Dropshipping craft supplies is a good way for artists who want to make some extra money or dropshippers who want to expand their business to make money. The best thing about this niche is that there aren’t many other people in it. With a good dropshipping plan, it’s easy to get your foot in the door and start making money.
But keep in mind that craft supply buyers have different expectations than the average buyer, so it’s important to know how to serve this group if you want to be successful.
Here are six great tips to help you start a successful dropshipping craft supplies business.
Find out what the market wants before you buy your craft.
It’s like walking through fire to jump into the market without doing enough research. But thorough research can help you put out the fire.
Here are a few easy-to-do things you can do to get your research going in the right direction:
Know what people want and what’s popular.
The key to dropshipping craft supplies is to know who you’re selling to. For instance, different kinds of artists need different things, like acrylic paints, canvas boards, sketches, glitter punches, and so on.
In this case, market research can help you figure out what your ideal customers want.
Start with Google Trends and social media. Then, check out the craft supply sections of Etsy and Amazon in detail. The general rule is to find a subcategory where there is a lot of demand but not many competitors.
Watch Your Competitors
Detailed market research can sometimes be hard to understand. Researching your competitors is a smart way to learn more about the market.
Your competitors with more experience have already done their homework. Just look at how they’re using this information.
For instance, if we want to dropship office supplies, we will look at who our top competitors are in this field. In this case, Notebook Therapy and Kawaii Pens would be our biggest rivals.
Next, we’ll go to our competitor’s social media account and look at Notebook Therapy’s Instagram page to see how much demand there is in the market and how they’re trying to reach their audience.
I found out how popular this niche is and what hashtags we will need to use to find our target audience from just one Instagram search.
Come up with a great story for your brand of craft supplies
People love hearing stories, like how you started your own business or how art has a special place in your life. The best way to get people interested in your brand is to tell a unique story about it.
Even though you can tell any kind of story, it should be good enough to make customers feel like they know you.
All of these things are true of a good brand story:
- How does your brand make their lives better?
- What are the best things about your store that artists should spend money on?
- Why do you care about the people who buy from you?
As you will be running a craft supplies business, it’s a no-brainer that your target audience will be artistic. Your visitors are more likely to remember your brand’s story than a heap of features listed on your store’s homepage.
Having a creative and quirky story adds a humane touch and entices your visitors to purchase from your store.
Don’t skimp on the quality of your crafts at any cost.
Quality is king when it comes to dropshipping craft supplies.
Most crafters and artists don’t just use their supplies as tools. It’s how they show who they are and what they care about.
So, if you give them high-quality materials, they’ll be more likely to like your brand while they’re making the craft. Not only that, but they will also tell other crafters in their circle about your supplies. If your customers are truly happy, your brand will grow without you having to do any extra work.
On the other hand, if you sell low-quality goods to your customers, they will stop buying your brand in the long run.
Think about the following: Lisa buys a canvas with round edges from your dropshipping craft store. When she gets a canvas that isn’t up to par, she might send it back.
Now she talks to your customer service and says it’s hard for her to come back. If something like this happened, she wouldn’t just give the store a bad review.
Bad reviews, returns, and repairs all cost real money.
Have a perfect plan for selling from the start
Strategy is not about having meetings that last an hour and produce vague reports. You don’t have to be an expert in business or marketing to come up with a good plan.
What really matters is sitting down at your desk with a pen and paper to write out your plan. So the two things you need to pay the most attention to are sourcing and marketing.
Sourcing
Your supplier is one of the most important parts of your dropshipping business. So, pick brands you can count on. Check online retailers or go to a local craft store to find out what’s available.
When you’re looking for a supplier, don’t forget to write down prices and quality requirements. It’s okay if sourcing is taking you a while, because if you choose the wrong supplier, your business will lose money because the supplies they sell will be of poor quality or broken.
Marketing
First of all, you can show off the dropshipped craft supplies on eCommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, etc. Then, you should make sure that your product descriptions are short and easy to understand.
Since your customers will decide based on “how” the product looks, you need to spend money on product photography. Your product images should show the textures and sizes of your supplies in a way that is clear and accurate.
Don’t forget about shipping rates.
Free shipping isn’t really free, as we all know. Someone has to pay for everything.
But how much does it really cost to ship something?
Well, it depends on how big and how heavy the product you’re dropshipping is. But the most important thing to think about is that if your shipping costs are too high, you won’t make as much money.
Please keep in mind that if you make wild guesses about the size of your product, you will lose money. When dropshippers don’t look into freight and dimensional weight fees, they lose the most money. Some shipping companies may even charge your business extra if you guess wrong.
Here are my best tips for lowering shipping costs and making the most money:
- Check to see what shipping benefits your ecommerce platform has to offer.
- Discounted Rates: Talk to your shipper about shipping costs when your shipping volume reaches a certain level.
- Use Hybrid Shipping Services: Hybrid services, like UPS SurePost, FedEx SmartPost, etc., first pick up your order and take it to a sorting facility. So, you can cut down on shipping costs.
Also, free shipping increases sales, but in the long run, it can be a big cost drain. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t offer free shipping. Instead, you should price your products in a smart way that includes the cost of shipping.
- Offer 1: The price of the item is $20 plus $5 for shipping.
- Offer 2: $25, and shipping is free.
With the second offer, your dropshipping craft supplies store will make more sales and money.
Give it your all and work carefully
At first, dropshipping craft supplies might seem scary, but if you’re willing to work hard to make it work, there’s nothing that can stop you.
You already know that your main audience is artists. Most artists have a good eye for detail, so if your website has a clean interface, they will be happy. If it’s the other way around, they’ll go to the store of your competitor.
But it’s not that hard to please the people you want to please. Here are a few things you should pay attention to:
- Show that you are professional: A storefront that looks professional will bring in more customers and build your credibility.
- Choose an eye-catching logo: Your logo “speaks” to people who come to your site. Make your own logo or hire a graphic designer to do it for you.
- Theme that stays the same: Your dropshipping craft supplies store shouldn’t have a lot of flashy banners and plain web pages. Stick to one main color scheme and don’t change it.
- Make sure the user experience is easy to understand: The store should be easy to navigate, and the page should load quickly.
- Spread the word: People will only do business with you if they know about your company. Don’t be afraid to put money into promoting your brand.
Last Words
Like any other chance, dropshipping crafts supplies online has both pros and cons. But believe me, there’s always a big chunk of money to be made if you know how to use it right.
Don’t wait to get started until you’ve done a lot of research on the market and thought through your business plan. Use these tips as a map to find your way to successful dropshipping of craft supplies.