The Benefits of Niche Products
Niche products refer to anything that appeals to a specific demographic or interest group. While the word "niche" is often used to describe any category, in the marketing sphere it really applies to smaller, less competitive markets. For example, pet owners are so numerous that they aren't a true niche. In this case, it's better to target owners of specific dog breeds or perhaps uncommon pets, such as tarantulas, or tropical lizards. Similarly, nutritional supplements are an extremely broad category of products and not a niche. However, products aimed at people with specific ailments, such as hay fever, hypoglycemia, fibromyalgia, and others are more targeted towards niche audiences.
The benefits of selling niche products are analogous to using long tail keywords in search engine optimization. In fact, the two are closely related, as you can use long tail keywords to promote online auctions. These are simply keywords that are less competitive and appeal to niche audiences.
How to Research Niche Markets
In order to promote the most profitable niche products to sell online, you need to do research. You want to find products that are popular with a certain population or subculture but not ultra competitive. Here are some ideas for researching such products.
• Your Own Hobbies and Areas of Expertise - This is always a good place to start, as you have an inside track in these areas. You're in a position to identify specialized products that others don't know about.
• Blogs - Searching blogs helps you identify niches.
• Keyword Research - Using Google's or another keyword research tool tells you how popular and competitive different keywords are.
• Online Retail Sites and Auctions - Since you want to sell your products online, it makes sense to check existing online retail sites and auctions such as eBay and Amazon.
• Amazon Books and Other Media - Aside from searching physical products on Amazon, do niche research by seeing what books and publications are popular. This can inspire you. For example, if you see books on living off the grid and prepping are popular, products such as survival food and alternative energy generators are a possibility.
• Current Problems People Face - When you notice that people are facing a certain type of problem, this is an opportunity for anyone with a solution.
• Make a Generic Product into a Niche Product - A good example of this is t-shirts or anything that can be branded. The basic product is extremely broad. However, by putting a certain logo, image, or saying on it, you can appeal to any type of niche audience.
Finding Profitable Niche Products
Before you start selling products, you need to know how much it costs you to acquire them and how much you can sell them for. You can often find reasonable items at online storage auctions and resell them in your own auctions. When you buy at online auctions, there's usually an option to search for particular categories. That way, if you specialize in a certain niche (e.g. baseball cards, vintage jewelry, auto parts, artwork, etc.) you can bid on those auctions that contain such items. When you have expertise in a certain area, you're in a good position to estimate the value and you'll be able to find items that you can resell at a good profit.
Once you identify a niche product that you can sell, it's just a matter of testing it by putting up listings on an online auction. Don't rely on the auction listing by itself for promotion. Promote your auction on forums, blogs, social media pages, videos, and anywhere else where your niche audience hangs out.
