Establishing an interior dropshipping store is important for anyone with an online presence. Whether you’re an interior influencer, interior designer or serial entrepreneur, an online store will boost your credibility and authority through on-brand products and high-quality content. Creating an interior dropshipping store also helps you serve your audience in a more detailed, and resourceful way. Unlike signing up for an account on social media, starting an interior dropshipping store requires a lot more thought and attention to specific details. 

But, before you can sell your first product, you need to decide on a brand name, domain, hosting platform, niche, and so much more. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry! Follow these six steps to starting an interior dropshipping store and you’ll have one up and running in no time!

If Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok disappeared tomorrow, your audience would disappear along with it. If you are an interior influencer, interior designer or online business owner, it is so important to start an interior dropshipping store because it’s a platform you own and have full control over. Having an online store means you aren’t at the mercy of third-party applications. It also gives you control over discoverability as it doesn’t abide by a constantly changing algorithm. If you’re ready to start an. online store, here’s what you should do to lay down its strong foundations.

Step #1: Choose Your Niche.

The first thing you’ll need to do before you create an interior dropshipping store is to define your niche. Your niche will determine not only what types of products you curate but also the content you’ll write about. This will help you hyperfocus on your passions, expertise and personal style. It’ll also help direct your ideal readers and audience your way.

To choose your niche, you need to first ask yourself what you’re most passionate about, and what you're most drawn to currently. What types of interior accounts do you follow on Instagram? Is there a particular style you're drawn towards on Pinterest? Can you write a lot of content about that specific topic? Would you enjoy writing about and speaking about that topic in the long run? 

In order to curate interesting products and produce great content that keeps your audience engaged, you need to ensure you’re truly passionate and enthusiastic about the overall style of your niche.

Step #2: Pick Your Domain Name.

Your niche will also help you decide on the best name for your brand and online store. Before you register for your domain, you want to think about whether or not the name is built for longevity. Will your domain name be suitable for all the future products and content you want to produce? Although you can rebrand your online store later down the line, it is always better to think a few steps ahead.

I recommend spending some time thinking about your domain name. The good news is, there isn’t a right or wrong way to pick one. Just make sure that it’s a name that makes sense for your niche, and a name that you love.

Once you’ve picked your domain, you want to check if the URL is available. Take it a step further to see if it is available as usernames on social media platforms as well. You can do so by heading to Namecheckr. If it is available, you can register your domain name with your preferred platform and hosting site.

Step #3: Choosing A Platform.

There are so many platforms out there that you can use to create your online store. Some of the most popular ones are Shopify, Wordpress / WooCommerce, Squarespace and Wix. My online store is self-hosted on Shopify (which I highly recommend).

Although each platform has its own pros and cons, I find that going with a self-hosted, Shopify website is the best option. Not only is Shopify SEO-friendly, but it also offers more customisability, additional apps and plugins, and makes it easier for you to create, build and scale your online store.

Step #4: Design Your Store.

Designing and customising your online store is the fun part! You can grab one of Shopify's many free themes, but I highly recommend buying a customisable template from the Shopify Theme Store that will make your brand, store and products stand out from the competition! 

However, you want to make sure that the template you choose has great reviews, optimisation for mobile and tablet screens, and customisability in layout and colour.

Pro-tip: Be sure to preview a live demo of the theme to get a better idea of how it looks and operates before you purchase.

Of course, you have the option of getting a customised web design for your blog. A custom website can cost anywhere from $2000 to $15,000, so I highly recommend going with a free or paid template to start. 

Step #5: Source Your Products.

Sourcing the perfect products for your store can feel overwhelming and daunting. With so many different brands and suppliers to choose from, you'll want to ensure you're linking arms with reputable and reliable partners who provide high-quality products. 

In Design Dropship Academy, we explore how and where to find the best brands and suppliers you can partner with for your interior dropshipping store.

Step #6: Create A Marketing Strategy.

As soon as you have populated your online store with on-brand products that you love, it's time to share your brand with the world! Thanks to a plethora of free platforms, such as blogging, social media and affiliate programs, creating a marketing strategy for your interior dropshipping store needn't be expensive nor confusing, or time consuming! 

With the right marketing strategy, you don't need to spend hundreds or even thousands on advertising. Instead, you can utilise digital marketing to share your brand and products with the world on free platforms. 

To save you time and churn out regular content, you even can leverage ChatGPT. AI software such as ChatGPT can assist you with your business in many different ways, such as writing keyword rich and SEO-friendly blog content that relates to your product catalogue and brand, creating a content calendar for Pinterst and Instagram, as well as providing the captions and relevant hashtags! 

What's Next?

Following this step-by-step guide will help start your online interior dropshipping store on the right foot, so what’s next?