Identifying the right product is the key to your success, and we’re here to help you crack the code. In this in-depth guide, we’ll walk you through 17 powerful strategies that will teach you how to find products to sell online and enable you to outshine your competition and boost your profits.
From market research techniques to competitive analysis, we’ll dive into various approaches catering to different entrepreneurial styles and preferences. By the end of this article, you’ll be equipped with actionable insights and a newfound confidence to kickstart your eCommerce journey. Get ready to transform your online store dreams into reality and enjoy the rewards of a thriving business.
Find a Product That Solves a Customer Problem
Your priority number one when choosing a product is to make sure it helps your target customer overcome their pain point. That’s the difference between being a must-have or just being nice to have.
For instance, think about all the items in your kitchen drawers. Can you see a potato peeler? Or maybe a bottle opener?
Now, answer the question: Why do you have them at such an easy-to-access location?
These are examples of products that solve specific problems and make your life easier. You’ll certainly take care to have them in your drawer. And what’s more, you’ll instantly buy a replacement in case some of them break down.
So, make sure that the product you find helps people in a way that no other product does or at least helps better than competitors.
Turn Your Passions into Profit: How to Find Products to Sell Online in Your Hobbies
Take a closer look at your hobbies and turn them into a profitable business. What are your pastimes? Your hobbies can be a source of winning product ideas.
This is something you’re interested in and know a lot about. So, you can easily select the best options from the large pool of offerings. You can also bring added value to your customers by providing handy advice and recommendations. And last but not least, being passionate about what you sell translates into increased conversions.
Look at Your Surroundings and Everyday Life
Here are some ideas to help you find a profitable product to sell online:
- What do you use every day? (Toothpaste, bottled water, hand soap, etc)
- What do you need to buy regularly? (Printer ink or toilet paper)
- What do other people in your life use every day? (Baby products or pet supplies)
- What do people ask you about all the time? (Finding gluten-free food or making money from home)
Look around your house, office, and other places where you spend time. Write down everything that catches your eye. Are there products in your surroundings that could be useful for others?
Talk with friends and family members about what they buy and why they buy it. Is there something missing that would make their lives easier or more enjoyable? If so, chances are there’s an opportunity for you to fill that gap by selling that product online.
Also, if they’re using something that seems overpriced, think of offering a more cost-effective or better quality competing product.
Analyze Trends and Get in Early
Once you list all possible products, use Google Trends to know the current demand for each of them. Google Trends is a free tool provided by Google that allows users to see how frequently certain terms are searched in different regions and countries over time.
You can use this information as an indication of how popular a particular item might be or whether there are any gaps in the market that could be filled by selling a specific type of product.
Another option you have is Trend Hunter. This is the most popular collection of ideas and inspiration to help you find products to sell online. You can find the latest trends, hot products, and news about online business.
Trend Hunter is a great place to find inspiration for what to sell online. You can also subscribe to their newsletter and get the weekly trend report.
Consumer Trending Blogs
Consumer trending blogs are a great place to find ideas for new products. The best blogs will cover a wide range of topics and include interviews with experts in their field. You can also learn about upcoming trends, so you know what’s hot right now and what tends to be.
Check out sites like Uncrate, Cool Material, Gear Patrol, and HiConsumption for the latest products. These websites are good resources for finding items that are trending or in demand. They post new products every day and their readership is huge.
You can also look at other blogs that are related to your niche and see if they have any reviews or recommendations for new items that could be sold on your website.
Check Sites Like Kickstarter for Ideas
Kickstarter is a great platform to check for product ideas. It’s a crowdfunding platform that allows people to pitch their upcoming offerings and raise money via pre-orders. This is an excellent way to know what buyers want and how much they’re willing to pay for it.
So, how do you get started with Kickstarter? Do some research on what products are currently on Kickstarter. You’ll find everything from tech gadgets to clothing items, home goods, etc. Searching by subcategories can help narrow down your options.
Once you find an appealing product idea, assess the possibility and potential profitability of selling the items in your online store as well.
Find Evergreen and Long-Lifecycle Products That Aren’t Seasonal and Fads
Evergreen products are products that sell year round and never go out of style. These types of products are referred to as “evergreens” because they sell year after year. Long-lifecycle products are a good choice for those who want to scale their business as they don’t have to be replaced frequently. Here are some examples:
Electronics
Smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets have become essential items in our daily lives, so they always sell well no matter what season or year it is. They also tend to have long life cycles due to their technological complexity and constant upgrades.
Also, you can think of accessories to go with consumer electronics like USB cables (for charging phones), laptop chargers, external hard drives, and flash memory cards. Such items are necessary for the proper use of the devices and are therefore in consistently high demand.
Fashion
It may seem like fashion trends change quickly but there are always timeless items that never go out of style, such as jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. These products also have a long lifespan since they are not made from perishable materials. So, there is no need for frequent replacements since they can last for years without any maintenance required on the owner’s part. Shoes and clothing are among the most common fashion-related products found in eCommerce stores.
Shoes might not be the most exciting product to sell online, but they have a long lifecycle and high demand. Shoes are usually expensive and people often buy them for special occasions or holidays like weddings or Christmas.
Clothing is another popular item that’s easy to sell because people wear it every day. It has a longer lifespan than many other products on this list but still features seasonal demand.
Tools and equipment
Tools and equipment are one of the most popular long-lifecycle products to sell online. They’re durable, which means you can make money from them for years. Tools include everything from hammers to drill presses, saws, and vacuums.
On the other hand, equipment covers a wide range of different products, such as refrigerators, washing machines, and microwaves. There are millions of items in this category, so there are plenty of opportunities if you want to build an extensive inventory without having to worry about replacing them quickly.
Jewelry and accessories
Jewelry is another excellent product category to scale your business quickly while making good money per sale.
As with tools and equipment, there are myriads of different types of jewelry available on sites like Amazon and eBay. Additionally, jewelry tends to be high-priced compared with other types of goods like clothing or shoes.
Watches, for example, have a long lifecycle because they’re not something people buy every day. Instead, they’re accessories that buyers choose carefully as an investment in themselves or their style.
Find Niche Products to Sell
Niche products are ones that appeal only to a small group of people, often of a different demographic than mass-market items. You can find niche products by identifying a need, understanding the market and competition, or developing an idea that’s unique.
If you need some extra inspiration and smart tips, take a look at our niche eCommerce ideas. This is an excellent way to build your brand and gain loyal customers.
Keyword Research and Product Demand
Another strategy you should opt for is to find out what people are searching for online. This is where eCommerce keyword research comes into play. When you have an idea of what products you want to sell, head over to Google’s Keyword Planner tool and enter your product niche in the search bar. This will give you information about which keywords are most popular in your niche.
Use this data to create a list of potential keywords. A large list of keywords that include relevant variations will help identify the products you should focus on selling.
Consider Targeting Hobbyists
Hobbyists are people who have a passion for something and are a major market segment that you should consider targeting. If you can figure out what your potential customer’s hobbies are and how they spend their time, you can find products that relate to those activities.
For example, if someone loves cooking, they’re likely to be interested in buying cookbooks or kitchen supplies such as pots and pans.
Or if you sell customized gaming keyboards and mice, gamers would make excellent customers for your products as they are constantly upgrading their gear with the latest technology.
Targeting hobbyists is a good idea because there is already an existing market for these items. This means that there will be a demand for your products and it won’t be difficult for you to set your right foot in the door of online sales.
Learn from Customer Reviews: How to Find Products to Sell Online That People Love
The best way to find out if a product is good is by reading customer reviews. The number of shared user opinions and experiences is also important. The availability of a great number of reviews indicates that the product is popular and tried by many consumers. If there are just a few reviews, that could mean there aren’t enough people who have owned and used this item yet.
Also, look at both positive and negative reviews to get an understanding of both sides of the story. Reviews with negative comments may be more trustworthy than those without any critiques at all. They’ll tell you what customers thought was wrong with a product. This will help you know what kind of issues to look out for before you consider selling it.
Lastly, pay attention to consumers’ opinions about the product, especially when it comes to quality control issues or shipping times. If most of them mention that they love it and would recommend it to friends or family members, it’s probably a good idea for you to sell it, too.
Analyze Product Pricing and Profits
Study your competition. Find out how they’re positioning their products, how much they are charging for similar items and, if possible, see how much profit they’re making from those sales.
Your goal here is to find products with high margins – the difference between what it costs to produce and buy products, and how much you can sell them for. Remember, the higher the margin, the more profits you’ll be able to make.
Amazon Movers And Shakers
The best way to find products is by looking at the top sellers on your favorite sites, such as Amazon and eBay. They’re already doing all the hard work of finding good products for you – all you have to do is emulate them.
Look at the “movers and shakers” list. It shows the most popular items sold on Amazon over the past 24 hours. This list can help you discover new products that are selling well, even if they’re not on the first page of results for your search term.
If a product is moving up quickly, it means that there’s a lot of demand for it and it’s likely going to be a big seller in the future.
Utilize eBay Sales Data: How to Find Products to Sell Online with Proven Demand
You can use the eBay sales data in your favor by looking at which items have sold well on eBay in the past. This is especially helpful if you’re selling a seasonal item or something that only sells for part of the year.
You can also see how long it took for an item to sell, which will give you an idea of what price range works best for each product category on eBay.
Let’s say you want to start selling measuring cups on your site. Go to eBay, and type the keyword in the searching bar.
Next, scroll down to locate the Show only section and click Sold Items.
You’ll see a list with sold items, and you still have a few options to adjust. Locate and click the Auction option in the Buying Format section. Then, click the Number of bids: most first filter option.
This will give you a good idea of how many people are looking for that particular item, how much they’re paying for it, and whether there are any reviews.
You can also find out if your product is popular or growing in popularity on eBay by checking its ranking in search results.
Communities Like Reddit and Quora
Reddit and Quora are two of the biggest communities on the Internet where people ask questions and get answers from other users. You’ll be able to see what people are interested in, which will give you an idea of what kind of products they might be willing to buy.
For example, questions like “Where do I go if I want something handmade?” and “How can I find handmade stuff?” indicate a significant interest in buying handmade items.
Find Unique Selling Points
A unique selling point (USP) is a feature or special offering that sets your online store and products apart from the competition. It’s the reason why people would buy from your eCommerce store instead of other sellers. A USP can help you stand out from the crowd, increase sales, and boost your profits.
The best USPs are often something that can’t be easily copied by competitors, so they give you a nice edge over your rivals in getting customers to choose you instead of them.
A USP should be tangible, memorable, and user-focused. Examples of winning options can be an extremely low price, exceptional quality, extra product or deal perks, purely sustainable sourcing, using green materials and technologies for production, outstanding customer support, etc.
Think of Coca-cola selling “happiness in a bottle,” Chassis “improving lives,” or The North Face delivering “products that last a lifetime.”
To identify your USP, look at your competitors, study their approach, and consider ways to come up with a better one. Now, think of your ideal customer’s needs and what will make them choose you over all competitors. That’s where you have to look for your USP.
Conduct Competitive Analysis
While you may have a great product that solves a problem and meets a need, it’s still important to know how your product compares to those offered by other brands. Competitive analysis is a process to help you understand the competition and your own business.
List the top three competitors in each category and examine them one by one to see what they offer. Key factors include:
- Price
- Quality
- Features
- Brand name recognition
This will help you to decide on pricing and other best practices and set realistic expectations for your business.
It can also be helpful to list some of the companies that aren’t doing well so you can avoid making the same mistakes as them. This will help you determine what kind of pricing is fair for your products and whether or not adding new features will make it more appealing.
FAQ on How to Find Products to Sell Online
How Do I Start Finding Products to Sell Online?
Begin by researching customer needs, exploring your passions and hobbies, analyzing trends, and investigating competitor offerings. Consider using tools like Google Trends, Amazon Movers and Shakers, and eBay sales data for insights.
How Can I Determine if a Product Is Profitable to Sell Online?
Analyze factors such as product pricing, competition, target audience, market demand, and potential profit margins. Tools like keyword research, Google Trends, and Amazon Best Seller rankings can help you determine the profitability of a product.
What Are the Benefits of Selling Niche Products Online?
Niche products cater to a specific audience, often with less competition and a more loyal customer base. This can lead to higher profit margins, better customer relationships, and a more sustainable business model.
How Can I Identify Trending Products to Sell Online?
Monitor social media, industry news, trend forecasting websites, and platforms like Kickstarter to stay up to date on new and innovative products. Google Trends, Amazon Movers and Shakers, and eBay sales data can also provide insights into trending products.
How Can I Find Products with Unique Selling Points to Sell Online?
Look for products that offer innovative features, solve customer problems, or cater to a specific audience. Research customer reviews and engage in online communities to identify gaps in the market and uncover products with unique selling points.
What Role Does SEO Play in Finding Products to Sell Online?
SEO helps you understand the search demand for a product and the competition in the market. Keyword research tools can help you identify popular search terms, which can guide you in finding products with high demand and low competition.
