How to do Product Research? A Step-by-Step Guide for Success!
Starting an e-commerce business offers exciting opportunities, but before selling products online, thorough product research is essential. In this blog, we delve into the importance of product research, the steps to conduct it, and various methods to do product research. Read on and learn how e-pickr® can help you perform objective, data-driven product research.
What is Product Research?
Product research is a methodical approach to gather, analyze, and evaluate information about potential products for your e-commerce business. It involves understanding market demand, conducting competitor analysis, and addressing customer needs. By conducting product research, you can make informed decisions when selecting profitable products that cater to your target audience's requirements.
The Importance of Product Research for Successful E-commerce
Product research lays the foundation for your e-commerce venture's success. It enables you to gain a clear understanding of market demand, trends, competition, and customer preferences. By conducting product research, you can select the right products that are profitable and offer a competitive edge. It also helps in reducing risks by making data-driven decisions based on insights.
5 Steps for Product Research
Step 1. Identify Your Target Audience
Define your ideal customer and understand their interests and needs. This will help you search for products that align with your target audience.
Step 2. Analyze Market Demand
Research trends and popular products within your target market. Use tools like Google Trends and social media platforms to gain insights into the demand for specific products.
Step 3. Competitive Analysis
Thoroughly study your competitors. Analyze their product offerings, prices, customer reviews, and marketing strategies to understand how you can differentiate yourself.
Step 4. Find Suppliers
Look for reliable suppliers who stock your chosen products. Consider factors such as delivery times, shipping costs, and product prices.
Step 5. Customer Feedback
Gather feedback from potential customers to understand their needs and concerns. Use surveys, interviews, and online reviews to gain valuable insights for customizing your product offerings.
Different Methods for Product Research
Sociale media
There are various ways to conduct product research, such as using social media. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, or even Facebook Marketplace can provide ideas on current trending products. However, focus on these platforms can be limited to trendy products with potential downsides, as discussed in this blog.
Google Trends
An alternative is to consider the product lifecycle in your research. Focus on products with sustained or recurring demand. Google Trends is helpful for this, as it allows you to compare search terms and identify products with high and low demand. Keep in mind that Google Trends presents data as percentages up to 100%, indicating relative growth in search interest between products and timeframes.
Google Ads
Google Ads provides insights into search volumes for specific keywords in particular countries. You can also see the potential cost of bidding on these keywords and identify related search terms with lower advertising costs. However, not all searchers on Google are potential buyers, making marketplace platforms like Amazon more suitable for targeting potential customers.
Marketplaces
To find absolute demand figures for your keywords, you can track search volumes for products using a seller account on Amazon or Bol.com. As Amazon offers a more extensive product catalog, it presents opportunities with less competition to introduce new products on other marketplaces, such as Bol.com, for potential success.
Software
Software tools that search or track products can be valuable for research. e-pickr® offers data tools like Nichepickr, which provides recommendations based on essential criteria like product demand, competition analysis, financial feasibility, and profit potential. Nichepickr uses advanced algorithms and scores based on e-commerce pillars (demand, profit, revenue, and competition) to offer better insights into product success likelihood. Salespickr is another product price tracker that helps analyze historical sales data to understand trends and seasonality, beneficial for identifying current trends and hypes. For more information on product research for dropshipping, see this blog.
Rely on Data and Boost Your Business!
Product research is a crucial step in establishing a successful e-commerce business. By conducting thorough market research, competitor analysis, and customer feedback, you can select the right products that cater to your target audience's needs and are profitable. e-pickr® offers tools like Nichepickr, Salespickr, and more to assist you in objective, data-driven product research. Make informed decisions for your e-commerce venture and elevate your product research with e-pickr® tools. Try the Nichepickr product tracker today and turn your e-commerce journey into a success story!