The product you choose decides more about your store's success than your theme, your logo or your ads. A great store can't sell a product nobody wants. Here's a practical way to pick something worth selling.
Start with a problem, not a product
The strongest products solve a clear problem or serve a clear passion. "Phone cases" is a product. "Rugged phone cases for people who work on building sites" is a problem with buyers attached.
Ask yourself:
- Who exactly is this for?
- What are they using now, and what's wrong with it?
- Would they search for it, or would you have to convince them it exists?
Check the numbers before you fall in love
A product can be popular and still lose you money. For every idea, work out:
- Cost price including import duties and VAT if you're bringing stock in
- Shipping cost to your customer. Heavy or bulky items eat margin fast
- Payment fees from your gateway
- Return rate. Clothing and shoes get returned far more than, say, kitchen tools
A useful rule of thumb: if you can't sell it for at least two to three times what it costs you to land it, there's very little room for ads, discounts or mistakes.
Look for signs of real demand
You don't need expensive tools to check demand:
- Google search. Type your product and see what autocompletes. Those are real searches.
- Takealot and marketplaces. Are similar products selling, and what do the reviews complain about?
- Social media. Are people talking about this, sharing it, asking where to buy it?
- Your own network. Would five people you know pay for it today, not "one day"?
Competition is not a bad sign. It usually means there's demand. The question is whether you can offer something better: a better price, better service, faster local delivery or a better-curated range.
Think about what makes it easy to sell
Some products are simply easier to run as an online business:
- Light and compact (cheaper, easier shipping)
- Hard to break in transit
- Not seasonal, so you sell all year
- Easy to explain in a photo and a short description
- Repeat purchase potential, like refills, consumables and accessories
Test small before you buy big
Before ordering hundreds of units, test. Order a small batch, sell to friends and early customers, or run a pre-order. You'll learn more from 20 real sales than from 200 hours of research.
If you'd rather not hold stock at all while you test, dropshipping is one option, with its own trade-offs.
The bottom line
Pick a product for a specific person with a specific problem, check the margins honestly, look for real demand, and test small. That's how you avoid a garage full of stock nobody wants.
Want a second opinion on a product idea? Get free advice from us.