25 High Demand Products to Sell Online

Daniyal Jawaid

Thu, Sep 14, 2023, 5:57 AM 12 min read

In a previous article, we explored the most profitable products to sell online in 2023. That list comprised products with good profit margins. However, having a good profit margin will not translate into economies of scale unless your product has a substantial demand. With that in mind, it is worth looking at which products are in high demand right now.

Pandemic and E-commerce

The COVID-19 pandemic was a blessing in disguise for the global E-commerce industry. The pandemic lockdown gave a boost to virtual purchases. By 2020, 18% of all retail sales came from E-commerce. The pandemic also changed online shopping behavior. It introduced new trending products in the E-commerce market, which is good news for those looking for high-demand products to sell online. One of the categories of products that started trending on E-commerce is grocery. Other categories that saw an increase in sales were home goods and fitness equipment. Analysts also report that brand loyalty suffered greatly during the pandemic. This is good news for new sellers who want to get into product categories with established brands.

The share of E-commerce sales in total retail sales is growing at 1% every year. Correspondingly, stocks of major players in the e-commerce industry showed an upward trend during the pandemic. By 2020, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s stock traded at $93.75. By 2021, the stock price had reached $159.14, showing an increase of 69.75%. Today, it is one of the best-positioned global companies. RiverPark Large Growth Fund made the following comments about Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in the Q2, 2023 investor letter.

"With its ability to continue its market share gains in three leading businesses (e-commerce, web services and online advertising), plus a multi-year operating margin expansion opportunity (from improved e-commerce margins and greater contribution from the faster growing, higher margin AWS and advertising segments), we believe Amazon remains one of the best-positioned global growth companies in the world. AMZN shares trade at a 10-year trough EPS multiple, despite what we believe to be currently depressed margins and earnings.”

Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP)’s stock showed an even greater increase of 191.4% between the two years. By 2020, it traded at $40.43 and reached $169 near the end of 2021. However, 2022 saw a post-pandemic market correction for Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) because of long-term growth concerns by investors. Addressing these concerns, the CEO of Shopify, in an interview with Bloomberg on August 3, 2023, said that the company was heading in the right direction, with the vision to focus on its "main quests" of commerce and retail software.

In this respect, Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) sold its logistics business to Flexport in May, 2023 for 13% equity. Following this, the company laid off 20% of its workforce, following the broader trend of tech companies slimming down in response to economic headwinds.

However, the e-commerce oomph that was set off by the pandemic is unlikely to settle down to the pre-pandemic levels, as noted by various market research firms.

E-commerce Marketplace vs. E-commerce Platform

If you are planning on starting an E-commerce business, you might have to choose from opening a store in an E-commerce marketplace such as Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) or building your website through E-commerce platforms such as Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP).

An online marketplace lets you open up your e-commerce store on their website. These marketplaces already have traffic and engagement. Large E-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) also manage your inventory, and stores are quick to set up. However, you have to compete against many competitors in such marketplaces, and you face commoditization, making it difficult to establish your brand. In addition, you also cannot build a customer list for marketing campaigns.

E-commerce platforms such as Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) give you the tools to create your website without any coding background. They offer pre-made templates and drag-and-drop customization. It is easier to differentiate and build your brand through these platforms. In addition, you can easily get customer data for your marketing campaigns. You also get complete control over your site’s functionality and do not have to compete with other sellers. However, it requires some marketing effort to bring traffic and engagement to these websites.

Building your brand through E-commerce platforms such as Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) requires effort but can be rewarding. The story of Allbirds, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIRD) is among the many Shopify success stories. The company opened its store using Shopify’s platform to sell running shoes that were comfortable and had a low carbon footprint. Now, with only half a dozen products, Allbirds, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIRD) has reached a revenue of nearly $300 million for 2022. The direct-to-consumer model of business allowed them to control manufacturing and avoid middlemen, keeping the prices low. Allbirds, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIRD) studied the market and did an excellent job differentiating their brand.

How to Use Our List and Differentiate Your Product

E-commerce companies such as Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) benefit from the influx of sellers. According to Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), customers trust it to provide a variety of products, and the influx of sellers helps achieve this variety. However, it is your job to introduce variety in the form of unique designs, offerings, physical benefits, emotional benefits, and features.

The story of Allbirds, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIRD) tells us that differentiation is important. Our list of the high-demand products to sell online is based on recommendations from leading industry sources and how well the products are doing on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s e-commerce platform. Use our high-demand products list as a starting point and then narrow down products based on your interest and ease of sourcing. The most important thing, however, is to give the product your own unique spin. These are high-demand products, so naturally, there will be alot of competitors.

Methodology

To compile the list of high-demand products to sell 0nline we considered 5 (1,2,3,4,5) sources. We gathered the list of products that these sources recommended and looked for them on Amazon.com. Then we sorted the results by best sellers and noted August's sales of Amazon.com’s best sellers. The higher the August sales, the higher the rank of the product. As tie-breakers, we used the industry growth rates of the products.

Here are the most in-demand products to sell online.

25 High Demand Products to Sell Online

25 - Adult Clogs

Amazon best sellers' August sales - 10000+

Clogs are traditional Chinese shoes made up of wood. However, Crocs used the design as an inspiration and made them into perforated shoes made up of synthetic material. Today, these style shoes are generally known as Adult Clogs and are in great demand as they offer comfort and practicality in everyday situations. You can find a Chinese supplier from Alibaba, where rubber clogs are sold for as low as $3. These clogs sell for as high as $25 on Amazon.

24 - Winter Coats

Amazon best sellers' August sales - 10000+

Winter Coats, although seasonal, present a great opportunity. The industry is competitive, but the ease of sourcing or manufacturing makes up for the competition. Some of the best winter jackets are manufactured in Canada with plenty of manufacturers.

23 - Shapewear

Amazon best sellers' August sales - 10000+

The rising trend of capturing images for social media is driving demand for shapewear. The adaptive shapewear market is expected to exhibit a compound annual growth rate of 8.5% till 2031. You can source a body shapewear for as low as $2 and sell it for $20 on Amazon. Shapewear is one of the most in-demand products to sell online.

22 - Back Cushion

Amazon best sellers' August sales - 10000+

Working from home, increased working hours, and bad posture habits are keeping the demand for back cushions high. Sourcing a good quality back cushion with adequate lumbar support at competitive prices is the key. A typical seller on Alibaba will sell back cushions for $6 with a minimum order quantity of 100 pieces. These cushions can sell for as high as $30 on Amazon.

21 - Cat Massage Comb

Amazon best sellers' August sales - 10000+

By 2030, the pet industry is expected to grow at 8% per annum. Cats are easier to keep as a pet, which is why their products sell more. A cat massage comb should be easy to source but ensure that the materials are hypoallergenic.

20 - Flexible Garden Hose

Amazon best sellers' August sales - 10000+

Flexible garden hose can be easy to source but getting your hands on a high quality one can be challenging. The landscaping industry is experiencing a compound annual growth rate of 6.9%, which makes flexible garden hoses one of the high-demand products to sell online.

19 - Model Train Sets

Amazon best sellers' August sales - 10000+

At 7.3%, the toy industry has the highest compound annual growth rate among all industries we have explored for this list. Model train sets are easy to source but often face uneven wheel gauges and balancing issues. Do a proper quality test before finalizing your suppliers. Alternatively, you can resell some of the well-known brands such as Athearn, Atlas, and Arnold

18 - Baby Water Play Mat

Amazon best sellers' August sales - 10000+

Baby Kids Water Play Mat is another high-demand product that is extremely easy to source. However, ensure quality because they often puncture. You can get a good quality baby water play mat for as low as $2 with a minimum order quantity of 50. These mats sell for as high as $50 on Amazon.