Even if you think you have the best idea for a product, there is no guarantee that the product you want to sell will become successful. This is why it’s vital to do Amazon product research before committing to selling something.

What Is Amazon Product Research?

Amazon product research is when sellers research product markets they want to sell to determine the likelihood of building a successful business there. This is important because even if you think your product will do well in theory, it may not do well in the real world.

What Makes for a Good Amazon Product?

So how do you know if your idea would make an attractive product to Amazon customers? Here are a few questions you should ask yourself and research about your product to determine whether it has a chance of selling successfully:

Is your product profitable?

If your product wouldn’t turn in a profit, it may be worthwhile to consider other avenues or methods of selling.

Is your product a part of a saturated market?

It’s difficult to break into a market that’s already heavily saturated with products similar to yours, so if you see a lot of listings with similar products and a lot of reviews, take a moment to consider your ability to make your product stand out from the rest.

Is there a demand for your product?

If there isn’t a demand for your product, it won’t sell. There isn’t a way around that, unfortunately. 

How to Do Product Research on Amazon?

Manual Method

The manual method is simple but is also the most time-consuming and hands-on. It involves checking the bestseller list and looking for trends in the marketplace.

Automatic Method 

The automatic method uses tools that do your research for you. Luckily, you can use a variety of great product research tools; you just have to look. There are even great free product research tool options if you’re not looking to add extra expenses.

Find Reliable Suppliers

Having reliable suppliers as an Amazon seller is crucial – after all, what are you supposed to do if you don’t have consistent access to what you need to make your product? There is no right or wrong way to find a supplier that fits your needs, but here are a few ideas that might help you out.

Online Marketplaces

Online supply stores are plentiful these days and can handle virtually any need a seller may have. Even if you’re a seller who would like to support suppliers with certain values (such as local sourcing), finding suppliers that fit those values is pretty easy.

Product-sourcing Agencies

Another option is product sourcing agencies that do all of the research for you. These are third-party services that will make your life finding suppliers much, much easier, but you also need to consider their cost against your bottom line.

Fairs or Shows

Face-to-face networking is invaluable. Going to fairs and shows and connecting directly with suppliers is a great way to find suppliers you would’ve never had the opportunity to meet otherwise.

Optimize Product Listings

One thing you should always pay attention to when doing product research is what makes your product and similar attractive, starting with your product listing. What can you do to entice a potential customer to decide to spend their hard-earned money on your product?

Look at your competitors’ listings, especially the successful ones, and compare them to yours to determine what might be missing. 

Here are a few common mistakes sellers make in their listings:

• Having a non-descriptive title
• Leaving out important, decision-altering information about your product (good or bad)
• Unattractive or inaccurate images
• Vague or incomplete description and product features pages

Key Takeaways

Before you list a product on Amazon, you should do product research. During this process, you should consider the following about your product:

• Are you selling a profitable, in-demand product?
• Have you researched your product and your competition thoroughly?
• Once you’ve decided on your product, have you created an attractive, optimized listing?

If the answer to all of the above is yes, you’re in a good place to publish your listing – just remember that even doing your research doesn’t guarantee success, but hopefully, with these tips, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle.