Dropshipping is an attractive option for ecommerce businesses because of its low costs and risk. With a large number of dropshippers already out there, differentiating your business is key. One way to differentiate your business is to sell products that fall into a designated niche. Selling niche products is worthwhile because of benefits such as a better marketing strategy due to a more defined target market.

Pet products is a popular niche to consider dropshipping. Pet products will continue to be relevant as more people buy or adopt pets. Here are 7 tips to help you successfully dropship pet products:

1. Choose A Product Range

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Choosing which products to sell is the first step in starting your dropshipping business. Since pet supplies can be a large category, choose the types of pets you will focus on. For example, hone in on dogs and sell items such as collars and leashes. You could also focus on exotic pets and sell more unique products. Either way, once you know the types of pet products to sell, your search for suppliers and target market will be much easier.

2. Select a Supplier

There are two options for suppliers. The different types are:

1. Manufacturers: A manufacturer is a company who make products to sell to a wholesaler or retailer. Some manufacturers offer dropshipping programs, a great option to get cheap products in bulk. Look into one of these manufacturers: Pet Life Central, Mirage Pet Products, or Majestic Pet.
2. Wholesalers: A wholesaler buys products from the manufacturer, then offers it to the dropshipper for a slight markup. Check out one of these pet supply wholesalers: Pet Stores USA, Pet Retail Supply, or Essential Pet Products

3. Research Your Target Market

Products won’t sell if you don’t understand the wants and needs of your target market. Create a buyer persona to give you insights into the demographics, buying habits, and psychographics of your target pet owner. Conduct research into industry trends, purchasing patterns, and the needs of the pet owners you are targeting to see the demand of your product.

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4. Competitive Pricing

Dropshipping pet products can be an aggressive niche. There is room for success, but setting competitive prices is necessary. Make sure you’re getting the lowest price possible from your supplier and price the product to ensure you’re making a profit. Use a markup strategy such as fixed percentage markup or tiered markup on the cost of the product. Ensure to account for all costs associated with the product such as the shipping costs, supplier fees, and marketing campaigns.

5. Where to Sell Products

Whether you want to sell on a marketplace, your own website, or on both, look at the pros and cons of each option to choose the right platform for your pet supplies business. Here are a few options to consider:

1. eBay: Setting up a dropshipping business is a simple process on this popular platform. With the size of eBay, you can piggyback off their large customer base and spend less on marketing. The downside to selling on eBay is the high seller fees, which can cut into your profit margin.
2. Amazon: Much like eBay, selling with Amazon will give you access to a large audience. The setup is straightforward, but there is no room for customization. The listing fees are high, varying from 10 to 15%.
3. Personal Website: Although this route involves more work to get started and a good marketing strategy, there is unlimited customization and control with building your own website and brand. Choose an open-source platform like WordPress for your dropshipping business and remove any third-party fees that cut into your profit margin.

6. Perfect Product Photos

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67% of people believe product photos are more important than descriptions and reviews. When getting started on any platform, be sure to spend extra time taking photos of your products to showcase their uses and angles. Consider showing the product being used with the pet and owner. Easy photography tips include the use of natural light, a simple background, and a good photo editor like PicMonkey.

7. Social Media Marketing

With your dropshipping business up and running, the final step is to develop a plan to gain traffic, brand awareness, and customers. A great place to start is on social media. Curate content and post on various channels to engage with the pet owner community to gain awareness for your brand. Send products or give a discount to pet owners who have a strong social media influence so they post about your products to their audience.

Now that you’ve set your business up for success with these tips, consider automating some of those tedious tasks. With our dropshipping automation software, you won’t deal with the hassle of communicating between suppliers and marketplaces or other platforms. Our software will route orders and update tracking information for you.