Coming up with an excellent product idea will occasionally strike if you least expect it. Over and over though, it’s something it’s essential to be looking out for.
That is because roughly 95% of latest products fail.
The online incorporates a wealth of ideas and inspiration, but as an entrepreneur, where do you start? When you prefer to not aimlessly search online, you’ll be able to do this list of resources as a jumping off point.
Considerations for brainstorming product ideas
As you undergo all of the resources listed on this post, it’s vital to maintain two things in mind:
While searching for brand new product ideas, ensure that to look beyond the products themselves. It might sound cliche, but there may be heavy competition in essentially the most common and popular product categories.
Selecting a unique or unique angle will be instrumental to your success. Try not to simply have a look at products—relatively, search for potential within the product category. Consider latest markets, latest features, and latest ways to make use of the products.
Do not be afraid to have a look at smaller product categories and niches. Regardless that a distinct segment is a smaller subset of a bigger category with less potential customers, it makes up for that by means of less competitors and a more targeted audience. Less competition makes it easier to get to the highest of Google, and it could actually be more economical and efficient to advertise to your customers.
On this post, we’ll go into detail about one of the best places to look for prime quality product opportunities and concepts, whether it’s for a line extension or a brand latest store. We’ll start with some broad ideas to get your head in the fitting space to begin your search, after which get into more specific resources closer to the tip of the post.
16 places to seek out product ideas
- Start with what you’ve got
- Listen to trends in your local people
- Seek the advice of online consumer trend publications
- Get inspired by industry leaders
- Use product trend discovery sites
- Peruse B2B wholesale marketplaces
- Browse online consumer marketplaces
- Glance through social forum communities
- Search social media networks
- Read on-site and third-party customer reviews
- Review search engine optimisation analytics and insights
- Read consumer lifestyle publications
- Learn out of your competitors
- Create customer surveys
- Crowdsource
- Look to the past
As you undergo this post and the list of resources, it’s best to capture your whole ideas on paper. Once you’ve got your whole brainstormed ideas recorded, you’ll have the opportunity to return to them later and evaluate them for viability and potential.
1. Start with what you’ve got
Before you start searching the depths of the net for small business ideas, products, and niches, it’s at all times best to begin with the ideas you have already got.
Possibly it’s a product or idea you’ve had for years. Possibly it exists in a half-written marketing strategy sitting in a folder somewhere in your computer. Even when you’ve discounted it in some unspecified time in the future prior, it’s price taking a fresh have a look at it. At one point you thought it was an excellent idea, right?
Listed below are a couple of questions to think about when making your list of web business ideas:
- What products, niches, or industries are you particularly obsessed with or keen on?
- What products, niches, or industries are your folks obsessed with?
- What pain points do you’ve got in your individual life?
Identifying problems inside your inner circle is a great option to brainstorm good product ideas. Michelle Ebbin, owner of Jettproof, a sensory clothing brand, finds accessible product ideas through life’s on a regular basis needs. The brand creates calming clothing to help kids and adults with autism, sensory processing disorder, Down’s syndrome, ADHD, and other conditions that affect the sensory system.
“Some Jettproof staff have members of the family with sensory conditions,” Michelle says. “Once we brainstorm for brand new product ideas, we ask what their family members need for various seasons, circumstances, and activities.”
“When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and face masks became essential, one in every of our team members got here up with the thought of sensory face masks using our proprietary calming fabric, Calmtex.”
The product idea was a hit. Now, individuals with sensory conditions could comfortably wear face masks when visiting therapy centers, clinics, hospitals, and workplaces.
If there’s an issue, solve it. Consider which pain points you’ve got in your life, and even the pain points of those around you.
Say, for instance, you stepped in to resolve the challenge of dog toys that were easily chewed and destroyed. Dog owners would grow to be frustrated with unreliable products, and the expenses could quickly add up. The marketplace for indestructible dog toys could be based on this one specific pain point.
2. Your local people
Sometimes you don’t need a brand new idea in any respect. Traditional brick-and-mortar businesses have been around for much longer than their ecommerce counterparts. Being attentive to trends in brick-and-mortar retail and adapting them to ecommerce will be just the ticket it’s essential to create a profitable and unique web business idea.
Go searching your community and pay attention to what latest or interesting retail concepts individuals are talking about. You possibly can take a look at different sources for inspiration comparable to:
- Newspapers
- Craft fairs
- Local markets
- Community events
3. Online consumer trend publications
A fantastic place to begin your seek for product ideas is top consumer product trend publications. Following trend publications helps give a way of the direction consumer products are going and the trending product ideas other entrepreneurs are introducing to the market.
Following these publications may also expose you to latest product categories and industries that you just previously didn’t learn about. Following what’s trending can enable you dream up latest goods, services, and experiences in your online business.
There are several popular trend publications online including, but not limited to, the next.
TrendWatching
TrendWatching is an independent trend firm that scans the globe for essentially the most promising consumer trends and insights. TrendWatching has a team of execs in locations like London, Latest York, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney, and Lagos who report on worldwide trends.
Trend Hunter
Trend Hunter is the world’s largest, hottest trend community. Fueled by a worldwide network of 160,000 members and three million fans, Trend Hunter is a source of inspiration for aspiring and curious entrepreneurs.
Jeremy, the founding father of Trend Hunter says, “Like lots of us, I used to be an entrepreneur at heart, but I didn’t know what idea I desired to pursue. I selected careers that I assumed would lead me to my business idea … but after years of searching, I used to be still looking for inspiration. It was then that I began Trend Hunter—a spot for insatiably curious people to share ideas and get inspired.”
PSFK
PSFK is a business intelligence platform that inspires creative professionals as they develop latest products, services, and experiences across retail, promoting, and design. It analyzes research-based consumer trends and insights that you may use as a jumping-off point and validation for ecommerce business ideas.
A fantastic example of somebody who noticed a trend from one other country and brought it house is Dan Ben-Nun, creator of the product Inkkas. Inkkas are beautiful, unique shoes fabricated from authentic South American textiles.
The thought for Inkkas got here to Dan when he noticed the kind of shoe trending in Peru. Determining it was an excellent product that will also do well within the North American market, he brought the thought home and successfully launched a Kickstarter campaign, raising over $77,000 in pre-orders.
4. Industry leaders
When you know the industry or area of interest market you prefer to to be in, you should use various tools to find the influencers in that industry. Following the fitting people on social media may help encourage latest ideas through a relentless stream of rigorously curated content from people within the know. It’s as much as you to uncover the opportunities.
There are several online tools you should use to find the influencers online for a specific industry or area of interest:
5. Product and trend discovery sites
Product review and discovery sites may also be a implausible source for product and web business ideas. Sites like Uncrate (men’s products) and Design Milk (luxury products) are great ways to see latest curated product trends every day. What higher option to get inspired than with a every day glimpse into the brand new and interesting products other entrepreneurs are bringing to the market.
Listed below are just a couple of examples of popular consumer product blogs to get you began:
Don’t just have a look at the large and popular sites but explore area of interest review sites as well. Consider what kinds of products and niches you’re particularly keen on and seek for consumer product review blogs in those niches.
6. B2B wholesale marketplaces
What higher option to get product ideas than right from the source? This has been a preferred option amongst ecommerce entrepreneurs for some time, and this list wouldn’t be complete without it.
Wholesale and manufacturer sourcing sites expose you to hundreds of potential product ideas. It could possibly be easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of products available, so take it slow.
Alibaba
Alibaba is one in every of the most important ecommerce firms on the earth, up there with Amazon and eBay. The platform connects consumers with wholesalers and manufacturers from Asia.
With over 5,900 categories of product offerings, there’s not much you’ll be able to’t find on Alibaba. Alibaba dropshipping products span every kind of categories and niches, so there’s loads of room for inspiration.
Even though it’s generally accepted that Alibaba is the most important online wholesale and manufacturer database, there are lots of other sites much like Alibaba you should use for inspiration and to seek out product ideas.
DSers
DSers is a marketplace where you should buy products on AliExpress to sell on Shopify. These suppliers provide automated order achievement services, so it’s a preferred turnkey option for a lot of entrepreneurs deciding what to sell on Shopify. Browse what’s available and review Oberlo’s trending products to enable you come up along with your own ideas.
Another B2B wholesale marketplaces include:
7. Online consumer marketplaces
One other wealthy source for product ideas are online consumer marketplaces. Tens of millions of products might be an understatement, so it’s possible you’ll wish to begin your market research with a few of the popular and trending items and branch out into other interesting categories that catch your eye from there:
eBay: eBay is the most important online consumer auction site. Try eBay’s bestselling items to seek out a few of the hottest product categories on eBay.
Amazon: Amazon is the most important web retailer. Amazon Best Sellers shows Amazon’s hottest products based on sales. Amazon Movers & Shakers displays the most important gainers in sales rank over the past 24 hours. Each are updated hourly.
Kickstarter: Kickstarter is the most important crowdfunding website. Browse all projects by popularity, funding, staff picks, and lots of other options with Kickstarter Discover.
Etsy: Etsy is a marketplace for handmade items. Look up what’s trending to seek out the preferred listings.
AliExpress:AliExpress is Alibaba’s consumer wholesale marketplace. which means that you can order in smaller quantities. AliExpress Popular reveals the most-bought products.
8. Social forum communities
Reddit is the most important social media news aggregator. It describes itself because the front page of the net and is enormously influential. Reddit has hundreds of “subreddits,” that are sub-sections or niches that cater to different topics and areas of interest. It’s inside these subreddits that you may find a lot of inspiration in your next product or business idea.
If you’ve got an idea for a specific industry, area of interest, or product category, it’s price doing a search and finding an appropriate subreddit community to hitch and actively grow to be an element of.
There are also many product-focused subreddits which are full of ideas.
Listed below are a few examples:
When you’re energetic on Reddit and pay close attention, occasionally you’ll be able to come across interesting posts like this one, which asks commenters to share their best purchases for under $50.
Irrespective of which approach you are taking, Reddit has been and continues to be a beneficial source of ecommerce business ideas and inspiration, coupled with an excellent and supportive community.
Quora
Quora is a community question-and-answer site—“A spot to realize and share knowledge,” as the corporate says. Essentially, users come to Quora to ask and answer questions on just about anything and every thing.
Like Reddit’s subreddits, Quora has topics you’ll be able to select so as to add to your individual customized feed. Consider adding some product- or industry-related feeds, in addition to the rest inspired by the net business model.
Quora also shows which topics and questions are trending, in addition to a count of the whole variety of answers (each with a variety of up votes and down votes from the community).
When you populate your feed, you’ll start discovering questions and answers which will encourage ecommerce business ideas. Listed below are a couple of:
Industry and area of interest forums
Depending on the industry you’re targeting, there could also be area of interest forum sites you’ll be able to tap into for product ideas to sell. Gaming is one industry that has an energetic online community, and you’ll be able to take a look at forums like GameFAQs or NeoGAF.
Listed below are a couple of other industry forum sites for area of interest product ideas:
9. Social media networks
There are a couple of ways you should use social media to go looking for product and area of interest ideas.
Hashtag. If you’ve got a specific interest in a product category or industry, you’ll be able to try looking for applicable hashtags. One other great option is to do a search on social media for hashtags that indicate buyer interest and intent, like #want and #buy.
Product curation accounts. There are lots of accounts on Instagram that post curated product content. Like many other examples above, you’ll likely want to go looking for and find accounts throughout the niches you might be particularly keen on.
Audience insights. When you have already got a business page on a number of social media platforms, it’s possible you’ll have the opportunity to make use of your audience data to seek out ecommerce business ideas. Understand which pages, hobbies, interests, and other characteristics they’ve in common, and brainstorm products based on those insights.
Instagram isn’t just pictures of food and dogs—it’s also an interesting option for uplifting product and ecommerce business ideas. Since it’s photo based, it’s easy to scan through many ideas and photos quickly.
Facebook still has the most energetic users out of any social media platform. If there’s a market you’re trying to achieve, there’s a likelihood they’re on Facebook.
Along with hashtags, trending topics and popular pages, take a look at which Facebook groups are popular in your area of interest. Dawn LaFontaine, founding father of Cat within the Box, joins and engages with members of Facebook groups relevant to her area of interest: cats. Dawn says, “One among these pages, called Purrtacular, has an intensive and really energetic following.
“Cat lovers in all places post not only fun photos of their pets, but ask insightful questions on their health and behavior. These questions, and answers from group members, often provide a window into the sorts of struggles cat guardians are facing.” These struggles are where Dawn gets product ideas from for her online store.
The typical order value of sales coming through Pinterest is higher than some other social channel. This means that Pinterest users are browsing, shopping, and buying, making it a great spot to research popular products and trends. One other visual platform, it’s easy to scan and find inspiration for ecommerce business ideas.
Snapchat
Especially ideal for a younger demographic, Snapchat admittedly has more limited capabilities when it comes to identifying trends. Use the Discover option to seek out out what the Snapchat community is talking about and follow influencers in your area of interest to realize more insight into their needs and motivations.
X, formerly often known as Twitter
X trends might be helpful find latest ecommerce business ideas. You’ll have the opportunity to see what’s popular in your network or a selected location. You’ll find these trends on the left-hand side if you log in at twitter.com, or search for the Explore option if you’re on the mobile app.
TikTok
The short video app announced in 2021 that it had surpassed one billion users and was the most downloaded app of 2020. TikTok is understood for dance challenges, viral moments, and a spot for sellers to realize product awareness. TikTok is stuffed with trending sounds, memes, and challenges. You’ll never end up in need of inspiration for brand new product ideas.
Area of interest social media sites
When you’re looking for area of interest product ideas, social media sites dedicated to related topics and hobbies are one other option to gain insights into latest product ideas. Listed below are a couple of, as examples:
10. On-site and third-party customer reviews
When you have already got a business (online or brick-and-mortar), take a look at your individual customer reviews. Savvy entrepreneurs consider customer recommendations and the motivation behind them, and respond accordingly.
When you don’t have any reviews of your individual to think about, have a look at reviews of firms and products in your area of interest. Discover commonalities (paying careful attention to customer complaints), and determine how you’ll be able to create a product that may address those concerns. Amazon is an especially excellent place to seek out honest customer reviews.
11. search engine optimisation analytics and insights
Search engine marketing (search engine optimisation) insights can show you what’s trending on search, globally or targeted to specific geographic locations. Google has a variety of free and paid tools you should use:
Google Trends. Discover what’s trending, globally and regionally, and pick from specific topics like business, health and sci/tech. You may also browse top stories to see what’s hottest. If you’ve got a selected market or idea, you’ll be able to research keywords to seek out common related searches, in addition to anticipated peaks in search volume (which may help dictate timing in your product launch).
Google Keyword Planner. Keyword Planner will enable you find average search volume and related keywords to your chosen phrases. You may also have a look at Google Ads competition to gauge whether another person is bidding in your targeted phrases in your ecommerce business idea.
Google Analytics. When you have already got an internet site, use the info from Google Analytics to seek out out which terms users are searching to seek out your site. Volume isn’t at all times vital: there could also be a longtail, descriptive search phrase that makes you think that of your next big idea! You may also use data out of your onsite search to seek out the identical insights.
Google search. Google.com is an often-forgotten tool to make use of in your search engine optimisation research. There are a couple of key areas to have a look at if you’re performing a search on Google.com: predicted text (as you type your query within the search bar), paid ads at the highest and on the side rail, suggested searches (at the underside of the page), and Google Shopping results. Remember to envision out images and news, too.
12. Consumer lifestyle publications
Consumer-facing publications in your industry can reveal rather a lot a few market segment and what’s trending. Consider what these publications are talking about and which articles resonate most with the audience. To seek out out which articles are hottest, have a look at what number of comments, social media engagements, or social media shares the content has received. The more popular articles could encourage area of interest market ideas.
13. Your competitors
Learn from the successes of your competitors and popular businesses in your chosen industry. Which products have they launched with essentially the most success? Why were they so successful? Sometimes, brands will share the why and the way behind latest products.
Beyond your competitors’ products, examine their community. Who’s their audience and why do they love those products? Have a look at what the brand is saying to consumers, in addition to how customers are interacting with them online. Discover gaps in your competitors’ product offerings and look for tactics to fill those gaps along with your latest product.
Stephen Light, CMO and co-owner of mattress brand Nolah, doesn’t offer latest products always. The brand has a decent range of products, and a brand new product is obtainable provided that the brand feels it adds huge value to its existing product line. When Nolah does choose a brand new product, it meets on the intersection of its mission, audience’s needs, and the competitive landscape.
“We recently launched latest eco-friendly mattresses and bedding because we saw a hole out there for a very natural, sustainable mattress,” Stephen says. “Eco-friendly products are something consumers are demanding more and are safer for the Earth. We also wanted something that will further our mission to create mattresses that don’t use unsustainable traditional memory foam.”
While Stephen believes that innovation is a superb goal, “it’s meaningless if it’s not backed by hard, accurate customer and market evaluation data.” He says, “Latest products should be born from the identical bottom line as some other: solving an actual problem or meeting an actual need in your audience. Concentrate on what you already know concerning the competitive landscape and consumer pain points, and work to fill the gaps.”
14. Customer surveys and feedback
Surveys are probably the greatest ways to get qualitative and quantitative insights into an audience. Craft questions on the issues and challenges they face, which products they love most and why, and what they want that they had to boost their on a regular basis life.
Keep a combination of multiple selection and open-ended questions that may allow you to inside respondents’ heads. Use this information if you brainstorm your ecommerce business ideas.
Listed below are some tools you should use to create and distribute your survey:
One other option to get customer feedback is thru a personal Facebook group along with your VIPs. It’s a tactic that KeySmart’s CEO, Michael Tunney, recommends for locating latest product ideas. After gathering feedback, the brand “takes the ideas from all of those sources after which creates product mockups to present to our staff and top customers to see what they think might be a hit.”
15. Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing works along similar lines as surveying, except in the case of crowdsourcing, you’re asking for ideas more overtly. Lego Ideas is a first-rate example of a brand that uses crowdsourcing to seek out latest product ideas to sell.
Consumers can submit their ideas for Lego sets, and the positioning also features popular and successful ideas. Create your individual crowdsourced ideas or look to those hubs for inspiration.
If you need to organize your individual crowdsourcing campaign for product ideas to sell, take a look at the next:
16. Look to the past
One option to learn is from the past. Through examining history and old trends, you’ll be able to provide you with a listing of revived product ideas to sell. That is one tactic that Dogfish Head Craft Brewery used when it got here up with its product series of Ancient Ales, which uses old-school brewing techniques.
But history doesn’t necessarily mean historical events and techniques. It’s also about popular culture trends. In fashion especially, we regularly see the resurgence of trends, and consumers love nostalgia. Choker necklaces have made a comeback, and countless movie and TV show reboots have created renewed interest and fervour for consumers.
You possibly can evoke this sense of nostalgia through a product that isn’t any longer available or highlights a seemingly forgotten subject prone to encourage fond memories.
What product ideas are in high demand?
Here is our list of the highest trending product ideas based on Shopify sales data.
- Toys
- Shoes
- Pens and pencils
- Decorative bottles
- Drills
- Cutters
- GPS navigation systems
- Bras
- Motorcar parts
- Office chairs
- Projectors
- Kitchen towels
- Digital artwork
- Eyebrow enhancers
- Neon signs
- Tablet computers
- Water bottles
Only 40% of developed products make it to market, and of that 40%, only 60% will generate any revenue in any respect. Selling products have high market demand could make or break your small business, especially within the early days. You don’t wish to waste money constructing a product nobody will buy.
Use the above list so as to add these products to your store through a dropshipper like DSers. Or you’ll be able to innovate on these products and create a version special to your brand mission, audience needs, and competitive landscape.
For more even inspiration, take a look at our list of the highest trending products to sell.
Coming up with one of the best product ideas
Whether you’re an ecommerce startup or an industry vet, it’s vital to provide you with physical and digital product ideas based in your goal market. Excellent product ideas will make product development easier, keep you ahead of the competition, delight your customers, and earn more sales.
Now you’re equipped with resources to enable you provide you with an excellent list of winning product ideas to begin. Get on the market and begin exploring!
Illustration by Pete Ryan
Product ideas FAQ
How do you develop a product idea?
You will discover inspiration out of your local people, online consumer trend publications, industry leaders, and customer reviews. On this blog post, we go over 17 ways to provide you with and develop product ideas.
How do I get products for my business?
You possibly can make your individual products or source them externally. You possibly can get products for your small business from wholesalers, dropshippers, manufacturers, markets, local artisans, and more.
What products are in high demand today?
Current high-demand products are mostly centered around home life and health and wellness. Home office items, self-care, loungewear, and residential gym items are popular right away. Other popular items are face masks, hand sanitizer, and digital products.
What do people buy essentially the most?
When it comes to frequency, people buy groceries, hygiene products, and other necessities frequently. Do keyword research and social listening to seek out out which products are popular at any moment.
