Dropshipping business allows merchants to launch their online businesses and introduce their products without keeping the stocks or monitoring the inventory on their own. One thing to note when choosing this retail model is that entrepreneurs need to choose the best products to dropship because it all comes down to that.
Due to its low start-up costs and inventory set-up, no wonder dropshipping continues to become one of the most sought-after retail models nowadays.
The global dropshipping market is predicted to reach $243.42 billion in 2023, which is also the first year it has exceeded $200 billion, after a 23.7% increase from 2022. This number is forecasted to continue improving in the future years — set to hit $301.11 billion in 2024, $372.47 billion in 2025, and $476.10 billion in 2026.
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Despite these massive numbers fueling the dropshipping business, some are still confused about what items are profitable and not. That is why we created this article composed of the five best dropshipping products to sell online as well as the steps in finding what is best for you.
Meghan Lewis — Skinnydip
“Our sales have gone up by over 20X in the past year. And it’s growing continuously month over month.”
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5 Trending products for dropshipping
When you, a merchant sells products in your online store, you should be really careful about what items to release, as each has its own market and strategies to incorporate. You can try using tools like Google Trends to know the top dropshipping products among shoppers or look for any research that focuses on the yearly statistical numbers of items being sold online.
To make things somehow easier for you, we also did our study on a few items to look out for when choosing the product for your dropshipping store.
Clothing
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One of the most profitable dropshipping niches is clothing, especially women’s. You can sell shirts, sleepwear, and formal dresses at a very low cost. The clothing niche is one of the best products to dropship as it is still in demand after so many years, simply because it's a necessity and hobby, for some as well. The global market value was reportedly $225.99 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to over $1.2 billion by 2030.
When selling trending dropshipping products, it is important to remember that it comes with great market competition. There are over 100,000 products under this niche on marketplaces like Amazon, which mostly cater to different seasons, may it be winter, summer, fall, or spring. You have to stay ahead of the curve to beat other dropshipping businesses in the same niche.
Even the men’s apparel industry reaches about $568.90 billion (source: statista) at the start of 2023. It is expected to gather a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.95% from 2023 to 2027. The ability to earn massively without even having to invest millions of dollars in inventory upfront is the largest benefit of dropshipping clothes. So, yes, it is feasible to launch a successful dropshipping business with very little money, if you have a limited budget.
Customers who purchase clothing products usually get their items within 24 hours at the fastest. Mostly, shoppers buy from their trusted brands or dropshipping online store with reassurance about the pricing, which can be a lot cheaper compared to private brands out there.
Car Accessories
A profitable dropshipping business needs to have a large target market. Market research is your best friend in coming up with ideas, so you need to be really intelligent in doing your studies before landing on the perfect dropshipping item to sell out there.
As of 2023, 75% of United States citizens said that they own a car. It is more than enough to assume that car accessories can bring more sales to the table than you expect.
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You can sell car decal stickers, mobile phone mounts, custom bumper stickers, multi-port cars, and even electronic body massage pillows to profit from this hot niche in 2023. Most car owners treat their cars like their homes, so, of course, they will want to fill them up with things that will bring them convenience every time they are on the road.
An online dropshipping store of car accessories can help in uplifting the aesthetics of the buyer's car. Suppose, you are also a car enthusiast, starting this business, can get to put your energy into something you are truly passionate about.
Additionally, there are dozens of different car models that are popular around the world, and different types of accessories fit with them. Though there will be slow periods, as there will be times that car owners won't feel the need to upgrade their items, it's nothing to worry about, as there is a larger number of markets waiting to be tapped. It's important to strategically make promotions during these times.
Phone Accessories
Gaming headsets, USB cables, phone cases, and fast chargers are just some of the phone accessories that are being continuously bought by consumers. As phones become a necessity for communication, phone accessories are also turning into one.
Even mobile phone repair tools are becoming a much-needed product nowadays. The “self-repair” niche has become more common for people. By fixing their own phone they can save money on very expensive repairs. As this grows, so does the demand for tools that enable people to safely repair their electronics.
Also, while the cell phone industry is remaining in its competitive slate due to the continuous advancement and innovation of well-established brands, there is definitely a lot of room for you here.
Baby Necessities
As birth rates increase around the globe, the demand for clothing, toys, and feeding bottles is also increasing. According to a report by Statista, the baby care product market is believed to be worth approximately $88.72 billion dollars worldwide in 2026.
The baby care market industry's rise in online shopping provides new parents the ease of buying dropshipping baby products quickly without the hassle of leaving their newborns in the care of someone just to get them themselves.
You have to build an online store that can offer a wide variety of items together with an efficient service that is ready to cater to hundreds of thousands of parents in the world. The main benefit is that all you need to do is to identify what baby products to sell.
One thing about dropshipping business model is that you can adjust your online inventory and include the most trending baby products and eliminate those not selling that well. You can dropship baby products on marketplaces like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, also on Shopify, and other eCommerce platforms you prefer.
Beauty Products
The total revenue in the beauty and personal care market amounts to $ 579.20 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow annually by 3.53% (CAGR 2023-2028). Beauty products also equalize one's self-care attitude, whether inside or out.
According to Groupon, American women spend an average of $3,756 annually on beauty products and services. This leads to you securing profit yearly, without many problems in terms of introducing it to do market, because these products also become part of everyone's necessities regardless of gender.
Yes, popular and large cosmetic brands seem to dominate the market with all the advantages in the industry, name it. However, small businesses or dropshipping stores that want to dive into the cosmetic area, by representing a manufacturer’s cosmetic line, have their advantages, too.
When you are interested in dropshipping cosmetics, know that you will be able to test different types of cosmetic products to somehow focus on your sub-niche within such a wide category. You can actually choose products based on order volume and the quality of customer reviews.
Shipping costs can also be relatively low due to the weight of most beauty products, they often don't require large boxes or order wrappers compared to those big-built products.
How To Find Best Dropshipping products
A product becomes profitable depending on the foundations you built to make it. As an entrepreneur, you have to set things accordingly before finally jumping into the business side of the world. Finding the best dropshipping items online, will not only need you to find the supplier that supplies the highest quality of product.
In order to find the most trusted, you need to study it by yourself. Find the niche, check the product, look out for your target customers' demands, and observe how competitors manage their orders and consumers to establish the finest item to be released in your store.
Identify Niche
You must be clearly aware of your interests, which can be a very crucial step. Ask yourself simple questions like:
- What are your hobbies?
- What do you do most in your vacant time?
- What do you like learning about?
A niche product is that certain item or category that caters to a very specific group of buyers. It typically targets a subset of a larger market, with the aim of bringing satisfaction through supplying their demands.
Niche products can have higher price points compared to mass-market items. Shoppers tend to be more willing to spend more for an item that is unique and tailored specifically for them. Also, finding your niche gives you access to lesser competition, letting you build your store as a great source for customers. By having a niche, you can build your online shop's reputation that allows you to front higher quality items.
Conduct Product Research
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Be sure to equip yourself with the needed knowledge in running your business. Even though it is a dropshipping model, with you not being required to be fully into monitoring and checking the step-by-step process, you still have to be fully aware of where your product stands in the market.
Selling products need full commitment. You can survey customers about your product idea for you to know how they feel about it.
Gather the audience and split them into two groups, you can show them different product descriptions, just to experiment. Then observe how answers differ between the groups.
After you’ve shown the product, ask a question: "Suppose the product price was reasonable, how likely would you be to consider purchasing this item?" Make a three-point scale answer choices — 1 (not likely) to 3 (extremely likely).
Separate those people with different answers, all who select not at all likely can be asked an open-ended question, such as Why would you not consider buying the item?
Then, the rest continues to the next section of the survey, you can put questions regarding the amount they are willing to pay for the product and such. Through this survey, you will somehow get a glimpse of how the product will run in the market.
Of course, product testing is a must as you need to check the quality of the items you are planning to sell or present it to the target market.
Study Your Target Market
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Like in product research, studying your market lets you know how profitable your products can be. There are studies uploaded on the internet regarding the current market size of a lot of niches you might be eyeing for.
Market research gives you information about your market and your chosen business landscape. It can tell you how your company is accepted by the target customers and clients you are aiming to reach.
Check Out Competition
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There are a lot of dropshipping businesses on different platforms and channels. No doubt, dropshipping is a famous path for new business owners to start earning money online. Its flexibility is among the major contributors to this.
In dropshipping, you can sell as many or even as few dropshipping items as you want. Plus, it allows you to work whenever and wherever you prefer, a factor that adds interest to other competitors, especially those who have full-time jobs. Almost all online stores use dropshipping, which is why the competition in this industry is relatively high.
Look out for bigger competition, and try to make an advantage out of it. Uniqueness and the ability to give the buyers what they truly need can make a huge difference.
How To Start Your Dropshipping Business
Below are the simplest steps to accomplish in order to finally start your dream dropshipping business.
Do More Research
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Learn, learn, and learn. There are no other words to describe how you will need to start your dropshipping business. Since many dropshipping websites offer the same items under different branding, leading your brand to the top of the ranking will be not that easy, it will need your full effort.
Business research guides you in knowing your business's opportunities and challenges. It lists the research problems and helps you in using this data to your advantage. It also gives you the chance to understand customers better.
Every business requires advertising strategies and data to properly market goods and services. Research enables you to see the bigger picture of the direct flows of items, from production to customer.
Find Supplier
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When locating your dropshipping supplier, you need to consider the location, the needed time of production after a customer placed an order, the kinds of items they dropship, and the quality or background they have.
Most dropshippers have US-based warehouses, and some work with USPS, UPS, and FedEx. Still, there are a lot of suppliers around the world, especially in China, which can commonly deliver products to the US wishing seven to 12 days. Some examples of legit websites that offer trusted dropshipping suppliers include Spocket and AliExpress Dropshipping. Both easily connect retailers to thousands of suppliers and products.
You can also reach out and contact the manufacturers of the products you want to sell for and ask for a list of the suppliers they work with, if possible, so you can check the quality of their work.
When still discovering who to connect to, you can order from competitors or dropshippers you want to be like. Then searching the return address will commonly give you their dropshipping supplier. This can be a great opportunity to know who is trusted and not.
Launch Your Online Store
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Dropshipping is one of the most flexible ways to begin your business, and it’s well-supported by several large ecommerce platforms—including Shopify. Shopify is an ecommerce platform that gives entrepreneurs all the advantages they need in starting and designing their store, plus its back end allows you to manage your business without any hosting fees. If you are not sure how to start your dropshipping business with Shopify, you can read their complete guide to finding, evaluating, validating, and sourcing items to sell online.
You will be asked to pay Shopify’s monthly fees, then after that, you can fully rely on Shopify to keep your store up and running while you focus on scaling your business. Suppose, you dropship on Shopify, not that you will not need to worry about excess inventory, as you will be allowed to only ever order the necessary amount of products purchased by your customers. You can surprisingly start dropshipping for less than $100 by sourcing basic free software or plug-ins for your online store.
An online store lets you reach markets that are seemingly off the limits, especially in terms of geographical location. Compared to traditional brick-and-mortar shops, where you will need to find a place and build the entire architecture, the online store allows you to manage your store wherever you are.
Conclusion
Dropshipping has exceptionally minimal overhead costs. The business model is not required to maintain inventory or supplies, which frees you from hiring a storage facility or even stocking items in your home garage if you manage a very small ecommerce business. Meanwhile, for large or mid-sized ecommerce businesses, they can save significant money intended for monthly warehouse lease payments and utility bills. As a dropshipping retailer, you can also save on labor as well as packing materials costs.
Dropshipping is becoming really prevalent in today's world. This model has become the go-to solution for entrepreneurs looking to enjoy the benefits of low capital investment, no inventory, flexibility, and various product choices.
