Running a successful business has never been easy, whether you are doing it online or at a physical retail store. There are so many things involved, and you have to do them all right. Choosing a product(s) to sell is one of those things. But this should be easy, right? After all, options are unlimited, so you can pick any.
Unfortunately, things do not work that way. If you want to succeed, you cannot afford to settle for just any product. You have to sell something that people want to buy. That means having trending products in your store.
But make no mistake; just because most people brush their teeth every day does not necessarily mean you will earn 6- figures selling toothbrushes. Think of all the businesses that came before you. Why should customers buy their toothbrushes from you and not them? The trick here is finding that trending product(s) and, most importantly, doing it before your competitors do.
The big question is, how can you identify a trending product from the rest?
Below is a guide.
Point to note: the kind of product(s) you choose will have a high impact on the appearance and feel of your store. It would be best to find the trending product(s) you want to sell first, then decide on the ideal Shopify store design services for development.
Search the Online Marketplaces
If you run an online store, you probably already know that Amazon is a great place to find products and category ideas. However, you may not know that Amazon Suggest is a great way to identify trending products and category keywords.
Let’s say, for instance, you sell dog food online. Well, you will enter “dog foods” into Amazon’s search bar. You will see a list of the most searched keywords and products. These are trending searches that most people are looking for online.
You can use the same tactic in any online marketplace having a powerful search feature. That includes eBay, Etsy, AliExpress. If you are in the pet niche, you can search on a site like PetSmart or chewy.
Use Google Trends
A product may have a lot of searches right now, but that does not mean it will be the same in the future, like in 1 or 1½ years. So, before you choose a product, make sure you check its growth trend in Google Trends.
The process is not complicated
- First, go to Google Trends
- Type the name of your product
- Inspect the trend line
If the trend is going up, things are good. You may also want to analyze the gradient of the trend line. A sharp move upward can sometimes indicate a fad. By the time you find a supplier and set everything up on your site, that fad might be dying out.
In contrast, a slow and steady move upward in most cases may mean that the trend is going nowhere and maybe around for the long term.
Utilize Other Google Tools
Apart from Google Trends, Google has several other tools that you can use to identify trending products. Initially, these tools were not for marketing purposes, but they became indispensable to the course somewhere along the way. Using such tools can give you great retail insights and help you stay ahead of your competitors. These Google tools include
Google News: for local headlines in many product categories and a customized news feed based on your interests
Google Play: stay up to date with the Android users’ interests
YouTube Trends: stay up to date with the interests of the YouTube users
Stay Updated on social media
In this time and age, staying updated on social media is necessary for all entrepreneurs because the whole world is lounging there. Here you will have a chance to meet million-plus potential customers and follow up on their conversations and the different kinds of products they are searching for the most. You will also get to know their tastes and preferences and which products are about to take over.
Make sure you check your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and any other social media accounts you might have to discover the perfect trending products for your business.
Follow up on Your Competitors Activities, especially their Ads
Knowing what your competitors are up to is the most effective way to stay ahead of them. In this case, you need to focus more on their ads. Your goal is to identify ads that have high interaction rates. Look for likes, shares, positive comments, clicks, and so on. See which products steer the most interest and take notes.
Below are a few ways to follow up on your competitor’s ads.
Through their Marketing Funnel
Visit your competitor sites regularly. Add several products to your cart and then abandon it. After a short time, your competitor’s ads will start appearing on your social media accounts. Save them or take screenshots for analysis.
Use Tools
There are plenty of tools available to get and analyze information about your competitors. Examples include SpyFu, Kompyte, Adbeat, Pathmatics, Pexgle, Moat, SEMrush, etc. These tools will allow you to view your competitor’s best-performing ads and track them.
Another great tool you can use is the Facebook Ad Library. It is one of the most user-friendly tools available. Just add your competitor’s names to display all their currently running ads. You will not see everything, but you will know what products they are marketing and how.
Conclusion
Finding the perfect product to sell needs time, research, and proper planning. You need to make sure you are always a step or several ahead of your competitors. You also need to stay up-to-date with the latest research methods to maintain relevance.
