goods
What’s the best way to ride a trend wave? Sell the trending products, of course! Trendy Goods does precisely that by offering all sorts of goods hyped up by Facebook ads.
Trendy Goods is a fun site, and you’ll love to visit it because its pages are so fresh and unique. Each product that they sell gets a comprehensive description. You get an overview section with a bullet point list indicating the product’s key features.
The folks over at Trendy Goods also took the time to sort their products and connect them to each other. If you click on one product, you’ll see that it’s linked to similar products in that category.
Trends come and go, but new ones will never stop coming. Trendy Goods banks on this opportunity, and now they have varied product offerings consolidated in one place. If you go on their site, it’s likely that you’ll want something that you didn’t even know you needed.
11. Cats on Catnip
Cats on Catnip looks like a super professional-looking store, something to be compared to more prominent companies. They currently have over 250,000 followers on Instagram!
Looking at their site, you’ll hardly connect the dots and think that it’s a dropshipping store. Like Meowington, Cats on Catnip donates meals, toys, and blankets to cat shelters. Each of their product pages indicates how many cats your purchase will be helping.
They also have a blog full of cat content that will attract readers and potential buyers. It seems like Cats on Catnip is doing everything right, from their product descriptions, reviews, and design of their store.
12. Mini Smart World
Mini Smart World is classified as a general dropshipping store, but they carry primarily electronic products. What makes their store so successful? They have the social proof right on their homepage.
When you visit the site, you’ll clearly see the glowing reviews that past customers left behind. Of course, it becomes undeniable that they sell quality products because many regular folks say so. The company claims to want to “spoil” their customers, apparently treating them like family. These are big words, but they attract potential buyers.
Their site also follows a cohesive color scheme, which makes the store look more professional. In web design, one of the first lessons you’ll learn is creating and sticking to a color scheme. Untrustworthy sites usually have loud, incoherent colors that turn off visitors as soon as they click on them.
Their product pages are also well-designed. Everything looks clean and in place, with bold titles and buttons for the customer’s ease of use. Nowadays, most companies go for a minimal design to give their visitors a breezy browsing experience. Try not to clutter your store too much and keep it simple like Mini Smart World.
13. GeniaMania
GeniaMania is yet another general dropshipping store. They carry all sorts of goods in categories like beauty & health, home improvement, kitchen & dining, automotive accessories, pets, tools, jewelry, and more.
First off, their homepage looks sleek as can be! What welcomes you is neat, bright, and easy to understand.
The unique thing about GeniaMania’s marketing strategy is its use of Pinterest as a marketing tool. Currently, they have more than 10 million views on their Pinterest pins. That’s a lot of traffic. Sure, all these views are not guaranteed sales, but it still accounts for 75% of their total traffic, according to SimilarWeb.
Pinterest is a powerful promotional tool, and you can also use it to boost the visibility of your store.
Next, it looks like GeniaMania is bidding on its own name. They use Google Ads to make sure their site is visible whenever someone searches for keywords in their niche. Another great tactic!
Google is an advertising platform integrated into a search engine. Whoever works hard or pays for spaces will naturally get top billing.
14. Notebook Therapy
I’ll be honest. I wasn’t entirely sure if Notebook Therapy is a dropshipping store or not – it looks that good. Their site’s layout is different from most dropshipping stores out there. I had to check their shipping policy to confirm that they do, in fact, work with a supplier.
The most noteworthy thing about Notebook Therapy is the design of its website. From the menu bar to the color scheme, everything looks * chef’s kiss*.
Next up is their social media presence. If you check out all their profiles, you can see they get a ton of engagement from their followers. Their Instagram page alone has over 1 million followers! On Pinterest, I found out that their pins have gained over 2.5 million views.
How did they get such large followings? They work with influencers. You can reach out to influencers and pay them to endorse your products or services. Influencers have their own audiences, and you have the opportunity to get those eyeballs on your store.
15. Bestsellrz
Bestsellrz used to be a high-traffic general dropshipping store, but we can still learn a thing or two from their practices. Founded back in 2016, Bestsellrz sells trending products, from electronics to survival gear.
Their site still looks pretty fresh, with a clean layout and full of high-quality images of their products. They also have a “track your order” page where you can find out the location of your package as it’s being delivered to you.
Finally, they have a separate reviews page with photos alongside text reviews. Of course, they feature a lot of 5-star reviews because it’s good for business.
16. Warmly
When you visit Warmly, their homepage features many lighting products and home accessories, most of which are not your typical dropshipping products. It’s true, a dropshipping store in this niche is uncommon, which is a plus for the company.
So what kind of traffic do they receive? They get around 140,000 visits per month, which isn’t bad for a little lighting store.
What can we take away from Warmly? I love the fact that it’s a dropshipping store in an unusual niche. If you’re thinking about opening an online store to sell products outside of the typical categories like pets, gadgets, and fitness, it’s okay to go for it!
Lastly, they utilize Pinterest as a marketing tool. Pinterest is their primary traffic source. Did you know that you can have a Pinterest business account for free? Set up your profile, put up some high-quality pins, and see your traffic increase.
17. 5econds
5econds is a general dropshipping store that’s been blowing up as of late. Why? They carry a lot of winning products in their store. They also use an optimization tool called “Store Intelligence.”
Doubters can go to a page that they dedicated to the keyword “5econds scam.” Smaller stores usually face the problem of having to prove the legitimacy of their services. Wouldn’t you rather buy from a larger, well-established store than a smaller one? For that reason, 5econds goes in-depth to prove that they’re not scamming people.
I’m not sure if this is a good practice, but they include screenshots from their Google Analytics and Klaviyo accounts. It’s certainly unique, and you can tell that they’re trying to be transparent. It might be helpful for you to do the same if you’re trying to quell rumors about your store being a scam.
18. Ever Bloom Baby
Ever Bloom Baby is the baby product business. According to Glippa, their net profit is $11,426 per month, and they’ve only been around for two years! What sets them apart from their competition?
They’ve implemented a “buy now, pay later” feature using Sezzle. Some customers are more likely to take the plunge if they don’t have to pay for anything upfront.
Ever Bloom Baby has also set up a reward system to give incentives to their customers for completing specific tasks. For example, a customer is entitled to some rewards if he or she shares the site on Facebook or follows the company’s account on Instagram.
Lastly, they did a great job being active on their social media accounts. They have high engagements on Facebook and Instagram.
19. LED Plug
LED Plug sells LED strip lights, another unique niche. Their store is just as professional-looking as my other examples on this list. LED Plug still has a long way to go in terms of popularity, but they’re working on it with their Instagram page.
Lastly, LED Plug already has many in-depth reviews with photos on top of texts. It helps to know that products get to their customers undamaged and they’re satisfied with what they bought.
20. Shopolis
Shopolis was a popular dropshipping store back then, but it has since gone offline. There’s still something to learn from a dropshipping store that tanked. You don’t want to fall by the wayside like Shopolis. A whopping 98% of their reviews on Trustpilot are bad.
It looks like the main complaint of their former customers was their subpar customer service and how they handled refunds and returns. Make sure you treat your customers with utmost care and respect. These people are patronizing your business, after all.
When Shopolis was doing well, their SEO efforts were at maximum. In their heyday, their most used keywords ranked as high as second in Google Search Results. Their website also had a nice layout for its time, and they were very active on their Facebook page.
The last post on their timeline is from 2018, but I think you can still learn a thing or two by going deeper in their feed.
21. Shopepie
Shopepie is a dropshipping store that sells mainly fashion items, but they do carry some unrelated products like coffee filters as well.
One unique feature that Shopepie has is its site’s loading animations. As the store loads, you get a little animation display. You might like this or not, but I think it’s worth mentioning if your aim is to make your store stand out in a good way.
When you check out their products, you’ll see that the descriptions are clear and concise, and the photos are high resolution too.
22. Treasure Fan
The last dropshipping store I’ll include on this list is currently offline. I only include Treasure Fan because you might learn something from what they did right when they were in operation.
First, I like that they had a support page. It was easy for their customers to find answers to their questions. They also had a dedicated review page filled with reviews from satisfied customers.
Finally, they had a semi-popular Facebook page with over 50,000 likes. It has since been taken down, but I like how they made an effort to engage with their audience on some platform.
Their most commented post was about a contest that they held. They made sure to include a link to their store in the picture that they posted on their timeline.
Related Reading: Ideas to Make $2,000
How do you find other successful dropshipping stores?
If 23 examples aren’t enough for you, then don’t worry; I’ve got you covered. I recommend that you use a product research tool like Sell The Trend.
You can use Sell The Trend to find dropshipping stores that are doing well. Look at their pages and see what tactics they’re employing.
Sell The Trend is also useful in that it helps you find winning products to sell in your store. If you’re stumped about what you can sell, this tool is definitely worth using.
Best of all, Sell The Trend offers a free 7-day trial for you to check out their services. You can cancel it anytime, even before you start paying.
Dropshipping FAQs
Is dropshipping really profitable?
Yes! In fact, dropshipping is a low-risk business model because you don’t need an inventory of products or storage space. You don’t even need to handle shipments.
What products should I sell in my dropshipping store?
If you think opening a dropshipping business is an excellent idea but don’t know what to sell, no problem! Use a tool like Spocket to help you find suppliers. Here’s a little list of inspiration for you.
- Printables and printed merchandise
- Novelty items
- Motivational bookmarks and stationery
- Financial Planners and Calendars
- Inexpensive accessories
- Candles
- Electronics
Do I need to buy products to sell in my store?
No! The great thing about dropshipping is the supplier handles your products for you. Like I mentioned before, you never even have to see the products that you sell. Packages are delivered directly to your customers.
The Challenges of Having a Dropshipping Business
If you’re new to the dropshipping business, I have to warn you about the possible difficulties you might face. Not everyone who opens a store makes it big. In this post alone, I listed two dropshipping stores that closed their metaphorical doors.
So why would it be challenging to maintain a dropshipping store?
1. The profit margins are relatively low.
Like I said before, a dropshipping business is a low-risk business model. Because the overhead is so low, the returns will be low as well.
You have to sell a lot of products to turn a significant profit. Most of the money you’ll earn will go to the supplier. They won’t handle packing and shipping for free.
What does this mean? You have to be smart about marketing, managing sales orders, and maintaining your site.
2. This business is competitive.
Since very little capital is required to open a dropshipping store, many are attracted to the business model. However, this often leads to saturation of the market. For example, let’s say you want to open an online clothing store. There are so many online clothing stores out there that you have to compete with. You have to employ effective marketing strategies to keep your store afloat.
Many people would be working with the same suppliers, so they’d essentially be selling the same stuff. The only way to beat your rivals is to advertise your products well and get higher rankings with SEO.
3. You have no control over the supply chain.
If you had a regular eCommerce store, you’d hold all your inventory yourself. You can then quickly address shipping and returns. With a dropshipping business, you’re basically at the mercy of your supplier.
There’s not much you can do but hope that your supplier addresses your customers’ problems and reassures them. If some issues arise, you’ll be the middleman between the customer and the supplier, so there’s going to be some delay in communication. Mistakes like these will get you bad reviews, which won’t be good for business.
4. Legal liability issues
If you work with a legitimate dropshipping supplier, you won’t come across these issues. Be wary of some suppliers and be particular about where their merchandise comes from.
5. It will cost you extra to build a brand.
With some dropshipping suppliers, you have to pay extra so that they won’t put their logo on your packages. Customers will be miffed if their packages come from somewhere else other than your store.
Brand-building will also be difficult if you sell products that are not your own. People tend to focus on brands and not where they buy products from. For example, if someone buys a Samsung phone on Amazon, they’re going to rave about Samsung, not the marketplace.
It’s up to you to make sure you establish your brand using your own means. If possible, slap your logo onto everything to increase brand recognition among your audience. Branding is crucial in eCommerce because it’s the only way you get repeat customers.
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The Benefits of Dropshipping
Okay, so it looks like it’s not going to be smooth sailing to achieve success with your dropshipping store. So what’s your incentive in managing one?
1. You create a passive income.
Managing a dropshipping store doesn’t take much effort, especially if you know what you’re doing. If you can breeze through marketing across all social media platforms, you’re golden. You could be raking in orders from your online store even as you sleep!
Your supplier will take care of the rest for you. You don’t need to pack or ship anything.
2. You can sell new products with minimal risk.
If you’d like to update your line of products, you can easily do so without losing capital. With a traditional online store, you need to have faith that your new products will sell. You’ll have to blindly spend on fresh inventory and hope that the products will sell.
With dropshipping, you can test out new products at no cost. If it turns out that your customers don’t respond well to the product, you can simply remove it from your store.
3. Instant cash flow
With a traditional online store, you have to purchase products, store them somewhere, put them up online, and wait for orders to come in. All that time, you’ll have no money coming in, so it’s quite the wait.
With dropshipping, you receive payments as soon as someone buys something from your store. Of course, your supplier will get a commission from that. If you have constant money coming in, this gives you the chance to expand your store.
4. You never need to pay for storage space or a physical storefront.
Opening a physical store is taxing, especially these days. You have to pay a lease, mortgage, construction costs, maintenance, and wages for employees. With an online store and dropshipping services, you’re scot-free from these fees.
5. You can utilize your marketing and customer service skills.
If you’re a first-time business owner but have marketing and customer service skills under your belt, I can tell that you’re going to do well. Since it’s likely that other stores are going to be carrying your products as well, you have to do some extra work to stand out.
People will prefer your store to others if you have a uniquely recognizable brand and offer superior service. Like with some of the examples I listed above, you can support a cause related to what you sell to attract more customers.
Your website has to be highly optimized too. I hope you adapt what you learned above and create simple yet attractive product pages and an eye-catching homepage.
Load your site with features that will entice folks to stay on it longer. Include a dedicated review and help center page.
Conclusion
That was quite a little journey we went on there! I hope the 23 examples of dropshipping stores give you ample inspiration to boost your own. Remember, no one hardly achieves success overnight. You can expect your dropshipping store to flourish if you don’t put the work in.
The business model may be deceptively simple, but it requires significant attention, especially in the stages where you’re building your brand. Selling stuff on the internet is always going to be profitable. It’s just a matter of setting yourself apart from your competition. Good luck!
