10 Proven Strategies to Find Trending Products That Sells

Summary

Finding a product that sells is tough. The process is complicated and time-consuming.

Most entrepreneurs think this way: everyone today wants a smartwatch or maybe mobile accessories, and hence I must sell those products.

Well, it’s not entirely an incorrect approach; but when you want to build a successful business, you need to dig deeper.

Apart from figuring out what’s in demand, customers’ frustrations with existing products are worth paying attention to. It’s worth recognizing a trend early.

Because that is how you carve out a niche for your brand in the market.

For instance, the founders of Hush Blankets came up with this amazing product—a weighted blanket When placed on you, it helps reduce anxiety and insomnia.

Within one year of launching the first version of the blanket, the brand had 3.4M in sales and placements in over 200 retail stores.

The trick is to find something that will make a difference for your end customer and allow your business to scale. To help you get started, we have prepared this guide on how to find products to sell online.

We share some strategies that will help you find trending products and talk about potential niches that you can consider.

How to find trending products

1. Begin with What You Already Have

Sometimes, the best product idea doesn’t come from intensive research but could be an entrepreneur’s passion or hobby like making jewelry, DIY crafts, handcrafted clothes, etc.

It could even be your family’s special delicacy that you can sell or set up a second-hand book store if you have a library. Here are a few examples to inspire you.

Family Recipe Inspired Pickle Jars

When Bob McClure and his brother Joe were kids, they would spend their summers making pickles with their grandma, Lala. They would go to the farmers’ market to bring fresh produce and prepare pickle jars in a small kitchen.

(Family Recipe Inspired Products by McClure)

Later, they turned this pickle legacy into a profitable business by starting McClure’s Pickles. They hardly knew anything about business and manufacturing, but they had a solid product.

Today, you will find McClure pickles at stores in different countries, including the UK, Ireland, and South Korea. They have extended their product line to pickle-flavored chips, merchandise, ready-to-drink Bloody Mary mix, and more.

Sell personalized offerings with a product design tool to meet customer needs. See how the tool works for your business.

Turning Passion for Ancient Techniques into Best-Selling Jewelry Products

Loren N. Teetelli began her career as an archaeologist. She worked as an archaeological lab technician and conservator in the Anthropology department of the American Museum of Natural History.

To understand the materials she was conserving, she took up courses in ancient metalsmithing. Her curiosity and passion led her to gather more knowledge about ancient jewelry techniques. This drove her to lay the foundation of Loren Nicole.

She launched her first collection of ethically sourced gemstones and gold jewelry. Her jewelry pieces are beautifully handcrafted and depict a blend of ancient civilization and modern technology.

(Amulet Ring by Loren Nicole)

So, if you ever had an excellent product idea but brushed it off for some reason, or maybe your family keeps telling you that you are a fantastic baker, it’s time to reconsider it. Once you have a product or niche that you are interested in, the next step is to validate the demand for that product.

Start your online store today with an added USP of product customization. Let’s get in touch!

2. Look for Trends That Have Greater Opportunities

Do you remember fidget spinners? These little gadgets were everywhere in 2017. But soon, the demand dropped.

As shown in the below image, at the start of 2018, the craze slowly disappeared.

(The Rise and Fall of Fidget Spinners)

Fidget spinners were not a trend but a fad. For new entrepreneurs, it is crucial to know the difference between the two.

Unlike fads, trends are not short-lived. They have a lasting impact on customers buying preferences and present profitable opportunities for businesses.

For instance, athleisure wear is a popular trend that is getting mainstream. Brands like Alo Yoga, and LuluLemon are bringing innovation and carving out new niches in this segment.

Even high-end luxury brands have started creating their athleisure lines. As health awareness becomes a greater part of our society and culture, this trend won’t slow anytime soon.

The Growing Trend of Customized Products

The demand for customized products is at an all-time high. As people are increasingly becoming conscious about what they buy and seek to promote individuality, brands across the globe are responding to the demand.

Businesses from apparel to automotive and even consumer packaged goods enable their customers to create their own unique designs.

Introducing customizable products can give your startup an edge over general products in the market. People will immediately notice your brand because unique products are often a great conversation starter.

For example, July Luggage allows its customers to add a personal touch to their travel bags by imprinting their initials on their luggage. Athan Didaskalou is the CSO of July Luggage, told Forbes in an interview:

“Customers tell us all the time that people stop them in airports and on trains to ask where they got their suitcases. People are intrigued by the idea of their initials on their suitcase, and when they learn they can choose the color palette too, they get excited.”

The easiest way to sell customized products is by starting a print-on-demand business. With minimum set-up cost and zero inventory, you can start selling online. Print on demand is a process where you work with suppliers to customize white-label products and sell them under your brand on a per-order basis.

So, you need not hold any inventory. Additionally, your POD provider will take care of everything from printing to shipping.

Related Resource: Start A Print on Demand Store in 5 Steps

Once you build your online store, you can offer an added USP of product customization by integrating a product designer tool into your store.

You can integrate the product design tool with any eCommerce platform like Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce, etc. The tool comes with tons of features that make product customization fun and easy for your customers. It works with any product with a printable surface, such as t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, shoes, bags, cards, and more.

The best part of the tool is that it is entirely customizable. You can configure the tool’s UI to match your brand. As an admin, you get complete control over the tool’s backend, where you manage functionalities the way you want. For instance, you can adjust the design area, manage image effects and colors, control object editing, and more.

Start selling customized products and unlock success with an advanced and feature-rich product designer tool.

3. Search the Right Way on Marketplaces

Google is not the only place to choose a product to sell. Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay are a goldmine for finding the best product ideas.

With millions of products, you need to search like a pro there, and here’s how to choose products to sell online.

Start your Search with Amazon

You will get an idea of trending products to sell from the top categories on Amazon. Once you click on a category, you will be able to see other sub-categories.

(Amazon’s Top Categories and Sub-categories are a Goldmine for Product Ideas)

Also, do not forget Amazon’s best sellers page. There you will find the hot selling products that will appeal to your target market.

(Check Amazon’s Best Sellers Page, and Narrow Your Search by Picking Sub-categories)

Another way to find trending products to sell is by analyzing your competitors. You can find your primary competitors on the best sellers page. Check their product listings and website if they have one.

Also, focus on the “Sponsored” and “Customers Also Bought This” sections to get better insights.

All top products that you see on Amazon are based on current sales. So, you never know if a product is trending or just a fad. Hence, it’s always a good thing to research more before you make your final decision.

Take Help of Tools to Search Better

Manually searching the best sellers list and analyzing your competitors is time-consuming. Many product research tools will help you find products to sell.

For example, AMZScout. Though it’s a complete toolset for selling on Amazon, its database will help you find profitable and low-competition products to sell.

(Easily Find Products to Sell Online Using Search Filters like Price, Reviews, etc.)

Once you find products to sell, you can validate the demand using tools like Jungle Scout. Jungle Scout is an Amazon research tool that helps you find the best products to sell, estimate sales, know keywords, analyze competition, etc.

(Know Search Volume for a Product with Keyword Scout – Image Source)

Use WatchCount to find Best Sellers on eBay

WatchCount reveals the most-watched/popular items on eBay in real-time. The results on WatchCount are produced by eBay, which tracks votes by users when they add an item to their watch list.

For instance, search for the keyword ‘cell phone’. You will get results similar to ones shown in the below image. This way, you can get an idea of hot-selling products by the number of people viewing a product.

(Use WatchCount to Choose a Product to Sell)

Once you find the most profitable products to sell online, you need to develop a solid business plan that includes information like where you will source your products? How will you sell? What tools do you need to get, etc.

Take your eCommerce from the ground off by choosing the right tools. Find out how a product customization software can make all the difference.

4. Find a Product that Solves Customer Problems

The most vital component to the success of any business is customers. Happy and satisfied customers result in higher retention rates and a lifetime relationship.

The first step in finding top-selling products that lead to satisfied customers is knowing their pain points and solving them. Addressing customer problems will get people to sit up and notice your brand.

Opena is an iPhone case with a slide-out bottle opener. It was launched on the Kickstarter project in 2011. It successfully raised $28,303 (surpassing its initial $15,000 target.) People were willing to buy it when it was just a prototype.

How did this happen?

Opena worked as a solution to a problem for opening bottles without the need to carry bottle openers. iPhone cases are plenty, but practical ones are rare. And that’s what made this product stand out from the rest.

(Opena iPhone Case with Slide-out Bottle Opener)

Belay Specs is another example of how solving a potential problem can turn into a successful business. Daniel Blis, a postal worker, launched his eCommerce business, making $4,000 a month.

Daniel started his business by solving his problem. He is a rock-climber, and it hurt his neck to look up while he was belaying (standing on the ground helping the climber above him).

(Daniel with Author Tim Ferriss)

He wanted to buy glasses to make his neck hurt less. All the glasses in the market were $99. So, he figured there had to be a way to make and sell cheaper glasses. And that’s how Belay Specs, previously known as belayshades.com started.

How You Can Identify Problems to Solve

First, come up with a list of products that you have researched or are passionate about. For each product, come up with three or four pain points that you can help solve.

Let’s say you decide to sell vegan food products. Ask questions like what pain points customers might have?

Maybe they do not want to place an order every month for the essential supplies. In this case, you can offer a subscription service where you deliver products per their requirements every month.

Once you have pain points in place, it’s time to research your competition. There are chances someone might already have a solution for that problem. While you research, look for businesses that have failed. Reasons for their failure will give you an idea about what you should avoid.

If there’s a business that deals in the same industry/niche you are interested in, see if they lack something, ask yourself how you can serve customers better. Examining the market and asking the right questions will guide you in the right direction.

5. Consider Products That Are Impulse Buys

How many times have you bought something online without putting much thought? You saw a product, liked it, and bought it.

Impulse buying is a common shopping behavior today. Products like hair accessories, tote bags, shoes, crafts, artificial jewelry, clothing, cheap home essentials, etc., are such that shoppers won’t spend much time deciding.

If you are thinking about finding the best-selling products, you can even consider selling t-shirts. T-shirt printing is perhaps the most sought-after business idea.

If you look at the latest reports, the trend for custom t-shirts has grown tremendously. The global custom t-shirt printing market is expected to reach around USD 7.01 billion by 2034.

Related Content: How to Start T-shirt Business

Once you choose a market niche, you need to decide how you want to sell t-shirts. Do you want to develop a website or start with a ready-to-use web to print store?
With PrintXpand web to print store, you can launch your online business in no time. Our B2B storefront and B2C storefronts come with all the features you need to manage a store. With industry-standard themes, you can customize your website as per your business needs.
It is fully integrable with ERP solutions that will enable you to streamline your day-to-day print operations and manage inventory and orders. Additionally, the storefront is fully compatible with a product designer tool to offer a seamless customization experience to your customers.

Launch your web to print store in no time!

6. Source for Ideas on Social Curation and Social Media Platforms

Social media-based feedback and comments are a great way to research what products to sell. Look at social media platforms you already use to get information about products customers are interested in buying. Here’s how you can search on social media to find popular products to sell online.

Reddit

Reddit is the world’s largest discussion forum, and that’s what makes it a rich source for product ideas. Reddit has niche-specific subreddits that include different topics. You will find thousands of subreddits’ lists.
If you do not want to go through the list, you can search the specific industry or idea you are looking for. There are also product-based threads like Best of Amazon, Weird stuff on Amazon, etc.

The most helpful subreddit is Buy it for life. Here, you will find practical products that Reddit users have used, and they recommend others.

Instagram

Instagram is a visual platform. Hence, it becomes easy to scan through pictures and get an idea of some of the best products to sell online based on the likes and comments a product has received.

You can search for posts on Instagram by using relevant hashtags. Take a note of those ideas and save the hashtags. If you decide to go with that product idea, the hashtags might help you with marketing.

(Search on Instagram Using Relevant Hashtags)

You can even check industry leaders and influencers in a niche you are interested in. Their profile will inspire you with new ideas.

Quora

Quora, as the company says, is the place to share and gain knowledge. Users on this platform ask and answer questions on any and every topic.

You will meet entrepreneurs like you who have tried niches and industries you are interested in. And you can get detailed information about products or industry-related stuff.

(Ask Question on Quora to Gather Insights from Fellow Entrepreneurs)

To use this platform to find top selling products to sell, you need first to create an account. Like Reddit has subreddits, Quora has topics that you can choose from to add to your feed. Once your feed is ready, you will discover Q&A that inspires you to find great ideas.

Related Content: 5 Online Business Ideas to Start

7. Turn Your Expertise into a Profitable Business

If you already have specific professional skills, you can sell them online. It could be paintings, illustrations, or services like writing, coding, designing, etc. That’s what Cat Seto does. She is a San Francisco-based artist, author, and founder of Ferme à Papier.

Her studio represents unique goods from different designers. The stationery that she sells landed her partnerships with brands like Gap.

(Card Collection by Ferme à Papier)

You can even create and sell an online course. Online learning is showing significant growth. Selling online courses will be a great business opportunity. All you need to do is decide on a topic, invest in good equipment like a camera, editing software, green screen, etc., and find a platform where you can sell.

Here too, you will need to do in-depth research and market evaluation. Suppose you are planning to sell your designs. You need to figure out what white-label products are on which you can print your designs. Are notebooks trending or tote bags? Will you develop a store from scratch or get a ready-made store?

8. Check Customer Reviews to Find Best Products to Sell Online

Reading customer reviews on existing products directly exposes you to customer pain points. You will get an idea about the challenges people face using products and potential improvements they expect from an existing product.

To know what popular products to sell online, check Amazon reviews. You will get a first-hand look into what people love or hate about a product.

For example, below is a customer review on a wallet. It shows one pain point that credit card slots are too small. You can consider such information when you decide what products to sell.

(Check Customer Reviews to Get Insights into User Pain Points)

Checking reviews is a time-consuming process. So, a good idea is to shortlist products and use such complaints to modify your product.

9. Search for Products that Appeal to Specific Audience

One of the biggest advantages of finding a product that caters to a particular audience is that these are the type of customers actively looking for your products.

For instance, pet owners need essential pet supplies. They will invest in getting the best quality products or services for their pets.

Thus, finding a niche market will help you attract and retain more customers and create products that stand out against the competition.

Here are some niche market examples that are in demand right now. It’s up to you what you want to choose. You can explore the following markets or drill down to find other niche opportunities within each category.

Health Enthusiasts

Fitness is an evergreen niche. Even if you look at Amazon, fitness equipment for home and fitness wear tops the list. But like other niches, fitness is broad. If you want to start a business in this sector, you need to be more specific. Consider narrowing your focus to a specialized area such as personal and group fitness training to cater to specific needs and build a dedicated customer base.

The subgroup of fitness products includes home gym equipment, muscle recovery products, eco-friendly sportswear, etc.

Day/Won is the first fully size-inclusive activewear brand in the US. Its products are for everybody with sustainable practices. They use recycled polyester and deadstock for most of their collection. All their prints are digitally constructed and never water dried.

(Day/Won Perfecting the Niche Market with Size-inclusivity and Sustainability)

Food Products for Vegans

Vegan food products have been rising for the last few years, but they grew three times faster from 2018 to 2020. You can meet this growing demand by selling plant-based food products like vegan protein powder, plant-based milk, etc.

Subscription boxes are one way to provide these products to your target market. An example of this is VeganCuts Subscription Box. You can choose from 3 to 12 months of subscription boxes containing vegan snacks, meal items, and drinks like mac and cheese, chocolates, hummus, etc.

(VeganCuts Monthly Subscription Box)

Skin-care Enthusiasts

Skin-care, as a market, is growing faster than any other segment in the beauty and wellness industry. There is so much that you can do in this sector. One option is selling cruelty-free products.

The Global Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Market size is estimated to reach USD USD 13.46 Billion by 2034. Launching into this niche is undoubtedly a profitable opportunity. Another area is the personalized beauty market. Personalized beauty brands offering skin-care and hair care products are cropping up everywhere.

Prose, for example, is for all skincare lovers! They offer a subscription-based business model where customers can order personalized products based on their skin analysis!

Plant Lovers

Gardening retail has seen an upward trend in the year-on-year growth rate. A report says that there’s a growth of $127.1 billion in retail sales of powered lawn and garden tools, equipment, and machinery across 195 countries, including the USA, Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Selling gardening supplies can be a profitable idea.

If you decide to start an online store in this niche, you need to find out the best-selling products. Are they plant tools or plant fertilizers?

Gamers

Another profitable niche where you can find trending products to sell is the gaming industry. Technologies like AR/VR are fueling the growth of this sector. The market is expected to reach USD 6.97 billion in 2024.

Another profitable niche where you can find trending products to sell is the gaming industry. Technologies like AR/VR are fueling the growth of this sector. The market is expected to grow from $9.4 billion in 2025 to $15.1 billion by 2032, with an average annual growth rate of 7.1% during this period.

(Custom Gaming T-shirts by Raven GG)

You can drill down on product ideas like accessories for mobile gamers, customized t-shirts referring to the gaming culture, etc. For instance, Raven GG is an esports apparel design and manufacturing company. Shoppers can design their custom esports gaming clothing, including hoodies, jackets, and t-shirts.

Let’s help you make your eCommerce store more enticing by integrating a product designer tool.

10. B2B Marketplaces, Consumer Trend Publications, and Such

To find best-selling products, look for trends in brick-and-mortar stores. See if there is an idea that you can replicate online.

For instance, there is a huge surge in offline book stores going online. Earlier, readers would find used books only in physical stores or at metro stations. But used bookstores like Thrift Books have started operating online.

You can look at product categories in your local store. In local communities and newspapers, you will find information about interesting online concepts that people are talking about.

Another place where you can find products to sell is online articles. Many bloggers, affiliate marketers, or consumer lifestyle websites recommend trending products. You will be able to find the best products to sell online from the top-ranking pages.

Consider products that most articles talk about. To find popular articles, you can check the number of likes, comments, or shares the content has received.

(Check Online Articles to Find Best Selling Products)

Consumer trend publications are another place where you can find best-selling products. For instance, Trend Hunter is the world’s largest trend platform that uses data and AI to identify consumer insights. Other trend publications are: Trend Watching, where professionals report on worldwide trends, and PSFK that helps entrepreneurs develop new products and services.

Our list is incomplete without talking about direct sources—wholesalers and manufacturers. You can check supplier directories like Alibaba, Oberlo, etc. These B2B websites introduce you to thousands of products.

Alibaba is one of the biggest marketplaces that has a huge online wholesale and manufacturer database. You can search for items either based on suppliers or products. Type a keyword, and you will see a list of products. You can filter results by product sub-categories, price, supplier country/region, production certificate, etc.

(Search for Products to Sell on B2B Marketplaces Like Alibaba)

Another option is Oberlo. It is a marketplace owned by Shopify. Browsing through available products and reading reviews will help you find trending products. Other B2B marketplaces to find products to sell are Global Sources, Wholesale Central, and TradeKey.

These strategies are just the beginning! There are numerous other resources you can explore to find profitable products.

So, before concluding the blog and figuring out how to validate your product ideas, let’s look at a few more strategies you can implement and make money!

• Repurpose and modernize classic products

Instead of always chasing new trends, identify traditional products that you can update, add the latest technology, design, or maybe make more sustainable!

It will help you sell products that were once booming and minting profits but couldn’t keep up with the industry advancements.

For example, you can sell eco-friendly versions of common products such as bamboo toothbrushes, biodegradable phone cases, or plantable stationery. Other smart tech-infused everyday items that seem to have good potential include self-cleaning water bottles. This approach will help you tap into the proven demand while offering a fresh, innovative spin on existing products.

• Capitalize on the personalized product market

One of the most profitable eCommerce trends is product personalization! It offers your customers a way to customize products. And we’re not just talking about personalizing T-shirts or mugs.

With the right product design tool, integrated with your storefront, you can enable customers to personalize anything from engraved jewelry or accessories to home décor items like custom LED signs, wall art, photo albums, socks, footwear, and much more! You can also start selling specialized custom gifting products online.

Moreover, if you want to start a marketplace to provide print-on-demand services like Printful or Printify, you can do so easily with a complete POD solution. The best part is, you don’t have to hold inventory in bulk. Customers will create the designs; you will then produce them and ship them as per the order.

• Identify passion and hobby-based niches

People love spending on their passions, hobbies, and lifestyle interests. You can find high-demand niche products by exploring online communities like Facebook groups or Reddit. You can sell DIY craft kits for resin art, candle-making kits, or embroidery kits to attract customers.

To tap into a more unique niche, you can sell custom pet portraits, interactive feeding toys, personalized pet apparel to pet parents.

Best Product Research Tools To Use in 2025

Besides Trend Hunter, Google Trends, or Trend Watching, you can use these following tools to do your product research:

Exploding Topics

The platform finds trending topics and products before they go mainstream. By analyzing search data and online discussions, it helps you stay ahead of trends and capitalize on emerging markets.

Helium 10

Designed for Amazon sellers, Helium 10 provides a suite of tools for product research, keyword analysis, and listing optimization. Its Black Box for product discovery and Xray for detailed product insights features help you make informed product and market strategies.

Ecomhunt

The product research tool curates trending products daily and gives you insights into profitability, competition and marketing strategies. It has product descriptions, targeting suggestions and links to suppliers to make product research and launching products super easy.

Alura.io

Made specifically for Etsy sellers, Alura helps with product research by analyzing market trends, competition, and keywords. Additionally, it helps identify popular products and niches, optimizing our listings for better visibility and sales on the Etsy platform.

Sell The Trend

This all-in-one platform offers product discovery, market analysis, and store automation tools. Its powerful NEXUS research machine uses AI to find trending products, and additional tools help with marketing and order fulfillment to make dropshipping super easy.

How to Validate Product Ideas

It is exciting to start a new venture, but nothing is more painful than spending time and energy on something that doesn’t succeed.

• Researching The Existing Demand

Research about products to sell. Start with the go-to person for all questions—Google.This step is basically known as researching the existing demand.

Search for popular products to sell, and Google will give you insights by showing top-ranking pages. You will get an idea of what people are searching for. However, this is just the surface. You want to gather more information about top-selling products, and if they will deliver a return on investment.

Google Trends is a helpful tool that helps you track the search volume of a specific term over time. For instance, you can search for the term handmade soaps in the US in the past year to get an idea about its demand.

You will see a similar chart depicting the rise and decline of the search queries.

Other tools for evaluating market demand for products are Google’s Keyword Planner tool, SEMrush, and Ahrefs. You can even check the demand on social media and other marketplaces. We will discuss these points in the upcoming sections.

• Do Some Competitive Analysis

This competitive analysis is to find out what products are gaining the most attention. This will also help you to get an idea about how much you should invest initially. Try researching your direct competitors to gain some valuable insights.

To analyze competitor products, identify competitors through Google searches, Amazon, Etsy, or social media. Check their bestsellers and look for trending products on their websites. Use tools like SEMrush, and SimilarWeb to track their traffic or Facebook Ad Library to analyze their ads, and review customer feedback.

Additionally, monitor their pricing strategies and every promotion that they run to get a better understanding! Now, to validate your research, you can start by selling small orders using dropshipping to see if you can make sales.

• The Next Steps

Once you start making sales, the next step is to collect feedback from your customers through a survey or simply via face-to-face! After your customers have validated your product, you can launch your business in a full-fledged manner!

So, What’s Your Plan?

All these strategies will ensure that you can find a product that allows you to win the market, get customers’ attention, and slowly emerge as a leader. No matter what you decide to sell, no business becomes successful without creating a fantastic website, a solid marketing strategy, and rendering an impeccable customer experience.

In our 8+ years of experience, we have helped budding entrepreneurs like you leverage the power of personalized offerings. We are on a mission to break the notion that one size fits all. In an era of individuality, where customers are picky about what they want, our product designer tool can be a perfect companion that lets shoppers design their products.

Our fully functional tool, which is integrable with any eCommerce platform, is all you need to turn your online store into a design studio. We even offer other web to print solutions like a ready-to-use web to print storefront, inventory manager, print job manager, and more that help businesses streamline their day-to-day operations. There’s even more—we assist you in your marketing campaigns to help reach the right audience.

Our team is ready to help you build a successful business and be the most reliable tech partner that you need. Drop us a message, and we will get back to you.

All product and company names are trademarks™, registered® or copyright© trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.