7 Dropshipping business ideas to earn money in 2024

Updated Jan 15 2024

Dropshipping is a profitable business model that opens doors to prospective entrepreneurs who lack the financial capital or resources to invest in warehouses full of inventory. However, to establish a successful online store, it's essential that you find the right dropshipping business idea. Keep reading to learn which ideas are most likely to lead you to successfully building your own dropshipping business.

• Do some market research using social media and tools like Google Trends to identify a dropshipping business idea.

• Consider time-tested dropshipping business ideas like clothing for kids and adults, fashion accessories, and electronic accessories.

• Artwork, including wall art and other home decor items, has a good profit margin and is easy to sell online.

• A print on demand partner streamlines your operations and minimizes overhead for your online business.

Finding a great business idea for a dropshipping store requires some careful consideration and thorough market research. These strategies are an important first step toward creating an online business with profitable dropshipping products.

Basic market research begins with social media platforms like TikTok and Pinterest. Watch videos and scroll through feeds to discover which dropshipping ideas are on an upward trend and which are failing to grab public interest. Keep in mind that a single positive review or post doesn't indicate widespread popularity, so instead watch for dropshipping niches that are receiving attention from multiple online users and that have gained increased popularity over time.

Dropshipping entrepreneurs can also gain valuable insights by looking at bestseller lists for online shopping sites like Amazon and Etsy. Check to see which niches and products are in the highest demand. Although you may not offer the exact same products, similar items are likely to perform well in your own online store.

Take advantage of online tools that make it faster and easier to perform market research and narrow your focus to a single dropshipping idea. Websites like Google Trends and Trend Hunter compile information from online searches conducted by everyday users. This allows you to identify whether there's an upward or downward trend for a particular search term. Strong search term performance often translates to product popularity and customer interest.

Every dropshipping business owner has a distinct journey, but in virtually every case, a profitable business model begins with solid dropshipping ideas. From clothes to artwork to home decor, these dropshipping business ideas serve as a foundation that allows you to build a strong and scalable online store.

Clothing and apparel items are easily among the most dominant dropshipping products, and they're also some of the easiest items to sell online. Everyone needs clothes, and many modern consumers prefer shopping online to visiting brick-and-mortar businesses because it saves time and energy.

The popularity of buying clothing through an ecommerce business is clear when you look at the size of the market. In 2021, the value of the global online apparel market was nearly $700 billion, and some experts predict that it will grow past $1.2 trillion in 2025. The space for fashion retail is crowded, but apparel is an opportunity to establish a low-risk business model with little upfront investment if you want to start a dropshipping business.

Dropshipping companies in the fashion niche can sell a wide range of products, from sportswear to formalwear. Some trending products seemingly never go out of style, including:

• T-shirts

• Hoodies

• Tank tops

• Sweatshirts

If you opt to sell clothes, keep in mind that product quality is of the utmost importance. Partnering with the right dropshipping supplier helps ensure that your customers receive well-made products that inspire long-term loyalty.

If you're in the process of starting a dropshipping business or want to expand your current business offerings, accessories are a compelling option. For an online business that already sells apparel, accessories are a great point of expansion, but they're equally suitable as a new dropshipping business idea.

The global ecommerce market size for fashion accessories in 2021 was $182 billion, and forecasters predict that it will grow at a compound annual growth rate of $14.7% through 2028. Luggage and bags are among the most popular types of accessories, as they have become essential items for travelers, students, and business professionals alike.

Products like tote bags are also appealing to customers who are concerned about the environment and want to reduce the use of plastics and other disposable containers. They offer practical value to consumers and are a stylish way to express the vision and aesthetic of your own brand.

The growth of the wall art market is largely tied to its ecommerce success. Potential customers can browse, compare, and purchase works of art without leaving their homes, and they can view and buy pieces from faraway countries without having to travel to shows or galleries. In 2021, the market value of global wall art rose above $20 billion, and it's forecasted to break further ground and reach $34.77 billion by 2031.

From a business perspective, wall art is a popular niche market with ample opportunities for online sales. Some of the best-selling products for an art-based online store include:

• Acrylic prints

• Posters

• Framed and ready-to-hang wall art

• Canvas

• Wood prints

The cost of shipping artwork has historically been quite high, but dropshipping suppliers with local production and delivery are able to reduce costs so that you can quickly and affordably provide products to a global customer base.

If you're looking for a dropshipping niche that's unlikely to ever go out of style, consider children's and baby products. Parents, family members, and friends regularly shop for apparel and accessories, like toys, baby carriers, and car seats, to keep kids happy, safe, and comfortable.

Children's clothing is an especially booming market. The global market size for baby apparel is expected to grow to $198.8 billion by 2025. Likewise, experts forecast that the kids' apparel market will grow from $200.03 billion in 2023 to $386.19 billion by the end of 2033. Having such a clear and constant target market makes it easier for a new or expanding ecommerce store to achieve steady growth with profitable products.

Some of the best kids' items to sell online are:

• Baby clothing like onesies

• Children's t-shirts

• Kids' hoodies

Babies and kids outgrow and wear out clothes quickly, so dropshipping ecommerce businesses that focus on kids' clothing have a prime opportunity to establish a base of returning customers.

Restaurants, businesses, and private consumers have all driven the market demand for drinkware, which is why it's one of the best dropshipping business ideas for online stores. Drinkware products are popular not only for personal use but also as gifts and giveaways. It's also a product type for people of every age, from young kids to grandparents.

As of 2022, the drinkware market is worth more than $28 billion, and experts project that it will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6% through 2032. Within this larger category, sustainable drinkware is in particularly high demand as customers become more invested in eco-friendly options. Reusable cups, mugs, and water bottles are better for the environment than disposable alternatives.

An increasing number of customers are also looking for high-quality, customized drinkware featuring unique designs. Dropshipping suppliers that allow customers to change the colors, text, and graphics on a cup are likely to add profits and garner greater interest for your online business.

Electronic accessories protect, customize, and increase the functionality of electronic devices. Although they're desirable because of their visual appeal, electronic accessories are also an essential protective barrier for expensive technological devices, like smartphones, laptops, and tablets.

It's no surprise that sales of electronic accessories have increased as more people have purchased multiple devices. In 2022, the value of the consumer electronic accessories market reached $47.3 billion, and it's projected to grow to more than double that amount by the end of 2033. This aligns with the rapid growth of the consumer electronics industry as a whole.

Electronic devices are ubiquitous in modern society, which means that attractive and useful accessories have never been in higher demand. According to the Pew Research Center, 97% of Americans own a cell phone, and many of them use cases to shield their phones from spills, drops, and falls. Selling custom phone cases is a logical way to tap into an enormous market.

Home decor, including furniture, floor coverings, and decorative items, is one of the most consistently reliable business ideas. From big bustling cities to quiet rural towns, people all over the world enjoy adding color, texture, and style to their indoor spaces, and home decor dropshipping businesses make it easy for customers to achieve their visions.

As people began spending more time inside during the COVID-19 pandemic, the market for home decor items experienced a notable surge. With an already impressive value of $727.6 billion in 2022, the home decor market is projected to grow to more than $939 billion by 2028. The online home decor market, in particular, is anticipated to expand substantially over the next several years, growing by $58.99 billion through 2026.

Personalized home decor is an important part of the industry. Today's customers look for the option to add specific colors, photos, names, dates, and graphics to decor products like:

• Photo books

• Calendars

• Wall art

• Wallpaper

Because of the wide customer pool and continuing growth of the market, home decor is a proven winner for a dropshipping business.

Pairing a dropshipping business model with print on demand services is a seamless and natural step. After you establish your ecommerce business and develop your online presence, a print on demand supplier can streamline production and order fulfillment while keeping overhead costs as low as possible. Rather than overseeing the printing and processing of each order yourself, you can trust a reliable partner to take care of it on your behalf.

Print on demand services also make it easy for your business to tap into a specific niche and also offer a wide range of products. For example, print on demand allows a single dropshipping store to offer budget or premium apparel, accessories, and kids' clothing through a single, unified platform.

When you start a dropshipping business, finding a reliable dropshipping supplier is critical, and a print on demand partner like Gelato is ideal. With Gelato's combination of global sales and local production and delivery, creators, designers, and artists can expand their customer base but keep delivery times, costs, and carbon emissions at a minimum. Gelato also removes the burden of managing inventory, cuts start-up costs for new dropshipping business owners, and automatically fulfills every customer order.

The dropshipping model is profitable and accessible to any online entrepreneur with a dream of becoming a business owner. Clothing, kid and baby products, accessories, and artwork are just a few of the possible dropshipping business ideas that could allow you to realize the dream of opening an online store.

Optimize your dropshipping business model by partnering with a print on demand supplier like Gelato. With only a few clicks, you'll be ready to sell high-quality, custom products with no inventory or bank-breaking startup costs. Gelato's network of production sites spans 32 countries and allows you to make your dropshipping business idea a reality without draining your resources or causing excessive waste. Start your own dropshipping business today with the help of Gelato.

Running a dropshipping store can be very profitable, particularly if you are able to reduce overhead costs and heavily market your business. According to BlueCart, dropshippers earn a profit of between 20% and 30% from every sale. This translates to an average profit of up to $100,000 annually or between $1,000 and $5,000 monthly. However, it's important to remember that the profitability of dropshipping ultimately depends on your niche, product offerings, marketing strategies, and business structure.

Items that work well with dropshipping are generally those that have broad appeal and are easy to display online. Some of the best products for a dropshipping website include:

• Apparel

• Wall art

• Phone cases

• Drinkware

• Cards

• Tote bags

Selling products through dropshipping is not only more straightforward but also has a higher customer satisfaction rate when the items are useful, affordable, and unique.