What Drop Shippers and Distributors Need in Order to Succeed

Drop shippers need certain qualities from distributors in order for their business to succeed. At Skyrocket, we are focused on these core qualities, to ensure successful drop ship partnerships with our distributors. Following is a list of important qualities that a distributor should have when entering a drop ship partnership:

1. Reliability

The store’s ordering system works beautifully, and the customer is very pleased with the checkout process, so you assume that the drop ship business is going smoothly. However, if the order fulfillment and shipping process is very slow and not easy to track, customers will get frustrated and not be as likely to return to your online store. Reliability is a key factor to the success of your drop ship business because you need to trust that your distributor will take care of the business as stated in the contract, and ship items on time with easy-to-access tracking information.

2. Excellent Communication

There are daily or weekly communications that need to take place between a drop shipper and distributor to discuss order information, quantities, back orders, returns, online storefront changes and more. Without great communication skills, you may misinterpret something, or a task will get lost because it was assumed that it was completed. With excellent communication between drop shippers and distributors, the business goals will be met and the partnership will be a success.

3. Customer Focus

When a distributor is focused on the customer’s satisfaction, they treat the customers as they would want to be treated, fulfilling promises and exceeding expectations. It’s a win-win situation when the drop shipper’s needs are met as a result of the distributor making an extra effort to keep the business customer-focused.

4. On Time, Every Time

Wholesale distributors who have a reputation for shipping things out slowly or much longer than expected are to be avoided when entering a drop ship partnership. Stay with the distributor who has a superb track record for on-time shipping and product availability. This will keep your drop ship business going in the right direction and building customer loyalty.

5. Use Modern Technology

If your distributor uses up to date technology to process the order fulfillment and shipping arrangement for your drop ship business, the advanced sophistication will enable you to quickly complete orders and ship out products. Older technology may slow things down, so if your distributor is knowledgeable and comfortable with the latest technology, that will create a better platform for your drop ship business.

Now that you know what drop shippers need from distributors in order to succeed, we’re going to turn the table and look at what distributors need from their drop ship partners, in order to succeed. There is more than meets the eye in what makes up a successful partnership:

1. Easy to Use, Well-Organized Storefront

If your drop ship website is easy to use with organized categories and intuitive search features, your customers will enjoy their shopping experience and are more likely to return to your store. If the website is disorganized with a complex checkout system, you will lose shoppers before the order is complete. Find a drop ship partner who has years of experience in designing and maintaining user-friendly ecommerce sites with simplified shopping cart checkouts.

2. Expert Marketer

Your products need to get noticed in order to be bought. The drop shipper must have a great sense of Marketing, being able to create promotions, announcements and customer-directed communications to keep your target audience aware of new products, specials and other product information.

3. Online Retail Experience

It is very important to find a drop shipper who has previous online retail experience. Stay away from shady start-up companies that do not have solid references. With a drop ship partnership, your role as a distributor can only be successful if your drop shipper can sell your products online effectively.

4. Outstanding Customer Service

There needs to be a convenient way for customers to contact drop shippers with questions and inquiries about orders. If customers only receive a voicemail message, they are likely to think that the business is not reputable, and take their business to another online retail site. The drop shipper needs to provide the best customer service on the Internet in order to succeed and stay ahead of the competition.

5. Forward-thinking Tactics

The successful drop shipper need to always be thinking of the future, for planning what will happen next in the business. Being able to see trends forming, customer buying patterns and new business opportunities will enable your drop ship partnership to grow and prosper. A forward-thinking, internet-savvy online drop shipper will have the skills and knowledge to propel your business to the top of the search engines and become a customer-favorite for finding your particular products.

At Skyrocket, we consistently meet the above objectives when it comes to creating drop ship partnerships. We bring our collective knowledge and understanding of the drop ship process to provide our business partners, or distributors, with valuable information and tips that will lead to success. Contact us today to learn more about our drop ship partnership opportunity.