Product Research Guide: How to Find Products for Dropshipping

A friend asked me the other day if there’s such a thing as a “perfect” dropship product. 

She’s thinking of starting a dropshipping store and often asks me for advice.

I replied, jokingly: “The one that makes the most money.”

But after thinking about it some more, I realized there are specific characteristics that make a dropship product “perfect”.

And sometimes these things are hard to spot when you’re starting out.

This goes beyond the physical attributes of a product - the size, weight, look and function. 

It’s more about consumer psychology and understanding why people buy.

Because when we understand people’s motivation for buying (or the problems that they’re looking to solve), it can help us to identify products that provide the “perfect” solution.

While I don’t believe that there is such a thing as a “perfect” dropshipping product, I do believe that the criteria outlined below will help you get as close to “perfect” as possible.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking a ‘Perfect’ Product

Does it solve a problem?

When choosing a product, it’s important to look beyond how it looks or how trendy it is. 

The #1 question you should be asking is: What problem does it solve? 

Picking practical problem-solving products to dropship ensures that they will stay in high demand because while trends may come and go, problems are much more permanent.

Let’s look at an example. Lately, I’ve been seeing people wearing their smartphones on what looks like a rope around their shoulder, like a mini handbag.

They’re called phone chains, phone necklaces, and phone lanyards. There’s no room in these bags for anything else but a phone.

At first I thought they were kind of silly, but then I realized that they solve several problems experienced by a lot of people, especially women.

What problems do they solve?

• Not having pockets for a phone
• Fear of losing a phone
• The hassle of having to take a big handbag everywhere 

You can see how solving a problem helps to position a product in the market. You can see how the marketing copy and advertising almost writes itself when you know what problem a product solves.

In reality, the product is just a phone case with a rope on it.

But when you look at it from the perspective of the problem it solves, it suddenly transforms into an innovative product with the potential to become a hot new trend.

Any product that simplifies people’s everyday lives and solves a clear problem is a great choice for dropshipping.

Can it be easily found in any online/local store?

Scarcity is a dropshipper’s friend. 

Why? 

If a buyer can find the product in their local shopping mall, he’s probably going to buy it there.

If he’s seeing it advertised by well-known and trusted brands, she’s probably going to buy it from their website.

That’s because, as a dropshipper, you probably don’t have an established brand and people are more inclined to buy from companies they’re familiar with.

That’s why a “perfect” dropship product can’t be available anywhere and everywhere. It has to be a novelty item, something outside the mainstream.

For example, if you want to dropship something as commonplace as t-shirts using a print-on-demand service, you have to set your t-shirts apart in some way.

Maybe your t-shirts have distinctive images or quotes on them that make them different to everything else in the market.

Simply ask yourself: Have I seen this exact item in a mainstream store?

If the answer is yes, steer clear. If it’s no, you might be onto a “perfect” product.

What is the product lifecycle of this product?

Considering the product lifecycle is essential when planning to sell a product online. Entrepreneurs must thoroughly assess market demand, competition, and potential longevity of the product's appeal.

Key aspects to contemplate include identifying the stage of the product's lifecycle, anticipating consumer preferences and trends, evaluating the potential for innovation or differentiation, and devising strategies for product promotion and adaptation over time.

What stage of the product lifecycle is the product currently in, and how might this impact its potential for online sales?

What is the historical trend of demand for similar products in the market, and how might this influence the product's longevity online?

How adaptable is the product to changing consumer preferences and market trends, and what strategies can be employed to maintain its relevance over time?

What competitive landscape does the product face, and how can its unique selling points be leveraged to stand out in the online marketplace?

Are there opportunities for product innovation or diversification to extend the product's lifecycle and sustain its appeal to online consumers?

By carefully examining these factors, businesses can make informed decisions about which products to sell online and how to effectively navigate through the various stages of their lifecycle to ensure sustained success.

Does it provoke a WOW effect?

The “perfect” dropshipping product should make people go “Wow!”

I don’t mean it has to be gobsmackingly unbelievable, but it should be surprising or illuminating in some way.

It should make your target customer say, “Wow, this is actually what I need”. 

Wow is not always an instant reaction. Sometimes you have to show your product in action in a video or image for people to be wowed by it.

You can test this by asking a few friends what they think of the product.

If anyone uses the word “wow” in their response, you might have found a “perfect” match.

Does it trigger an impulse purchase?

A “perfect” product has to stop people in their tracks when they’re scrolling online and make them take action. 

It has a novelty factor. Maybe it’s funny or quirky. Maybe it’s cute or related to a niche interest. 

For example, a pizza slice cushion might be irresistible to a pizza lover, triggering an impulse purchase.

The reason impulse buyers are so important for dropshipping is because many of your sales will likely come from targeted advertising.

People are unlikely to remember your brand or website if they don’t buy in the moment.

You also need to make sure your store and checkout process is seamless or you risk interrupting the impulsive behaviour.

Is it saturated?

A dropshipping product can only be “perfect” up until the point that it becomes saturated.

That means there are too many stores selling the same product and the market has been overexposed to it through advertising.

When a product is saturated, it’s difficult to sell.

I think the saturation threshold is a lot higher than people think (we like in a world of 7.5 billion people after all!), but it’s worth being mindful of.

You can use a tool like SaleHoo Labs to check the level of competition for the product/s you’re interested in selling.

Or you can do your own market research by looking at the number of sellers and listings on popular online marketplaces.

Another way to check for saturation is by looking at how many orders a product has had on AliExpress.

This posture corrector on AliExpress has been an extremely popular dropshipping product over the past couple of years, judging by the 35,144 orders (and that’s just from one supplier). 

Is this product saturated? Probably.

Is it consumable?

Smart online sellers choose products that are consumable.

That way, you can keep selling to the same customer over and over again.

For example, things like beauty products which need to be replaced every month or two, or dog snacks, or art supplies.

If the customer has a good experience with you, they might keep buying from you. 

It’s much easier to sell to happy customers than it is to convert new customers.

Top tactics for finding “perfect” dropship products 

In today’s highly-competitive online world you need to get creative with finding profitable dropshipping products before everyone else catches on.

Here I’ll share some of the popular and lesser known ways of finding “perfect” dropshipping products for your store.

Facebook Ad Spying Tactic

Facebook search

An easy way to see what’s selling and trending in the dropshipping world is by looking at what’s being promoted on Facebook.

Simply type “free worldwide shipping” or “50% off” in the Facebook search bar, then on the left-hand side click “Videos”. 

The products that show up will most likely be from dropshipping stores, so you can see which ones are racking up the likes, views and comments (all good indicators of how “perfect” they are). 

You can sort the videos by “Most recent” to see the latest products.

Another way to see more dropshipping ads on your Facebook feed is by engaging with these videos. 

Like them, click the links, add the product to your cart - all of this will tell Facebook that you want to see more of these types of videos.

Facebook Ads Library

Facebook Ads Library is also a good place to look for dropshipping products.

You need to know the name of a few dropshipping stores or novelty ecommerce brands, but you simply need to search their name in Facebook Ads Library and it will show all of their active ads.

If successful stores are already pushing these products, you might be best to stay away.

But if you want to try and compete with more established stores, all power to you.

You could also consider selling similar or complementary products. 

Also, because Facebook owns Instagram, you’ll also see the brand’s Instagram ads here.

AliExpress Product Research Method 

AliExpress search

AliExpress is a popular product sourcing platform for dropshippers. It provides quite a bit of useful information, such as star rating, reviews and number of orders.

You can even filter your search results by number of orders, which is helpful for getting a feel for what’s selling.

Too few orders and it’s hard to know if the supplier is legit, too many orders and the product is probably saturated.

You need to find the right balance.

Also be aware that some suppliers have been known to artificially boost their rating, reviews and orders, so don’t take this data as gospel.

AliExpress Dropshipper Center

The AliExpress Dropshipper Center is a slightly improved search tool that is focussed on dropshipping products.

It has a few more functionalities such as the ‘Analyze’ tool, but I haven’t found it to offer much more than that.

It’s free to use and worth trying for a more dropship-oriented search experience.

SaleHoo Labs 

If you really want to get the inside word on “perfect” dropshipping products, you need our powerful market research tool, SaleHoo Labs.

Of course, I would say that. But where else can you get the latest data from the top online marketplaces on hundreds of thousands of products?

SaleHoo Labs lets you search products by category, sell rate (how well it’s selling), average sale price, and competition. 

We kept hearing that dropshippers needed a tool like this, so we built one.

Amazon

Amazon ‘As Seen on TV’

This is a lesser known tactic for finding novelty products that are selling like crazy.

Go to Amazon and search for “As Seen on TV”.

You can browse a wide range of proven products to give you inspiration for what to dropship.

Amazon Movers and Shakers

Visit Amazon Movers and Shakers to see the best-performing products over the past 24 hours.

This will give you a really good idea of hot and trending products across all of Amazon’s categories.

Amazon Gift Finder 

This is another lesser known tactic for finding product ideas for dropshipping.

Amazon’s Gift Finder has an “Interesting” section, which is a goldmine for new and unusual products.

Top tools for finding “perfect” dropship products 

If you want an extra edge on top of everything I’ve already covered, take these tools for a spin.

• EcomHunt is an effective tool for finding and selling hot, top-trending products on the internet. It gives its users access to new selling and winning products on a daily basis.

• Shopping Insights is a tool created by Google that gives sellers the idea of what products are in demand and what not.
• Explore eBay is a helpful trends and market data tool managed by eBay. It shows trending products, best sellers, prices, and other market data.
• Ahrefs is one of the most powerful SEO tools on the market. It’s great for backlinks and SEO analysis.

• Thieve is a curated collection of the best and most stylish products from AliExpress.

• Zik Analytics is another popular tool that helps sellers find profit-making items to dropship. At the same time it’s a leading e-commerce software platform giving lots of helpful recommendations on how to dropship products fast by categorizing them in the first page of eBay search results.
• Niche Scraper is a SaaS tool that allows dropshippers to research winning products to sell by spying on best selling products on AliExpress and other Shopify stores.

Where to find more product inspiration 

It’s going to be tough to top this list of 40 Dropshipping Business Ideas To Make Money From Your Own Home [Suppliers Included] 

But if you want to dig deeper on your “perfect” product treasure hunt and websites like Pinterest aren’t quite enough for you, I’ve put together a list of a few more places that are packed full of ideas and inspiration. 

Here are shopping websites where you can get more ideas for products that sell:

• Kickstarter is a famous crowdfunding platform for creative projects. You might be able to catch onto upcoming product trends from other entrepreneurs and inventors before they hit the mainstream.
• Ssense is an e-commerce and brick-and-mortar luxury and streetwear retailer and an international fashion platform with a large selection of brands that can help to inspire you if you’re looking for products in the clothing and fashion niche.
• Wish is an online marketplace for almost any product you can imagine. It’s even possible to dropship via Wish, but I haven’t heard of any success stories so far.

Social media communities are also a good place to get fresh ideas for products that are selling as well as emerging trends:

• I Want One is a Facebook community that features weird, wacky and wonderful products that make you say "I Want One!". It’s cool. You should check it out.
• Insider Pages is a short insight of the popular news and trends in different spheres of human life. Check the main page and the related Insider pages like Tech Insider, Home Insider, Kitchen Insider and so on. It can be a great place to find new products.
• I Want That is another social community successful dropshippers should be following in order to know about the products that people are getting excited about.
• Best Products is a Facebook page that features, you guessed it, the best products on planet earth. You don’t want to miss this valuable resource.

You should be monitoring social media channels like Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook like a hawk. 

They are goldmines for product research. You can search social media sites for the product names and check if there are any viral videos featuring them, or communities dedicated to them. 

Also remember to visit other shopping websites. You never know where you might find your six-figure product! 

Letting go of perfection

I know I’ve been talking about the “perfect” product a lot in this post, but I put the word in quote marks for a reason.

There is no such thing as a perfect product. All of the strategies I’ve outlined will help you get as close to perfect as possible.

But don’t let your search for perfection get in the way of making progress and taking action.

The best dropshipping products are the ones that actually sell, and the ones that meet the criteria above will do just that.

Look for products that answer the questions above and use consumer psychology and emerging trends to your advantage.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or want me to go into more depth on anything I’ve covered above.