It is no secret that coronavirus is causing havoc around the world. Many businesses are not going to survive this pandemic, including a lot of online ones. They simply do not have the infrastructure to ensure that their stores can continue to be supplied throughout COVID-19. Thankfully, those engaged in dropshipping from China are finding that their businesses are not all that impacted by it all. Let's take a look as to why shall we?
China and Its Recovery from the Pandemic
At the time of writing, over 60% of businesses in China are now fully in operation. This is a stark contrast to many parts of the world which are still a little bit earlier in the coronavirus crisis than China is, which means that they are still in a full state of lockdown. China seems to have managed to ride out the worst of COVID-19, and systems are starting to come back online. This is something that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
What does this mean? Well, it means that if you have a dropshipping business that is shipping out from China, then chances are pretty high that the company that you are using to run your online business is active, which means that they are going to be able to send out your products. The same can't be said anywhere else if you are using companies outside of China to keep your online business nice and stocked. In fact, for the foreseeable future, it looks like most dropshipping is going to come from China. It will be a long, long time before this pandemic starts to blow over around the world.
How to Protect Your Business from Coronavirus Outbreak?
We are, of course, deep in the midst of this coronavirus outbreak. However, this doesn't mean that it is too late for you to start protecting your business. In this section, we are going to share with you a few tips to help ensure that you keep your online business operating in this dark time.
Look for multiple suppliers
If you are using just one or two suppliers during a pandemic, you are just asking for trouble. It is recommended that you work with suppliers from multiple different locations. This means that if one warehouse location does shut down, you are not going to be impacted quite so much because you have your other dropshipping locations to fall back upon.
We also recommend that you contact any dropshipping warehouses that you are working with. This way you can talk to them to find out whether everything is running smoothly on their end.
Scale back your advertising
Chances are that no matter where your dropshipping companies are located, they are not going to be working at full capacity. There is a lot that goes into the supply chain. Therefore, it is recommended that you cut back on your advertising. If you do that, then you will find that you have a lower number of actual sales.
However, do bear in mind that nearly everybody is doing their shopping online nowadays. Therefore, you can raise your prices. If you sell too cheaply, then you run the risk of having a lot of disappointed customers if your supply line fails and they are unable to receive the products that they purchased from you.
Do not expand your business
The midst of a pandemic is not the time to add tons and tons of new products to your website. It can be tempting with the number of people who are now buying online, but the result is that your business will end up being a lot more unfocused. Instead, just concentrate on the products that sell well. Do not be afraid to hide products that aren't selling.
Keep your customers up to date
This is where a lot of dropshippers go wrong. We have seen so many that do not seem to have a direct line to their customers. They try and automate as much as they can, perhaps to make a 'quick buck.' Do not do this. Yeah. Your average customer knows that deliveries maybe a little bit impacted when it comes to e-commerce and COVID-19, but this doesn't mean that you shouldn't be telling them about the delays. Have a note on your website. If you think products are going to be delayed on an order, then talk to your customers. Some may cancel. That is the nature of the beast. However, you will be surprised at how many will just accept things that are delayed simply because you communicated with them.
Is Now a Good Time to Start Dropshipping?
Yes. It is. Assuming that you are working with a Chinese company like SaleYee, then you will be able to enjoy a ton of benefits if you start dropshipping now. For starters; you are going to be able to run your business through a pandemic. After all, Chinese companies like saleyee.com are still in operation. When it comes to dropshipping, it is also going to be a lot cheaper to get started. After all, there are no 'upfront' costs with dropshipping beyond your website and advertising.
Remember; competition in the world of e-commerce is quite minimal at the moment, mostly due to all of those 'stuck' supply lines. This means that you can work with companies like SaleYee to start offering products to the masses with a minimal lead time. They have a couple of promotions on the go right now too.
Both of these promotions are great for selling in a pandemic because people are now starting to plan for the rest of the year. Take their summer best sellers for instance. This includes gazebos and outdoor furniture, which people are going to love during the warmer months when they can go outside again. Alternatively, their promotion on health & home goods can keep people nice and happy in their home, helping them to ride out the pandemic a little bit better.
Conclusion
Sure. We live in quite a testing time right now, but you can still make money. Look into dropshipping with Chinese companies like SaleYee and you will have a supply line unlike any of your competitors, which means you can really 'clean up' when it comes to online e-commerce.
