How To discover a Product to Sell: 16 Proven Methods

1. Solve a pain point

Many profitable products on the economy aim to solve a issue (or pain point). In assessing customer demand for a product, pay attention 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 always inventing a recent product altogether. Sometimes, you’ll be able to identify a gap in your competitors’ way to that product’s design, or a pattern of impoverished customer service in a particular industry. 

How can you iterate on an existing concept to solve a ordinary 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 of their reasons. “If you can make a helmet people actually desire to wear, you can assist save lives,” she says. Gloria’s brand concentrated on style—and safety—to reinvent an everyday product.

2. Spot trends before they emerge

Here are a few ways to keep an eye on products with pattern potential so you can act on the chance:

• Social media: This can be as basic as scanning trending hashtags and following influencers in a specific genre. Most platforms have a trending tab or section. You can also use social listening tools to identify and monitor trends over period.
• Google Trends: Here, you can view the popularity of trends over period. As with fashion, trends tend to pattern back around, and Google Trends may be able to assist you forecast the next wave.
• Trade publications: Publications within your field may have insights or pattern predictions based on research and historical trends.
• Current events and pop population: Profitable product opportunities may be found by following the media about what’s happening in the globe. Trends often emerge from popular TV shows or globe events.
• Technological advances: recent technology can spark customer demand for products that use it. Consider the surge of “intelligent” appliances and devices that arrive to economy after every advance in AI and machine learning.

Miguel Leal identified a pattern in one industry and repackaged it for another. 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 niche interests

When people are passionate about a particular hobby or gain, they’re usually more inclined to invest money to get the exact product they desire. This is why understanding your target economy is significant. This is an easier job if you’re selling to a throng you belong to. Do you play pickleball or attend a weekly knitting circle? gossip with fellow enthusiasts to discover their preferences and pain points.

Narrowing in on a niche may cruel a smaller economy, but it could be a faithful one if you nail the product-economy fit. This way can be even more successful if you discover a niche underserved by the current products on the economy.

Solé Bicycles doesn’t just sell to cyclists. The brand designs products for those who view their rides as a “mobile canvas” to represent their personality and style. That’s why a wide array of bold color options are essential to Solé’s offering and aspirational lifestyle imagery is central to its marketing. 

4. Address an underserved economy

Underserved markets aren’t limited to hobbyists with niche interests. They can also include entire demographics of people ignored by the current brands on the economy. For example, LGBTQ+ people may discover the wedding industry doesn’t always cater to their needs, more often offering products designed for hetero unions. Uncovering gaps like these can assist you discover a product customers desire.

Yelitsa Jean-Charles identified a gap in the toy economy for dolls for Black kids that celebrated curly hair. She designed Health Roots Dolls to make a product that she would have wanted as a kid—one that taught girls to adore and style their own hair. “When you’re ignored by the mainstream media, you have to become a issue solver,” says Yelitsa.

5. pursue a personal thrill

Choosing a niche based on your own interests is one of the most ordinary entries into entrepreneurship. Many businesses have sprung from hobbies including makers who scale their craft to sell handmade goods online. 

Founder-economy fit matters, because you’ll be better equipped to remain motivated and overcome hurdles of building a business if you’re deeply invested in what you’re selling. And, you’re more likely to comprehend your target economy when you already embody your ideal buyer persona.

Sarah Chisholm’s career as a dancer ended abruptly. That’s when she turned to a thrill to make a recent path for herself. She spun her adore of food into Wild Rye Baking Magic, a brand that sells additional expense cake, frosting, and pancake mixes. Relying on existing knowledge and contacts, Sarah built her business with back. “Nobody is going to recognize your local throng better than you,” she says. 

6. Consider your professional encounter

history encounter can leave a long way to helping you achieve in a upcoming business. Did you leave a career as a coach? Try finding a product with an amateur athlete spectators. Have encounter in teaching? make a suite of courses to sell online as digital products. Your encounter means you’ll comprehend your spectators, have contacts in the industry, and can easily boost depend due 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 freelance web design shop to generating more inactive returns through RetroSupply’s selection of digital products.

7. discover product opportunities in keywords

Gaining organic traffic from search engines is a great way to develop a business. But with plenty of competition and Google’s ever-changing algorithm, SEO can be daunting for recent business owners.

However, you can use keyword research to discover opportunities where the search volume is high (meaning the product is something people desire) and competition is low (meaning it will be easier to rank for the term). There are several keyword research tools and browser extensions you can try—some are even free. 

recall that Google isn’t the only place where people commence their search. Increasingly, social media platforms are the places where consumers—especially younger Gen Alpha and Gen Z shoppers—turn to for product finding. Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok search data can be great sources for product ideas for these demographics.

8. debt social media

While you’ve learned that social media can be a great place to spot trends and conduct keyword research, it’s also a great platform for testing your ideas, learning about spectators behavior, and getting inspired.

Mush Studios co-founder Jacob Winter stumbled upon his business concept when his rug-making TikTok videos went viral. The gain in his creations told him there was a economy for his hobby. Since he had already built an spectators as a creator, he understood how to talk to—and sell to—them.

9. Browse online marketplaces

While it’s feasible to sell on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay alongside your standalone Shopify store, you can also use these marketplaces strictly for research. Within each, you’ll discover lists designed for shoppers that can uncover insights for product opportunities. Here are a few links to get you started:

• Amazon Best Sellers
• Amazon Most Wished For
• Amazon Movers & Shakers
• Etsy Most Wanted
• Etsy Best Selling Items
• Etsy Most Popular Item
• Trending on eBay

To dig a little deeper, consider using a tool like Jungle Scout which helps you identify opportunities by examining data that includes top-selling products and popular sellers.

10. enhance an existing product

Customer reviews can be a goldmine for finding a product to sell. That’s because reviews uncover customer pain points with existing products. Once you’ve narrowed down to a product, category, or industry, browse reviews on existing top selling products to view where they’re lacking.

This also goes for existing businesses. If you’re looking to discover the next product to sell under your brand, your own product’s reviews will uncover customer desires. Use these as a navigator to developing your next product. 

With dozens of generic olive oil options on grocery shelves, it’s challenging for the average customer to comprehend what they’re buying. Brightland’s Aishwarya Iyer decided she could enhance upon a ordinary pantry staple with great branding, customer education, and carefully selected production partners. “There’s got to be something here where we can construct a brand that people feel really enthusiastic by and people desire to put it out on their countertop,” Aishwarya says.

11. Research products with higher boost margins

Products with higher margins—that is, those with low costs and high potential for boost—are a great place to commence, because the uncertainty is much lower. When pricing your products, you require to account for the expense of goods sold (COGS) to determine your retail worth and boost spread. COGS includes any expense to make, promote, store, and ship a product.

Look for low-expense items that can generate a high profitability on pool (ROI). Some products with high boost margins include children’s items, specialty products, candles, and private label products.

12. Meet the demand for sustainability

customer trends increasingly point to a demand for brands that do excellent. This includes everything from sustainable business practices to eco-amiable products. Younger consumers are especially drawn to brands with values that match their own. Meet customer demand by selling a sustainable product. 

A few approaches to finding a product to sell in this category include researching other sustainable businesses to discover popular products and designing a sustainable version of an existing product.

Tsuno founder Roz Campbell saw an chance to enhance on an everyday personal worry item. She not only designed sustainable period products but also created a one-for-one program that donated products to girls in require. She invests proceeds in associate organizations that send girls to school.

13. Attend trade shows and fairs

Understanding the current landscape and your potential competitors is an significant step in the product research procedure. If you already have an industry or product category in mind, seek out trade shows, markets, and other events to conduct competitive analysis and discover excellent product ideas. Pay attention to which booths are generating the most buzz. 

14. Consider personalization

One way to stand out from competition is to propose distinctive, customized, and one-of-a-benevolent products. A print-on-demand model allows you to execute this concept for merch like t-shirts and mugs without having to make products or carry inventory yourself. 

Pluto Pillow jumped on the sleep hygiene pattern to reinvent a product in everyone’s home. Their pillows are custom designed to each person’s specifications including sleep position and preferences. 

Note: Personalization can extend beyond the product itself. If you’re selling an existing product in a competitive economy, stand out by offering a personalized shopping encounter around your brand.

15. Analyze international markets

International markets may be the key to the next large thing in your region. Trends in other countries may catch on beyond their borders. Consider the boom of Korean beauty in North America in the early 2010s. Look at regions that typically influence the population where you live: Can you spot a pattern before it catches on?

You can make your own products in the spirit of those popularized in other regions, or you can opt to become a local distributor or reseller for an existing brand. That’s what Gillian Gallant did when she discovered document Shoot Camera on TikTok and knew it would be a hit in North America.

16. Get inspired by social transformation

In addition to sustainable products, companies can demonstrate their values in other ways. Social impact brands can construct loyalty with customers who distribute those values. If you’re selling a ordinary item, tying it to a factor can be a great differentiator between your brand and your competition.

Hippy Feet is a brand selling socks and other accessories, with 50% of profits supporting non-boost partners. Customers buy the brand’s socks not only for the creative patterns and wide variety of options—they also do so because it feels excellent.

Validating your product concept

Product validation truly happens when you make a sale and confirm your hunch. Still, there is plenty you can do ahead of choosing a product to determine if it will sell. 

• Conduct product research. assess the economy and your competitors.
• Do economy research. Try focus groups, surveys, or even social media callouts to get feedback from potential customers. 
• Run the numbers. Does the product have potential to boost? comprehend your costs and determine the ideal retail worth to discover your spread.
• Try a crowdfunding campaign. Securing some level of gain and pool from potential customers before you launch your ecommerce business is undeniably valuable. 
• Run a pre-sale. Similar to the above, you can gauge genuine gain from customers by selling the product before you manufacture.

“I’ve always been taught to receive intelligent risks,” says Nancy Twine, founder of Briogeo. “So I knew that if I was going to leave my career in finance to commence my own corporation, I wanted to feel really excellent about what I was going to embark on.” For her, that meant investing in economy research and building the corporation slowly while she was still employed.

Best product research tools

Keeping your finger on the pulse of product trends and preferences are essential for achievement. Product research tools can propose valuable insights into economy demands, historical average worth, and emerging opportunities.

Here are the four best tools:

1. Exploding topics: This tool uses AI to scan the internet for trending products and topics. Its product database and pro features assist you remain ahead of product trends, which is perfect for developing recent products and outpacing competitors.
2. Helium10: Helium10 offers a suite of tools designed for Amazon and Walmart sellers. Its Chrome extension and database can assist you discover the next profitable product to sell on these platforms.
3. TikTok Creative Center: TikTok also provides free access to top products lists and insights on ad act for popular items year round. It’s helpful for understanding product trends amongst younger crowds and developing a TikTok marketing way. 
4. Jungle Scout: A popular tool for Amazon sellers, Jungle Scout offers sales forecasting, manufacturer verification, and seasonal pattern tracking. It also helps with post-research tasks like customer review requests and listing optimization. 

Product opportunities are everywhere

Whether you’ve narrowed in on a product category or you’re starting from zero, there are plenty of places to discover low competition products with high demand. Tap into search engines, social media and Google Trends. Look at best selling products from other brands. And, look for trending products or an underserved spectators in niche markets.

Once you’ve landed on niche products for your online business, you’ve taken the first step to your upcoming as an business owner. Set up your online store and commence investing in digital marketing to reach your ideal customer. You’re ready to commence selling products online!

characteristic illustration by Isabella Fassler