Get the help you need to grow a successful dropshipping business or kickstart your affiliate marketing career with Spocket.

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Your journey to success starts here and now. And the team at Spocket are dedicated to helping you achieve all your entrepreneurial dreams and more. When it comes to dropshipping and affiliate marketing, the only limits to what you can achieve are the ones you put in place for yourself.

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Right now there are so many opportunities to earn money online. And everyone from freelancers and investors to digital nomads and beyond should be urged to take advantage of those very opportunities. So, given that dropshipping and affiliate marketing are just two examples of the top ways to earn money online, it seems apt to start there.

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The aim of this guide is to give you the tools you need to turn your dropshipping or affiliate marketing dreams into a successful career. Scroll on to learn everything you need to know.

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How to earn money online

Earning money online isn’t quite as complex as you might think. Dropshipping and affiliate marketing are extremely popular across the globe and, if you do it right and choose the right partner, when it comes to how much you could earn the sky’s the limit.

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eCommerce is all about customer convenience — why would you venture to your local high street when the option to shop from your favourite spot on the sofa and have your products delivered to your door is an option? And at Spocket, setting up an eCommerce business venture is equally convenient. 

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Whether you opt for earning money online through dropshipping or affiliate marketing, Spocket is on hand to help. And to help you decide which option is better for you, let’s find out at little more about dropshipping and affiliate marketing.

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What is dropshipping?

Dropshipping is an alternative retail service. This type of order fulfilment service allows a retailer to sell products online without actually having to keep those products stock. Instead, the retailer buys products on an adhoc basis from a dropshipping supplier (aka a wholesaler or manufacturer) to fulfil any orders customers make using their site.

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Then the partnering dropshipping supplier will ship the purchased items straight to your customer.

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The primary difference between dropshipping and the traditional retailing model is the retailer doesn’t need to stock or even own any of the products listed for sale on their eCommerce platform. Instead, the retailer plays middleman between the customer and the wholesaler or manufacturer.

‍Dropshipping pros and cons

With dropshipping being a popular side-hustle as well as a full-blown career venture for entrepreneurs, digital nomads and freelancers alike, it’s wise to highlight some of the highs and lows of dropshipping in general. Scroll on to learn more.

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Dropshipping | Pros:

• No need to hold stock. Dropshipping enables eCommerce businesses to purchase stock from third-party suppliers. Items can be bought as and when needed and shipped directly to your customers.
• Easy set up. Given that you won’t need to find space to store and organise stock, you won’t need to worry about storage space prior to getting your eCommerce site up and running. Instead, you can work from home or wherever. Business on the beach? eCommerce at your favourite cafe? Working while travelling the world? Yes, yes and yes. All you’ll need is a reliable wifi connection and some time to process orders daily.
• Low overheads. This is a game-changer. As there’s no need to rent storage space or pay staff to pick, pack and ship the products, there’s minimal upfront costs. Get your eCommerce business booming without having to use your entire life savings in the process.
• Great for entrepreneurs and side-hustlers alike. With dropshipping, the only limit to how much you can earn is the one you put in place for yourself. You’ll also have the freedom to offer as varied or as specialist a collection of products as you desire. Earn a little extra cash on the side or start a successful career in dropshipping. You’re only a few clicks away from your next big pay day. 

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Dropshipping | Cons:

• Quality and branding control. Given that you’re entrusting your dropshipping partner with shipping the products directly to your customer, there’s no opportunity to check the quality of a product ahead of dispatch. Also, branding your products with your company logo isn’t always possible. But at Spocket, they’re dedicated to solving these dropshipping dilemmas. More on the hows in just a moment!
• Tracking deliveries isn’t so straightforward. As you aren’t the person shipping the item or the person whom the item is being shipped to, you’ll have to contact the supplier to chase up a delivery. Be sure to stay on good terms with your dropshipping partners. That way, when the need to chase a delivery arises, life will be easier.
• Managing supplies poses problems. If you had a traditional store, it’d be really easy to keep on top of inventory. However, when you’re relying on dropshipping partners, you will need to actively keep an eye on their supplies. This enables you to know exactly how many of a specific product you can sell before it’s out of stock.

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For more on the pros and cons of dropshipping, check out the pros and cons of dropshipping blog post. 

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What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is basically promoting another company’s products or services for a commission from a sale or sign-up. And so, affiliate marketing is ideal for entrepreneurs who would prefer to avoid the hassle of providing customer support, tracking shipments, and creating new products.

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Usually, you'll be given an affiliate link for customers to use. This keeps track of any sales or signups you generate and thus ensures you receive the aforementioned commission if and when a customer makes a purchase after clicking through using a link on your site.

‍How to Make Money using the Spocket Affiliate Program

If you’d like to start earning money online, Spocket’s Affiliate Program is ideal. And signing up really couldn’t be simpler. Follow the four easy steps below to get started:

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1. Start by heading to the Spocket affiliate page
2. Next, join the program by clicking “Start earning now”
3. Then fill out your details as directed to create your account
4. Finally, fill out your payout details and you’re all set to start getting paid!

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It really is as easy as that!

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Affiliate Marketing pros and cons

With affiliate marketing fast-becoming one of the best ways to earn money online, we wanted to point out the peaks and troughs of this type of eCommerce. Read on to unveil the pros and cons of affiliate marketing.

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Affiliate marketing | Pros:

• Minimal upfront costs. Just like with dropshipping, affiliate marketing requires practically zero money upfront. Instead, you will need to promote products sold by other retailers. And this can be done through blogging either through a third-party site or you can create your own space online.
• Affiliate marketing is a billion-dollar industry. Affiliate marketing is already a billion-dollar industry. And, it’s growing at a rapid rate. So, if you’ve been considering jumping on the affiliate marketing bandwagon for some time - there’s no time like right now to take the plunge.
• Flexible earnings. You can choose whether you want to earn on a Pay-Per-Sale, Pay-Per-Click or Pay-Per-Lead basis. This gives you the autonomy to decide how you want to earn money online via your affiliate marketing business. And while they sound similar, each opportunity is slightly different. PPS (or pay-per-sale) is where you are paid a percentage of each sale that comes from clicking through using your link. PPC (or pay-per-click) enables you to get paid whether or not a customer makes a purchase after following one of your links. And, PPL (or pay-per-lead) enables affiliate marketers to get paid after a visitor fills out a contact form once they have clicked through using your link.
• Work from anywhere. Whether you’re a freelancer or a digital nomad, you won’t have to give up that freedom of being able to work from anywhere and everywhere in affiliate marketing. Work from home, while on holiday or from wherever the wind takes you. All you’ll need is some dedicated time and a reliable internet connection. 

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Affiliate Marketing | Cons:

• Many programs only offer commission-based payments. Affiliate marketing mostly works on the price-per-sale (PPS) commission model. And so, in a lot of cases, you’ll only get paid when a customer actually buys a product off the back of clicking through your link.
• Patience and dedication are required. The initial struggles that are part and parcel of kickstarting your affiliate marketing business aren’t for the faint-hearted. Patience, dedication, and a whole heap of effort are what it takes to set you apart from the crowd in the world of affiliate marketing. But sheer determination (and keeping up with affiliate marketing best practices) can help you turn your dreams into a reality.
• No guarantees of success. Great opportunities always come hand-in-hand with and element of risk. There are no guarantees that your desired income will be achieved. And if you do achieve it one month, there’s no guarantee that the next month will play out the same. Income from affiliate marketing is prone to fluctuation. But, if you can grow and retain a diverse audience, you stand a better chance of earning a more regular income.

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To learn more about affiliate marketing, read the How to earn money through affiliate marketing blog post on the Spocket website. 

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What CMS options do I have at Spocket?

A CMS (aka content management system) is a computer software program that is used to manage the creation and development of digital content. Spocket is dedicated to ensuring all types of users have access to a CMS (Content Management System) that fulfils their needs and is user-friendly. 

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At Spocket, you’ll be able to build a new website from scratch or integrate your existing website using Bigcommerce, Shopify or WordPress WooCommerce.  

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All of our partnering CMS providers offer easy-to-use platforms. And, with the handy Spocket plug-in, integrating dropshipping and affiliate marketing products is easier than ever.

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How is Spocket changing the landscape of dropshipping and affiliate marketing? 

Spocket’s founder, Saba Mohebpour, is an entrepreneur. And he’s been right where you are know and understands all too well the struggles of dropshipping and affiliate marketing. Saba Mohebpour came up with Spocket and aimed to resolve the key issues posed by these types of businesses (ergo lengthy shipping times and high product prices).

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The Spocket platform has direct connections with BigCommerce, Shopify and WooCommerce stores. And these connections allow dropshipping businesses to find reliable suppliers that will ship directly to customers. 

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Plus, Spocket is extremely proud of its screening process. Spocket will only partner with the highest-quality suppliers and only those that meet its rigorous standards and make it through the approval process. Many of Spocket’s rivals aren't quite as strict in their selection process. 

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The Spocket team have outlined a very strict verification process. And each potential supplier must jump through various hoops before they are approved for partnership.

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Here is a brief summary of the expected standards a supplier needs to meet before receiving the Spocket seal of approval:

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• A supplier’s products must be high-quality and meet both EU and US standards
• A supplier must have a good reputation
• A supplier must be able to provide fast shipping and tracking information
• A supplier’s products must be competitively priced
• A supplier is required to maintain an order success rate of 95%
• A supplier are required to answer any order inquiries 24-48 hours after shipment

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If a supplier is able to successfully prove themselves across all of the outlined criteria above, they will be approved. These requirements are there to protect those businesses using Spocket. They mean only high-quality products are sold to their customers and help to minimize potential eCommerce problems.

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At Spocket you can earn money online through dropshipping and affiliate marketing with access to the know-how you need to transform your dreams into a reality.

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