Your product selection and research is the most important aspect of your strategy when it comes to selling Amazon. Your ecommerce business will thrive if you choose the right dropshipping product. You will have a harder time selling the product you choose.
Many sellers find the prospect and challenge of dropshipping product research overwhelming. Product research does not have to be overwhelming. Let’s start by looking at what Amazon product research is actually about.
What is Amazon Product Research?
It’s a process of looking for dropshipping products that you can sell on Amazon. It’s a process of analyzing what’s currently selling to make sure you get a piece of the action. You will need to find products you can source cheaply and make a profit. It sounds so simple doesn’t it! It’s not difficult, but it involves many important factors that need to be considered.
Your niche selection, brand restrictions, competition, costs, and fees all have an impact on whether or not the products you are researching are viable.
What is the importance of product research?
You won’t be able to identify potential profitable dropshipping products if you don’t invest enough time in your research skills. You shouldn’t choose random products just for the looks or to sell them on Amazon. Your research will reveal that what you think and what you actually find are unlikely to match up!
Don’t try to sell everything you don’t want, but only what is profitable!
You cannot make uninformed or guess-based decisions in the world of ecommerce. This is especially important if your business wants to succeed and grow.
Amazon sellers often find dropshipping product research difficult because they don’t know where to start. It’s not surprising, as not all products will be the same. Before you start researching, you need to know what a great product is and how to add it to your inventory.
Good Products vs. Bad Products
While ‘bad products might seem strong, there are certain ‘good’ characteristics that you should look at when researching products for Amazon. It is important to only research dropshipping products that are selling – you will need customers to survive!
You must also consider the product from the perspective of the seller. You might find that 50-inch TVs are in high demand. Great! However, if you are an Amazon seller, your stock will likely be stored at home. Shipping fees and brand restrictions may also cause problems.
You should not focus on dropshipping products like this. Instead, concentrate on products that simplify your ecommerce business and your research.
Good products meet the following criteria:
- Compact, lightweight, and robust – easy to pack, store, and mail
- An impulse buy is attracted by a price point between PS10 and PS50
- Unbranded (with potential branding) – Higher margins available
- Low competition – an opportunity to enter the market
These criteria will help you filter out items that do not meet your requirements. Your research task will be much easier and less stressful.
You don’t have to be concerned about heavy or bulky dropshipping products or perishable products.
Now that you have an idea of what you are looking for, let us move on to Amazon research strategies that will make it easy to find the right product.
How to Find Products to Sell on Amazon
Top Tip: Niche It Down!
Here’s a tip to help you succeed as an Amazon seller . Amazon is like all other ecommerce platforms in that you will be competing with others.
You can’t just pick a market or category you want to sell in, then choose a dropshipping product and list it. It won’t work to focus on broad markets.
You might opt for the collars for dogs niche. It’s great, but it can be very congested. There are thousands of Amazon sellers selling dog collars. Instead, choose a sub-niche in the main dog leads category.
For example, a colour variation might be possible. The more specific you are, the lower your competition will be and the greater your profit. You can focus on flashing LED collars for dogs in pink or personalized collars instead.
Search volumes may be lower but you’ll be targeting a specific market and will be able to filter out a lot of the competition. Your product will convert more consistently because you chose to be so niche.
Take into consideration the dropshipping product criteria and niche it down before you start looking for specific products to sell on Amazon. These seven research strategies will be of great help to you.
Top Amazon Research Tips for Sellers
Finding successful dropshipping products to sell on Amazon is all about research. You must do your research correctly and know where to find it!
Amazon Lists
Amazon is the best place to start your search. The Amazon Bestseller Lists include not only the bestsellers, but also the movers and shakers, most wished for, and gift ideas sections. These lists can provide valuable insight into which products to include in your inventory.
Go to the Amazon Bestsellers Page to start your research.
The tabs at the top of this page will be super helpful for you in your Amazon dropshipping product search.
To view the 100 most popular products in any category, use Bestsellers. This is where the trick lies: dig into sub-categories. Don’t just look at the top-selling item in the top-level categories and decide that you want to source and then sell it.
Instead, pick a sub-category instead and focus on the top 100. You will find less competition, and your product will still be popular. You can research a product and find a better, similar product.
To find out what is selling right now, and what products will soon be released, use Hot New Releases. You should niche your products and do ongoing research on similar products to the ones that have just been released.
You may be able to find a dropshipping product even before it is released. This will allow you to cash in quickly.
You can use Movers and Shakers for determining which products are gaining or losing popularity in the past 24 hours. This is an excellent tactic to use if you have a product in your mind and need to keep track of it for a time before adding it to inventory. You should not monitor for too long as you might miss the perfect opportunity.
To see the most popular products added to gift lists, or ordered as gifts, use Most Wished and Most Gifted. This will allow you to identify the most popular products and give you ideas for niche research.
Talk to Your Current Supplier
If you are already selling a product on Amazon, and have a relationship to a supplier. One of the most cost-effective and easiest ways to do dropshipping product research is to speak to your supplier to find out the latest product trends and best-selling products.
Your supplier should be well-informed and be able offer valuable information. Plus, the more products that you buy from one source, you will get a lower unit cost. Talking with your supplier can help you get big discounts and new product ideas.
Spy on Your Competitors
Another great way to research Amazon dropshipping products is to see which products have been successful using Amazon Product Promotions. Amazon sellers who spend money on such campaigns are almost certain to make a profit. Amazon’s “sponsored” word means that the product has been paid for advertising.
Utilize Google Trends
Google Trends is one of the most powerful tools for Amazon dropshipping product research. You can start by setting up alerts to receive instant notifications about popular or trending topics.
This is a great advantage because, although you won’t be directly notified about ‘products as such’, you can identify topics or stories that relate to your business and product requirements. This allows you explore possible products you could sell on Amazon.
You can also search Google Trends. To see all the related products, simply search in the UK for a product. The search results that you see are helpful for ideas and research, as shown in the previous example of the ‘dog lead’.
Examine the sections ‘Customers also bought’ and ‘Frequently bought together’
Let’s go back to Amazon. A great Amazon research strategy is to look at the sections below the main listings. These sections can provide you with valuable dropshipping product ideas.
It’s important to have a basic understanding of the product and niche you are researching. However, this will allow you to understand the buying habits and thoughts of your customers and help you create unique product bundles.
Combining products that are often purchased together on Amazon could result in a unique product that is a top seller. Customers who have purchased the same product are more likely to buy it again.
Check out eBay’s Top Lists
While you might not want to sell on Amazon but wish to, eBay can provide a wealth of information for product research. It’s more likely that an item will sell well on Amazon if it is readily available and has a high selling price. These are the places where eBay’s product lists can be very useful. You can view the most popular product deals in a variety of categories by heading to this page.
While not all products will meet your search criteria, it is a great place to find high-demand products you can source on Amazon.
Explore AliExpress to Find the Bestsellers
This is an excellent Amazon product research strategy that’s often overlooked. AliExpress has one of the largest trade marketplaces you can access, so it’s not just for product sourcing. It can also be used for research.
AliExpress does not have a page dedicated to best-selling dropshipping products. However, you can still find out which products are most popular by following three simple steps:
- Select a category, or sub-category (e.g. Pet supplies
- Sort results by “orders” to find the highest-sold numbers first
- Filter the results to show products that have a 4* rating
All the top-selling products from your chosen sub-category or category will now be visible. You can also have confidence in the product because all previous buyers have rated it at 4 stars or higher.
Last Thoughts
If you follow the guidelines and use competitor information and trends to assist you, your Amazon product research won’t feel overwhelming. You don’t have to spend time looking for non-starters. Instead, you can use the easy-to-use Amazon research techniques to narrow down your search and identify bestselling products.