10 Dropshipping Store Examples to Inspire You

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Dropshipping is a hugely popular business model, where you can sell items without having to keep products in stock. It’s a simple idea, yet has revolutionized the way people sell and shop online. And as a model, dropshipping has boomed in recent years, now projected to earn $243 billion this year. This means that there are a plethora of stores out there to inspire you.

It’s also worth noting that you need to choose an ecommerce web builder before even committing to a dropshipping supplier – this way, you can choose a supplier that best integrates with your ecommerce platform. We’ll recommend some of the best web builder platforms for dropshipping in this article, though if you’re in a rush we’ll say our top choice is Wix, due to its impressive range of powerful yet beginner-friendly ecommerce tools.

Of course, with many thousands of examples of dropshipping stores out there on the web, it can be overwhelming to know where to take inspiration from. This article has done the hard work for you – we’ve taken the time to carefully explain what dropshipping actually is, what the various benefits are, and provided 10 inspiring examples of dropshipping stores.

What Is Dropshipping?

Dropshipping is a fulfillment model for ecommerce businesses whereby products do not have to be kept in stock for customers to purchase them. It works in the following way:

  1. A customer places an order from an online retailer
  2. The retailer accepts the order and processes the transaction
  3. The retailer passes the sales order over to a third party dropshipping supplier
  4. The third party fulfills and ships the order to the customer
  5. Happy customer!
illustrated explanation of how dropshipping works with woman next to a giant desktop, a house and a man next to a multicoloured stack of boxes

Why Dropshipping?

Sounds simple, right? But you may be wondering what’s so different about this as a model, and what the benefits are. Here we’ve laid out the key benefits, plus some potential pitfalls to consider. You can find even more detail in our separate explanation of the differences between dropshipping and ecommerce fulfillment.

Pros Cons
Low overheads. The beauty of dropshipping is that you don’t have to pay to store your products. Plus in many instances, products are not even produced until an order is placed, which avoids stock wastage. Be aware of the costs. Typically, dropshipping service providers will take a cut of around 10-15% for processing and fulfilling your orders.
Simpler and cheaper to start. Using the dropshipping model, practically anyone can set up an ecommerce business because there are many services out there to help you, few upfront costs, and low risk. Understand the supply chain. A potential pitfall of dropshipping is that as a business owner, you are relinquishing control over the fulfillment. Any customer complaints about product quality, speed of service or return issues will be at the mercy of the supplier.
Greater flexibility regarding stock. Because you’re not actually producing products upfront, you can offer a wider product range. Crucially, this means you can test and learn which products are most appealing to customers. Tough competition. A final consideration is the huge competition facing the ecommerce marketplace. With many business owners and suppliers utilizing dropshipping it can be difficult to achieve cut through or make your store stand out. Don’t let this put you off entirely, but do read on for tips on how to mitigate this.

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What Makes a Great Dropshipping Store?

The world of dropshipping is busy, with many business owners jumping on the bandwagon. To help stand out in this marketplace, you need to make sure your dropshipping store is great. It should be slickly-designed, offer a brilliant variety of products, and provide a seamless user experience. Here’s a checklist to work towards:

Store integrations. There are endless possibilities when it comes to store integrations or apps for dropshipping. These will allow you to add features to your store, so you don’t need to worry about elements such as storage, production and printing, fulfillment, returns or customer support.

Quality products. This is key, yet often overlooked. Make sure you are clued up about the product range and quality, since ultimately your brand will be judged by the products you sell. Do your research – find out where products are made, what materials are used, whether they offer environmentally-friendly options, and what past customer reviews say.

Range of products. The important thing here is to try and find the sweet spot. Offer too few products and you won’t be meeting your potential customers’ needs. But offer too many, and customers may be overwhelmed and put off by the sheer volume.

High potential profit margins. Different products and models have vastly different profit margins. So do your market research and calculations carefully, try to offer more niche products, and balance quality with costs.

Fast shipping. Shipping times vary greatly and slow fulfillment can put customers off returning. Make sure you think beyond the US and consider shipping speeds for international customers too.

Reputation. However you decide to set up your store, its success or failure will ultimately be up to your customers and how impressed they are. Ask for feedback and set up a review functionality, and all those (hopefully) glowing reviews will speak for themselves for future customers.

Best Ecommerce Web Builders for Dropshipping Stores

While you could sell through a marketplace, we would always recommend setting up your own store with an ecommerce web builder. Jumping into the world of ecommerce and dropshipping can be difficult and time-consuming if you plan to do everything yourself, so why not sign up with a platform that will do most of the heavy lifting for you?

And in that regard, you can’t get any better than the three presented before you: Wix, Shopify, and BigCommerce. Let’s take a deeper look at what each of these ecommerce web builders has to offer:

Swipe right to see more
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Wix

Shopify

BigCommerce

Starting Price
Starting Price

$29

Starting Price

$29

Pros
  • Best ecommerce builder on the market
  • Has all the sales features and tools you could need
  • Gives you total creative freedom
Pros
  • Ecommerce-specific builder
  • Top-rated dropshipping apps, like DSers, make it easy to grow sales
  • Gives you the tools to launch a successful business
Pros
  • Has all the tools needed for scaling a dropshipping business
  • 0% transaction or listing fees
  • Powerful multi-channel selling to grow traffic
Cons
  • Editor can feel cluttered and overwhelming at first
  • Knowledge center isn’t the most direct
  • Slow server response time
Cons
  • Less free traffic than an online marketplace
  • Shopify charges transaction fee unless you use Shopify Payments
  • Premium DSers plan starts at $15.90/mo
Cons
  • Not quite as beginner-friendly as Shopify
  • No dedicated dropshipping integration for specifically BigCommerce
  • Too powerful for very small stores

 

Visit Wix Visit Shopify View BigCommerce

10 Inspiring Dropshipping Stores

Now we’ve explained what dropshipping is, it’s time for the most exciting part: real world inspiration! Take a look at these 10 stores who have all carved a niche for themselves in the world of dropshipping.

#1 Notebook Therapy

This organization’s speciality is east Asian inspired stationery, which Notebook Therapy ships worldwide. Some of its most popular products are the Tsuki Pop-up Pencil Case and the Large Cord Eco-friendly Tote Bag. These, along with the rest of the product range, are popular due to their cute, minimalist designs.

Asian stationery has a reputation for brilliant quality and thoughtful designs. Notebook Therapy has successfully jumped on this trend and subsequently amassed a large and loyal online following, with a particularly impressive social media presence and over 1 million followers.

dropshipping store notebook therapy showcasing four different products in a soft pastel style
Notebook Therapy ships worldwide, and has garnered an impressive social media following, engaging people across multiple channels.

#2 Rosamiss

Rosamiss is an online store specializing in fashion, lifestyle products, and home accessories. Rosamiss prides itself on fast shipping, customizable gifts, and a gigantic product range.

The key thing that sets Rosamiss apart from its competitors is the niche range of home improvement products, with its top selling product being a well-reviewed Protective Furniture Film. It might be that this product is not widely available elsewhere, meaning that Rosamiss is successfully tapping into customer demand.

dropshipping store rosamiss showcasing four different products with descriptions underneath
One of the reasons Rosamiss succeeds is its niche of home improvement products, serving a particular customer demand.

#3 Inspire Uplift

Focusing on home, gardens, and tools, Inspire Uplift claims to have served over 1.5 million customers, making it a huge dropshipping success story. Some of its top selling products are a Space Projector Lamp and Magnetic Curtain Tiebacks.

It’s become successful by focusing on products that are simultaneously useful and unusual. Plus, we noticed that nearly all products are offered with a discount, which taps into its customers desire for a bargain.

dropshipping store inspire uplift with scroll of products and categories above with search bar at the very top
Inspire Uplift is a huge dropshipping store that leverages discounts very effectively to attract customers.

#4 Meowingtons

The charmingly-named Meowingtons is, you’ve guessed it, a leading online store for everything feline-related. Here you can find everything a cat or cat-lover might need, from catnip through to cat-themed jewelry.

The store is a success because it taps into the needs and wants of cat owners. The most popular trending item is an elaborate Jungle Gym Cat Tree, which suggests that the visitors to this site really value the welfare of their feline companions.

dropshipping store meowingtons showcasing a product page of their cat jungle gym tree
Meowingtons offers a masterclass in tapping into the specific needs of your target audience!

#5 OddityMall

OddityMall is a success because it taps into the ridiculous and absurd. Anyone need a Bacon Band-Aid, or a couch made to look like Tetris? Look no further – this store has you covered.

Although at first glance the product range may seem a little strange, we believe OddityMall is a success because of this strangeness. The items for sale are perfect for zany gifts, pranks, or parties.

dropshipping store odditymall showing off three products like chandelier ear rings and five pointed bed and a woman sleeping on a pillow
OddityMall shows the importance of having a niche. On any other site, chandelier earrings would be odd, but this store specializes in strange products, so it works!

#6 Dog Pawty

Just like Meowingtons for cats, Dog Pawty is one of the leading stores utilizing dropshipping for our other favorite companions: dogs. It specializes in apparel, jewelry, and accessories.

The success of Dog Pawty is down to the business owners’ real love of dogs and dog-related paraphernalia. Dog Pawty gives away a certain amount of its profits to good causes for dogs. Plus, it sends a regular newsletter which includes product deals as well as tips for keeping dogs happy and healthy. All of this contributes to a successful business with a loyal customer base.

dropshipping store dog pawty showcasing product with model kneeling down to stroke dog
Dog Pawty shows a real passion for dogs, which creates a connection between its customers and fosters loyalty.

#7 Pet Boutique

The people behind Pet Boutique noticed a gap in the market whereby new and innovative products were being taken to market, but without adequate quality control. They therefore seek to offer the highest quality pet products, combined with excellent customer service.

The most popular items on Pet Boutique are the DeepSleep Calming Beds and Blankets. These aim to replicate the mother’s fur, and provide an incredibly calming sleeping experience for pets. We believe this combination of quality, innovation, and a great customer experience are the ingredients that have helped Pet Boutique to flourish.

dropshipping store pet boutique with colourful, cute and kid-friendly illustrations and shpwcasing their strawberry sweater product bot on its own and on a model (dog)
Pet Boutique focuses on quality, which sets it apart from competitors - working hard on customer service and product quality are great ways to attract repeat customers.

#8 Mooshe Socks

This Canadian-based sock brand has a mission to “create happiness without breaking the bank.” It releases new, fun, and iconic designs every month which has helped to establish them as something of a cult, must-have brand.

The success of Mooshe Socks lies in its simple approach to business. The website is cleanly-designed, the product offering is clear, and the products come in just one size. This type of offering is incredibly easy to set up with dropshipping with very few overheads or risks.

dropshipping store mooshe socks showing two rows of 4 socks in different colours
Proving success doesn't need to be complicated, Mooshe Socks keeps things simple, from its design to its single-size products.

#9 Wallplate Warehouse

This store does what it says on the tin: wallplates. What sets it apart from the competition is the staggering range on offer, in a huge range of sizes, materials, and types. It is unlikely that rival home improvement stores would be able to offer such a wide range, but the dropshipping model means Wallplate Warehouse can fulfill this.

As with the example above, we believe the success of Wallplate Warehouse lies in the simple business offering. Its mantra is: stock one thing well, charge competitive prices, and ship it fast.

dropshipping store wallplate warehouse homepage showcasing a wallplate in Steps Satin Nickel with a out of focus kitchen behind
Wallplate Warehouse does one thing really well, and provides a huge range of products to give customers plenty of choice.

#10 Aesthentials

The final inspiring example is Aesthentials, a female-focused and fashion-forward apparel and accessory store. All of its bestselling items are quirky, fun, and original, such as cherry stem earrings and motif tees. Its success stems from its ability to quickly respond to fast-changing fashion trends and update its store accordingly.

dropshipping store aesthentials with three examples of products such as a blue sky jumper
Aesthentials is a female-focused fashion store, which succeeds online by reacting quickly to new trends and updating its inventory to stay current.

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Summary

We hope this article has been helpful and persuaded you of the benefits of dropshipping and the inspiring examples of stores that utilize it well.

The next step in the process is starting to find your products and niches, and you can see there are plenty to choose from with the examples we provided!

Once you’ve settled on a product, it’s time to commit to a sales channel, and your best option would be to choose an ecommerce web building platform. Wix is best suited to smaller stores, while Shopify has greater scaling if you want to grow your business. Either way, they make the process so much easier and you get more control over the selling of your products too.

We wish you luck in your new dropshipping adventures. Thank you for reading!

FAQs

There are so many reasons why, but the biggest reason is simply how easy it is to set up a dropshipping store, and start making money! If executed well, dropshipping stores can be an outlet for your own creativity, provide a brilliant experience for your customers and bring in excellent amounts of revenue.
This is an important question because competition is fierce and customers are not guaranteed. Remember that you are vying for the attention of potential customers who could choose other small dropshipping stores, or giants like Amazon, or avoid online shopping altogether and choose to visit shops in person. The important thing to focus on is your niche: identify your unique selling point or place in the market and shout about it.
In short: yes. Dropshipping is entirely scalable and there is no limit to the range of products you can stock and customers you can go after. Outsourcing certain aspects of your supply chain and fulfillment makes it possible to scale up without needing to recruit more staff. If you can build a strong brand with a loyal customer base and the potential to grow, then making your store into your career is certainly possible.
We recommend going onto online marketplaces like Amazon or AliExpress and search for products in niches you think would be good for a dropshipping business. These are usually products that have a low manufacturing cost but yield high returns.

Double-check the popularity of these products on Google Trends or similar search engine analysis tools. If it has a sizable enough interest and audience then you’re good to go!

Typically clothing and apparel sell the best online. Other very strong contenders include car accessories, smartphone accessories, and baby products.
Written by:
I’m a freelance content writer for Website Builder Expert, and I’ve written about everything from design tips to digital marketing techniques. My knowledge in this space comes through being a marketer by trade, with 10 years’ experience spanning B2B and B2C brands. Copywriting is a passion of mine, and I love the challenge of taking a complex topic and distilling it down into an easy-to-understand article (that’s hopefully entertaining to read, too!)

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