Product research for Print on Demand: How to find ideas that sell

Product research in Print on Demand (POD) is more than a chore to be completed. It is how you spot market opportunities before they become popular, produce designs that people genuinely want, and save time on unsuccessful product concepts.

Successful companies conduct research before developing new products. For instance, Chingasos filled a void in the market by fusing Latino culture with culturally appropriate comedy to create a lucrative niche.

Do you want to follow suit? This manual will teach you how to do effective product research, from identifying consumer needs to assessing rivals.

How to do product research for POD items: The basics

Let us examine the common processes that print-on-demand companies take when doing product research.

Identify the niche and target audience.

It is critical to comprehend your target market before looking for popular products.

Start with your business concept. Perhaps you would like to sell old t-shirts, mugs, or hoodies, but for whom? Your chances of coming up with product ideas that genuinely sell increase with the specificity of your target market.

When conducting customer research, consider the following:

• What matters to my target market?
• What factors—price, identity, trends, and values—influence their purchasing decisions?
• What does my target demographic’s market lack?
•  Which of your current items do they still purchase?

Let us examine an illustration. The original goal of Gay Pride Apparel was to support the LGBTQ+ community in expressing their pride throughout the year. The founders saw that most businesses had discontinued carrying Pride merchandise after July.

They took advantage of that gap. Rather than producing generic rainbow t-shirts, they made items that were influenced by actual events and trends in the LGBTQ+ community.

Potential buyers genuinely wanted to wear their t-shirt designs because they felt significant and personal.

Not sure where to begin? Start with your priorities. Serving a specialty that you are familiar with is always simpler. Next, think about what kinds of goods your target market could enjoy and where there is less competition.

Do not ignore client feedback either. To identify unmet needs, examine reviews of comparable products, peruse Reddit forums, or conduct unofficial surveys on social media.

Analyze demand and search volume.

The next stage is to use market research to validate the product concepts. You must ascertain how many people are looking for this product and whether there is enough demand to establish a brand around it.

Pay attention to whether the specialty is already saturated and whether the market is big enough to sustain your company.

Take into account whether the product’s demand is evergreen or seasonal. Seasonal goods, such as Christmas sweaters, are more popular throughout certain periods of the year. Evergreen products, such as phone cases or tote bags, are in high demand all year round.

To identify market patterns over several time periods, start by looking at Google patterns, which allow you to compare several search phrases.

Use keyword research tools like Ahrefs, which is what uses, to delve deeper. These services recommend Google searches that are relevant to your ideas, revealing profitable goods that you may not have previously thought about.

Additionally, check out what is popular on TikTok Shop, Amazon, and Etsy. Examine the product’s recent sales history and whether comparable products are becoming more popular.

Research your competitors

Analyzing who else is selling comparable goods is the next stage. Competitor research is useful in this situation.

This procedure aids in your comprehension of the competitive environment, including what other companies are selling, how they are positioning their goods, and potential areas for improvement.

If you identify something your rivals are lacking, you can still obtain a competitive advantage in a crowded niche.

To help you with your competition analysis, consider the following questions:

• What kinds of designs are used by other vendors?
• What is the price, and is it commensurate with the quality?
• How do consumers feel about the attributes of the product?
• What may be inferred from their product descriptions about their target market or unique selling points?

Validate the product’s profitability.

Determining how much you will actually make from your product ideas is the next step after you have found some good ones.

POD services provide a variety of products at varied costs, so it is wise to compare several businesses before settling on one. For further details, see our guide on product sourcing.

Suppose you are starting a personalized gift shop and are unsure whether to sell fragrant candles or monogrammed hoodies.  The catalog offers both product types.

A healthy range for POD products is typically between 20 and 40 percent. However, the research you have already done on your niche, target market, product demand, and the kind of store you are developing will determine how much you charge.

Additionally, take into account the cost of selling on websites like Shopify, Etsy, or WooCommerce, in addition to any tools or add-ons you may be employing.

Using Shopify’s Basic plan as an example, below is a condensed margin comparison:

Candles appear to be the more economical choice at first glance. But do not make a decision based only on the numbers. To choose the product that best fits your business, review the findings from your previous data collection and market study.

Do concept testing

It is crucial to test your concepts in actual market settings, even with extensive product research.

This stage of the product development process is called concept testing; it involves showcasing early iterations of your product to see whether or not consumers are inclined to purchase it.

The fact that Print on Demand does not require inventory or upfront costs is its strongest feature. You can immediately begin listing products and collect actual data from purchases.

When conducting research, use concept testing to comprehend:

• Which designs or messaging appeal to potential clients the most?.
• The impact of various pricing points on conversions.
• Which product categories spark greater interest in a certain idea?

Think about experimenting with price and positioning, developing variations of an artwork for the same target audience, or introducing the same design across a product line.

Throughout these tests, keep an eye on your analytics. Tracking monthly income, order volume, and profit is made easier with the integrated statistics tool. To obtain a comprehensive view of your product’s performance, combine that with the data from your eCommerce platform.

What are the best product research methods for POD sellers?

For POD sellers, the best product research techniques combine a number of strategies. Let us examine a few of the most prevalent ones:

Marketplace product research

Because online marketplaces have obvious demand signals and built-in traffic, many POD vendors and dropshipping shops sell there. Concentrate on top-performing listings, sales rankings, and search patterns when researching these platforms.

Your product and market research should be tailored to the specific needs of each marketplace, as each one serves a distinct audience and provides distinct insights.

Etsy

• Ideal for specialized or customized POD items. • Look at Etsy Trends to determine which listings are becoming popular.
• Enter product concepts into the search bar and look at the autocomplete results to see what consumers are really looking for.

TikTok Shop

• Ideal for trendy or impulsive purchases, particularly for younger consumers. To see the top-selling print-on-demand items, browse the Shop tab.
• Explore videos related to your product idea using TikTok Search; monitor engagement levels to gauge demand.

Amazon

• Ideal for useful, seasonal, or presentable PODs.
• Examine product trends in the categories of Movers & Shakers, New Releases, and Best Sellers.
• To find bundle opportunities and better satisfy customer expectations, use the Frequently Bought Together section.

eBay

• Ideal for POD items that are niche, collectible, or evergreen.
• To monitor listing performance across categories and geographical areas, use the Product Research tool. Subscribers to the eBay Store can identify successful products with less competition by using Sourcing Insights for free.

Trendspotting on social media

Do you want to sell items that people are eager to purchase? One of the greatest resources for researching new products and identifying trends early on is social media.

Your Instagram Explore or TikTok For You page is already a live feed of what is attracting attention if your niche aligns with your personal preferences. Check out what is getting likes, shares, and saves; pay particular attention to recurrent topics, viral music, or persistent fashion trends.

As an alternative, investigate popular trending terms, images, or hashtags using sites like TikTok Creative Center or Pinterest Trends.

These technologies are able to identify themes, phrases, or seasonal occasions that are worth developing into items for print-on-demand designs.

Social listening and community research

Trend-based concepts are not always sufficient to close a significant market gap. Social listening can help with that.

Paying attention to what people are saying online—not only what is popular, but also why it is important to them—is known as social listening. This enables you to identify unmet consumer requirements or specialized marketplaces that have not yet produced goods.

This may appear as:

• Joining niche Reddit threads, Facebook Groups, or Discord communities where your target audience hangs out.
• Examining internet reviews on sites like Trustpilot to find out what people find appealing or lacking.
• Looking for repeated questions, complaints, or inside jokes that reveal what matters most to your customers.

By conducting primary research on their target market, some vendors go one step further. They might:

• Send goods to specialized influencers to get their opinions.
• To gather information from survey participants, create brief questionnaires.
• Hold unofficial focus groups to test concepts or get feedback before launching.

Even a single tiny action can help you create a product that appeals to your target market, even though these processes may take more time.

Competitor analysis

We have already discussed what to look for when conducting competition research, but where do you really seek this data?

Fortunately, no sophisticated tools are required to begin. Simply look up your product concept on websites like Google, Amazon, or Etsy. Examine listings, read reviews, and take note of anything noteworthy.

Use marketplace tools like eRank, EverBee, and Koala Inspector for further in-depth insights. They allow you to enter a product or store and get useful information such as top-selling listings, price strategies, and projected revenue.

Ahrefs and other keyword research tools can also show you the Google searches that your rivals rank for. This enables you to determine whether there is natural demand for your product concept and what terms people are actively searching for.

Check out ad libraries on sites like TikTok as well. To see which advertisements are active and how many unique users they receive, search by brand name or product type. It is a fantastic method to find out which products are gaining popularity.

Best product research tools for POD – from beginner to advanced

To expedite your procedure, let us examine some of the top product research tools available to POD vendors.

Google Trends

How it works: Enter a product concept or topic into Google Trends to observe how interest in it has evolved. To identify trends, filter by location, time period, category, and search type.

Beginner’s skill level: Free and simple to use.

Best for:

• Recognizing print-on-demand niches and emerging viable items.
• Recognizing popularity on a local or international level.
• Recognizing peaks in seasonal interest.

Pinterest Trends

How it works: Look up a phrase in Pinterest Trends to discover who is interacting with it, what related searches are popular, and how interest in that topic varies over time.

Beginner’s skill level: free, visual, and simple to use.

Best for:

• Learning about holiday, wedding, home décor, and fashion trends.
• Knowing what your target market searches for and saves.
• Identifying early interest in specialized subjects.

TikTok Creative Center

How it operates: Explore popular hashtags, sounds, creators, or videos by region by visiting the TikTok Creative Center. Sort by engagement metrics like likes, shares, or comments, or filter by time period or industry.

All TikTok users can use this skill level, which is beginner.

Best for: 

Finding viral content ideas and emerging trends. 

Spotting language, humor, or product descriptions that resonate with younger audiences.

Identifying design styles that get high engagement.

Product Catalog

How it operates: You can access it straight from your account dashboard or via the website. View AI-powered product recommendations with significant profit potential or browse products by category.

Beginner’s skill level: incorporated into your POD configuration.

Best for:

• Locating dependable, effective print-on-demand products.
• Reading actual reviews of merchants’ and customers’ products.
• Trying out various designs for possible products.

EverBee

How it operates: To use resources like the Profit Calculator for margin estimation and Keyword Research for Etsy SEO, create an EverBee account. Detailed information on sales, revenue, and top-performing stores and listings can be accessed with paid subscriptions.

Skill level: Beginner to intermediate; higher features are accessible on paid levels; a free plan is offered.

Best for:

• Using actual Etsy data to identify winning POD product concepts.
• Finding high-converting keywords to increase market presence.
• Verifying product pricing, demand, and profitability to generate revenue on Etsy.

Koala Inspector

How it operates: Install the Koala Inspector Chrome extension, go to any Shopify store, and see data such as store activity, monthly visitor patterns, and top products right away.

Level of expertise: beginner to advanced; 15 tokens are included in the free plan to access unique insights. To track up to 50 stores and receive an infinite number of tokens, upgrade to a premium plan.

Best for: 

• Examining profitable Shopify stores within your specialty.
• Monitoring the popularity of new products over time.
• Observing the Shopify applications they utilize, including POD connectors.

eRank

How it works: To research keywords, monitor rivals, and compare listings, register on eRank and link your Etsy shop. Additionally, learn what customers are looking for on Etsy, Amazon, eBay, and other platforms, as well as which keywords are bringing customers to your store.

Skill level: beginner to advanced; premium subscriptions offer more features. There is a free plan available.

Best for:

• Monitor the daily sales and keyword patterns of your rivals.
• Evaluating your performance in relation to market developments.
• Using information from top-performing Etsy stores to optimize listings.

Niche Scraper

How it operates: To begin looking for popular products on Shopify and AliExpress, create a Niche Scraper account. A Pro membership is required for certain advanced features and Amazon data.

Skill level: Beginner to intermediate; many features require a subscription plan, although signup is fast.

Best for: 

• Identifying popular products based on the volume of recent orders and the degree of competition.
• Examining top-performing stores, taking into account revenue and traffic projections.
• Use weekly and annual sales statistics to investigate specialized concepts.

Sell The Trend

How it works: Register for a 14-day free trial on the Sell The Trend website; PayPal or a credit card is needed. Explore popular products, assess the level of competition, see possible profit margins, and more with its dropshipping product research tool.

Skill level: Intermediate to advanced; it is a premium tool with many research options and strong analytics.

Best for: 

• Using the marketplace and advertising performance to identify rapidly growing products.
• Using thorough market research to identify high-potential niches.
• Using data from other sellers to verify demand before product launch.

Ready to discover your next best-selling product?

Here’s a summary of how to conduct product research for your print-on-demand business:

1. Determine your audience and niche, so you know who you are marketing to.
2. To verify genuine interest, examine demand and market size utilizing resources like Google Trends.
3. To identify market gaps and differentiate yourself in your specialty, study competitors.
4. Verify profitability by figuringout your estimated revenue, fees, and margins.
5. Use a no-inventory setup to test concepts and improve your designs using actual data.

It is time to put what you have learnt into practice. Take a look at the Product Catalog and begin researching new products right now. Your next best-seller is just one concept away.