Have you ever wondered what the most popular dropshipping niches are? Or the best markets for dropshippers?
Well, in this article, we’re going to share just that.
That’s right. The best niches. The best markets.
By the end of this post, you’ll discover:
- The niches fueling success in the markets generating the most sales.
- Specific products that have sold huge in different countries.
- Trends and patterns that you can apply to your marketing campaigns and product strategy.
- Some counterintuitive best-sellers that will get you thinking about how to capitalize on opportunities other store owners in the dropshipping market might be missing.
Time for a trip around the globe!
Post Contents
Biggest Dropshipping Markets
1. United States
The US is by far the biggest market for dropshipping store owners. Here, for example, is a chart showing 2018 orders from the US compared to everywhere else:
To put this into context: The US’s Women’s Clothing & Accessories category has almost 10 times more GMV than the top GMV category in our No. 2 country, Great Britain (which also happens to be Women’s Clothing & Accessories).
Sneaky fact: Sport & Entertainment, Jewelry & Accessories, and Beauty & Health are way behind Women’s Clothing in total orders. But don’t let that fool you! Any of them would have been No. 1 in any other country. In fact, anything in the US Top 10 would have been No. 1 anywhere else.
Some big sellers:
2. United Kingdom
Beauty & Health nearly generates the most orders in the UK. As we’ll see, it’s not unusual for Beauty & Health to get lots of orders, but it is unusual just how close it comes to claiming the top spot. The winner, Home & Garden, has just 2% more orders.
Home & Garden is Great Britain’s top category for orders and GMV. This is the same phenomenon we see in the global numbers: Lots of beauty products are super cheap, letting stores rack up huge order volume (which is awesome) without huge revenue (less awesome).
Sneaky fact: Men’s Clothing & Accessories performs very well in GMV even though it is a distant fifth in total orders. Home & Garden, for instance, has about twice as many orders but almost the same GMV.
Some big sellers:
3. Australia
Another country where Women’s Clothing & Accessories is huge – but with a relaxed, sun-soaked twist.
Sneaky Fact: Australian shoppers buy nearly as many dresses as British shoppers buy skin care products. And skin care is the No. 1 niche in the UK’s No. 1 category. Here’s the thing, though: Those dresses cost an average of about $12, while the UK’s skin care products had an average cost of less than $6.
Some big sellers:
4. Canada
Canada, the fourth-biggest market for dropshipping entrepreneurs, has the same Top 5 product categories as the United States – but one of the hottest items is something you’d expect to see in Australia.
Not familiar with intimates? It’s stuff like this:
Sneaky Fact: Remember that flowing, flowery beach dress that was so huge in Australia? Yeah, Canadians apparently like it too. It is among the Top 10 most ordered items in Canada.
Some big sellers:
5. France
The French are known as a stylish lot, and true to form, they bought lots of fashion items. For instance, the total GMV of France’s Beauty & Health products is twice as much as Canada’s, and the Jewelry & Accessories total is about 47 percent more than Canada – even though Canada is the much bigger market overall.
Sneaky fact: Vintage and retro stuff sell better in France than in most places. Vintage dresses and jackets, sure, but the list goes on. The sunglasses and beat-up baseball cap you see below have a vintage feel to them, plus plenty of other hot-sellers are advertised as vintage. The top item in Women’s Clothing is called “Vintage Double Breasted Blazer” and in Men’s Clothing it is “Tailor Made Black Suit”.
Some big sellers:
6. Germany
Jewelry and Accessories – which includes everything from earrings to cufflinks – generate the most orders in Germany. In terms of GMV, however, Women’s Clothing & Accessories is at the top of the pack.
Sneaky fact: The German market seems to love knitted attire for the colder months of the year. Even though this type of clothing for men and women can be quite expensive to source for your online store pairing knitted pullovers, and dresses with jewelry and accessories can rack up some serious revenue.
Some big sellers:
7. Brazil
Let’s head to South America, where our analysis encounters a few firsts: Watches makes its first appearance among the best-selling categories, as does the “Mothers & Kids” category.
Sneaky fact: Garden supplies and kitchen equipment are huge in Brazil. For example, non-stick pans are Nos. 1, 2, and 3 among Home & Garden products with this highest GMV. All told, non-stick pans generate more than a half-million dollars in revenue. Other convenience-focused items like peelers and reusable food wrapping gadgets are also super popular in Brazil.
Some big sellers:
8. Italy
Let’s head back to Europe for a look at Italy, where Consumer Electronics is a surprising No. 1 in total GMV – and No. 1 by a big margin. There is also a clear winner in the Jewelry & Accessories category, so let’s dive in.
One of the reasons this is so interesting is that Consumer Electronics hasn’t appeared on any of our lists so far. Let alone at the top.
Sneaky fact: “Bracelets” is the top niche in the top category. In fact, Bracelets accounted for a whopping 50 percent of Jewelry & Accessories orders, as well as 58 percent of total GMV in that category.
“Smart Electronics,” meanwhile, generate 60 percent of Consumer Electronics sales and 69 percent of Consumer Electronics GMV. This niche is dominated by smartwatches.
Some big sellers:
9. Spain
Women’s items rule the day in Spain. Thanks to a huge volume of women’s watches, the watches category gets the most orders. Women’s Clothing & Accessories, Beauty & Health, and Jewelry & Accessories also appear in Top 5 for most orders. So definitely keep señoras in mind if you target Spain.
In Brazil, where Watches is also a leading category, men’s watches have about 40 percent more orders than women’s, and about 4.5x more GMV. It was basically the opposite of Spain.
Sneaky fact: Sure, smartwatches are popular in Spain, but there are lots of Consumer Electronics items that did well. Mini night vision camcorders, a five-inch video game console, and a “photo stand box” – which is essentially a miniature studio to photograph small objects – all racked up significant sales in Spain.
Some big sellers:
10. Switzerland
Switzerland has by far the smallest population on our Top 10. By comparison,
- Brazil has 205 million people
- Italy has 60 million
- Spain has more than 45 million
- And Switzerland… less than 9 million
But some clever merchants have looked past the petit population and focused on a country that has robust shipping options (including ePacket) and more purchasing power than just about anywhere else in the world.
Sneaky fact: The Jackets & Coats niche makes up just 7 percent of the women’s clothing orders, but 28 percent of the men’s clothing orders. This is a similar split to other European countries: In Germany, for instance, 28 percent of men’s clothing orders were “Jackets & Coats,” but just 5 percent of women’s clothing orders. France was 22 percent to 13 percent. So men like spending money on jackets!
Don’t let that scare you off, though. Women’s clothing has such a high volume that even a “small” percentage can account for a huge number of sales. This is especially the case in classic categories like dresses, shoes, and blouses.
Some big sellers:
Conclusion
Dropshipping entrepreneurs have had success all over the globe. For example, Malaysia and the Philippines are two markets that have accounted for huge order counts for dropshippers.
So don’t mistake this post as a suggestion to target these 10 markets and ignore everywhere else. There are ways to make sales and revenue way beyond the boundaries of these 10 countries.
What this post does show, though, is that not all markets are the same. Brazilian customers don’t want the same thing as Swiss customers. The US is different than France.
We all know this on an intuitive level, but it should also be reflected in how you operate your business. If you’re marketing products that you know are hot in one country but not another, then adjust your targeting filters to focus on countries you know could have the biggest impact.
It’s not rocket science, but it’s also not 100% easy.
Last thing: Do you want to see any more data like this? If we give chocolate chip cookies to our data team, they’ll look up just about anything we ask them to. So if there are specific markets or specific niches that you’re curious about, just let us know in the comments!
Want to Learn More?
- Dropshipping Niches That Are Steady, Not Trendy
- Hey There, Dropshippers! Here Are Some More Markets to Target!
- How to Find the Perfect Dropshipping Products
- How to Find the Best Dropshipping Suppliers
