Why Do Customers Buy From Niche Stores Instead of AliExpress?

As you probably know, AliDropship creates ready made dropshipping stores for our customers and provides all the necessary support. However, did you know that we also run our very own dropshipping niche stores?

Seeing and managing this process from the inside gives us an incredible advantage. This allows us to experience all the steps of this operating process – the same as our customers do. And this, in turn, gives us a brilliant opportunity to work with our clients much more effectively as we have a clear and detailed understanding of the whole dropshipping routine.

One of the questions we hear from our customers quite often is “Why would I get a specialized dropshipping niche store if all these items are already available on AliExpress?” Why would people make their purchases from my store when they can purchase from a globally renowned platform?

In this article, we’ll share the reasons why do customers buy products from niche stores and find them more appealing than AliExpress.

Let’s start with an informative video!

Top 5 reasons why customers prefer niche stores to AliExpress

1. It’s easier to find the necessary product

AliExpress gained itself the reputation of an immensely huge online trading platform where you can find practically anything. The platform hosts lots of sellers, and the number of products they offer far exceeds 100 million items. This means it is possible to source almost any kind of product regardless of its category and special features. But interestingly, that’s not always a benefit!

Browsing a niche store with a limited amount of categories, you can find the necessary product quickly and effortlessly.

That’s what industry analysis shows! Customers looking for a particular product with specific features are much more likely to visit a niche store than AliExpress.

There is a valid reason for this, as you can guess. It’s not easy to look through thousands of product options to find the one that fully suits your needs. This is why potential buyers might avoid a website of an enormous marketplace where they can easily get lost. Instead, they prefer a dedicated website with a limited amount of product categories that is clear and convenient to navigate. Apart from that, a store that focuses on a particular niche or category is likely to have highly specialized products instead of some generic items.

2. It’s more convenient to place an order

The simplicity of placing an order is crucial for the purchasing process. AliExpress requires buyers to register, which is a distracting factor for many online shoppers. At the same time, AliDropship niche stores allow customers to place their orders simply and effortlessly. Thanks to this, buyers enjoy an unmatched shopping experience that surely motivates them to come back for more. Even if customers don’t have previous experience in online shopping, they can easily buy from such stores without any issues.

Niche stores don’t require visitors to register, and it facilitates impulse buying.

When users visit such stores, they can get immediately interested in some of the products. Thus, the simplicity of the shopping process will surely encourage them to make a purchase without any second thoughts.

3. Niche stores provide a nicer customer experience

It is typical for sellers placing their offers on AliExpress to work with a wide range of product categories. Ideally, that would require a store owner to have extensive knowledge covering all the specifications of the offerings. Unfortunately, quite often this is not the case, and it makes potential purchasers turn to smaller niche stores.

Niche stores are notable for the friendly atmosphere created by passionate and enthusiastic sellers.

What’s special about people who create narrowly focused online stores and deal with a limited amount of items? Typically, they are deeply interested in this particular area and have a true passion for this certain product range. Therefore, they are enthusiastic to create a friendly and favorable atmosphere in the store. You can imagine how important it is for an online business: take a look at this success story that happened all thanks to an engaged followers’ community! The better client service you provide to these niche fans, the higher are the odds to see them and their friends again soon.

4. It’s much easier to get help

Anyone who purchased something online knows how important it is for the seller to be knowledgeable about his product offering. And what happens if a dropshipping store owner works with multiple product niches and dozens of hundreds of products? Potentially, there can be some difficulties with providing accurate and relevant data on clients’ inquiries. From the point of view of a seller, this can easily be understood. Naturally, managing such a store is quite a demanding task requiring an enormous effort. Still, from the point of view of a buyer, it can cause a great inconvenience.

Well-informed experts can provide quick and complete answers to any niche-related questions.

On the contrary, niche stores with a smaller product range have everything it takes to provide high-quality customer support. Since these stores employ well-informed experts with a deep passion for the products on offer, customers can safely count on quick and full answers to any niche-related questions that can potentially come up. These sellers can also help buyers with the technical aspects of placing an order, making a payment, or dealing with a return or refund if necessary (Kitty’s dropshipping story is a great example!). This is not always the case with AliExpress purchases – the wait for an answer from the platform’s technical support can take a significant amount of time.

5. It’s more pleasant to navigate niche stores

Due to the technical features of the platform, all of the AliExpress stores have the same layout. As a result, it is really difficult for a store owner to create a memorable and recognizable marketplace.

For the customer, it’s going to be difficult to remember the exact store where they saw this or that item. This will result in them buying the product elsewhere. Furthermore, the store layout can’t be changed, even if it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient for either the buyer or seller.

A convenient customized layout and professional design turn niche stores into user-friendly and memorable marketplaces.

In turn, nicely and professionally designed niche stores can easily prompt visitors to make a purchase – the previously-mentioned impulse buying heavily depends on store usability. Additionally, the layout of these stores can be customized in a way that is clear and understandable for any kind of buyer. What is also important, due to their unusual design, such stores have their own spirit and atmosphere, and it certainly motivates customers to come again for more.

Now that you know why online shoppers might choose a niche store instead of AliExpress, it’s high time for you to start your own AliExpress dropshipping journey. Choose the store that suits you best and start earning in no time!