How to find a product?
This is the number 1 question I get asked on almost a daily basis. I have no definite answer for you today but I will try to break it down in two sections and a step by step guide on how I select products and hopefully you’ll get a few ideas 
Lets look at your personal situation (scenario) first and then see how you can benefit from your scenario when picking the product.
1) How to pick your product niche:
Scenario 1: You’ve got money
Congratulations! While it is easier to get started the question of what product you are going to pick still remains open. More on that below.
Scenario 2: You don’t have money and you’re scraping together every little cent you have to reach 5,000$ because that’s the budget you heard of is the minimum (well its my minimum that I recommend to everyone).
While it is more difficult to get started you have the same starting point like everyone else out there. You probably want to make sure that the product you are going to pick is worth the investment. But even if your first product is not a killer don’t worry. You learn a lot in the process and in most cases you can at least get your investment back. Read on.
Scenario 3: You have a large follower-ship on social media
You are in a great spot. You already have a list of customers to get your launch and product going. It is imperative to pick a product that fits your social media.
In my recent case study (http://importdojo.com/case-study-how-i-went-from-zero-to-7000us-in-10-days-in-one-of-the-most-competitive-amazon-niches/) I reached out to bloggers and that boosted my launch immensely. Even nearly 3 months after my launch I still get sales from that site.
What does that mean if you have a large followership? Lets say I have an Instagram account with 50,000 followers that talks about eating healthy, fitness, the outdoors etc.. I could launch so many products to that followership, even competitive niches. For example:
Yoga mats
Accessories for the gym (tumblers, bags, sporting items etc.)
Backpacks, travelling gear, camping accessories
etc.
When you research your future niche and have decided on it build social media right away if possible. A client of mine built a social media follower-ship of 8,000 followers within 2 months (various social sites) and then launched her product. She sold nearly 100 pieces the first week only trough social media. That helped boost her organic sales and the rest is history.
So consider social media right from the beginning when choosing a product.
Ideally you will want to enlarge your assortment with similar products that all fit into your following. For example if your first product was a yoga mat and your followership is about exercising etc. it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense that your next product is a vacuum cleaner.
Scenario 4: You have passion about a certain product category
Let’s just say you love the outdoors, hiking, camping, and exercising in general (like me). So many products to choose from but you have one advantage. You know what you like and what your product should be able to do. You already have an advantage over many other competitors. Your passion for this category goes into your product. E.g. if you were to be upset about quality of camping mats you would already know what to tell your supplier where to improve. Look into categories you have passion for and then choose a product that you feel you can talk about, improve and passion in selling for.
For example if you like cooking you could look at developing a product that makes a certain cooking process easier. The exciting thing about this is that all your passion also goes into your product and listing and people just buy your stuff because you are so convinced of your product yourself.
For example I recently bought a travel bag from a German entrepreneur based in Thailand who loves travelling. Over the years he went trough so many of his traveling bags already because they were of poor quality (the straps broke, the leather peeled off etc.) and he decided to make his own bags. After 6 months of hard work he launched his site and product and it took off immediately. All his passion went into his product and site (https://www.travlmind.com/). You could tell by his story that he was really passionate about creating the best bags out there and not just copying the big brands. And only that convinced me to buy one of the bags even that it was at a higher price tag.
Scenario 5: You have vast experience in a certain industry
Lets imagine you have 17 years of experience in selling electronics (like me). What was the first product I picked? It was an electronic item. Why? Because that’s where I had my experience in. I believe you should not just have passion about your product but also have experience. When I sell a product online I want to be able to answer customers questions and inquires. To be able to do that I need experience in that category. Your passion and experience goes into creating your product. So when I choose my first product I improved an existing item based on my experience in that industry: http://importdojo.com/how-i-started-my-own-private-label/
So if you have a lot of experience in a certain industry make that industry your first product category.
Don’t have experience in a certain industry? What about a hobby? Or are you a parent? I am sure if you are a parent you have lots of experience with your kid/children and you could start in that category
Scenario 6: You have none of the above
Not to worry or be frustrated. Most of the people I know that get started start with Scenario 6 and there are still many success stories out there if you are within this scenario. Here’s an approach that you could use:
First: Take out a notebook and create a list of your interests and hobbies (or responsibilities as a parent for example) e.g. kitchen products, electronics, sports, your kids etc.. Yes actually write it down. Call me a bit old fashioned but I like to drop down ideas in written
Second: subscribe to newsletters of companies that talk about or sell products of your interests. See below on which sites for example (point 2)
Third: Gather a list of potential products from that niche. Collect at least 10 ideas.
Fourth: Research phase. Junglescout, Amazon, eBay, jet.com, local shop that sells the products etc.
See if there is any demand? Or is there space for one more seller (you)?
Fifth: If there is no demand is it because the product is in its fledging stages? Can you improve the product with your passion and interest in this product? Yes? Create a To-Do list of what you can improve based on customers reviews, what friends and family say etc. and move onto finding a supplier.
Sixth: No? Are you still convinced of the product? Follow your gut feeling and also ask around in friend circles. Move onto finding a supplier
Seven: No demand at all? Move onto product 2 of your list of ideas.
Lets say you found your niche, category or general product idea. Depending on above scenarios here are a few examples on how to find your product:
2) How to find your product ideas:
Choose your scenario and lets look at the following options:
Amazon
Blogs, Gadget or trendy sites
Exhibitions
Supermarkets, shopping malls
Tools
When travelling
Alibaba & Globalsources
1) Amazon
You could look for hours on Amazon in the different categories and niches if you already have a certain product idea. But if you have no idea to start I suggest you start with the best seller list: http://amzn.to/1ZN3rY3
2) Blogs, gadget or trendy sites
Please don’t just look on Amazon! While there are great tools out there to scout Amazon for products (Junglescout, Cashcowpro etc.) I get many of my ideas outside Amazon.
One of my favorite site to find interesting blogs and trendy websites is Kadaza. It’s a collection of the best and most interesting sites on product ideas:
http://www.kadaza.com/
Click on any of the categories and you will find x amount of websites in that niche. For example if you look under the Tech category (http://www.kadaza.com/tech) you will find “The Gadget Flow”. By subscribing to their newsletter you get weekly updates on trendy items (that may not even be on Amazon yet). Lets take a look at an example:
Just a few days ago I received an email from The Gadget Flow. Its a site that I subscribe to among many others. I found the site by looking trough above Kadaza links.
So when I opened the email there were a lot of products that are currently on sites like Kickstarter or other similar sites. But you know what? If its only on Kickstarter now it means it isn’t on Amazon yet hence you can take the product idea and even improve on it. So I looked at the first product that caught my attention (lots of other good ideas too in that email):
After clicking on the link I found that the company is based in Denmark and funded their product “the Sitpack” successfully on Kickstarter.
Just a quick search on Alibaba.com and I immediately find a supplier:
As you can see the supplier either stole the pictures or he is the actual producer for this company. I think it is the first one but it could be that they are the sole manufacturer.
Now I go on Amazon and see that there is only one seller, the actual company “Sitpack” selling for 149$!!! Look at the listing. So much to improve!!
Also I am pretty sure that this product does not cost more than 10$ to manufacture. Wow what a margin!
Either way, the point I want to get to you is not to copy these companies but find ideas on blog sites (subscribe to them) and see how quick and easy you can research suppliers on Alibaba or Globalsources for suppliers. Maybe add an accessory, change colors or whatever you feel could improve the product. The best thing about subscribing to these sites is that you get ideas delivered for free to your email address.
3) Exhibitions
One of my favorite and most efficient way to find new products is at exhibitions. There are hundreds of exhibitions each year in many countries. You get to meet the supplier, see the products, and talk over details such as prices, models, and much more. On top of all of that I guarantee you that you will get inspired. To find exhibitions near you just Google the exhibition center near you and get your entry ticket. Most times you will need to provide name cards and contact details for that. You can order business cards for $5 these days. Going to an exhibition prepared and with a professional image gives the supplier a great impression of you.
There are countless exhibitions around Asia throughout the year but mostly during April and October. Here is a list of exhibitions for October 2016: http://www.globalsources.com/NEWS/TRADE_SHOW_CALENDAR_OCTOBER2016_A.pdf
A great write up from one of webretailers earlier posts of Danny McMillan who I had the pleasure of meeting in Hong Kong in April: http://www.webretailer.com/lean-commerce/sourcing-trip-china/
4) Supermarkets, shopping malls
Another way to find new products is obviously when you are out in a shopping mall or a local shop. To start your own import business means that you also work when you are out with friends/family at a shopping mall. Keep your eyes open and when you see something cool make a reminder for yourself on your smart phone to look the product up later.
5) Tools
A) Junglescout
You have probably heard of Junglescout already. Junglescout is probably the most advanced tool when it comes to navigating Amazon and finding bestseller products. Jungle Scout integrates into your Google Chrome browser, streamlining your product research. Extract rank, sales volume, FBA fee’s, type and quantity and a lot more! From what I hear soon also available for the German market.
I had the chance to meeet Junglescout’s founder Greg Mercer twice. He is a really cool and down to earth guy who seems to work purely for the community. Check out his blog and site where you can get hundreds of product ideas itself if not using his tool.
B) Cashcowpro
In January this year I was contacted by Antoni Watts, the founder of CashCowPro. I looked up his tool and was amazed by how he has probably put together the most comprehensive tool that not only helps to boost sales but also provides accurate insightful metrics for selling on Amazon. From all the tools out there I think this is my favorite when it comes to keeping track of all my sales as well as testing features.
It also works also iPhone and Android APP. Within the tool there is a Top 100,000 NICHE selector… They actually scanned over 100 million products + ASINs on Amazon to create this list.
They automatically calculate the factory cost and Air + Sea freight to give you the Top 100,000 most profitable NICHES on Amazon. Not products, but actual NICHES, using the average of the TOP 5 ranking products for each Niche to calculate the overall performance. The tool has many more functions apart from the niche selector that you can see here:
6) Travelling
Travelling is also a great way to find ideas. When you are out of your country or state you will likely see items that your country/state does not have. There could be many reasons why they may not be available where you live, but it’s always worth it to check an idea out. I remember when my friend told me about 10 years ago about Bubble Tea & Fancy Green Tea drinks sold in Hong Kong and Asia. She was from Germany and she had never seen these drinks back home. She didn’t go on any further with that idea but a few years later back in Germany these drinks started to pop up and were a smashing hit! So even when you think at first that idea might be nothing, it could be worth millions! Share the idea with a few friends and brainstorm about it.
7) Alibaba & Globalsources
A) Alibaba
First off when you sign up on Alibaba you generally need to fill in which product categories you are interested in. Based on this criteria and your recent product searches on Alibaba you’ll get automated emails with new product deals. Als you can subscribe look in their “selection site” where they post a lot of the newest and trendiest items from their suppliers:
http://selection.alibaba.com/?spm=a2700.7848340.0.0.tevCsV&tracelog=hd__cor_selection
B) Globalsources
Pretty much the same with Globalsources. You sign up and get automated emails with great product deals here. But not enough, they also have a section with the best deals and newest products out of every product category: Top Products. And my favourite part are their eMagazines that are updated on a monthly basis with the hottest and newest product alerts on their site.
Check out the links listed above and browse trough hundreds of products. Use the techniques and step by step scenario as described above depending on your situation.
Well that’s all I can think of today but there are literally so many other ways to find products. Even if you personally went trough some of the above ideas already I hope there’s still something for you that could help to find your next or first product. Some more ideas on how to find the “perfect” product also in one of my earlier guest blog posts from Thomas Albiez based in Switzerland: http://importdojo.com/how-to-find-the-perfect-product-2/
Once thing I can recommend everyone at some point is to come to Asia and visit some of the exhibitions. I feel it is just the most efficient way to find products. I know it may not be cheap to come here but I can guarantee its worth it. A plane ticket and a few nights at a cheap hotel can go from $1500. But you’ll see actual suppliers, products and samples in real. Saving you a lot of money and time in the process. Here are a few impressions from October last year and this year April’s exhibitions :
http://importdojo.com/news-and-trends-from-the-exhibitions-in-asia/
http://importdojo.com/news-and-trends-from-the-exhibition-april-2016/
I hope you enjoyed this post and that I could somehow inspire you a little bit to find your product ☺
All the best and happy sourcing,
Manuel
Ps.: some of the links are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase. I have personally used and tested all of these products or companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. The cost to you remains the same, sometimes even cheaper if I have negotiated a special deal for our readers. Please do not purchase these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.