How To Do Product Research For Dropshipping in 2024

We’ve done product research using different methods to help find our dropshipping and e-commerce products. 

By doing so, we’ve found that product research tools and our own interests have found our most profitable products.  

The article also includes tons of tips on what to consider while researching.

Keep reading to learn the quickest and easiest ways to find successful products.

Let’s get into it.

Key Takeaways

• A product research tool is the most accurate way to do product research.
• Consider using your own experiences and interests to find winning products.
• Social media is a great place to find trending products.

How to Research Products for Dropshipping (Video)

Join Nawras, our founder and successful 8-figure dropshipper, as he guides you through advanced product research techniques. Watch now and elevate your skills in uncovering profitable products!

Top Ways To Do Product Research 

Here are our top methods to find successful products.

1. Use a Product Research Tool 

Product research tools uncover hidden secrets from other sellers. 

Different tools uncover different secrets. For example, Dropship reveals Shopify store secrets, Jungle Scout reveals Amazon seller’s secrets, and Minea allows you to spy on ads.

The data you want to uncover will determine the product research tool you choose. 

We’ve picked a variety of best product research tools with different data, features, and resources available.

Dropship.io - Best Overall Product Research Tool

Dropship is a Shopify research tool. It is the best option if you want to find dropshipping products.

You can find winning products by spying on Shopify store sales, revenue, apps, themes, and much more. Once you find products and stores that you’re interested in, you can track them over time to make informed decisions. 

Dropship also has lists of the top-performing products and stores, making it easy to find winners, along with tons of other features to help you build a successful dropshipping business.

Jungle Scout - Best Amazon Product Research Tool

Jungle Scout is an Amazon research tool to help you find winning products and optimize your Amazon business.

The research tools uncover sellers' sales and revenue. There is also a keyword tool, opportunity finder, listing builder, profit tracker, advertising analytics, and much more. 

If you’re looking for other ways to find winning Amazon products, we have an article with some of the best ways to do product research on Amazon.

Asify - Best AliExpress Product Research Tool

Asify is a free Google Chrome extension that allows you to spy on AliExpress product information.

It shows sales, top country sales, price, orders, rating, keywords, processing time, and much more.

Searching AliExpress for product ideas is great if you’re dropshipping. As it’s one of the most popular places to source products from, you can find out what other dropshippers are buying and selling.

Minea - Best Ad Spy Product Research Tool

Spy on Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok ads. 

See which ads are converting to help you find products that could be winners. 

Minea allows you to find popular ads, engagement, influencer placement ads, and much more.

You can search for ads by keywords and use filters to find relevant ads.

Dropship Spy - Winning Product Research Tool

Dropship Spy drops winning product ideas from both AliExpress and social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 

It doesn’t analyze the platforms. Instead, it releases a list of products that it thinks could be winners. 

You can get tons of information about each product, including the profit, margin, ads, engagement, product feedback, and much more. You can also find suppliers to source the product from.

2. Consider Your Interests and Gaps in the Market 

What are you interested in? What do you know more about than most people?

Your own experiences and interests can be a great way to find product ideas. Some of our most successful products have been found like this.

We’ve found it can give you an edge over your competition. You can also test the product correctly and have more insights into the target market. This can help with advertising.

For example, let’s say you’re super passionate about cooking. But you can never find the right-shaped chopping board.

Or you have a friend who is conscious of the planet. And they mention they are looking for a more eco-friendly way to get a takeaway coffee.

Instantly, you have two product ideas. 

And the chances are that if you’re looking for these products, so are other people. 

We can also guess that these products aren’t easily available, showing a gap in the market. This means you’ll likely have low competition.

Low competition and knowledge of the product give you a huge advantage over your competition.

3. Use Social Media

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are where your potential customers are. 

You can use these platforms to find, understand, and listen to your potential customers to help you find winning products.

How to Do Product Research on Facebook

• Groups - Use the Facebook search tool to find groups relevant to your niche or target market. 

Look at the conversations, questions, and interactions between members to give you product ideas. You can also join the groups and ask questions to gain knowledge and feedback on the market, niche, and specific products.

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• Your pages - If you have an existing fan page, you can analyze the data that Facebook provides. 

Facebook allows you to view insights. These insights include how many people are engaging with your page, popular posts, and other metrics. 

Finding out which posts are most popular can give you an idea of products or categories that could be successful. 

You can also explore your page members' profiles. Their profiles can provide information like location, likes, status, and much more. You can use this information to find patterns and similarities and create products to target your members.

• Facebook ads - Looking at ads can help you find product ideas. We’ll cover how to do this in-depth below.

How to Do Product Research on TikTok

• Search bar - Popular hashtags, like AmazonFinds, can give you tons of product ideas and inspiration. 

Creators create videos with a variety of products from Amazon. These are often small gadgets that are perfect for dropshipping.

Look at the comments to see which products the audience is interested in, and then research that product in more depth to find out if it's a winner.

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• For You page - The For You page consists of videos from users that you don’t follow. But based on your behavior, TikTok believes you’ll like them. 

Look at each TikTok’s content, engagement, and comments to give you product ideas. 

You can also use the comments to find users who would be interested in the products to help find your target audience.

• Product Reviews - Search for a specific product you might want to sell and watch the reviews. 

Real reviews are a great way to find product flaws and benefits. You can then look for products to help fix the flaws and use the benefits in your own products.

How to Do Product Research on Instagram

• Hashtags - Use the search bar to find posts on the niches you’re interested in. You can then scroll through images and reels to find inspiration for your own store.

You can continually narrow down your search by using more detailed hashtags. For example, you might start with #dog. This could then be narrowed down, based on your research, to #dogsupplements, and then again to #dogsupplementsforeyes, etc. 

• Location - Think about where you want to sell your products. You can then search these locations on Instagram under Places. 

You can find out about the area to help identify location-specific products that could be winners.

Local businesses can also help give you product ideas. You can look at the store's posts, page, engagement, and the demographics of those who engage with the business.

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• Research influencers - Take a look at the products influencers in your niche are promoting or using.

This can give you ideas for trending and popular products.

4. Google Trends

Google Trends has the Explore feature. This allows you to see the top and rising products for different countries, date ranges, categories, and search methods.

You can see what topics are highly searched and then look at these topics for product inspiration. 

For example, you can see that Temu has risen 1,900% in interest in the past 12 months. This could then lead you to look at Temu and see their best-selling products to find a winner.

Or you can see that the Women's World Cup is trending. You could then look at products around this, like country flags, women’s footballing products, etc.

5. Marketplace Research 

Marketplaces provide tons of information and data that can help you do product research. 

These are some of our favorite ways to do product research using Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and AliExpress.

How to Do Product Research on Amazon

• Amazon autocomplete search bar - Start typing a product into the Amazon search bar and look at the suggestions it provides. 

For example, we started typing kitchen into Amazon and were given tons of product suggestions. 

It’s not clear what factors determine the suggested terms, but we can assume popularity. 

This gives us a good idea of what products are in demand and being purchased. 

You can then search these suggestions in more depth to identify winners.

• Best sellers - Amazon has a list of its top-selling products.

The lists are frequently updated (we think once an hour), so always check back if you don’t find anything on the first look.

Ignore the big brands, like Nike and Apple, and look at smaller brands that you can compete with. 

For example, under Unique Finds, there are washable underpads for bedwetting. These currently retail at $29.99.

We can then look on AliExpress to see if the product is profitable. We can see that similar products are sold between $1-$5, suggesting that the product could have a good margin.

• Use a research tool - Our favorite Amazon research tools are Jungle Scout, Helium 10, and SellerApp.

How to Do Product Research on eBay

• Terapeak - If you sell on eBay, you likely have access to Seller Hub. 

Seller Hub includes access to Terapeak. Terapeak is a product research tool that shows how eBay products are performing. 

Terapeak provides a report with real sales data. You can search for relevant products and niches and analyze the reports to find winning products.

• Trending on eBay - eBay has a section of trending categories. Currently, these are ‘Back to School’ and ‘Up to 70% Off Certified Recycled.’

You can use these trending sections to see the products that eBay is actively advertising to give you inspiration.

• Use a research tool - Our favorite eBay research tools are ShelfTrend and Popularity Sort for eBay.

How to Do Product Research on Etsy

• Personal interests - As Etsy is a marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique items, consider your own interests or hobbies. 

This can help you find products that you know more about than your competition. 

For example, you might know that a certain product should be made of metal rather than plastic. But Etsy only has plastic options for sale. 

Your knowledge means you can find the right supplier with the right product and beat your competition.

• Autocomplete search bar - Like Amazon, Etsy also autocompletes the search bar.

It works in the same way as explained above. You can start typing a word, and it will suggest popular products. 

You can then analyze each of these products in-depth to find winners.

• Use a research tool - Our favorite Etsy research tools are Everbee and EtsyHunt.

How to Do Product Research on AliExpress

• AliExpress Dropshipping (DS) Center - AliExpress has a built-in product research tool. 

Anyone with an AliExpress account can sign up for the DS Center. The DS Center allows you to search for products and view the number of sales, reviews, price, and growth rate.

You can then analyze the products further to confirm you’ve found a winner. 

The DS Center will also gather similar product listings so you can easily compare suppliers and choose the right one. The DS Center shows their order volume, performance, and much more.

• Sort by orders - AliExpress allows you to sort products by the total number of orders. You can do this by selecting a category or searching for a specific product and then selecting Orders under Sort By. 

Each product listing will show the number of units sold.

You can use this information to find out which products are selling the best within a certain category. This can indicate popular products and the best suppliers, giving you inspiration for your own store.

• Store search - Underneath each product listing, there are details of the seller. You can click on the sellers’ link and view their storefront.

The storefront can give you more product ideas for your store. For example, this electrical storefront has a tab for best-selling products. This can help you find products with a high volume of sales. 

It’s also a good way to find similar or relevant products to expand your existing store.

• Use a research tool - Our favorite AliExpress research tools are Niche Scraper and AliShark.

6. Trade Shows 

Trade Shows are usually large exhibitions that companies can attend to showcase and promote their products and services.

There are often trade shows for different industries, so look for ones that might interest you.

Attending trade shows can be a great way to find interesting and in-demand products.

You can also connect with sellers and make connections with others in your industry.

7. Facebook Ads

Facebook ads can give you tons of data to help you find winning products.

Dropship.io’s Chrome extension has an ad collector tool. It automatically collects any ads it finds. You can then save and analyze the ads you’re interested in.

Check the ad’s results, engagement, and strategies to give you ideas for your own products. 

Learn from your competitors' mistakes and find ways you can build better ad campaigns that generate more conversions.

What is Product Research? 

Product research is the work that is done before a product goes to market. It is designed to establish the chance of the product’s success.

We usually split our product research into two parts. These are the following:

1. Finding a product idea
2. Deciding whether it could be successful

Product research can save money, time, and effort in the long run as it reduces the chances of launching a product that will fail. 

There are tons of ways that you can conduct product research to increase the likelihood of success. We’ve listed our top things to consider next.

What to Consider When Doing Product Research 

We’ve made a list of all the main things we consider when doing product research. 

Some of these we recommend considering before you even start researching, and others will be final checks before you launch your product.

All of these considerations should enable you to launch your product with the highest rate of success.

Market Demand

Is the product in demand? How many people do you think will want to buy your product?

Launching a product that no one wants or needs means it won’t make sales.

You want to find a product that is in high demand as more people will want to buy it.

We do a few things to find out what kind of demand our products might have. These include the following: 

• Look at your competitor’s sales using a spy tool like Dropship.io or Koala Inspector.
• If the product is sold on a marketplace, like Amazon, look at the best-selling rank. It will tell you how well they’re selling compared to other products.
• Search for the product on social media to see if people are talking about it or if it has any interest.
• Find ads run by your competition and look at the engagement.
• Run the keyword through a keyword research tool or Google Trends. Keyword tools can show many searches a specific word has, and Google Trends shows the search interest in topics.
• Use a survey to evaluate the interest of potential customers. Surveys can also give you other insights, like how much a customer might spend on the product.

Profit

Each product you launch has to be profitable.

Earning a profit enables you to continue your business.

The basic way to work out if your product will be profitable is to subtract your costs from the product price.

In theory, it’s pretty straightforward. Once you’ve found the product you want to sell, look at your competitors and find the average price they’re selling at. Then, contact suppliers to find out the product costs. 

However, there are other things to consider, like seasonality, long-term business priorities, and other fees and selling costs.

If you want more information on how to effectively price your products to maximize profit, we have a full article you can check out with all the details. The article has tons more information about generating profit, adjusting prices, and different pricing methods. 

Competition

How much competition does the product have? Can you compete? And how can you compete?

We always want to find products that have low competition or find ways to beat the competition.

Firstly, you need to find your competition. You can do this by searching for the product on Amazon, Alibaba, Walmart, or any other store. 

If you’re dropshipping, we also recommend searching for individual Shopify stores that sell the products. 

You can do this either through Google or using a competitor research tool. Dropship.io has one that allows you to search millions of Shopify stores for products with a certain keyword. It will display all of the stores that sell the product. 

So, now you know who you’re competing against, it's time to evaluate the competition. 

Is the competition steep? For example, we wouldn’t launch a product like Kitchen Scissors. All of the marketplaces, like Amazon, have thousands of pairs with thousands of reviews, selling as low as $2. There’s also competition from brick-and-mortar stores. We’d just get lost amongst the crowd.

Or is there limited competition? If so, great. 

But you’ve got to work out how to beat them. There are so many ways you can beat your competition. Some of the most common include the following:

• Superior product - Does their product have tons of poor reviews that complain about the quality? Find and sell a higher-quality version.

• Lower price - Can you still make a profit if you sell for a lower price than them?

• Better listing - Often, sellers will neglect their images, descriptions, and key features. If you build a better listing with more information and clearer images, customers could be drawn to you.

• Provide a better experience - Can you throw in a freebie? Do you have superior knowledge of the product that you can convert into blog posts or a leaflet to sell with the product?  

Try to find a product with low competition and ways you can set your product apart from the rest.

Product Availability

You need to make sure you can meet the demand of your buyers. 

There’s nothing worse than running out of stock just as your product starts to generate interest and increase in sales. 

If you’re dropshipping, this is a conversation to have with your supplier. We recommend asking them how many pieces they can pack and ship a month. Then check that this meets your expected demand.

If you want more information on what to consider when you choose your dropshipping supplier, check out our article with all the details.

Customer Base

Who are you targeting your product at? What are they likely to pay? Where will they purchase your product from?

Think about all of these questions when doing product research.

For example, you might find a great product that ticks all of your boxes, but it has a specific target market, let’s say for those over 80. And you only want to sell online. After researching, you find the number of potential customers that would buy online over 80 is limited.

As well as age, you should also consider the location of your customers, financial status, and other demographics, such as gender.

Restrictions and Laws

Always, always check whether your product is restricted, illegal, trademarked, or patented. 

Avoid selling fake designer products or infringing on trademarks like Disney, for example. 

Infringing on anyone else's brand or products can be a costly mistake to make, as well as landing you in legal trouble.

Each country and state will also have its own rules and regulations. So make sure to check these out before purchasing stock. For example, some countries ban the import of real hair for hair extensions.

You should also be mindful of advertising restrictions. Facebook prohibits certain products from being advertised, including tobacco, weapons, counterfeit goods, certain health claims, adult products, and many more.

Product Outlook 

Look at the longevity of the product and whether this will work for your brand.

Consider whether the product is a trend or a fad. If they are, they are likely to have a short span of success before the sales drop off. 

Some of the biggest trending products recently have been fidget spinners, bento boxes, insulated drinking bottles, slides, under desk treadmills, etc.

These types of products might work for you if you want a quick financial turn-around and are happy to look for a new product after this trend is over.

Alternatively, you could look for stable products that are likely to have a longer lifespan.

Consider whether your product will still be in demand in 100 years. Many products have become obsolete, like VHS tapes and phone booths. Other products, like newspapers, road maps, and even mail, are being replaced by the internet and email. 

You should also consider whether the product is perishable. Such as food and flowers (might also include products like supplements, health care, cosmetics, sanitary ware, body care, etc). 

Selling products like these require strict inventory management, as you’ll have to throw products away if they go bad before selling. It is easier to manage products that don’t have an expiry date, for example, clothing, kitchenware, household items, etc. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Should I Use a Product Research Tool? 

It depends. You can definitely do product research without a tool. However, it can be more challenging and time-consuming.

For us, it’s a yes. The information a research tool provides allows you to make data-driven decisions before you launch products.

This allows you to launch products with a higher chance of success, saving time and money.

How Do I Start Dropshipping Product Research?

There are tons of ways to do dropshipping product research, including checking out social media trends, searching popular marketplaces, and using a product research tool. 

If you want to test out a product research tool, Dropship.io currently has a 7-day no-commitments free trial. During the free trial, you should be able to find your first product to launch.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, our product research methods can help you find your own winning products.

If you’re interested in using a product research tool to uncover hidden Shopify store secrets, check out the Dropship.io Product Database tool using the 7-day free trial.