Start a dropshipping store’s marketing strategy with a specific customer, a product that has been checked, and a calculation of the costs for a completed order. Before launching ads, confirm product availability, agree on shipping and returns with the supplier, and determine how much the store can spend to acquire a new customer.
For a small store, we recommend this sequence: prepare one clear offer, run limited marketing tests, wait for delivery and return results, and compare the actual financial outcome. Increase the budget when completed orders leave a positive contribution after variable costs and the supplier confirms they can handle a higher volume.
Define the customer and the problem the product solves
Describe one specific buying situation for your store. Write down who chooses the product, what they need it for, which features they check, and what might prevent them from placing an order. Use real questions from customer inquiries, conversations with potential buyers, and your own product inspection.
Illustrative example: a store offers organizers to people who want to tidy a shallow kitchen drawer. Exact outside dimensions, photos of the compartments, and instructions for measuring the drawer are useful to these customers. This information helps them assess whether the product will fit before paying.
Write a short offer description using four points:
- Customer and situation: who needs the product and under what circumstances.
- Result of use: what the person will be able to do with the product.
- Evidence: which measurements, photos, package contents, or demonstration can help verify the claim.
- Purchase terms: price, available options, dispatch time, delivery, and how to report a problem.
For the first test, select a small group of products that the supplier can actually ship. Assign a separate stock keeping unit (SKU) code to each size, color, or package option. This lets the manager check the exact option ordered and avoid replacing it with a similar one without the customer’s approval.
Vet the supplier before driving traffic
Place a test order and record when the supplier confirmed availability, handed the parcel to the carrier, and provided the tracking number. Inspect the product, packaging, and package contents. Use verified product details on the product page and in ads.
Agree on a working process with the supplier for each of the following:
- Availability and price. Decide where the store gets current information, how often it checks it, and whether the supplier reserves the product after confirming an order.
- Dispatch. Agree on order cut-off times, the time allowed to hand the parcel to the carrier, and what to do if there is a delay.
- Additional charges. Record any handling, packaging, shipping, or other service fees.
- Refused deliveries, damage, and returns. Determine the return address, responsible contact person, required evidence, and the payment and settlement arrangements between the store and supplier.
- Higher volume. Find out how many orders the supplier can handle without changing the agreed timelines.
We recommend assigning someone at the store to check stock and handle problem orders. If availability or dispatch time is not confirmed, pause promotion of the product and verify the information before accepting payment.
What customers should see before ordering
Ukrainian law applies to a store that sells to consumers in Ukraine. Under Article 7 of the Law of Ukraine “On Electronic Commerce”, a seller must provide direct, easy, and stable access to information about the seller: the full legal name of a legal entity or the individual entrepreneur’s surname, first name, and patronymic; the legal entity’s location or the individual entrepreneur’s place of registration and actual residence; an email address and/or online store address; and the legal entity’s identification code or the entrepreneur’s taxpayer registration number. An entrepreneur who has refused a taxpayer number on religious grounds, officially notified the relevant tax authority, and has a corresponding passport notation must provide the passport series and number. If the business activity is subject to licensing, provide the licence series, number, term, and date of issue. Tell customers whether taxes are included in the price and state the delivery cost.
On the product page, provide verified features, quantity or dimensions, package contents, price, and purchase terms. Include product-specific information on the date of manufacture, manufacturer, warranty obligations, storage conditions, safe use, and expiry or service life, as applicable. State what actions are required when that period ends and the possible consequences of failing to take them, as well as any mandatory warnings and product composition information. Provide the name and address of the manufacturer (service provider, seller), as well as the business that accepts consumer complaints and provides repairs and maintenance. State the price for each unit or product category and the price per standard unit, such as a kilogram or litre where relevant. Give the product price per package; for unpackaged products, give it per the unit of measurement normally used for that product. The price must include all taxes and other mandatory charges that the consumer pays at purchase. Article 15 of the Law of Ukraine “On Consumer Rights Protection” requires necessary information to be provided before purchase; special requirements for particular products take precedence to the extent they apply. A supplier’s failure to provide required information does not release the seller from responsibility for that information.
Track the path from reach to repeat purchase
Keep a single order register so you can compare marketing metrics with payments, deliveries, and costs. For each order, record its number, date, SKU, inquiry source, whether the customer is new or returning, amounts, and variable costs. Track payment, dispatch, receipt, and return statuses separately: customers may pay before delivery or pay on receipt.
| Stage | What to record | What decision to make |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Impressions or people reached, as defined by the specific channel | Check whether the intended audience saw the message; do not treat impressions as customers |
| Inquiry | Unique purchase inquiries, product, and source | Revise the description if people regularly ask about missing product details |
| Payment | Amount actually received and date | Find out why orders remain unpaid and check whether the terms are clear |
| Fulfillment | Customer receipt of the product, refused deliveries, returns, and related costs | Assess supplier performance and the financial result after delivery |
| Repeat purchase | A subsequent completed order by the same customer | Check whether the repeat sale leaves a contribution after discounts and messaging costs |
Calculate transitions between stages for the same order group. For example, to find the share of paid orders the store fulfilled, divide the number of orders that were both paid and fulfilled by the total number of paid orders in that same group, then multiply by 100%. Do not mix new inquiries with deliveries from an earlier period.
To identify the source, use separate links with campaign tags or ask customers how they heard about the store. Set one rule in advance; for example, assign the first recorded inquiry source to the order. If a customer saw several materials, this attribution will be approximate; leave the source as unknown when it is unknown.
How to check web analytics data
If you use Google Analytics 4, check that ecommerce events are being sent. According to Google’s official documentation, these events generally need to be configured for transmission from the website or app; missing required parameters can prevent them from appearing in the purchase report. The item revenue metric in that report is calculated as price multiplied by quantity and excludes taxes and shipping. It does not replace a calculation of the store’s contribution after costs.
Send a unique identifier (ID) for each order without personal data. Google describes deduplicating purchase events by transaction ID for web streams; this rule does not work for app streams. Place a test order, check for duplicates, and reconcile the events against the order register. Also compare purchase events with actual payment and receipt of the product.
Calculate an affordable customer acquisition cost
For management purposes, use contribution after variable costs: the amount left to cover fixed costs and generate profit. From revenue after discounts and customer refunds, subtract product cost, the supplier’s handling fee, payment fees, delivery costs paid by the store, losses from refused deliveries and returns, variable taxes, and all customer acquisition costs, including ads, ad material production, and contractor fees.
Check that each cost is included only once. If the supplier includes packaging in the handling fee, do not subtract it again. If a customer refund has already reduced revenue, include only additional unreimbursed costs in return losses, such as return shipping or product damage.
Customer acquisition cost for a new customer, or CAC, is the cost of acquiring them divided by the number of new customers. For this plan, we recommend counting new customers with a completed purchase after accounting for known returns. Include the cost of producing ad materials and contractor work in acquisition costs if they relate to the test.
Affordable CAC = contribution before acquisition costs per new customer − desired reserve for fixed costs and profit. Calculate the metric using actual orders from new customers. Track repeat sales separately until you have enough data to make a sound forecast of future purchases.
Illustrative example: 20 orders from 20 new customers
The figures below are fictional and are intended to demonstrate the calculation. In this example, the store itself sells the product and includes its full value in revenue and costs, even though the supplier stores and ships it. This is a model for selling owned inventory without maintaining a warehouse; for an intermediary model, determine the revenue and cost structure from the contract.
One campaign produced 20 completed orders from 20 new customers, one order each. There were no repeat purchases. Costs caused by additional unfulfilled shipments from this campaign are also included in the calculation. All amounts are in Ukrainian hryvnias (UAH).
| Order group metric | Amount, UAH |
|---|---|
| Revenue after discounts and customer refunds | 20,000 |
| Cost of products sold | 12,000 |
| Order fulfillment and other variable costs | 2,000 |
| Additional losses from refused deliveries and returns | 1,000 |
| Acquisition costs: advertising only in this example | 3,000 |
| Contribution after variable costs, before fixed costs | 2,000 |
The illustrative UAH 2,000 combines the supplier’s handling fee, payment fees, delivery paid by the store, and variable tax costs. The example does not set tax rates or mean that any seller’s taxes would amount to this sum. In your own calculation, record these costs separately according to your sales and tax model; include fixed charges among fixed costs.
- Contribution before advertising: 20,000 − 12,000 − 2,000 − 1,000 = UAH 5,000.
- Contribution before advertising per new customer: 5,000 ÷ 20 = UAH 250. The group consists entirely of new customers, so dividing by 20 reflects its composition.
- Actual CAC: 3,000 ÷ 20 = UAH 150.
- With a desired reserve of UAH 100 per customer, affordable CAC: 250 − 100 = UAH 150.
- Amount remaining after advertising: 5,000 − 3,000 = UAH 2,000, or UAH 100 per customer.
In this example, the campaign leaves the planned reserve, but final profit depends on fixed costs and subsequent adjustments. New returns, higher delivery costs, or a change in purchase price require recalculating affordable CAC.
Search suggestions can be used to find topics. They do not confirm demand or product features; sellers’ prices and terms should be checked separately.
Compare channels using small tests
For each test, record the product, customer, message, spending limit, observation period, and decision rule. Compare the same or a very similar offer using consistent tracking rules. Include both money and working time: producing content and search pages also takes resources.
| Channel | What to do for the test | What to assess |
|---|---|---|
| Search engine optimization, or SEO | Prepare a page for a specific customer need: features, compatibility, answers to questions, and purchase terms | Relevant visits, inquiries, and completed orders, accounting for preparation costs; do not draw conclusions from a short period with no visits alone |
| Content | Show the product in use and address one common reason for hesitation; add a separate link for inquiries | The substance of inquiries, completed orders, and content production costs |
| Paid promotion | Set a limited budget for one offer; change one element of the message at a time | CAC for new customers and contribution after actual costs and returns |
| Repeat sales | Offer a relevant complementary product to customers who agreed to receive marketing | Contribution after discounts and messaging costs, opt-outs, and complaints |
Choose a placement based on where customers look for an answer or are ready to discuss a product. If they already know the exact model or size, test a page targeting the relevant search. If the product needs a demonstration, prepare an explainer video or a selection of photos. Before paying for placement, check the chosen service’s current rules and the terms available to you.
Set a maximum amount you are willing to spend to test a hypothesis. If there are no inquiries, check whether the message matches the audience. If inquiries come in but few customers pay, investigate why: price, delivery, insufficient information, or the absence of a needed option. If customers pay but orders are not fulfilled, resolve the supply issue first. Reaching the limit without enough data means the test has not yet confirmed that the offer works; further spending requires a new, well-founded hypothesis.
Prepare ads and discounts with clear terms
Before publishing, check every product claim and every promise about timing. Do not advertise products subject to mandatory certification unless the manufacturer or seller has the relevant certificate. If the activity, production, or sale requires a permit or licence, check the relevant documents. Before ordering advertising, an advertiser that is a resident of Ukraine must also check the relevant state registers for information that a permit or licence has been issued to the person carrying out the activity, manufacturer, or seller: Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine “On Advertising” sets out relevant advertising restrictions. State prices in advertisements for goods sold in Ukraine in hryvnias.
After announcing a discount or sale publicly, show customers both prices: the price before the promotion began and the price after it began. Under Article 15 of the Law of Ukraine “On Consumer Rights Protection,” a discount must apply to goods sold directly by the seller, last for a defined limited period, and reduce the regular price. For a sale, you must also identify all goods at a particular location or a specific group of goods.
Under Part 4 of Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine “On Advertising,” an ad for a discount or sale must state the location, start and end dates, and discount amount or the ratio of the new price to the previous price. For audio media, the law requires stating where the terms are available.
If you pay a creator for a post with money, a product, a service, or a discount, agree on how it will be labeled as advertising. Articles 9 and 14-2 of the Law of Ukraine “On Advertising” regulate the identification of such materials, including use of the Ukrainian word “реклама” (advertising) and the labeling of advertising user-generated content when it is created or uploaded. A Ukrainian store marketing to customers in Ukraine is subject to Ukrainian requirements. The Article 14-2 exception for advertising in official European Union (EU) languages by a legal entity located in an EU member state does not by itself apply to a Ukrainian seller.
Organize repeat sales and review handling
After fulfilling an order, ask the customer separately to agree to receive marketing messages. Identify the sender and the subject matter, and explain how to opt out; keep the consent text, date, and action by which the person gave it. Provide a simple, free opt-out for every marketing message and stop sending messages after the customer opts out.
Part 2 of Article 14-3 of the Law of Ukraine “On Advertising” requires prior written consent, including electronic consent, for advertising that uses telephone numbers or other network identifiers, and prohibits spam. Article 10 of the Law of Ukraine “On Electronic Commerce” also provides for the possibility of a separate commercial message without consent if the recipient can opt out of future messages. This does not override advertising law requirements to which the same article refers. A practical approach for a store’s marketing messages is to send them only after recording consent.
Define separate data processing purposes for order fulfillment and marketing. Articles 6 and 11 of the Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection” provide for specific lawful purposes, a non-excessive set of data, and different legal bases for processing, including contract performance. Data sharing with a supplier for shipping must also comply with Article 14 of that Law: obtain the customer’s consent to sharing their data with the supplier, or check that a legally provided case for sharing without consent applies and that the conditions for that exception are met. Share only the information needed for delivery. The store must ensure the required level of data protection, and the supplier must take steps in advance to comply with the Law.
For a repeat sale, choose an offer connected to the customer’s previous purchase and first check its contribution after the discount. Ask for an honest review without requiring a positive rating. Do not order fabricated reviews or make a reward conditional on praise. To use a customer’s name or image in advertising, obtain appropriate consent; point 9 of Part 1 of Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine “On Advertising” sets out the general rule of written or electronic consent and the exceptions.
Record customer complaints in a register with the reason, responsible person, and agreed next step. Check the order, tell the customer when to expect a response, and revise the description, packaging, or shipping process if the problem recurs.
Torgsoft: Analyze sales and returns and check promotions
If the store records the relevant transactions in Torgsoft, use “Analysis → Sales Analysis by Product Type” to compare categories by period, sales, cost, and returns. Select the required columns and accounting center; if automatic updating is disabled, click “Update” after changing the filters. To view details, open product types that have subtypes: selecting a final type with no subtypes will leave the form blank. For products recorded in inventory, “Warehouse → Warehouse Status” shows quantity, price, and cost. Check supplier availability separately. To assess a channel, add advertising and other variable costs to your own calculation.
In “Marketing → Promotions”, set the product group, discount amount, period, sales type, and any required customer or outlet restrictions. Read the “Result” tab and review the product list. Save changes and restart the program or click “New Sale” to apply them. Then check the final price in a test sale, taking priority rules and combined discounts into account. In retail mode, the program uses retail prices as the calculation base for the promotion. The value in the “Price with discount” field is not used for this promotion.
Plan the launch and set rules for increasing the budget
- Prepare the offer. Describe the customer, inspect a sample, and check product details, SKUs, stock, and supplier terms. Publish the required information about the seller and purchase.
- Set up tracking. Create an order register, define sources and statuses, list cost categories, and set a rule for counting new customers. Check a test order.
- Run limited tests. Choose several suitable marketing methods and record the budget and working time. Change one element at a time so you can understand what caused the result.
- Wait for fulfillment. Account for refused deliveries, known returns, and costs that arrive later. Keep unfinished orders separate and update the calculation once they are closed.
- Make a decision. Stop promoting unavailable products or offers with a negative contribution. If contribution is positive, CAC is acceptable, and the supplier has confirmed capacity, increase the budget in a small step and check the next order group’s results again.
Before every increase in spending, update product cost, delivery, fees, and actual losses. If affordable acquisition cost has decreased, adjust the budget or offer before the next launch.
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