Choosing what to sell and selling products online are tough feats for first-time entrepreneurs. While it’s true that you can sell practically anything online, it’s important to remember some products sell better than others.
This guide is designed to help you choose which products to sell, as well as some of the basics to help you get started with products for your eCommerce store. There are a few different metrics for product selection — popularity, market saturation, cost, and personal affinity. As you go through the list, narrow down your options until you find your perfect product range.
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How do you know if a product is popular?
First things first: you need a product that’s popular; one where demand is high. There are a few ways to know which products are selling and which aren’t, but it’s always best to use a method backed by data:
1. Check selling trends
What are the best sellers on other retail sites? What products are other retailers promoting, and which ones are they struggling to unload? A good place to start is the Amazon pages for Best Sellers and Movers & Shakers; but eventually, you’ll want to focus on a target audience and look at more specific marketplaces or your direct competition.
2. Track SEO trends
What products are online shoppers searching for? SEO keywords and product searches are extremely useful in discovering new trends before your competition does. They’re also good for validating your gut instincts. If your budget is too tight for a paid SEO tool, the free Google Trends can help in your business’s early stages. Google Trends data shows you the search queries that people make on Google every day. This can give you ideas of the products that are on trend today.
3. Test consumer preferences
If you’re trying to find out what your shoppers want, just ask. Learn your shoppers’ preferences through split-testing, on-site surveys, or traditional market research like focus groups and interviews. Looking for something less formal? Sometimes starting a conversation on social media can get customers to open up about pain points and unfulfilled product needs.
4. Check social media trends
Social media is a good place to find trending products online. It’s filled with reels, posts, and videos from both people and influencers that rave about a new product. This is your perfect opportunity to hop on the trend and start selling that product on your online store. Trending products are usually found on social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
However, this doesn’t automatically mean you’ll start selling carelessly; yes, the product is popular, but that product has to be something that you want to sell and you know that would benefit your future customers.
5. See online reviews
Online reviews help potential customers make decisions about whether they should purchase a product or not. This gives them an insight into how the product actually looks like once it’s used. Lastly, online reviews help you determine whether the product lives up to its hype online.
How to avoid market saturation
When you discover a promising trend with the methods above, remember that it’s not always about what’s most popular. After all, the most popular products have the most competition. Really, success is about what’s popular with opportunities.
Most of the top product markets are already saturated by now, so one of the challenges of online retail is finding a foothold. That’s particularly difficult for new sellers with unknown brands and little capital, which is why most focus on one or two key niches to start.
A niche is basically just a highly specialized market. Everyone likes music, but only a smaller, dedicated group of people like Mongolian Throat-singing Metal, making it a niche.
Examples of niche products to sell online:
- Health and fitness products
- Pet products
- Gaming accessories or products
- Fashion accessories
- Cosmetics
- Traveling products
- Smartphone accessories
Niches work well in ecommerce because:
- Drastically reduce the competition.
- Allow you to cater your marketing and advertising campaigns to a specific audience rather than mass appeal.
- Reduce risks in new product choices or policies because you have a better idea of what your customers want.
- The online space allows you to sell over greater geographical distances, so it’s easier to attract enough niche customers to sustain yourself.
Before unveiling your new online store, it’s crucial to know how to choose your niche. Just like deciding what to sell online, you need to factor in a potential niche’s demand, saturation, and whether or not it suits your budget.
Here are 12 of the best trending products right now:
Reusable water bottles
With a growing focus on sustainability, reusable water bottles have become a popular choice for eco-conscious consumers. These bottles help reduce plastic waste and often come with features like built-in filters or temperature retention, ideal for users who prioritize both function and style.
If saving the environment is your thing in 2024, then reusable water bottles are the way to go.
Portable projectors
You don’t need a fancy movie theater when you can have one right at home. Portable projectors are popular now, and it’s easy to see why. They’re small, easy to set up, and let you project movies, games, or presentations onto any big surface.
Imagine watching your favorite shows on a giant screen in your living room or taking your gaming experience to the next level. You can treat it as your own personal cinema. Plus, these projectors are so compact, you can easily toss them into a bag and take them anywhere.
Smart watches
Smartwatches continue to be a must-have due to their health tracking features, fitness monitoring, and integration with other devices like smartphones. People love these things since they can track both your health and daily tasks, making it useful all around.
Google Trends says that smartwatches are a great investment since they continue to be popular well into 2024. A perfect gift for your friends or family.
Biodegradable cleaning products
We’re all becoming more conscious of our impact on the planet, and that includes the products we use to clean our homes. People are ditching harsh chemicals and opting for natural, biodegradable cleaning products. It’s like a small step towards a healthier home and a better planet.
When you’re looking for cleaning products, keep an eye out for brands that offer natural, non-toxic, and sustainable options. Your home will be cleaner, and you’ll feel good about making a positive choice.
Skincare products
Skincare became a big market in 2024. Products like vitamin C serum are all popular now because they can help brighten your skin and make it look more even. Vitamins are little secret weapons for glowing complexion.
Social media influencers have played a big role in popularizing skincare products. But remember, not everything you see online is true. Do your research and choose products for your store that are backed by science. Your skin will thank you.
Health supplements
More and more people are turning to supplements like kombucha and probiotic sodas to boost their overall health and wellness. These drinks give that little extra boost to help you feel your best. Whether you’re looking to manage stress, improve your gut health, or just want to feel more energized, these products have become a go-to for many. It’s all about taking a proactive approach to your health and finding natural ways to support your body.”
Custom jewelry
Personalized jewelry is a great way to express your unique style and create something that’s truly meaningful. Whether it’s an engraved necklace with your initials or a custom ring with a special date, these pieces are perfect for adding a personal touch to your look.
Luckily, there are a ton of websites in 2024 that offer custom jewelry to make it easier for you to design and purchase bespoke pieces. So, if you’re looking to treat yourself or find the perfect gift, personalized jewelry is worth considering.
Pet products
Just like we want the best for our loved ones, pet owners are also looking for the highest quality products for their furry friends. Orthopedic dog beds are a great example. They’re a cozy, supportive hug for our aging or injured pets.
It’s part of a bigger trend where we treat our pets more like family than just animals. With more people adopting pets during the pandemic, the market for premium pet care products has really taken off.
Home fitness equipment
The rise of home fitness has made equipment like power racks highly popular. Power racks are becoming popular in gyms and home gym setups due to their versatility and safety features. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran lifter, power racks are a must for those looking to level up their gains.
It’s like having a mini gym in your own backyard. And the best part? You can work out whenever you want and on your own terms.
Sustainable clothing
Nowadays, people aren’t just looking for stylish clothes; they’re also concerned about where they come from. Brands that use eco-friendly materials and treat their workers fairly are becoming more popular. It’s a win-win: you get to look good and feel good about your purchases.
Think organic cotton, recycled materials, and other sustainable fabrics. When you invest in high-quality, sustainable clothing, you’re not just buying clothes; you’re making a statement about the kind of brand that you are.
Art supplies
Art has always been a great way to relax and express yourself, which makes it a popular hobby worldwide. With more people discovering the joy of art through social media, the demand for art supplies has skyrocketed. Items like acrylic paints, sketchbooks, and high-quality brushes are in high demand among both amateur artists and professionals.
If you’re an artist or just looking for a new hobby, art supplies are a must-have. And for online stores, offering a variety of art supplies is a smart move. After all, artists are always on the hunt for the perfect tools to create their next masterpiece.
How to choose products to sell within your budget
When picking what to sell online, you’re limited by what you can afford. Having an ecommerce site has its own business expenses, so make sure you can cover the special costs of whatever products you choose. Specifically, look at:
Storage fees
It costs money to store inventory, and even more when that inventory doesn’t sell. Consider the cost of warehouses and storage space, as well as their maintenance — some products require extra care, like security measures or precise temperatures. Services like Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) charge by cubic feet of space, so larger products cost more to store.
Logistics
Shipping costs or logistics have always eaten a chunk of online retailers’ profits, even before free shipping became the norm. Ensure you have an efficient shipping network setup, either self-fulfilled or 3PL. Alternatively, you can use a dropshipping model and not worry about storage or shipping at all — but this takes a much smaller cut per sale.
Product sourcing
Product sourcing is how you get your products, and their acquisition cost directly affects your markup and profits. There are a variety of product sourcing options, from wholesale to private labels to reselling discounted products from Walmart. Read through the best product sourcing strategies to find the perfect fit for your budget and management style.
What to sell online that suits you personally
Lastly, don’t forget to factor in yourself. We all have our own personal strengths and weaknesses, areas of expertise, and blind spots. As the person in charge of selling, use yourself as a resource, and leverage your own talents.
Choose products you’re passionate about
You can’t fake passion. If you’re selling something just based on the numbers, you’ll miss the key selling points that make it attractive to shoppers. It’s better to sell something that you personally would want to buy — that way, you’ll know how to sell it.
Choose products you’re knowledgeable about
People passionate about Harry Potter don’t know magic — just as important as passion is good old-fashioned know-how. You should choose a product category you understand well — with recognizable trends and familiar competition. You’ll do exceptionally well if you know about the behind-the-scenes areas like manufacturing and ingredient sourcing.
Choose products that fit your management style
There’s no one right way to run an ecommerce business. Some sellers might want to micromanage every detail along the supply chain; others might want to focus solely on online sales and marketing and leave the logistics up to the manufacturer. It doesn’t matter which management style you choose, as long as it works for you and your business model.
Choose products that answer a customer’s pain point
The main reason for a person’s online shopping or shopping at retail stores is that they’re looking for a solution to their problems. If you can provide answers to their problems, you’ll attract a customer and eventually make them loyal.
Choose products with consistently high-profit margins
Profitable niche products are an example of this. Because they answer a particular demand and have less competition, they bring a high return on investment (ROI) that’s crucial for your online business growth. Some examples of products with high-profit margins are children’s products and candles.
The dropshipping business is also a business with a high-profit margin. This is when you don’t need to keep an inventory of the products that you want to sell online. Instead, a third-party supplier handles the purchasing, storing, and shipping of all the products. When done right (i.e., the cost of goods, the niche that you’re in, etc.) it can be a profitable business for you.
Get your own online store today!
Choosing your products is one thing — you must factor in marketing, sales strategy, branding, customer relations, and site design before you can start selling products online.
These are what attracts your customers, what makes them stay on your ecommerce store, and what makes them push to make a purchase. In short, it’s a union of things that make up your online store.
Site design, as mentioned, is crucial in influencing your customer’s purchasing decisions because it impacts how they perceive your brand and how positive their user experience is. Hence, we encourage you to build your online store with Web.com. Our drag-and-drop store builder makes web design a breeze. Take a look at our plans now and choose which one suits you best. You may also contact our representatives if you need more assistance.
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