Are you ready for a prime online selling season?
It's time to get your website – and product line – ready for the busiest time of year for online sales. But what should you sell to maximize profit potential?
It's time to get your website – and product line – ready for the busiest time of year for online sales. But what should you sell to maximize profit potential?
There are certain product categories and types that sell better online. You can make the most of your eCommerce store by picking items that are on trend and more aligned with the needs of online shoppers.
Here are the best products to sell online this year.
Here are the best products to sell online this year.
1. Support a Cause
One way to add a solid product line to your online shop is to offer items that support a cause, place or even sports team.
Partner with a regional nonprofit or support the area where you do business. (Another option is to create a product where a portion of the proceeds goes to charity.)
These products will connect emotionally with shoppers to encourage impulse sales.
Earth Bands is a line of cute, beaded bracelets that support locations and teams. Anyone with a bracelet is showing off their unique style. Plus, the products are simple enough and inexpensive enough to make great gifts!
Partner with a regional nonprofit or support the area where you do business. (Another option is to create a product where a portion of the proceeds goes to charity.)
These products will connect emotionally with shoppers to encourage impulse sales.
Earth Bands is a line of cute, beaded bracelets that support locations and teams. Anyone with a bracelet is showing off their unique style. Plus, the products are simple enough and inexpensive enough to make great gifts!
2. Find Niche Fashion Items
From bowties to athleisure, niche fashion items are often hot sellers.
While clothing and fashion items aren't for everyone, they may give a boost for brands that already carry some similar products. Look for styles that are showing up in magazines and on television shows to predict some of the items that people will want next.
There's also room for growth in niche fashion markets. Akim & Co. takes advantage of the booming athleisure market with items that can go from work to play.
While clothing and fashion items aren't for everyone, they may give a boost for brands that already carry some similar products. Look for styles that are showing up in magazines and on television shows to predict some of the items that people will want next.
There's also room for growth in niche fashion markets. Akim & Co. takes advantage of the booming athleisure market with items that can go from work to play.
3. Try a Subscription Box
Subscription boxes are a perfect way to get a variety of your items into the hands of customers. And the popular items are a proven favorite among shoppers. (Just make sure to include a gift box option.)
The nice thing about a subscription box is that it exposes customers to more of what you sell. It can also provide a steady revenue stream for customers that opt for recurring boxes, shipped on a scheduled basis.
You can sell almost anything in a subscription box. There are meal kits, cosmetics, craft supplies, baby items and even bacon.
Bacon Boxes has a line of bacon bouquets and subscription boxes that send bacon-themed products to shoppers on a regular schedule. What makes this idea work is a diverse product line with a theme that shoppers can cling on to.
The nice thing about a subscription box is that it exposes customers to more of what you sell. It can also provide a steady revenue stream for customers that opt for recurring boxes, shipped on a scheduled basis.
You can sell almost anything in a subscription box. There are meal kits, cosmetics, craft supplies, baby items and even bacon.
Bacon Boxes has a line of bacon bouquets and subscription boxes that send bacon-themed products to shoppers on a regular schedule. What makes this idea work is a diverse product line with a theme that shoppers can cling on to.
4. Find Something Timeless
Sell something that doesn't fit into a trendy category or has a more timeless feel. But make sure your product is a little different or more special than the competition, by putting a new spin on a tried and true type of product. A product with a known market will give you a little more data and insight into potential sales before you take the leap.
Bow Sweet makes hair accessories for children and women. The line includes everything from trendy flower headbands (popular in the bridal season) to more simple bows. The line is diverse and each item has a custom feel. The concept never really goes out of style either; while the look of some headbands might change, women will still wear them.
Bow Sweet makes hair accessories for children and women. The line includes everything from trendy flower headbands (popular in the bridal season) to more simple bows. The line is diverse and each item has a custom feel. The concept never really goes out of style either; while the look of some headbands might change, women will still wear them.
5. Look for Emerging Trends
On the other hand, look for emerging trends to jump start an online store that isn't doing as well as you might have liked. Look to fill a need for a product or use tools such as Google Trends to see what people are searching for online. (This might help you see the “next big thing" before it happens.)
Trending items may provide a solid boost to sales. The challenge is that the increase is sometimes short-lived if the trend fades. (Just make sure not to overstock trendy items.)
Docking Drawer makes the most of the multiple-device household trend with a charging outlet that people can install inside a drawer in their home. This turns a hidden spot into a charging station.
Trending items may provide a solid boost to sales. The challenge is that the increase is sometimes short-lived if the trend fades. (Just make sure not to overstock trendy items.)
Docking Drawer makes the most of the multiple-device household trend with a charging outlet that people can install inside a drawer in their home. This turns a hidden spot into a charging station.
6. Build a Lifestyle Brand
Sell more than a product. Sell a lifestyle.
Brands that capture shoppers' aspirations can quickly gain a following with products that build a certain image. Some of the best products to sell online incorporate a lifestyle perception beyond the physical dimensions of the product itself. Health items and clothing, in particular, are popular lifestyle elements. Products can include anything from snacks to clothing.
Beach Aesthetics does just that – even the name evokes a certain image of how you live – with a line of clothing designed for surf and sand. (The website even uses upbeat music to further support the brand lifestyle and appeal to style conscious online shoppers.)
The nice thing about offering a lifestyle product is that the concept tends to go beyond the purchase of a single item. That's an effective strategy when trying to create a repeat customer.
Brands that capture shoppers' aspirations can quickly gain a following with products that build a certain image. Some of the best products to sell online incorporate a lifestyle perception beyond the physical dimensions of the product itself. Health items and clothing, in particular, are popular lifestyle elements. Products can include anything from snacks to clothing.
Beach Aesthetics does just that – even the name evokes a certain image of how you live – with a line of clothing designed for surf and sand. (The website even uses upbeat music to further support the brand lifestyle and appeal to style conscious online shoppers.)
The nice thing about offering a lifestyle product is that the concept tends to go beyond the purchase of a single item. That's an effective strategy when trying to create a repeat customer.
Conclusion
Some of the strategies you are already employing might be the ticket to a good – and busy – online shopping season. Establish a brand and reputation in your online store that customers trust with products that they'll want to buy. Back it up with solid customer service, including quick shipping and immediate response to queries.
And always be on the lookout for specialty items or other products you can add to an existing product line to jump start even more sales. You don't have to rethink your entire online shop to provide some of the offerings above, just incorporate them into what you already do.
And always be on the lookout for specialty items or other products you can add to an existing product line to jump start even more sales. You don't have to rethink your entire online shop to provide some of the offerings above, just incorporate them into what you already do.
Carrie Cousins Carrie is a designer and content marketer. She works promoting the Roanoke Region of Virginia and has more than 10 years of media and marketing experience.