How to Start A Dropshipping Business That Pays in Nigeria

Ugo Prosper Chibuzor December 26, 2023

0 217 6 minutes read

Are you interested to sell products online and make money? Are you willing to learn how to start dropshipping but don’t have enough cash for start-up? Don’t worry I will tell you everything you need to know about Dropshipping and how to start one.

Dropshipping business is arguably one of the most popular business you can start in Nigeria and make profit daily. One good thing about dropshipping is that you can start one with as low as 100k and still make profit from your comfort zone daily.

I will unravel every important thing you need to take down and why you should start a dropshipping business in Nigeria.

Table of Contents

What is Dropshipping and How do?

In a simple definition, I will tell you that dropshipping is a type of online store or e-commerce that allows you to sell products to users without having to keep products in stock.

Dropshipping business allows users to easily sell their products without managing inventories or keep products in stock. As a drop shipper, you only have to sync data from your store and then push the inventory to the supplier, who will then ship in the orderd products or services to your customers. Drop shippers are known as the middle man between the customer and the supplier. And they often earn by adding interest in every products before forwarding to the supplier.

To start a dropshipping business all you have to do is to draw a clear goal of which products you intend to sell, get your online store, choose your dropshipping supplier or shipping platform, and finally, promoting your store. I will break them down one after the other.

How to create a dropshipping platform.

After you might have understood what dropshipping is all about, the next step is getting your dropshipping store (website).

Dropshipping store typically refers to a type of an e-commerce website that sell products, goods and services using the dropshipping model. Every drop shipper must own an e-commerce store which will enable them to sale products to their customers.

When considering developing a dropshipping website, there are two options that are widely considered by users which are Shopify and WordPress.

How to start dropshipping using Shopify

Creating a dropshipping store with Shopify is easy and straightforward as well. here are the steps;

Firstly, you will need to create a Shopify account.
Select your preferred theme from Shopify theme library and then customize it to your liking.
Get a domain name for your dropshipping store. Example “yourstore.com”
Pay for Shopify premium (Basic of $39 is recommended for a starter)
Set up your preferred payment method and gateways to easily receive payments.
Add products on your dropshipping store either by uploading them yourself or by adding them using a dropshipping app from suppliers.

Shopify is mostly recommended for new users because of it’s simplicity to use and manage your store. Shopify has some other helpful features for dropshippers which includes inventory management and order fulfilment however, it has limited customization features compared to WordPress.

How to start dropshipping with WordPress

One big advantage of WordPress over Shopify is that you have 100% control over your website compared Shopify. To create a dropshipping store using WordPress.org follow the steps;

Buy a hosting with domain name from any hosting company (bluhost.com is recommended)
Install WordPress from your hosting dashboard and set it up with the right details.
Purchase a premium e-commerce theme and customize your store the way you like.
Install a WordPress dropshipping plugin, such as WooCommerce Dropshipping, AliDropship, or Oberlo.
Install a payment gateway such as WP eCommerce Payment Gateway.
If you evaluate your cost of development, you might find WordPress slightly cheaper compared to Shopify. WordPress also have some SEO plugins which will help you increase your website visibility and traffic which is another advantage to your benefit.

Each of these two content management system (CMS) has there own specific requirements which you have to clearly study before choosing. You can also hire us to develop your website by clicking here.

How to choose a dropshipping suppliers to start with

Choosing a dropshipping supplier(s) is an important aspect you have to consider when designing your dropshipping store, Your dropshipping supplier’s pricing rate determines your selling price. Here are methods to choose dropshipping suppliers.

Using Online Marketplaces

This is the most widely considered option among drop shippers. You can use popular marketplace like AliExpress and Alibaba to get a dropshipping suppliers.

Find a supplier that sells in an affordable rate
Ensure the products aligns with what your needs
Analyze the prices to determine how much you sell
Receive inventories and forward them to the suppliers.

Through dropshipping directory

The second option is considering a dropshipping directory, There are a lot of directories where you can seek dropshipping suppliers by product categories. These can be a great option but make sure you make a thorough research and read reviews about a supplier before working with them.

Increasing your dropshipping sales with both paid and organic traffic.

After you might have been done creating and setting up your dropshipping store, the next step is working on increasing your website visibility and traffic in other to reach potential customers.

Traffic is simply the total amount of visitors your website can be able to reach, and when it comes to increasing your website traffic, we have both paid and organic traffic.

Paid Traffic

Paid traffic are type of traffics that can only be generated through paid means, Example using Ads such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, Pinterest Ads and others to generate traffic for your store.

Organic Traffic

Since paid traffic are traffic that is been generated through paid ads, you should know that organic traffic are type of traffics that are generated through known paid ads.

Once again, organic traffic are those visitors that visits your website without the need for paid ads. It can either be through organic social media traffic or Search Engine Optimization (SEO). However, yo increase your website organic traffic you need to do the following;

Optimized your dropshipping store (website) both on page and off-page.
Increase domain authority (DA) by linking on other websitesite with huge traffic.
(Recommended) finally, include a blog section on your store and write articles related to products you sell with a link to those products. It’s another way to reach huge traffic with leads.

Pros and Cons in dropshipping business

pros:

You can experiment with new products easily
Dropshipping can allow you to focus on marketing and customer service
You can quickly adapt to market changes
As a drop shipper you can work with global suppliers
You can use dropshipping as a side hustle
You can work without the need of hiring a staff
Can work part-time or full-time
No need to worry about inventory management
Can expand business internationally

cons:

It requires a strong and stable internet connection.
Can be challenging to find reliable suppliers
Sure thing! Here are 12 more cons of dropshipping:
Low-quality products from suppliers
Can be difficult to build trust with customers
Lack of control over order fulfillment
Slow response from suppliers
Can be difficult to differentiate from competitors
Can be difficult to track and manage inventory
Not always easy to find good deals on products
Limited access to customer data
High fees from dropshipping platforms

Conclusion

Overall, starting a dropshipping business has its pros and cons. It’s a great option for people who want to start an online business with low startup costs and the potential to scale up quickly. However, it can also be challenging to find reliable suppliers, differentiate from competitors, and build trust with customers. That said, with careful research and planning, it’s possible to start a successful dropshipping business and overcome these challenges. If you’re willing to put in the work and learn as you go, dropshipping can be a great way to start your own business. It’s important to remember that all new businesses come with some risk.

Finally, if you’ve made up your mind and would love our team to set up a drop shipping store for you, you can contact us using the detail below