Summary
Highlights
The video revisits a previous dropshipping challenge where the creator made $14,000 as a teenager. This time, the challenge is to start a store from scratch, without personal brand advantages, and scale it entirely with the help of AI, hoping to exceed previous results. The journey begins with product hunting.
The creator starts product hunting, focusing on trending TikTok Shop products not yet popular on Facebook/Instagram. Using Cal Data, several potential products are identified, including a wireless humidifier, cologne set, pocket printer, glitter bomb, and a hydrating lip plumping balm. The lip balm is chosen for its problem-solving aspect, branding potential, and low competition.
To avoid issues with traditional AliExpress suppliers, AutoDS is used for reliable fulfillment, sourcing quality products and handling orders. Store Launch (a tool for creating Shopify stores) is used to quickly set up the e-commerce site for the chosen lip balm, including product pages, images, descriptions, and legal policies.
Content, including images and videos, is ordered from Bands Off Ads. Once delivered, these creatives are used to launch Facebook ad campaigns. A budget of $100 per day is set, targeting broad audiences, and multiple ad variations with different images and offers are created.
On day two, two initial sales are made for $18 and $30. However, the ad account is flagged and later recovered. By the end of day two, with $200 in ad spend, only $66 in sales are generated, making the first product a failure.
After the first product flopped, a second product, the 'NMN Complex,' is selected. The store is quickly set up for this new product using Store Launch, and ads are launched with hopes for better results, but this product also fails to generate any sales.
The creator tests 'Liquid Chlorophyll' in January, scaling it to a few hundred dollars per day but finding it unprofitable. Later, a 'dog bowl' designed for slow eating is chosen, despite not meeting all criteria (low perceived value, narrow margins, no subscription potential). This product shows some promise.
Day one for the dog bowl yields $64 in sales with a -$80 profit. Day two brings $296 in sales, resulting in a small profit of $20. Day three sees $576 in sales but a -$10 profit. Day four significantly improves with $1,295 in sales but a minimal profit of $6.74. Day five results in $1,635 in sales and a $263 profit. Day six reaches $2,200 in sales, with a $267 profit, despite the low margin and lack of recurring revenue potential.
Over six days, the dog bowl product generates a total profit of $467.65. The creator highlights the strong conversion rate (up to 11%) achieved with Store Launch and the effectiveness of raw UGC videos in ads. Despite the moderate profit, the revenue numbers and conversion rates are encouraging, emphasizing the importance of continuous testing in dropshipping. Updates on the store will be shared on Instagram.