Doba – Dropshipping is one of the lesser-known apps on Shopify as of the date of this writing, but the app has definitely started kicking ass lately. It’s not as popular as dropshipping biggies such as DSers, EPROLO, Spocket and Zendrop, but it is slowly crawling its way up the dropshipping ladder.
So, you are here to learn how to dropship via Doba, right?
If yes, read this article till the end.
Doba dropshipping connects you—the dropshipper—to suppliers by systematizing the ecommerce supply chain through computer-generated record management and direct retail fulfillment. Doba offers you a wide range of products, making it possible to add and find items in your store quickly and effectively.
To dropship via Doba:
- Understand What Dropshipping Via Doba Entails
- Pick a Niche
- Create a Doba Dropshipping Account
- Choose Products to Sell
- Pick Reliable Dropshipping Suppliers
- Choose an Ecommerce Platform
- Promote Your Store
Ready? Let’s dive in!
1. Understand What Dropshipping Via Doba Entails
To effectively dropship via Doba, understand what dropshipping via Doba entails.
Doba basically forwards your orders to your selected supplier, so you don’t need to worry about packaging, shipping or managing inventory.
Doba also enables you to sell products without storing or shipping them to customers. Also, the manufacturer takes care of shipping and delivery—after receiving your order along with payment, of course.
That’s not all!
Doba allows you to integrate your ecommerce store with all major store builders, giving you an easy order fulfillment process and the opportunity to connect with new suppliers.
You also have a 30-day trial period to familiarize yourself with the platform before linking your credit card for payment. This means you have approximately one month of dropshipping schooling on Doba.
2. Pick a Niche
To dropship via Doba, be meticulous about the niche. Some people call it “target market” or “segment.”
Studies show that businesses with specific niches perform better than those with generic niches—even in revenue.
Select a niche that fits your business model and is in synch with your demographics. Narrow down your niche. Decide which population you want to target—teenagers, young adults, men, women, religious people…it’s up to you. Keep your eyes on the ball, and start with a niche you know.
Pay attention to market trends; you want to position yourself in a market with high demand and low-to-average supply. That’s where the juice is at.
Use specific tools such as Google Trends and Ubersuggest’s Keyword Tool to zero in on your demographics and trends.
3. Create a Doba Dropshipping Account
To successfully kickstart a dropshipping business via Doba, create a Doba dropshipping account. Head on to Doba.com and click on “Start a 30-Day Free Trial” and sign up for your free trial account without a credit card.
This gives you access to all Doba dropshipping features and products to familiarize yourself with the platform before opting in for a paid plan.
Go through the user guide on the welcome page where you get to know a few things about the platform. Check the dashboard to see all sorts of products displayed there.
4. Choose Products to Sell
To dropship via Doba and make a living from it, choose the appropriate products to sell. Choose products within your niche. Doba provides a link to your store where you choose your store type—or niche.
To do that, go to “Stores” and select your store type where Doba takes you to your shop’s link to connect your Doba account to your ecommerce store.
After which, hit the catalog button on the Doba page where you select the products to include in your inventory.
Go to your Doba inventory and copy your seller ID—it’s located at the top right-hand, slightly below your name.
On your ecommerce admin settings paste your seller ID and click “Save settings.”
5. Pick Reliable Dropshipping Suppliers
To successfully dropship via Doba, choose reliable dropshipping suppliers who meet and keep full execution of demand and supply—that is, suppliers who manufacture, store and ship products to customers on your behalf.
Choose niche-related products to sell, and call dropshipping wholesalers—and ask them to give you details about their discount inventories.
Just so you know, Doba works with Shopify to help you get reliable dropshipping suppliers.
Pay attention to these metrics when choosing a dropshipping supplier:
- Make sure the supplier has full-time personnel and a manufacturing center to provide you with capable agents who know the industry and their product offerings—especially those product categories with which you are not familiar.
- Check to see that they have a devoted help member—a salesperson exclusively appointed to you who’s responsible for dealing with any issues you may have.
- Ensure the supplier can take orders from you through email in order to minimize time consumption.
- Also, ensure the supplier has a less complicated clearing process and shows coordination and proficiency in operational activities.
These metrics impact the overall performance of your dropshipping business via Doba.
6. Choose an Ecommerce Platform
To kickstart a dropshipping business via Doba, choose an ecommerce platform to build your store. This serves as a home where you send traffic, sell commodities and process payments.
Pick a platform that allows you to link payment channels to your store, which also comes with customizable templates along with a library of stock images that allow easy optimization.
Doba works with some of the best ecommerce platforms.
Whatever you do, pay attention to these five platforms:
- eBay: Comes with the flexibility to manage your inventory and orders, alongside research and marketing tools to help you know what and how your competitors are doing.
- BigCommerce: A Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Customer (B2C) ecommerce platform that comes with open Software as a Service (SaaS) with app integrations to sell however and wherever you want.
- WooCommerce: An open-source ecommerce platform for SEO with customizable features. It gives you flexibility in running your online store for running your business, receiving secure payments, and having configurable shipping options.
- Shopify: An easy-to-use, customizable ecommerce platform that comes with business tools and plugins, and allows you to integrate your social media accounts for business promotions. You can also link payment methods to your store.
- Amazon: Amazon comes with two selling plans—individual and professional plans. The individual plan comes with a $0.99 fee plus an additional selling fee per item sold, with an estimated sales of less than 40 items per month—whereas the Professional plan comes with a $39.99 fee plus an additional selling fee per month.
7. Promote Your Store
To start a well-paid dropshipping business via Doba, promote it. The promotion gives your dropshipping business the exposure it needs.
Create compelling quality content for your products. Content writing positions your brand as an authority in your niche—and also serves as a traffic-generating source that ultimately converts.
Partner with complementary brands on Doba to cross-promote your products. Don’t partner with your competition. Rather, find businesses with similar audiences but with contrasting products they sell—this way, the partnership is a win-win.
Use email campaigns—they’re also cool! Email campaigns connect you with your customers and direct them to your landing page. Install email plugins to automate your email collection process so you can promote your store at a low cost.
Leverage your social media presence. Use your social media accounts—Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube—to promote your Doba store.
Recap
To dropship via Doba, understand what dropshipping via Doba entails, and pick a suitable niche you are familiar with. Create a Doba dropshipping account to enable you to list and sell products via Doba.
Choose products to sell and link up with reliable dropshipping suppliers to help you package and send products to customers.
Finally, choose an ecommerce platform to build and promote your store.
Now, the ball is in your court!