Waiting for first sale - its been more than a Month and still waiting for the first sale.

[shoppingds]

i have a dropshipping ecommerce store on shopify . i started this in begining of september 2024. I know its too early to expect results . I had been constantly working on site to fine tune.

I am targeting only US and Canadian market for traffice/sales:

Following has been done 

a.on page seo

b.off page seo except the backlinks.

c.did facebook campaign for US traffic 

d.Creating blogs

e. creating You tube videos with content to get some attraction or bring traffic to the site.

f. added feed to google merchant

g.added to facebook and  instagram store

h.semrush shows some of the keywords are getting attention and landing in 50-100 range.

But so far no luck and still waiting for the first sale.  

i am worried about the recurring expenses of the dropshipping server and monthly charges of shopify. Not sure what i am doing wrong or what i am missing.  

Can someone look at my site and give some suggestions.  

my site is https://shoppingds.com

Thanks in advance

[shoppingds]

yes.

[Upsellise]

Hi @shoppingds,

It's great to see you starting something of your own! However, there are a few things that might be holding back potential customers. Here's what I would recommend:

1. Image Quality: The images on your site look low-quality. Consider using stock image services like iStock for higher-quality photos, or leverage free AI tools to improve the quality of your existing images.

2. Logo Improvements: Your business logo could use some refining. A professional-looking logo helps build trust. You could hire a freelancer or use AI design tools to give it a more polished, cohesive look.

3. Product Inventory: Your inventory seems too broad. Try narrowing it down to a niche. When it looks like you're selling anything and everything, it can give off a desperate vibe, which might deter customers. Focusing on a specific niche will help create a more cohesive brand identity.

4. Brand Consistency: If you decide to keep the wide inventory, focus on changing product and collection images for a more cohesive brand look and feel. Consistency is key in building a recognizable brand.

5. Product Detail Clean-up: Ensure that all product listings are cleaned up and don't have unnecessary fields, like color options when there are none. For example, the product in this link has redundant fields: https://shoppingds.com/products/orthopedic-cooling-gel-and-memory-foam-pet-beds-for-small-medium-and....

6. Video Content: Since you create YouTube content, I suggest focusing more on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok videos. These formats have a much larger reach and can help expose your products to a wider audience. Look for tutorials on how to create engaging, high-quality short videos.

7. Engage on Thematic Platforms: Identify niche communities, forums, and social media groups where your target audience hangs out. Contribute helpful content and subtly promote your products without being overly salesy.

I hope this helps!

Searchanise Upsell

[shoppingds]

thanks for the suggestions

[shoppingds]

thanks. feel free to write your suggestions here.

[shoppingds]

please i am not here to buy services. If you have suggestios feel free to write here. Thank you

[BON_Loyalty]

Hi @shoppingds, 

I'm Tracy from BON Loyalty, the top-rated Shopify loyalty app.

I understand that you have poured a lot of effort into bringing traffic to your store, however, those traffic could not convert into sales. After I visited your store, in my opinion, it seems like there is a critical issue with your store positioning and branding. The store seems to offer a variety of products across different categories, such as clothing, home decor, electronics, and pet supplies. When a store lacks a clear brand identity, it’s difficult for customers to trust and connect with it, especially when it offers a diverse range of products without any coherence or focus. While this can attract different types of customers, it can also pose a challenge when it comes to building a strong brand identity and gaining customer trust.

Why lacking of brand positioning and identity impact sales?
- Visitor Perception: If your store has no clear brand identity, visitors won’t see your store as professional or reliable. No matter how good your products are, visitors will question the quality and legitimacy of your store.
- Trust & Credibility: Lack of a professional-looking brand identity and positioning decreases trust. Customers often decide within seconds whether a store looks trustworthy enough to buy from. If your store appears inconsistent or disorganized, they’ll leave without making a purchase.
- Customer Confusion: Without a clear brand positioning, customers won’t understand what your store stands for or why they should buy from you. This confusion can result in a high bounce rate and low conversion rates.

Here’s what I noticed and some suggestions on how you can establish a clear brand identity for your store:
1. Simplify your product range
Narrow down the product categories to ones that fit a common theme or target audience. If you’re selling clothing and electronics in the same store, it’s hard for customers to understand what your brand stands for. Simplify the product range also makes it easier to market the store and create a sense of expertise in those categories.

2. Define your niche or USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
- Customers tend to trust stores that specialize in a specific category or theme. If you’re offering products across various categories, try to find a common theme that ties them together, such as “affordable luxury” or “eco-friendly home solutions.” Alternatively, you should only focus on a few key product lines that best represent your brand.
- Develop a tagline or a statement that communicates what makes your store unique. Whether it’s the affordability, premium quality, unique designs, or excellent customer service, let your visitors know why they should choose you over competitors. For example, if you’re a home decor store, showcase your best decor items with high-quality images and a tagline like “Creating Comfort & Style for your home.”

3. Create a cohesive visual identity
- Logo, typography & colors: Consistent visual branding elements (logo, color scheme, and typography) help create a cohesive experience for visitors. Choose colors and styles that reflect your brand values and apply them uniformly across the site to build familiarity. For example, a premium brand might use gold and navy blue, while an eco-friendly brand might use green and earthy tones.
- Imagery & design: Use high-quality images and a consistent design style. If you’re selling multiple categories, ensure the product images, banners, and layouts have a unified look. A blurry image on your homepage can strongly have a negative effect on how customers feel about your store.

4. Craft a Brand story & messaging
- Share your story. Why did you start this store? What values or mission does your brand stand for? Customers love authentic stories that they can connect with. A compelling story can help establish an emotional connection and differentiate your store from others.
- Use consistent messaging. Whether it’s on your homepage, product descriptions, or marketing emails, your tone of voice should be consistent. It can be friendly, professional, fun, or serious—depending on your target market.

5. Highlight professionalism & credibility
- Showcase trust badges & policies: Clearly displaying badges like “Secure Checkout,” “Money-back Guarantee,” or “Quality Assurance” can help assure visitors of your professionalism. Additionally, have a well-defined Return Policy, Shipping Policy, and Customer Service section to address any potential concerns.
- Include customer reviews & testimonials on you product page: Adding genuine reviews from customers builds social proof and trust. If you don’t have reviews yet, consider implementing a review request strategy after purchases to gather feedback, or install a Shopify Review app (e.g.: Loox, LAI Review, Fera) to import reviews for your products to gain trust.

I hope these suggestions will help position your store as a professional and trustworthy brand that customers will feel confident buying from. Good luck!

If you find these suggestions helpful for you, please let me know by giving BON Loyalty  a 'LIKE' or marking it as a 'SOLUTION'. 😊

Best,

Tracy from the BON Loyalty team

[shoppingds]

Thank you so much Bon for your detailed review of my site. I will definitley keep this in my plan on to do list. Once again thanks for your time .

[BON_Loyalty]

You're most welcome. We are always here to help 😊

[Bundler-Manuel]

Hey there @shoppingds firstly, it seems as if your store is currently selling a bit of “everything” which isn’t the worst thing in the world but it does give the impression that you aren’t specializing in a specific set of products. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should drop all the others and focus on one but maybe lay a bit more emphasis on one branch maybe fitness for example, and display it a bit majorly on the store and especially in the marketing strategy notably the Facebook campaign you mentioned

[kajalsejwal]

Hey!

You should consider a more interactive chatbot to bring in more sales!

[DaisyVo]

Hi @shoppingds 

I hear you. It sounds like you’ve been putting in the work—optimizing your store, running ads, and creating content—but still waiting for that first sale. I know how frustrating that can be, especially with recurring expenses adding up. Let’s break this down and see what might be missing.

Key Issues Based on What You’ve Done:

1. Traffic Without Conversions: You mentioned some of your keywords are ranking (positions 50-100 in SEMrush), and you’ve driven traffic through Facebook ads and content marketing. The issue is likely conversion-related, not just traffic.
2. Targeting & Ad Strategy: Running a Facebook campaign is good, but what kind of traffic are you bringing in? If the audience isn't highly relevant, your site visits won’t convert.
3. Store Optimization & Trust Factors: Even if you get visitors, does your site give them a reason to buy? Product trust, branding, and urgency signals play a big role.

What You Can Do to Get That First Sale:

1. Check Your Store’s First Impression & Trust Factors

Go through your site as if you’re a first-time visitor. Ask yourself:

• Does the homepage clearly communicate what you sell? (A potential customer should instantly understand the value of your store.)
• Do you have trust signals like real customer reviews, social proof, secure payment badges, and a strong "About Us" page?
• Are the product pages well-optimized? (Each page should have high-quality images, clear descriptions, and urgency elements like low-stock alerts or a countdown timer.)
• Does your checkout process feel smooth and secure? (A complex checkout process kills conversions.)

💡 Action: Get a fresh perspective—ask friends, family, or even post on forums like Reddit/eCommerce Facebook groups to get feedback.

2. Improve Your Facebook Ad Targeting & Retargeting Strategy

You’re running Facebook ads, but are you targeting the right audience?
🔹 Cold traffic ads (new customers) should use high-intent audiences, like lookalikes of people who engage with your content or visitors from Google.
🔹 Retargeting ads (warm traffic) should hit people who visited but didn’t buy.
🔹 Conversion-focused creatives (UGC-style videos, testimonials, and problem-solving messaging) often work better than generic product images.

💡 Action: If you haven’t already, install Facebook Pixel & Google Analytics to track user behavior. Then, set up retargeting ads for users who added to cart but didn’t buy.

3. Fix SEO & Get Backlinks

You’ve done on-page SEO, but backlinks are crucial for ranking. Without them, it’s hard to move beyond page 5 of Google.
💡 Action: Reach out to blogs in your niche and offer guest posts, list your store in directories, and get featured in small news articles.

4. Add Social Proof & Real Reviews

If customers don’t see any reviews, they’ll hesitate. Try using AliExpress reviews, or if possible, send samples to micro-influencers to generate UGC content.

5. Offer a First-Time Discount or Free Shipping

Sometimes, a simple “10% OFF for First-Time Buyers” popup is enough to convert hesitant visitors. Use an app like Wheelio or Privy to add exit-intent popups.

Next Steps:

• Test your website’s user experience with fresh eyes.
• Improve Facebook ad targeting & set up retargeting.
• Start getting backlinks to boost organic rankings.
• Add social proof (reviews, influencer collabs).
• Try a limited-time offer or free shipping to encourage first sales.

Your first sale is often the hardest. Once you get it, things start rolling. Keep optimizing, and you’ll get there!

If you need any other assistance, feel free to ask, and I will try my best to support you.
Best regards,
Daisy