Many businesses are born from an idea too good to pass up. Whether it’s a superb invention, a novel twist on a classic, or a trending product with tons of market potential, a product idea is often step one to entrepreneurship.
But what in case your desire to develop into an entrepreneur comes before your big idea? How do you discover a product to sell whenever you’re ranging from scratch? The method can seem intimidating, especially when it looks as if every product possible is already available online.
Still, latest brands emerge day-after-day, proving there’s still room out there in your idea. By conducting product research, watching trends, and evaluating customer demand, you could find a profitable product and construct your personal brand around it. Ahead, learn discover a product—and an audience to sell it to.
What’s product research?
Product research refers back to the technique of gathering information and data a couple of product and the present marketplace for it. This includes research about brands who sell it (competitors), their customers, and the industry at large. Product research also involves analyzing that information to reply specific questions on the product, like market demand, viability, and the very best sales channels.
Product research is useful for brand spanking new businesses on the lookout for their first product, however it’s also a invaluable tool for growing brands. It could actually help validate the move into latest products or categories with a strategic approach that may also help a brand avoid pitfalls and stay ahead of the competition.
16 ways to search out a product to sell
- Solve a pain point
- Spot trends before they emerge
- Appeal to area of interest interests
- Address an underserved market
- Follow a private passion
- Consider your skilled experience
- Find product opportunities in keywords
- Leverage social media
- Browse online marketplaces
- Improve an existing product
- Research products with higher profit margins
- Meet the demand for sustainability
- Attend trade shows and fairs
- Consider personalization
- Analyze international markets
- Get inspired by social change
1. Solve a pain point
Many advantageous products in the marketplace aim to resolve an issue (or pain point). In assessing customer demand for a product, concentrate to challenges people have with the products around them. Social media and customer review sites are great places to mine for ideas.
Solving a pain point isn’t all the time inventing a brand new product altogether. Sometimes, you’ll have the ability to discover a spot in your competitors’ approach to that product’s design, or a pattern of poor customer support in a selected industry.
How are you going to iterate on an existing idea to resolve a standard frustration? Gloria Hwang did just that when she built her brand, Thousand. She found many cyclists who didn’t wear helmets cited style as one in every of their reasons. “In case you could make a helmet people actually need to wear, you may also help save lives,” she says. Gloria’s brand focused on style—and safety—to reinvent an on a regular basis product.
2. Spot trends before they emerge
Listed below are a couple of ways to keep watch over products with trend potential so you’ll be able to act on the chance:
- Social media: This may be as basic as scanning trending hashtags and following influencers in a particular genre. Most platforms have a trending tab or section. You can even use social listening tools to discover and monitor trends over time.
- Google Trends: Here, you’ll be able to see the recognition of trends over time. As with fashion, trends are likely to cycle back around, and Google Trends may have the ability to assist you predict the following wave.
- Trade publications: Publications inside your field can have insights or trend predictions based on research and historical trends.
- Current events and popular culture: Profitable product opportunities could also be found by following the media about what’s happening on the earth. Trends often emerge from popular TV shows or world events.
- Technological advances: Recent technology can spark customer demand for products that use it. Consider the surge of “smart” appliances and devices that come to market after every advance in AI and machine learning.
Miguel Leal identified a trend in a single industry and repackaged it for an additional. His brand Somos found that supermarket Mexican food products weren’t advancing alongside his favorite Mexican restaurants. Miguel took trends from popular restaurants and brought them to the grocery aisles.
3. Appeal to area of interest interests
When individuals are enthusiastic about a selected hobby or interest, they’re normally more inclined to speculate money to get the precise product they need. Because of this understanding your goal market is essential. That is a better task should you’re selling to a gaggle you belong to. Do you play pickleball or attend a weekly knitting circle? Chat with fellow enthusiasts to learn their preferences and pain points.
Narrowing in on a distinct segment may mean a smaller market, however it may very well be a loyal one should you nail the product-market fit. This approach may be much more successful should you find a distinct segment underserved by the present products in the marketplace.
Solé Bicycles doesn’t just sell to cyclists. The brand designs products for many who view their rides as a “mobile canvas” to represent their personality and elegance. That’s why a wide selection of daring color options are essential to Solé’s offering and aspirational lifestyle imagery is central to its marketing.
4. Address an underserved market
Underserved markets aren’t limited to hobbyists with area of interest interests. They may also include entire demographics of individuals ignored by the present brands in the marketplace. For instance, LGBTQ+ people may discover the marriage industry doesn’t all the time cater to their needs, more often offering products designed for hetero unions. Uncovering gaps like these can assist you discover a product customers want.
Yelitsa Jean-Charles identified a spot within the toy marketplace for dolls for Black kids that celebrated curly hair. She designed Health Roots Dolls to create a product that she would have wanted as a child—one which taught girls to like and elegance their very own hair. “Once you’re ignored by the mainstream media, you’ve got to develop into an issue solver,” says Yelitsa.
5. Follow a private passion
Selecting a distinct segment based on your personal interests is one of the crucial common entries into entrepreneurship. Many businesses have sprung from hobbies including makers who scale their craft to sell handmade goods online.
Founder-market fit matters, since you’ll be higher equipped to remain motivated and overcome hurdles of constructing a business should you’re deeply invested in what you’re selling. And, you’re more more likely to understand your goal market whenever you already embody your ideal buyer persona.
Sarah Chisholm’s profession as a dancer ended abruptly. That’s when she turned to a passion to create a brand new path for herself. She spun her love of food into Wild Rye Baking Magic, a brand that sells premium cake, frosting, and pancake mixes. Counting on existing knowledge and contacts, Sarah built her business with support. “No one goes to know your local people higher than you,” she says.
6. Consider your skilled experience
Past experience can go an extended solution to helping you achieve a future business. Did you permit a profession as a coach? Try finding a product with an amateur athlete audience. Have experience in teaching? Create a collection of courses to sell online as digital products. Your experience means you’ll understand your audience, have contacts within the industry, and might easily gain trust attributable to your expertise.
RetroSupply is a brand that sells vintage-inspired fonts and other design assets for graphic designers and illustrators. Founder Dustin Lee pivoted from running a contract website design shop to generating more passive income through RetroSupply’s collection of digital products.
7. Find product opportunities in keywords
Gaining organic traffic from search engines like google is an important solution to grow a business. But with loads of competition and Google’s ever-changing algorithm, search engine optimisation may be daunting for brand spanking new business owners.
Nonetheless, you should use keyword research to search out opportunities where the search volume is high (meaning the product is something people want) and competition is low (meaning it should be easier to rank for the term). There are several keyword research tools and browser extensions you’ll be able to try—some are even free.
Do not forget that Google isn’t the one place where people start their search. Increasingly, social media platforms are the places where consumers—especially younger Gen Alpha and Gen Z shoppers—turn to for product discovery. Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok search data may be great sources for product ideas for these demographics.
8. Leverage social media
Whilst you’ve learned that social media may be an important place to identify trends and conduct keyword research, it’s also an important platform for testing your ideas, learning about audience behavior, and getting inspired.
Mush Studios co-founder Jacob Winter stumbled upon his business idea when his rug-making TikTok videos went viral. The interest in his creations told him there was a marketplace for his hobby. Since he had already built an audience as a creator, he understood speak to—and sell to—them.
9. Browse online marketplaces
While it’s possible to sell on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay alongside your standalone Shopify store, it’s also possible to use these marketplaces strictly for research. Inside each, you’ll find lists designed for shoppers that may uncover insights for product opportunities. Listed below are a couple of links to get you began:
To dig a bit deeper, think about using a tool like Jungle Scout which helps you discover opportunities by examining data that features top-selling products and popular sellers.
10. Improve an existing product
Customer reviews could be a goldmine for locating a product to sell. That’s because reviews uncover customer pain points with existing products. When you’ve narrowed right down to a product, category, or industry, browse reviews on existing top selling products to see where they’re lacking.
This also goes for existing businesses. In case you’re looking to search out the following product to sell under your brand, your personal product’s reviews will uncover customer desires. Use these as a guide to developing your next product.
With dozens of generic olive oil options on grocery shelves, it’s hard for the common consumer to grasp what they’re buying. Brightland’s Aishwarya Iyer decided she could improve upon a standard pantry staple with great branding, customer education, and punctiliously chosen production partners. “There’s got to be something here where we will construct a brand that folks feel really excited by and folks need to put it out on their countertop,” Aishwarya says.
11. Research products with higher profit margins
Products with higher margins—that’s, those with low expenses and high potential for profit—are an important place to start out, because the chance is way lower. When pricing your products, you should account for the fee of products sold (COGS) to find out your retail price and profit margin. COGS includes any cost to create, promote, store, and ship a product.
Search for low-cost items that may generate a high return on investment (ROI). Some products with high profit margins include children’s items, specialty products, candles, and personal label products.
12. Meet the demand for sustainability
Consumer trends increasingly point to a requirement for brands that do good. This includes all the things from sustainable business practices to eco-friendly products. Younger consumers are especially drawn to brands with values that match their very own. Meet customer demand by selling a sustainable product.
Just a few approaches to finding a product to sell on this category include researching other sustainable businesses to search out popular products and designing a sustainable version of an existing product.
Tsuno founder Roz Campbell saw a chance to enhance on an on a regular basis personal care item. She not only designed sustainable period products but additionally created a one-for-one program that donated products to ladies in need. She invests proceeds in partner organizations that send girls to high school.
13. Attend trade shows and fairs
Understanding the present landscape and your potential competitors is a vital step within the product research process. In case you have already got an industry or product category in mind, search out trade shows, markets, and other events to conduct competitive evaluation and discover good product ideas. Listen to which booths are generating probably the most buzz.
14. Consider personalization
One solution to stand out from competition is to supply unique, customized, and one-of-a-kind products. A print-on-demand model means that you can execute this idea for merch like t-shirts and mugs without having to make products or carry inventory yourself.
Pluto Pillow jumped on the sleep hygiene trend to reinvent a product in everyone’s home. Their pillows are customized to all and sundry’s specifications including sleep position and preferences.
Note: Personalization can extend beyond the product itself. In case you’re selling an existing product in a competitive market, stand out by offering a personalised shopping experience around your brand.
15. Analyze international markets
International markets would be the key to the following big thing in your region. Trends in other countries may catch on beyond their borders. Consider the boom of Korean beauty in North America within the early 2010s. Have a look at regions that typically influence the culture where you reside: Can you notice a trend before it catches on?
You possibly can create your personal products within the spirit of those popularized in other regions, or you’ll be able to opt to develop into an area distributor or reseller for an existing brand. That’s what Gillian Gallant did when she discovered Paper Shoot Camera on TikTok and knew it might be successful in North America.
16. Get inspired by social change
Along with sustainable products, firms can reveal their values in other ways. Social impact brands can construct loyalty with customers who share those values. In case you’re selling a standard item, tying it to a cause may be an important differentiator between your brand and your competition.
Hippy Feet is a brand selling socks and other accessories, with 50% of profits supporting non-profit partners. Customers buy the brand’s socks not just for the creative patterns and wide range of options—in addition they achieve this since it feels good.
Validating your product idea
Product validation truly happens whenever you make a sale and ensure your hunch. Still, there may be plenty you’ll be able to do ahead of selecting a product to find out if it should sell.
- Conduct product research. Evaluate the market and your competitors.
- Do market research. Try focus groups, surveys, and even social media callouts to get feedback from potential customers.
- Run the numbers. Does the product have potential to profit? Understand your costs and determine the best retail price to search out your margin.
- Try a crowdfunding campaign. Securing some level of interest and investment from potential customers before you launch your ecommerce business is undeniably invaluable.
- Run a pre-sale. Much like the above, you’ll be able to gauge real interest from customers by selling the product before you manufacture.
“I’ve all the time been taught to take smart risks,” says Nancy Twine, founding father of Briogeo. “So I knew that if I used to be going to go away my profession in finance to start out my very own company, I desired to feel really good about what I used to be going to embark on.” For her, that meant investing in market research and constructing the corporate slowly while she was still employed.
Product opportunities are in all places
Whether you’ve narrowed in on a product category otherwise you’re ranging from zero, there are many places to search out profitable product ideas in high demand. Tap into search engines like google, social media and Google Trends. Have a look at best selling products from other brands. And, search for trending products or an underserved audience in area of interest markets.
When you’ve landed on area of interest products in your online business, you’ve taken step one to your future as an entrepreneur. Arrange your online store and begin investing in digital marketing to achieve your ideal customer. You’re ready to start out selling products online!
Feature illustration by Isabella Fassler
How one can discover a product FAQ
How can I find products to sell online?
You will discover products to sell in your ecommerce store through a couple of methods. Product opportunities can come from solving a customer pain point, appealing to enthusiastic hobbyists in a distinct segment market, pursuing your personal passion, leveraging your skilled experience, and more. To search out profitable products to sell in your online store, be sure you assess product demand and conduct market research.
What are some good sources for product ideas?
You will discover products to sell by social media, current trends, successful products from other brands, and search volume on Google and marketplaces. Trade publications or consumer magazines inside your required product categories are also good resources.
Which product category is in high demand?
The product categories in high demand may change over time. Jungle Scout published its list of hottest categories on Amazon in 2024. And Shopify usually updates its list of trending products. Use this list to find out patterns inside product categories. Bear in mind that prime demand product categories can also have tons of competition.
How can I validate my product idea?
You possibly can validate market potential in your product ideas by researching search, social media, and industry trends. Use tools like Buzzsumo and Google Keyword Planner to see what individuals are talking about and trying to find. Evaluate the competitive landscape to discover gaps and opportunities. Meet customer needs by filling those gaps.
What’s probably the most profitable product to sell?
Your profit margin will rely upon quite a few aspects, including your COGS, pricing strategy, amount of competition, and product demand. Nonetheless, some product categories typically have low costs and high margins. These include beauty, jewelry, and electronics products.
