Do you want to start a dropship wine company? If YES, here is a detailed sample wine drop shipping business plan template & FREE feasibility report. If you are looking towards leveraging on the ecommerce industry to launch a business that requires minimal startup capital, one of the many businesses you can successfully start in the industry is to dropship wine. Interestingly, wines from within and outside the united states of America are high demand in the United States.
Basically, with the wine dropship business, you don’t have to purchase a product. Even if you don’t have a major up-front inventory investment, it’s possible to start a successful dropship wine business. But it is very important that you analyze the existing wine businesses in and outside of your area.
A Sample Dropship Wine Business Plan Template
1. Industry Overview
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine.
Wine is a popular and important drink that accompanies and enhances a wide range of cuisines, from the simple and traditional stews to the most sophisticated and complex haute cuisines. Wine is often served with dinner. Sweet dessert wines may be served with the dessert course.
The ecommerce industry that dropship wine business is a part of is indeed a very large industry that can boast of creating business opportunities for loads of entrepreneurs all across the globe and generating multiple billion dollars annually. The industry generates over $1 trillion annually on a global scale. For example, in 2012, ecommerce sales topped $1 trillion for the first time in history and the figure is still growing.
A recent report published by IBISWorld estimates that industry revenue has grown at an average annual rate of 6.6 percent to $93.8 billion over the five years to 2010. Despite revenue contracting in 2009 in response to the recession, the industry has performed solidly over the past five years, outperforming most other retail industries.
As the economy recovers and consumer sentiment and employment rise, revenue will increase. In 2010 alone, revenue is expected to rebound by 7.8 percent.
Demand for online sales is expected to grow at a faster rate compared with the rest of the economy, in part because recently frugal consumers will be more likely to look for deals online rather than spend their money in department stores or other retail outlets. Because online retailers do not have many of the property-related expenses that brick and mortar retailers have, they are able to sell products at lower prices, which will attract price-conscious shoppers.
Drop shipping Business model just like Amazon FBA, is a retail fulfillment method where a store does not necessarily keep the products it sells in a warehouse or a store of some sort. Instead, when a dropshipping company sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. Hence, the merchant never get to see or handle the product in question.
One obvious difference between the dropshipping ecommerce business model and the standard retail business model is that the drop shipping company doesn’t stock or own inventory. Instead, the dropshipping company purchases products / stocks as needed from a third party – usually a wholesaler or manufacturer of the direct manufacturer of the products in so as to fulfill orders placed by customers.
It is important to mention that there are loads of advantages in starting a dropship wine business hence the increase in the number of players in this line of business. Some of the advantages of starting a dropship wine business are low overhead, flexibility in choosing a location for the business and a wide selection of products from different manufacturing brands or wholesale distributors.
The dropship wine business will continue to blossom because people will not relent in purchasing products from online stores. Despite the fact that the industry seems over – saturated, there is still room big enough to accommodate aspiring entrepreneurs who intend opening their own drop shipping company.
Lastly, it is important to state that the e – commerce industry is regulated by a number of federal, state, and international regulatory organizations, so if you are a player in the industry, you are expected to play by the rules and regulations.
2. Executive Summary
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. is a United States based international drop – shipping website that offers a wide variety of wines such as red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, rosé wine, dessert wine, fruit wine, mead (honey wine). They also have wines that are made from other species of grape or from hybrids, created by the genetic crossing of two species. Our head office will be located in the heart of San Diego – California.
We are an e – commerce startup with a long – term goal of having our presence in major cities in the world and delivering a wide range of wine products from globally recognized manufacturing brands at rock bottom prices to our customers all across the globe.
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. will run 24 hours a day and 7 day a week online shop, with effective and timely delivery system. Our payment platform is highly secured and we will only deal in non-cash payment. Our payment platform will readily accept payment from credit cards, debit cards, smart cards, electronic fund transfer via bank’s website and other modes of electronic payment.
Our inventory management of products is automated, our portal is designed such that reports get generated instantly when required and our product inventory management is very efficient and easy to maintain. Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. will ensure that all our customers are given first class treatment irrespective of the quantity of products they purchase or the part of the world they reside.
We have a CRM software that will enable us manage a one on one relationship with our customers no matter how large their number may grow to. Our customers will always be carried along when we want to make decisions that will directly affect them.
At Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. our staff are highly competent and dedicated to the company; they are trained to resolve any complain from our customers. Our phone lines are opened 24 hours a week and 7 days a week, with highly trained call center agents manning them and also customers can freely chat with us via our website at any time of the day.
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. is owned by Leo Biden. He has a Diploma in ecommerce and a degree in Marketing and Sales from the University of California at Berkley.
3. Our Products and Services
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. will ensure we make available a wide range of wines from top manufacturing brands in the United States and other countries of the world to our customers. We will engage in the sale and shipping of:
- Red wine
- White wine
- Sparkling wine
- Rosé wine
- Dessert wine
- Fruit wine
- Mead (honey wine)
- Wines that can be made from other species of grape or from hybrids.
4. Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our vision is to build a dropship wine business that can favorably compete with international ecommerce brands like Amazon and Alibaba.com
- Our mission is to establish an online retail business that will make available a wide range of assorted wines from top manufacturing brands at affordable prices to a wide range of customers.
Our Business Structure
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company intends starting small in San Diego – California, but hopes to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading dropship wine companies both in the United States and on a global stage. We are aware of the importance of building a solid business structure that can support the kind of business we want to own.
At Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc., we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, creative, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stake holders.
As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as agreed by the board of trustees of the company. In view of the above, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;
- Chief Executive Officer – CEO
- Human Resources and Admin Manager
- Information Technologist
- Accountant
- Call Center Agent (Virtual Assistant)
5. Job Roles and Responsibilities
Chief Executive Officer – CEO:
- Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results
- Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
- Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
- Responsible for providing direction for the business
- Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
- Evaluates the success of the organization
Human Resources and Admin Manager
- Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
- Maintains office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.
- Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
- Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
- Carrying out induction for new team members
- Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
- Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
- Oversee the smooth running of the daily office activities.
Information Technologist
- Manage the organizations’ website
- Responsible for continuous update of our online store
- Ensure that our payment platform is secured 24 / 7
- Responsible for installing and maintenance of computer software and hardware for the organization
- Manage logistics and supply chain software, Web servers, e-commerce software and POS (point of sale) systems
- Responsible for continuous upgrade and maintenance of IT systems
- Handles any other technological and IT related duties
Accountant/Cashier
- Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
- Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports
- Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
- Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting
- Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
- Responsible for administering payrolls
- Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
- Handles all financial transactions for the organization
- Serves as internal auditor for the organization
Call Center Agents/Virtual Assistant
- Help in processing orders from different suppliers
- Follow-up on special orders, dropships, pricing etc.
- Executes dropship process from conception of vendor list to customer facing content.
- Welcomes clients and potential clients by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
- Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
- Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
- Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries
- Distribute mails in the organization
- Handles any other duties as assigned by the manager
6. SWOT Analysis
We are quite aware that there are several drop shipping companies in the United States of America which is why we are following the due process of establishing a business so as to compete favorably with them.
We know that if a proper SWOT analysis is conducted for our business, we will be able to position our business to maximize our strength, leverage on the opportunities that will be available to us, mitigate our risks and be equipped to confront our threats.
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. employed the services of an expert HR and Business Analyst with bias in startup business to help us conduct a thorough SWOT analysis and to help us create a business model that will help us achieve our business goals and objectives.
Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc.;
- Strength:
The fact that we have robust relationship with a wide range of third – party wine retailers will definitely count as a strength for us. We have a well-coordinated and user friendly website and our customers can be rest assured that they will have their wines delivered to them in record time. Other areas of strength are; secured payment platforms, robust shipping network and excellent customer service culture.
- Weakness:
A major weakness that may count against us is the fact that we are a new dropship wine company and we don’t have the financial capacity to compete with multi – billion dollars’ online stores like Amazon and Alibaba.com when it comes to wider reach and selling wines at a rock bottom prices.
- Opportunities:
The opportunities available to dropship wine industry are unlimited; as a matter of fact, customers can make purchase from any part of the world. We will ensure that we network with wine wholesalers and manufactures with warehouses in targeted countries.
- Threat:
Just like any other business, one of the major threats that we are likely going to face as a dropship wine company is economic downturn. It is a fact that economic downturn affects purchasing/spending power. Other threats that may likely confront us is unfavorable government policies and the arrival of competitions within our market space who may want to adopt same business strategies.
7. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Market Trends
Over the years, loads of things have changed especially the way businesses are conducted. The advent of the computer and later the internet gave a whole new definition of how things are supposed to be done in our world. E-Commerce is one of the fruits of the internet and for sure it has enabled loads of entrepreneur to launch multimillion dollar international businesses.
Online retail stores are in the forefront when it comes to retailing goods; it is now very much easier to cover a wide range of customers from all over the world via ecommerce business model.
Despite the fact that there are several businesses dropshipping wine, the market is still pretty much open for more online stores to come into the market. The fact that two different online stores operate from same street does not in any way affect their sales. The market available to them is the global village.
8. Our Target Market
We have conducted our market research and we have ideas of what our target market would be expecting from us. Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. is a United States based international drop shipping website that offers a wide range of assorted wines to a wide range of to the following customers;
- Households
- Business People
- Event planners
- Wine stores
- Night Clubs and Bars
- Churches and Religious Centers
Our Competitive Advantage
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. is launching a standard and international drop – shipping brand that will indeed become the preferred choice of online wine shoppers. Being based in the world’s largest technology hub, we pride ourselves on having logistics at our core.
Shipping to 14 countries from day 1, we aim to ship to over 200 countries by the end of 2030. Ensuring customer satisfaction is the highest priority and we work closely with all the other partners including product, customer service and warehouse to make sure we are the most loved dropship wine company in the world.
So also, part of what is going to count as competitive advantage for Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. is the vast experience of our management team and our robust business network with loads of wine wholesalers and manufacturing giants; we have people on board who are highly experienced and understand how to grow business from the scratch to profitability.
Of course, our excellent customer service culture will definitely count as a strong strength for the business. Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry, meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and objectives.
We will also give good working conditions and commissions to freelance sales agents that we will recruit from time to time.
9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
- Sources of Income
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. was established to dropship a wide range of assorted wines to a wide range of customers via our online stores and in partnership with wine wholesalers and manufacturers. In view of the above, our source of income will be the retailing and drop shipping of:
- Red wine
- White wine
- Sparkling wine
- Rosé wine
- Dessert wine
- Fruit wine
- Mead (honey wine)
- Wines that can be made from other species of grape or from hybrids.
10. Sales Forecast
One thing is certain when it comes to drop – shipping, if you have quality products from top wine manufacturing brands and your website is user friendly and your payment portal is secured, you will always attract customers cum sales.
We are well positioned to take on the available market in the drop-shipping business and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first six month of operation and grow the business and our clientele base.
We have been able to examine the ecommerce industry cum drop – shipping line of business and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast.
Below are the sales projection for Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc., it is based on the business model we are running and other factors as it relates to small scale and medium scale wine dropship startups in the United States of America;
- First Fiscal Year (FY1): $250,000
- Second Fiscal Year (FY2): $450,000
- Third Fiscal Year (FY3): $650,000
N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same brand of wines and customer care service as we do within same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.
- Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy
Our marketing strategy will center on reliability, swiftness, safety, pricing, secured payment platform, and above all excellent customer service. We will ensure that whenever our customers place orders for wines from us, they will get it delivered within the stipulated time frame.
We know that if we are able to put the above stated in place, we won’t struggle to retain our old customers and at the same time win over new customers. In summary, Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. will adopt the following sales and marketing strategy;
- Leverage on the internet to promote our business
- Engage direct marketing approach
- Leverage on e-mail marketing approach
11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy
We have been able to work with our in – house brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market. We are set to become the number one choice for online wine shoppers in the whole of the United States and beyond which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our dropship wine company.
Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc.;
- Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our services
- Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around the United States of America
- Advertise our dropship wine company in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
- Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts
12. Our Pricing Strategy
Pricing is one of the key factors that gives leverage to drop – shipping companies. It is normal for consumers to online retail outlets where they can goods at cheaper price which is why big players in the online retail industry like Alibaba and Amazon will attract loads of consumers. Products in their store are tagged with the cheapest price you can get anywhere in the United States.
We know we don’t have the capacity to compete with Alibaba, Amazon or any other big retail store, but we will ensure that the prices of all the wines that are available in our store are competitive with what is obtainable amongst drop – shipping / online retail stores within our level.
- Payment Options
The payment policy adopted by Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.
Here are the payment options that Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. will make available to her clients;
- Payment via bank transfer
- Payment via credit cards
In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our clients make payment for their purchase. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website.
13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)
This is what it would cost us to setup Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. in the United of America;
- The total fee for registering the business in the United States of America – $750.
- Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits – $1,500.
- Marketing promotion expenses of Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. in the amount of $3,500.
- The cost for hiring business consultant – $2,500.
- The cost for payment of rent for 12 month at $1.76 per square feet in the total amount of $65,600.
- The cost for Computer Software (E – Commerce and Logistics Software, Accounting Software, Payroll Software, CRM Software, Microsoft Office, and QuickBooks Pro et al) – $7,000
- Insurance (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $3,400.
- Other start-up expenses including stationery ($500) and phone and utility deposits ($2,500).
- Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $100,000
- The cost for store equipment (cash register, security, ventilation, signage) – $13,750
- The cost for the purchase of furniture and gadgets (Computers, Printers, Telephone, fax machine, cabins, tables and chairs et al): $4,000.
- The cost of launching a website/online store: $1,500
- The cost for branding: $5,000
- Miscellaneous: $10,000
We would need an estimate of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) to successfully set up our dropship wine company in the United States of America. Please note that you can successfully launch this type of business from your bedroom with just a functional laptop, internet facility and the required software applications.
But if you choose to build a business with structure, a business that does not revolve around one man or woman, a business that has a robust network with wholesalers, and manufacturing giants, then you should follow the above business structure.
Generating Funds/Startup Capital for Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc.
Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. is owned and financed by Mr. Leo Biden. They do not intend to welcome any external business partners which is why he has decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital to 3 major sources.
- Generate part of the startup capital from personal savings and sell of stocks
- Source for soft loans from family members and friends
- Apply for loan from the Bank
N.B: We have been able to generate about $70,000 (Personal savings $50,000 and soft loan from family members $20,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $80,000 from our bank. All the papers and documents have been signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited with the amount.
14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy
Part of the plans we have in place to sustain Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. is to ensure that we continue to make available a wide range of assorted wines, deliver quality services, improvise on how to do things faster and cheaper. We are not going to relent in providing conducive environment for our workers.
We are quite aware that our customers are key component to the growth and survival of our business hence we are going to continuously engage them to give us ideas on how to serve them better and the products they want to see in our drop shipping list.
We will not waste time in adopting new technology, best practices and diversifying our services. Leo Biden® Dropship Wine Company, Inc. will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of.
Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner. We know that if this is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.
Check List/Milestone
- Business Name Availability Check: Completed
- Business Registration: Completed
- Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
- Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
- Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
- Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
- Application for business license and permit: Completed
- Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
- Leasing of office facility and remodeling the facility: In Progress
- Conducting feasibility studies: Completed
- Generating startup capital from partners: Completed
- Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
- writing of business plan: Completed
- Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
- Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
- Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
- Recruitment of employees: In Progress
- Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
- Creating Awareness for the business both online and around the community: In Progress
- Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
- Establishing business relationship with third party wine retailers and other manufacturers and wholesale suppliers of brands of wine we intend retailing: In Progress