The Best Products to Sell Online The Best Products to Sell Online

Jun 24, 2023

You're thinking of selling your products on the internet. It's a thrilling beginning step towards entrepreneurship!

The most effective business that sell online or through e-commerce invest their time looking into their marketplace and taking into consideration the many options that come with selling on the internet.

The objective isn't to simply list a bunch of products and areas that people claim to be the "hottest" items selling online in 2023.

We'll look at some aspects of that and more, but we're going give you the steps to do your own research on products in order to keep ahead of the market trends and rivals and establish your own lucrative niche.

More importantly more important, the top items to offer online are the products that you are able to sell successfully online. If you are able to make it work with your chosen categories, sub-categories and even niches and niches, you will be successful in building an online business.

analytics dashboards on various social media and data platforms

It is important to offer goods that are highly sought-after however, in a market that isn't already oversaturated. It's not a good idea to compete against huge stores however, you must find the right niche to be lucrative and is able to grow.

What are the steps to get you started?

In order to serve you better This guide was designed to assist you in learning how to determine the best merchandise to offer online depending on your needs, interests, experience as well as your creativity and interests.

Are selling online products easy?

There's a better way for you to look at the issue:

What skills related to business, product development marketing, selling on the internet do you already possess? Selling online products boils in the form of what you've got, what you can learn, and how well you apply your expertise and knowledge.

The more you already know the more familiar you are, the easier selling products online. Whatever your level of expertise, selling online requires a good idea, systems and platforms such as , marketing, and a willing public.

Does that sound easy?

Well, it's generally much simpler to start the brick-and-mortar firm like typical retail stores because there are much less startup expenses, less risk, less overhead, and a greater ability to adapt, adjust, and pivot when needed.

What's more is that even if you have limited experience, nothing but time is stopping you from learning. Reading this article is the perfect place to begin!

If you are motivated to take on the challenge of selling online products Don't let a ignorance or lack of experience stop you. Get started today. Find out everything you can. Be consistent and be successful.

woman working on her laptop in front of a bookshelf

What do I need to do to become an online product seller?

If you're not sure of an idea for a product yet, finding one is where you'll start. What are you planning to offer on your online store? What industries and products interest you the most?

A niche provides you with the chance to reach people who are looking for something particular, but isn't finding their requirements met in the major retail stores. These niche products allow your business to appear on the internet, even as a brand tiny online company.

person holding a cat mug in their hand

In other words, does a new online store selling coffee mugs be found in the first page of an online search for the keyword "coffee cups"? No. It's too big and broad of a word.

However, what is the possibility of a brand-new online store that sells funny, color-changing coffee mugs for cat owners? It's very unique and has an audience for that.

A niche product can give an opportunity to begin, and you can be competitive with big online shops right from the beginning.

Are you thinking of toys for toddlers? Explore your thoughts and learn how to describe the toys. Are they silly toys? Puzzle toys? Brain-boosting toys? Toys for individuals, families or groups of children? Toys that are disposable or perishable? Environmentally-friendly toys?

This is just a starting base. The more precisely you can define what is it that sets the toys in your online store apart from just a "toy store" the more potential customers that you'll attract.

two children playing with wooden toys at a table

When you are looking at the different kinds of merchandise you can sell online, make sure you don't get caught up on big broad categories.

Start by creating an inventory of the products or ideas that you are interested in. Start exploring on the web using strategies we'll go over briefly, and seek out an opening within a specific branch of a larger product category. Reduce it to a small set of niche products. This is the key to finding niche products to sell on the internet.

What are the top-selling products on the internet?

If you search for the top selling items of 2023 or another year, every page you find will have a different selection of goods. This means that no one really tabulates actual most popular products by categories.

Why? Because there are multiple ways to quantify that. Is it best selling through volume? Number of units sold? Most profitable selling through profits? Most profitable selling on revenue prior to expenses? Best selling compared to the other competitors? What is the best-selling product within your industry or field?

Your choice of what product to offer on the web doesn't merely have to do with the actual product. It also concerns how you'd like to sell it as well as who you wish to market to as your intended audience. We'll take a quick look at both.

Ways to sell products online

Anyone who is looking to establish any kind of business online There are plenty of approaches for building your online presence, finding and managing inventory, and more. Some aren't exclusive to one another however, they are all aspects you must think about.

Below are a few options you can select from and pair together for your perfect business plan:

Godin Guitars homepage design

Sell your products through your own online store

If you set up your own store online using an application like this  it, you are able to sell your products directly to consumers, businesses or wholesalers. Additionally, you can run the whole business by establishing your own site.

Amazon merchant homepage

Sell on an marketplace on the internet

shelves full of jeans in different shades

Sell and manage your own inventory

If you've got space -- either in a facility you rent or have your own, you are able to store and sell products you make yourself through your store online. In this case, you'll have to establish systems that will make sure that the items you sell are available, and that you don't hold too much product on hand that you're at risk of being stuck with un-sold stock.

wooden shelves stocked with products

Sell your products through dropshipping

Every item that is sold will be shipped directly from the manufacturer or wholesaler to the customer.

Certain products are compatible when combined with this system, whereas other products do not.

mugs with fun sayings stacked on a table

This variation is similar to dropshipping in that you only make a product once someone is interested in it. In this scenario the product is manufactured by yourself, on demand or in direct collaboration with a manufacturer.

items stacked in a warehouse

Create your own products

If you're able to create your own products to sell online, you might want to consider doing this in order to keep the quality intact and cut out intermediaries in order to keep prices low and still make a good profit. This is also simpler with certain products more than other products.

men's clothing laid out on a table

Sell pre-existing products

You can also sell products that are made in other countries, but you have become the intermediary, marking up what you buy from suppliers and selling the product to your customers. It is also possible to alter this approach and create your own brand based on pre-existing trending products.

warehouse full of shoeboxes

Sell wholesale

What's better -- selling on Amazon as well as your personal ecommerce store?

In general, you'll enjoy selling your own store online instead of Amazon or other online marketplaces, and here are the most important reasons for this:

  • There's no competition from similar products that are in the same category in front of yours
  • It will be less stressful to think about the price of the rivals
  • You'll enjoy more flexibility in the marketplace. Amazon will change their conditions, remove you from their list and increase the cost of their services without warning
  • There's more customer loyalty and an increased chance of building the brand's reputation
  • You'll be able to expand without limit
  • Your company will own all of your customers details (not a third-party web site) -- a very useful asset, the more it becomes

Although it might be simpler to begin selling on the internet using a website like Amazon due to its pre-existing infrastructure and increased traffic but you'll soon realize that the above advantages of having your own online store outweigh the benefits Amazon has to offer, particularly in the future development.

Who should you sell it to?

Your offerings, for the most part, determine who your audience is. There are a few additional aspects to take into consideration. You may decide to market items to customers based on a variety of attributes like:

  • Demographics like age, gender
  • Work
  • Situations of life -- those with children, retired people Singles, retirees
  • Social-economic status
  • Ethnicity
  • The location of countries Provinces, states Cities, regions, states

There is the option to offer your products to companies through B2B- business to business. Wholesale fits in this category however, any store may sell its products to different firms, in accordance with what they are selling.

Your target market will emerge depending on the products you choose to market, and it is able to change and grow over time. When you're only getting into selling on the internet, you need to make a a decision about whom your ideal customers would be and build from there.

What product has the highest return on investment?

The highest margin online products are not physical products. Information-based products like online courses, memberships and online coaching organizations, and even eBooks require the use of no inventory, manufacturing and production. When the product is produced, you can sell similar items to as many customers as will buy it.

Software can be added to this group, even though the development process tends to require a higher number of people than the products mentioned earlier. This pushes higher the cost of production, and reduces margins, at initially. If your program grows and is popular, it also offers very good margins.

warehouse stacked high with boxes

What are the products I can sell on the internet from my the comfort of my home?

As mentioned earlier, you are able to start selling your products from home more easily through dropshipping because you avoid the need to keep and maintain the inventory.

Dropshipping has numerous benefits, including minimal startup costs, no charges for shipping, warehouse costs more risk-free, as well as fewer staffing requirements. It can also be harder to gain a foothold in the marketplace, and you have less influence over your product.

You can also visit actual dropshipping companies and learn how they work and what they can offer.

Two of the largest dropshipping provider sources include AliExpress as well as Spocket.

Factors that affect product profit and sales

What can you do to determine the products you'd like to begin selling on the internet? Here are a few considerations that affect how well an item sells as well as your potential profit margins:

Margins

The profit margin for each item is the difference between what it costs to manufacture or secure the product, and the price you are charging for it. Selling a product for $200, which costs the equivalent of $180 for production might not be as appealing a commercial idea as a product that sells for $50 and is made for $25.

assorted cookies in a cardboard box

Shelf life -perishability

The same applies to food items This is true for food, naturally. It also applies to items like construction materials, specific skincare and cosmetic products, and various other items. The longer-lasting products may be more desirable for customers, however it also means you can't sell to them as frequently. It's true that there's not an 'right' or "wrong' way to go here. This is just something to think about when you are exploring product ideas.

Selling perishable items also increases your risk of unsold inventory. If you're unable to dispose of items before they go bad and you've lost the total potential value of the item in the first place.

Size and weight

Heavyer, larger-sized products can increase storage space and management of inventory costs.

man and woman packing boxes for shipping

Consumable or not

It doesn't have to refer to food items. Any product that people run out of is a good candidate to generate sales over the long term as your customers will come back for more. It's in stark contrast to things that people purchase once or just a handful of times over their life.

An old wrench could last for years until it wears out. Art is a harder niche because people can only have so much art available in their homes. That isn't to say these aren't worthwhile niches to think about. This is simply something to incorporate into your planning process as you work out your plan to market your products online.

How do you come up with a product and sell it?

The answer is upon the type of online business model is appealing to you.

Dropshippers don't have to maintain inventory, or even create products. The products you sell are already in existence. You might have to develop your brand and must definitely develop your marketing plan and an online store. You don't need to develop actual product ideas.

workers standing in a warehouse

It's likely to be the same for wholesaling, too. If you want to work with wholesalers, you could become a link in the chain for businesses who require these products. Also, it could be a huge retailer in another nation that has a huge warehouse of the product.

They can purchase their goods in large quantities, mark it up, then become a wholesaler local to your town, state province, region, or state.

In addition, it isn't necessary to design a product with this method.

Print on demand companies doesn't create the canvas of their product, but they'll be providing the personalization that makes people or businesses decide to purchase their products. In this instance you must have the ability to create your own design, style as well as technical expertise, the kind of customized service you're offering.

blank white t-shirts for customization

It is important to understand how to work with suppliers who will provide 'canvases' for your products whether they are shirts, mugs, pens, notebooks and water bottles, or anything else you want to include in your online store.

If manufacturing your own products The answer becomes much more complicated. In the case of food, where can you get the ingredients, assuming you have developed recipes already? If you're making a different product is required, you'll have to find the raw materials as well as make a process for manufacturing.

If the product you are selling is software, or digital information product, you have to program it, create it, and design it.

But before developing a new product -- particularly one with higher upfront cost, you may want to consider doing some market research to determine if there's an appetite for your concept. Let's spend some time talking about market research.

What else is hot right now? What's in demand?

What can you do to find out which products are popular in other online stores? Below are the top four methods to discover the most popular products

Google Trends is a useful tool to get into the mind of the people who use it. If you already have potential products in mind, It allows you to search for specific keywords to see the amount of interest there is for the products you are thinking of.

Maybe more interesting, you can draw insights and conclusions from the way search results for consumers differ more generally. In this case, Google's own analysis of trends in 2022 provides clear and concise findings:

 Travelers are using HTML0.

Searches related to travel are increasing significantly as people continue to make up lost time lost during the epidemic. For example, searches on the "best travel pillow" increased by 145 percent, "airline reviews" 70%, and "best credit cards for travel" 30 percent. If the product you are selling can be employed in connection with travel and exploration or the way you make it appear so, you can take advantage of this rise in interest.

 Many feel the effects of economic uncertainty

However, consumers are also increasing searches related to saving money as well as stress management. The economic future remains uncertain and consumers are taking precautions. "Cheap alternative to" experienced an increase of 30% over the past year as well as "how to cut costs" had the most significant increase at 50. Similar trends were observed for stress management-related searches, and the symptoms of burnout saw an increase of 85%.

If you're planning to launch your first online shop, or planning to expand your presence already in coming years, be sure to read Google's report on what the future holds for retail. It describes how customers are searching for products across various channels and shedding brand loyalty for personalized shopping.

For using Google Trends, after you reach the main page start by selecting the Explore tab. After that, type in a area or another search term that is relevant to your idea for a product.

Google Trends dashboard

For example, when you search for "yogurt" in Google Trends, it shows an interest in yogurt, based on location. You can narrow down your search from states to large metro areas to cities, and find areas that have displayed the highest interest in yogurt. The information could prove useful if you want to concentrate on certain areas first. Find the areas where there is the greatest demand.

related queries from Google Trends

Next, it will show related queries that have an enormous amount of searches. In the case of yogurt, Google Trends listed things like "greek Yogurt" and 'frozen yogurt'. It also lists the top searched for terms that are related to the product category.

rising related queries from Google Trends

You can also select  the 'rising' volume of search, and see which terms have gained the most traffic recently. In the case of yogurt, the most rising search queries were 'coconut cult yogurt, "yogurt bark," and several other terms.

So these terms reflect what you might consider an innovative approach to the industry of yogurt. You won't find those at the supermarket. So the 'rising' terms give you emerging merchandise that is beginning to gain traction.

These might be good product ideas to start selling on the internet, so that you can ride the wave up in the event that your product grows popular. It could be a risk however, in the event that the trend goes out of fashion too quickly.

related topics from Google Trends

Following, Google Trends will provide you with related subjects. So these are terms that aren't yogurt-related, however they're related to it in some manner like 'protein'- nutrient.'

This is where you're considering possible ideas for new products, or for new potential markets that may be interested in products from your online company.

The Greek yogurt surge of the past decade is likely due in part to the demand of alternative protein sources that are high in nutrients. This appeals to a particular type of buyer. What other things could be interesting to them other than the yogurt?

2. Utilize Amazon

There is a way to utilize Amazon without selling through Amazon. Much of their data is accessible to all to see You can also make use of it to research the most popular and trendy products and groups.

This is how you find the right products for sale using Amazon sale data:

movers and shakers category on Amazon

Shakers and Movers

Start by visiting Amazon's Movers and Shakers section. This shows products that have produced the largest growth in sales over the specific timeframe. This is similar to "rising" queries found in Google Trends, except now it's looking at actual goods, not search terms.

Looking at the people and the shakers in just the duration of a single day might not be very valuable, because these lists will change constantly. If you were to check in each day for several months, choosing just a few product categories that interest you, you would be able to spot trends and patterns.

Are there any brands or products that consistently show up? How do things like seasons and holidays affect which brands and products are displayed? What about news events?

Amazon movers and shakers

Subcategories

Another option, on the same page you can click on one of the categories for the primary product type, such as 'baby. A New set of headers will be displayed, with subcategories for "baby," such as strollers, nursery items, clothes toys, and clothing. If you select those then the categories will break down even more specifically.

It is possible for a narrowing down of specific product descriptions and categories, much like the earlier discussion when talking about color-changing coffee mugs to cat owners.

What are you doing here?

Find out what's on sale. Examine their packaging and brands. Learn about the product's marketing and description. Review reviews and find out the things that buyers love about the products and also what they're lacking.

If you are able to identify the ways these products are not serving clients -- missing opportunities -- you may have the ability to create items to market on the internet that address those not being met needs.

Best Seller Ratings -BSR - BSR

Amazon utilizes a measurement called the BSR to help customers and sellers alike get an idea of how well these items sell.

So this will give you an idea of the amount you could be able to sell -at Amazon at the very least. Of course, it is important to be aware of data like this, because it's based on several factors like pricing and category. These sales won't just "happen," because you selected the category.

You do however get an idea of the need for these goods based on the BSRs they have.

The categories of general merchandise which are always in high demands on Amazon are home and kitchen, health and personal care, sports and outdoors, and beauty.

3. Tap into TikTok

TikTok has grown to be so valuable for consumers that they openly embrace their finds by using the extremely-loved tagline #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt This now has over 50 billion people viewing it. The site is full of new ideas and a great place to start your search.

TikTok also has some amazing resources for merchants. There is the ability to view top products and sort results based on location, product categories, and more. Or use the search function to locate more precise results.

TikTok offers a new insights platform that details behaviors by production, geography, industry and much more.

The system syncs inventory from your store to TikTok and allows you to design ads without the requirement of a professional designer or video team. Advanced tracking pixels can help you maximize your return from advertising and find an audience that's eager to purchase your latest product.

4. The results will guide you.

In addition to Google Trends and Amazon Start with basic search engine queries and allow your research to guide you.

Look for sales statistics that relate to the product category of interest. You should check sources and dates to ensure that what you're reading is relevant and reliable, however, you can find statistics all over the place which can assist you in finding the latest products on the market. If you are able to pinpoint the right information, you'll find good stuff.

In the example above, looking up "kitchen sales figures" can yield lots of results, but they isn't very helpful because the term is so broad. Do you understand how having a clear specific, lucrative niche is crucial? It comes up over and over again.

woman working on a laptop

Try searching for narrower words like "food storage container sales figures". Or substitute 'data' for  statistics.' That narrower term can be useful to anyone who is considering selling these sorts of goods.

The best way to approach this is to start by using Amazon to discover more narrow product categories, then search online for sales stats using those words. See where it leads you.

There are also organizations and websites in your chosen industry or that cater to the people you want to reach. They'll often sponsor studies and publications that can be used to help you explore your products.

What are the best ways to conduct market study?

Statistic and trends are but the beginning of research into market. There's a lot more to learn about.

What kinds of subjects could you investigate? Here are some suggestions:

  • Demand -- use Google Trends and BSRs on Amazon to make sense of the current demand
  • Sales stats and search queries give some idea on this.
  • The economic indicators -- what are the demographics of income that your goods appeal to?
  • Location -- Google Trends again can help when you want to target specific areas to sell your products
  • Market saturation -Is there too much competition? Do you have room for a different choice?
  • Pricing -- what are the people paying for goods related to your idea?

Qualtrics suggests focusing research on the following four areas:

  • Consumer -- current or past consumer behavior
  • Your company -- your product, service, advertising programs, pricing, etc.
  • Competition -- the effects of your goods on the competition in the market
  • The entire industry is where it's going and where it's been

How can you conduct research on topics such as such? There are two kinds of market research: Primary and secondary.

team meeting around a table

Conduct primary and secondary market analysis

Primarily research refers to any research you can conduct by yourself- actual survey, interviews products, testing of new products as well as focus groups and other ways of collecting data.

Secondary research includes any existing data that you collect and utilize. Therefore, looking online for sales statistics would be secondary research. So would looking at websites of the government, like the Small Business Association, which has all sorts of statistics.

You probably noticed immediately the secondary research process is easier, but the primary research is more thorough because it will be specific to your product concepts and objectives.

Hotjar posted a excellent instance of primry research that includes the case study of a real company that did research on one their products.

The experts suggest five questions to ask if you are able to speak with someone as part of your research:

  1. Who are you and what are you doing?
  2. How do you plan to spend your day?
  3. Do you ever purchase this type of product or service?
  4. What problem were you seeking to resolve or what goal did you hope to accomplish with this purchase?
  5. Let me take you back to the day when you decided that you had to solve this problem or reach this goal.

This line of questioning can reveal the thought process and motivations behind purchase decisions.

Moz homepage

Find out about competitor traffic

Another strategy for market research is using SEO tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Buzzsumo.

Are you interested in knowing which sites are drawing visitors from search terms as well as the keywords that are related to your products suggestions and category?

These services will show you. It will show you the actual information on clicks and impressions that are related to a variety of search terms as well as PPC advertisements that your rivals might be using.

For clarity on these terms, an impression happens when a result from a search appears following a query. Likewise, a click is when the user is able to click on the result of a search. So impressions are always more than clicks. This same principle applies for PPC (pay per click) advertising.

The information you gather is useful for several motives, but not all of them are connected to research on market. You'll be able to know something about your competition and what you're up against to attract organic or paid traffic.

But you'll also get good information about what your prospective customers are searching for and click on. You'll see which search terms are receiving the most reaction. That indicates demand.

To be precise, These are services that cost money. However, if you're just getting started and don't want to go overboard, you may pay for one month, conduct all the initial research and then back out.

shelves in a store with packaged food items

So, do you need a couple of examples of items that can be sold online?

Keep in mind that any listing trying to present the best items to sell on the internet is only a summary. The real value lies in what you've already learned -- how to determine the qualities that make a product suitable to market, ways to identify trends, compare the various options to sell online, and more.

However, there are broad trending in online sales that are likely to remain consistent as time passes. In case you're not aware, Amazon reports consistently strong sales for these product categories:

  • Home and kitchen
  • Health and personal treatment
  • Outdoors and Sports
  • Beauty

Here are a few particular examples:

workout clothes stacked on a table

Shapewear

The popularity of shapewear is increasing. Contrary to many fashion trends that are short-lived fashions, it serves a functional reason. It's created to be comfortable and fashionable, while making people have a better sense of how they dress.

The fabric used in modern shapes is extremely light and easy to carry. Below are a few options that fall into this class:

  • Control is slipping
  • Leggings
  • Bodysuits

It is for some sportswear and they wear it in the gym, or when exercising in the outdoors. The versatility of this garment and its practical application makes it an essential item for modern-day clothing.

granola bars on a white background

Health and wellness

Most consumers will spend more for organic food items and local-sourced or farm-raised products.

Some shoppers also seek foods that meet specific dietary requirements. Some shoppers prefer lower-fat and nutrient-rich, vegetarian or Keto options.

Here are some examples of products for fitness and health:

  • Dietary supplements
  • Multivitamins
  • Protein shakes
  • Energy bars
kitten playing with pink toys

Pet products

About 70% of U.S. households are pet pets. The pet market online is a stable, reliable segment because we have to replace their toys regularly as well as accessories, as well as food.

  • Pet beds
  • Pet toothbrushes
  • LED dog collars
  • Toys that bite
kitchen with stove and backsplash

Kitchen and home

Shelf life might be longer, but consumers are always looking for innovative ways prepare food, arrange, and keep things organized in the kitchen.

It is possible to count on an ongoing stream of prospective buyers as young people move out from their homes with parents, get married, start families, buy houses for their first and second homes and start their new lives.

All the way through to retirement and beyond, kitchen and home equipment, accessories, and storage options are always in high demand.

The most common examples of home and kitchen appliances include:

  • Non-slip kitchen mats
  • Silverware sets
  • Drawer and cabinet organizers
  • Drying racks
  • Dustpans and brooms

Are you ready to begin selling online through your own e-commerce firm?

It comes with all the equipment you require to create your online store so you can sell products and even start your own business.

It is fully compatible it seamlessly with WordPress, and offers many plugins and extensions to help with selling online, marketing, payment processing, coupons and offers SEO, accounting and many other tools to assist you in run your shop.