In the simplest terms, drop shipping is a retail fulfillment method where you (the retailer) don't keep the products you sell in stock. Instead, when a customer places an order on your website, you purchase the item from a third party (that's us!) who then ships it directly to your customer. This means you never see or handle the product yourself.

Think of it this way: you're the friendly face of the business, handling the marketing and how your website looks, while we take care of the behind-the-scenes work of storing, packaging, and shipping beautiful gift hampers to your happy customers.

Drop shipping has exploded in popularity over the past decade, and for good reason! Here's why so many entrepreneurs are choosing this business model:

Traditional retail can require significant upfront investment in inventory. With drop shipping, you only pay for products when a customer has already purchased them from you. This dramatically reduces your initial costs and financial risk.

Remember those nightmares about warehouse space, tracking stock levels, and unsold inventory gathering dust? With drop shipping, those worries disappear. No need to rent storage space or worry about products going out of date.

Since you don't need to maintain a physical inventory, you can run your drop shipping business from anywhere with an internet connection. Whether that's your home office, a café, or while traveling, the choice is yours!

When sales increase, you won't need to worry about finding bigger premises or hiring more staff to handle order fulfillment. Your drop shipping partner (that's where we come in!) handles the increased volume, allowing you to focus on growing your business.

Want to expand your product range? With drop shipping, you can easily test new items without committing to bulk purchases. This flexibility lets you respond quickly to market trends and customer preferences.

You don't have to take on the burden of every single gift that a drop shipping service may offer. With drop shipping you can have the flexibility of adding any gift you might want from a store's catalogue. Are just Prosecco gifts your thing? Strictly alcohol-free? Gifts only under a certain price bracket? Make it possible with the freedom of drop shipping.

Despite its' many advantages, there are some myths about drop shipping that Spicers of Hythe can help to clear up:

While drop shipping reduces many traditional business barriers, success still requires hard work, research, and dedication. Like any business, it takes time to build a profitable drop shipping operation.

Yes, many people have started drop shipping businesses, but there's always room for those who find the right niche, execute strong marketing campaigns and provide excellent customer service. Partnering with quality suppliers like Spicers of Hythe also helps you stand out from the crowd with our range of traditional gift hampers.

When you choose a reputable drop shipping partner (such as Spicers of Hythe), you can be confident about the quality of products reaching your customers. At Spicers of Hythe, we've spent years perfecting our gift hampers and delivery processes. With strong research alongside test orders you can be safe in the knowledge you're opting for a quality drop shipper service.

When you partner with us, your customers receive beautifully packaged hampers with your gift insert and branding included. There's nothing to indicate they came from anywhere other than your business.

While drop shipping makes selling easier, you'll still need to decide what type of products you want to offer. Our hampers work particularly well for lifestyle and gifting businesses with more traditional product offerings. Think about your target audience and how premium gift hampers might complement your existing range, or bring new eyes to your store.

Take some time to look at other businesses in your chosen niche. What are they doing well? Where are the gaps in the market that you could fill? Could you do one better? Perhaps they're missing seasonal hampers or don't offer personalisation options that we provide.

You'll need an e-commerce platform to showcase your products. Popular options include Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. Make sure your chosen platform can easily integrate with drop shipping suppliers so that your orders can be sent to drop shipping suppliers like ourselves.

This is where Spicers of Hythe are here to help you! A good drop shipping partner isn't just a supplier, they're an extension of your business. Look for reliability, quality products, and excellent customer service.

Once you're set up with a drop shipping partner like us, you can add their products to your website. We provide all the images, contents, and details you need to showcase our hampers effectively.

Now it's time to spread the word! Use social media, content marketing, email campaigns, and even paid advertising to reach potential customers. Beautiful gift hampers are highly visual products that work wonderfully on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.

When orders start coming in, you'll forward them to us, and we'll handle the rest! Your customers receive their beautiful gifts, and you earn the difference between the wholesale price and your retail price.

Having helped many businesses flourish through our drop shipping program, here are some insider tips:

Provide exceptional customer service, create helpful content around gift-giving, or offer personalised recommendations. Going the extra mile with these extra touches makes your store more than just a reseller.

It's better to offer a carefully curated selection of high-quality products than an overwhelming catalog of mediocre items. Our premium hampers help position your business as a quality provider, giving your store the flexibility of choosing the gifts that fit you and your target market.

Set clear expectations about delivery times. With Spicers of Hythe, you can offer named day delivery, giving your customers the freedom to choose a delivery date that works for them.

While we provide excellent product images, consider investing in lifestyle photography that shows your products in settings that appeal to your specific audience.

Develop a consistent brand voice and aesthetic that resonates with your target customers. Remember, you can add gift inserts with your branding to every hamper we send, reinforcing your brand identity.

We might be biased, but we think we make a pretty fantastic drop shipping partner! Here's why:

With over 100 employees dedicated to creating the perfect gift hampers, we ensure every product that reaches your customers meets the highest standards. From wine hampers to chocolate gifts, our range offers something for every occasion.

We offer non-alcoholic options for businesses without certification, as well as an alcohol range including wine, prosecco, and spirit gifts for those with proper licensing.

Our named day delivery service allows your customers to choose when they receive their gifts, perfect for ensuring presents arrive on the big day!

You might not expect it but we hand-pack our range of gift hampers to ensure each and every gift that leaves our door will be as good as the last. 

We don't just send products, we partner with you every step of the way with our welcome onboarding process. This includes adding you to our system, providing all the media and information you need for your website, and even processing test orders to ensure everything runs smoothly.

You might be more familiar with our gifting range than you realise. Having been added to gifting retailers across the United Kingdom, you can see our 'Hampers of Distinction' in more places than just our website.

Ready to add our premium gift hampers to your online store? Here's how you can get started:

If you want to offer our full range including alcoholic hampers, you'll need an AWRS (Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme) number. Don't have one? No problem! You can still offer our non-alcoholic range of hampers.

Fill out our simple application form with details about your business. We're particularly interested in lifestyle and gifting businesses with traditional product offerings, as these align best with our premium hamper range. Even if you're not sure, fill in our form and we can start a conversation on how our hampers can work for you.

Our team will carefully review your application to ensure there's a good fit between our products and your business model. Trading for close to 100 years, we look for partners who share our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction that has served us so well up to this point.

Once approved, we'll start our comprehensive onboarding process:

• Adding your business to our system
• Providing all necessary media files and product information for your website
• Sending detailed guides on how to integrate our products into your online store
• Processing test orders to ensure everything works seamlessly

With everything set up, you can start offering our premium gift hampers to your customers. We'll be there to support you every step of the way as you grow your business.

Drop shipping offers an accessible way to start or expand an online business without the traditional headaches of inventory management and order fulfillment. When you partner with a quality supplier like Spicers of Hythe, you get more than just products, you gain a business ally invested in helping you succeed.

Our premium gift hampers, flexible options, and dedicated support make us the perfect drop shipping partner for businesses looking to add high-quality gifting options to their online stores. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand your existing range, we're here to help make the process as smooth and profitable as possible.

Ready to take the next step? Apply here to become a Spicers of Hythe drop shipping partner and start offering our beautiful gift hampers to your customers!