This post is by Manuel Becvar, Founder & CEO of sourcing education site Import Dojo.
How do you find a private label product to sell? This is the number one question I get asked on an almost daily basis.
There’s no one method that’s right for everyone. Instead, there are many different methods you can use to find the perfect Amazon niche and product.
In this post, I’ll explain ten of my favorite research methods. Take a look and find one that works for you! The first nine ideas are popular and long-established methods that still work well but in the last part I want to let you in on my preferred method for developing successful products today.
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1. Follow your passion
Let’s say you love the outdoors, hiking, camping, and exercise in general (like me). There are so many products to choose from, but you have two advantages:
- You know what you like.
- You know what your product should be able to do.
So you already have an edge over many of your competitors.
Put your passion for this category into your product. For example, if you were disappointed about the quality of camping mats you purchased in the past, you already know what to tell your supplier to improve upon. Choose products you can talk about, improve and be passionate about selling.
Here’s a real-life example. A friend of mine was really into hiking and trail running but not satisfied with the products on the market. So, he started a outdoor gear company a few years back. Today he has a portfolio of twenty different products in the outdoor gear niche and is making six figures on Amazon every month. It wasn’t an easy journey but it was well worth it.
2. Use your industry knowledge
Let’s imagine you have 17 years of experience selling electronics (like me). What was the first product I picked? It was an electronic item. Why? Because that’s where I had my experience.
I believe you should not just have passion about your product, but also experience. If I sell a product online I want to be able to answer customers’ questions and inquiries. So when I started my own brand I improved an existing item based on my industry knowledge and felt confident answering questions as well as presenting my brand.
What if you don’t have experience in an industry? Do you have a hobby? Or are you a parent? If you are a parent you’ll have lots of experience with your children and could perhaps start in that niche.
3. Brainstorm and research
You shouldn’t worry if you don’t have products you are passionate about or industry experience. Many people I know are in this scenario and there are still lots of success stories.
Here’s a brainstorming and research approach that I recommend:
- Take out a notebook and list your interests, hobbies or responsibilities. Yes, actually write it down. Call me old-fashioned, but I still find writing to be the best medium for generating ideas.
- Subscribe to newsletters from companies that talk about or sell products related to your interests.
- Over time, gather a shortlist of at least ten product ideas in that niche.
- Research existing products, consumer demand and selling prices using Amazon, eBay, Jet.com, local shops, tools like Jungle Scout etc. Is there space for one more seller?
- If there is no demand, is it because the product is in its fledgling stages? See if you can improve the product, create a to-do list of improvements based on reviews, get feedback from friends and family etc.
- If there is no evidence of demand and you can’t improve the product, but still think it could sell, then follow your gut feeling.
- Move onto the next product in your list of ideas.
The more you research and think about products, the more new ideas you will have. Keep writing down your ideas, updating your shortlist, and researching the products on it. Work on this regularly, and over time the right niche should emerge.
4. Lose yourself on Amazon
You can look for hours on Amazon in the different categories and niches, if you already have a sketch of a product idea.
If you have no idea at all, I suggest you start with the best seller lists. Many categories are saturated on Amazon already so I recommend that you look into emerging and trending markets. This could be drone-racing, augmented reality or any other industry that’s just getting started.
Be careful however not to get carried away with a hyped-up niche that’s going to fade in a few months, like fidget spinners.
5. Gadget blogs and trend sites
One of my favorite sites to find interesting blogs and trend websites is Kadaza. It’s a collection of the best sites in many different categories. Click on any of the categories and you will find websites in that niche.
For example, I found The Gadget Flow through Kadaza, and by subscribing to their newsletter I get weekly updates on trendy items that may not even be on Amazon yet.
They have a lot of products that are currently on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter. But you know what? If it’s only on Kickstarter now, it means it isn’t on Amazon yet. You can take the product idea and even improve on it.
