Starting selling on Shopify without having a stockpile upfront can bring you multiple values.
Dropshipping and an affiliate program are great ways to start your Shopify store. Without having to come up with new product designs, you earn more time to improve your marketing skills. And with the print-on-demand method, it’s not likely to lose your finances due to surplus inventory, so you can steadily develop your business.
As good as it sounds, it’s also easy to get burnt due to incorrect commerce methods. Fortunately, here, we will guide you on how to sell on Shopify without inventory and answer all your burning questions.
Even with no inventory, your store needs to be fast and rank high in search
Start optimizing with TinyIMG1. Dropship products
Dropshipping is a smart move if you’re going for a fast but reliable result. This way, you can maintain the variety you offer to your customers, respond to their needs, and avoid financial losses.
While dropshipping, you must find a suitable and trustworthy supplier. Getting the app for Shopify dropshipping can noticeably ease the process. For example, DSers is an all-in-one solution that minimizes manual work. It selects wholesalers with a good selection of products and fast shipping, not to mention the automatically synced shipping and tracking data you receive.
As soon as your Shopify store is set up and the first order comes up, you will simply need to order the product from the warehouse. Finally, it will be shipped right to the buyer without extra shipping hassle on your side!
As the manufacturing part of the job falls off, you have extra time to make a successful platform to continue increasing sales. It’s self-evident that high-quality images and, overall, a nice-looking store will create a positive effect on your business.
Dropshipping pros
- Low-risk eCommerce model
- No upfront investment required
- No manufacturing needed
- No shipping on your behalf
- Extra time for the commercial improvement
Dropshipping cons
- There can be delays from the warehouse
- Multiple manufacturers needed for the product variety
2. Sell print-on-demand
Print-on-demand is when you sell graphic designs that go on white-label products, such as T-shirts, bucket hats, hoodies, and more. Here, a reliable supplier is a must, as it takes care of your fabrics and customizes them for you.
Selling POD on Shopify can include your unique work only, or you can also cooperate with famous brands by obtaining a license. This way, you can make bombastic designs using movies or video game characters.
Once you have some designs prepared, all you need to do is to post them on your store and share them with your POD supplier (with a print-on-demand app). Since your POD account is synchronized with the supplier, you don’t have to worry about production or shipping.
The print-on-demand method is a splendid solution for beginning artists. It saves heaps of time for you to come up with new illustrations and improve your online store. Yet, keep in mind that having less control over your sold merchandise can also be quite frustrating. It’s inevitable to come across an inferior quality caterer that offers worse fabrics, shipping delays, or both.
POD pros
- No printing in advance
- Low financial risks
- No special manufacturing equipment needed
- Beginner-friendly eCommerce niche
- Saves extra time for developing your store
POD cons
- Little control over production
- Shipping can take longer than expected
You want to keep your design images high-quality and light at the same time. TinyIMG app can help you with that
Automatically compress images with TinyIMG3. Sell affiliate products
If you’re looking for a way to increase your income without investing in additional inventory, then selling affiliate products is your way through! This way, you sell your affiliate partner’s products on your existing store.
To do this, you should already have a good customer base. Not less important is to choose affiliate products that would go along with your current eCommerce strategy, as it increases the chances for a customer to find the product.
Overall, profitable affiliate marketing bases on successful linking to the affiliate page. As soon as you get approved by a reputable affiliate program, such as Amazon Associates, it’s crucial to start directing the audience to them. Affiliate links are critical to understanding your affiliate program's success; therefore, it’s essential to monitor referral links and traffic using all-round Shopify affiliate apps
Affiliate store pros
- No additional inventory is needed
- No extra spendings
- Little time investment
- A way to improve affiliate marketing skills
- Alternative revenue source
Affiliate store cons
- You can’t set your own pricing
- Little to no guarantee of income
4. More products you can sell without inventory
There are even more ways to earn cash on Shopify without investing in a stockpile. Graphic illustrations, digital literature, fitness classes, or even mindblowing expeditions – nearly everything can become a new eCommerce idea.
To get a better image of what an inventory-free business can look like, take a look at successful Shopify examples below:
Services
Shopify is a great place to start your career as a freelancer or enable online bookings for your currently existing services. Copywriters, business consultants, beauty salons, and other professionals can sell virtual or real-life consultations via an online store. This way, you seamlessly reach a bigger but more concentrated audience.
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Memberships
By selling memberships on Shopify, not only that you don't need inventory, but you can also easily boost your existing business's voice. Galleries, educational institutions, sports clubs – each perfectly fits for selling online memberships. Moreover, many non-profit organizations find memberships as a way to have reliable financial support.
Consultations
Online consultations have been peaking for a couple of years now. Consequently, they have become one of the most popular things to sell on Shopify. Professionals, such as fitness coaches, doctors, marketing specialists, and others, have been successfully selling their virtual or in-person consultations through an online store.
Digital art products
Thanks to digital technologies, artists can become famous sooner than later. One of the ways is to sell your graphic illustrations, music, various design elements, and more on Shopify through an online store. It’s no secret that globally famous companies constantly dig through Shopify to find artists to cooperate with
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Adventures
The world is still getting better after the pandemic catastrophe, and people are as thirsty for adventures as ever. Therefore, now is a perfect time to show your expedition or vacation planning skills. Luckily, Shopify is suitable for starting an experience-based business and selling adventures from laser tag to exotic trips to the Maldives
Tips for selling without inventory on Shopify
Here are the main aspects that lead to a successful Shopify store without an upfront inventory:
- Do thorough research. Before jumping right into the business, take some time to review your competitors, potential audience, and current trends. Remember, success comes from hard work!
- Wisely choose your partners. Whether you’re going to dropship products, print-on-demand, or work with affiliates, always thoroughly inspect your possible partners. If it’s a supplier, make sure you are aware of the quality they offer and how well the shipping process is managed. Likewise, you must look for an affiliate partner that fits your business vision.
- Complete Shopify SEO optimization. Shopify itself offers a decent SEO suite of features. However, there’s a way to improve your Shopify store rankings on the search engine even more. A thorough keyword research, optimized metadata, and images, or improved store speed are essential for taking your eCommerce to the next level.
- Get active on social media. With social media constantly blooming, getting active on it is the best way to draw more traffic to your Shopify store. There, you can easily target specific audiences and build a better connection with them without spending heaps of money.
- See what other strategies you can use to get first sales on Shopify.
You can sell nearly anything on the online Shopify store. Whether you’re short on money and can’t invest in upfront inventory or simply have genius ideas to pitch – learning how to sell on Shopify without inventory will help you reach the audience. So, make sure you follow the recommendations and put effort into your dream!
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Frequently asked questions
No, you don’t need inventory to sell on the Shopify store. To earn money on Shopify, you can do dropshipping, POD, work with affiliate programs, sell digital art, and much more. This means, the Shopify store is suitable for multiple eCommerce models.
The best way to sell on Shopify without inventory depends on your vision. If you’re only looking for a way to earn money without pitching your own ideas, then dropshipping is for you. In contrast, POD is excellent if you have some clothing illustrations to sell without working with the fabrics.
