Module 2, Lesson 1: Finding Ideas

So you’re interested in dropshipping and starting a store but you have no idea what to sell?
Fortunately, dropshipping allows you to quickly test and validate different ideas you might have.
If you don’t have any ideas yet, we’re going to talk about finding ideas for products to sell, and
then quickly evaluating that product idea before moving on to testing.

The first thing you can do to get the idea ball rolling is to find what is already selling. To increase
your chances of success, consider entering a proven niche with hot products. To start, look at
marketplaces such as Amazon, Etsy, and eBay and go through their bestsellers to begin to
collect ideas.

Start by looking through the categories you have experience, expertise, knowledge or interest
in. You don’t need to be interested in the product you’re selling, it just helps create a spark for
the idea process.

For example, I like drinking tea so I might start off in the food categories or simply search “tea”
and sort by bestsellers to see what I get. However, the product we end up with might not be
something we have a lot of interest or knowledge in. I only recommend that as a starting point.

Merchants sell products for other reasons besides being passionate about their product.

One is opportunity.

If we’re able to find a low competition niche, an opportunity to market a product differently, or
solve a problem nobody has solved yet, it might be enough to decide on a product to sell or
niche to target.

Finding these opportunities takes a lot of brainstorming and research. One tool you can use for
keyword research is Google Keyword Planner.

The second is trend.

Every so often, a new trend comes along creating an opportunity to build a business. Whether
it’s hoverboards, fidget spinners, or diet teas, new trends come and go. Some trends wind up
being fads, others were years in the making before they caught on. Catching these trends isn’t
always easy but if you see something new emerging, it might be worth jumping in or at least
testing.
Finding these trends takes a lot of patience and research. One resource I like is Google Trends
or even looking at YouTube’s trending videos to see what the most common theme is.
Sometimes it’s reviews for a particular kind of product.

If you’re looking for more inspiration, I would check out consumer product review blogs such as
Uncrate, Bless This Stuff, and Cool Material, or check out social curation sites such as
Pinterest, Polyvore, Fancy, and Wanelo.

Begin brainstorming a few ideas. Once you have a list of at least 3 products or niches you want
to sell, move on to the next lesson where we’ll evaluate the potential of these ideas before
testing them.

What do you do if you're interested in dropshipping, but have no idea what to sell? You're in the right
place .

Watch the video first to kickstart your brainstorming efforts for you product and niche. Then check
out the tools below to help you find the right products and niches to consider to build your
dropshipping store.

Helpful Tools to Help You Find Your Niche:

● Google Keyword Planner​ for keyword research

● Google Trends​ for trending ideas and products
● Similar Web​ to measure demand and understand your market
● BuzzSumo​ to understand what content related to your business gets the most attention

Inspiration to Find Product Ideas:

● Uncrate
● Bless This Stuff
● Cool Material
● Pinterest
● Polyvore
● Fancy
● Wanelo
Resources:

● Read '​Rev Up Your Revenues: 10 Trending Products to Sell in 2018​' from the Shopify Blog