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I Tried Dropshipping For 36 Hours (With a Viral Tiktok Product)

Introduction

I'm about to launch a Drop Shipping store in just 36 hours and I'll be recording the entire process for you to see. While I've managed to generate millions of dollars in sales in the past, this isn't going to be an easy task. So, I made a plan to get my new store up and running in less than 12 hours, and for the remainder of the challenge, I'll be running ads. Here are the steps I'm going to follow: finding the product, coming up with a store name, creating my Shopify store, setting up the entire backend, acquiring solid ad creatives, and advertising my store. Sounds like a lot? Well, it is, and I don't have much time to waste. So let's get right into this.

Finding the Product

The things that I look for in a winning product are a wow factor, the potential to create a bunch of content around it, a distinguishing feature, and of course, it shouldn't be sold by everyone. After about 20 minutes of scrolling through TikTok, I found this "alien ball" which is a mega bouncy ball. It has a wow factor and I can definitely see someone making engaging content around it.

Coming Up With a Store Name

To brainstorm a good brand name with AI, I provided some information about my product and the competitors I found. The AI suggested several brandable names that are unique, and I decided to stick with "Lunar Lux Ball". It sounds good and has a nice ring to it. I checked the availability of the domain on GoDaddy.com and it was available.

Creating My Shopify Store

To start the store creation process, I used Shopify, specifically my partner link which saves $ 38 a month on Shopify. I wanted to share this savings tip, so I'll make sure to leave a link in the description. I'm going to give away the store completely for free to one of the viewers since this is just a test store for me. To do this, just like the video and I'll choose a random subscriber.

Importing the Product to Shopify

To get the product from AliExpress onto my Shopify store, I used AutoDS. First, I signed up for a free trial and selected a package that suited my needs. After importing my billing information, I added my store to AutoDS, installed the app, and imported the product by copying the AliExpress link.

Setting Up Ad Creatives

I'm on a serious time crunch, so I'll use Viral Ecom Ads, a service that creates high-quality Drop Shipping ads quickly. I have used their service before and they are reliable. I ordered a TikTok Split Testing package, which includes a voiceover and text. The finished video ad was concise and properly showcased the product.

Advertising My Store

I'll use TikTok ads for this specific product. Here's how I set up my campaign:

  1. In TikTok Ads Manager, I pressed the create button and selected custom mode for more control.
  2. I chose website conversions as my campaign goal.
  3. I used TikTok for placements, allowing user comments and video sharing.
  4. For targeting, I kept the audience broad and limited the location to the US.
  5. The budget was set at $ 50, and I optimized for value.
  6. I uploaded the video ad, set a simple call-to-action "Get yours today", and linked to my product page.

Results After 24 Hours

After 24 hours, I checked the results. We had one sale, earning $ 14.98. Here are the detailed stats:

  • 30 sessions
  • 3.33% conversion rate
  • Average order value: $ 11.99
  • One single order

The TikTok ads spend was $ 50, with a CPC of $ 1.79 and a CPM of $ 12.18. The total cost, including the product price and shipping, was $ 4.28, plus fees. The total net profit was negative $ 40.75.

Lessons Learned and Next Steps

Clearly, this challenge didn't go as planned, but that's the reality of this business model. The idea isn't about avoiding setbacks, it's about learning from them. Moving forward:

  1. Increase ad spend to fully test the product's potential.
  2. Focus on organic marketing, setting up a dedicated TikTok account for user-generated content.
  3. Dive deeper into Facebook's capabilities, especially detailed targeting.

Best of luck on your own stores! I will see you guys in the next one.

Keywords

  • Drop Shipping
  • Shopify Store
  • Product Import
  • TikTok Ads
  • Viral Product
  • Ecommerce Marketing
  • User-Generated Content
  • Conversion Rate

FAQ

Q1: How long does it take to set up a Shopify store for Drop Shipping? A1: It can be done in less than 12 hours if you're focused and follow a structured plan.

Q2: Why did you choose TikTok for advertisement? A2: TikTok is effective for viral products, offering a broad audience and the potential for organic reach.

Q3: How much should a beginner spend on ads? A3: Start with a minimum of $ 50 per day for at least three to five days to properly test the product.

Q4: What are the key factors in choosing a winning product? A4: A wow factor, potential for engaging content, a distinguishing feature, and low competition.

Q5: What are some common challenges in Drop Shipping? A5: Product selection, ad effectiveness, high costs, and turning initial losses into profitable gains.

Q6: How can I improve my conversion rates? A6: Focus on high-quality ad creatives, detailed targeting, and continuous optimization of your product pages.

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