The 26 Best Product Research Tools For Sussing Out The Wares That’ll Win
Your catalog defines your brand and can propel you toward ecommerce success.
Finding the right products sets the tone for your business, selecting the best SKUs for your target sales channels unlocks steady revenue, and reliable product research tools can help make it all happen.
Why wouldn’t you want help to make more informed decisions about the best items to sell?
In the long run, the right tools also save you time, money, and effort by providing insights into market trends, customer behaviors, and competitive landscapes.
In this article, we’ll break down product research, how it empowers your business strategy, and examples of the most effective tools to use to locate your next winning product.
Read on to learn:
- What is product research
- Why product research is so important
- Tools to find products that’ll sell
- Tips for showcasing your great product ideas
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What is product research?
Product research involves analyzing the market to discover what products are currently in demand, as well as consumer preferences and top searches.
It helps you identify potential items to sell, evaluate their profitability, and select the products worth investing in.
Product research is essential for all types of ecommerce businesses because it:
- Pinpoints the best products to purchase, stock, and sell for the long term
- Determines seasonal items for excellent short-term profit plays
- Finds the right mix of items that keep your inventory moving
It’s especially important for dropshipping as well since merchants who use this business model sell products without keeping any physical inventory.
Instead, they purchase their inventory from suppliers who ship purchased stock directly to customers.
In dropshipping, product research identifies not only lucrative products but also excellent distributors.
The importance of product research
“I have a private-label store and a wholesale store, and product research is equally important for both. For wholesale, you’re researching ‘what should I buy?’, and for private-label, you’re researching ‘what should I create?’. ”
— Taylor Smits, MyFBAPrep Co-Founder and Amazon seller
Product research is a vital task for multiple reasons. We’ve covered the top reasons below to paint a clearer picture of how you can effectively carry out your own.
Identify evergreen and trending products
Product research tools provide data and analytics that can uncover evergreen products.
These are items that have long-term potential and strong, but predictable sales patterns throughout the year.
Evergreen products are always in demand and not subject to trends or seasonality. Some examples of evergreen products are skincare products and kitchen appliances.
They also excel at honing in on trending products. These are products that are highly profitable over a short period due to fads, virality, or related factors.
Tools that offer insights about market and consumer behaviors can find these types of products and even those that are about to trend.
Take note, however, that the popularity of trending items fades quickly, so approach them with care. Avoid stocking up on them excessively, or you risk ending up with lots of unsold goods.
Tip: Stay on top of your inventory management best practices to help provide the right balance of trending products and your staple best sellers.
Determine profitability
“With wholesale research, you start with something you already know, like a competitive seller, a popular brand, or a supplier list.
If you already have a wholesale supplier, you would go to Amazon to check the products and evaluate metrics like BSR, number of monthly sales, how many other sellers there are on the listing, how much profit there is after Amazon fees, etc. to see if you want to buy those products.”
— Taylor Smits, MyFBAPrep Co-Founder and Amazon seller
A key advantage of product research is its ability to determine an item’s profitability and whether it’s worth your investment.
The right tools can give you a glimpse into specific product characteristics that influence potential profit, including:
- Price
- Cost of goods sold (COGS)
- The competitive landscape
- Channel performance
Mitigate risk
Product research also reduces business risk by identifying items with low potential to sell.
Using tools that gauge market and consumer demand can help you decide which products to pursue and which to avoid.
Find your niche
“What you’re trying to understand in private label research is ‘what is a good market to enter?’ You’re looking for a niche that has an attractive total monthly revenue potential without being too competitive and saturated, which would make it difficult to rank and realize that revenue potential.”
— Taylor Smits, MyFBAPrep Co-Founder and Amazon seller
A positive side effect of product research is that it helps you identify a more profitable niche—namely, one with less competition.
Uncovering niche markets strengthens your marketing efforts by making them more targeted and intentional.
Stay ahead of the competition
Because it reveals trends, new products, and keeps you informed, regularly performing product research lets you outpace your competition.
You can keep a pulse on trends, so you’re able to anticipate and capitalize on future demand where your competitors may not have the same view of the landscape.
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26 Awesome product research tools
To help you with your efforts, here are some of the top product research tools available. Some of them are more generalized and help you find trending items and topics.
Others, meanwhile, dig deeper to provide market, competitor, and audience analytics. You’ll even find tools designed for specific ecommerce marketplaces.
The products below will help you stay on top of trends, understand your sourcing options for different products, see which items do well on which sales channels, and more.
1. Google Trends
G2 rating: 4.5/5 stars (122 reviews)
What makes it special: This tool helps merchants analyze the popularity of search queries over time, at no cost. It also lets you identify emerging trends and topics that are gaining traction.
Features:
- Shows search volume and trends for specific keywords, queries, and related topics
- Lets you compare search volumes for multiple keywords and queries
Use cases: Ecommerce sellers looking to align their offerings with the latest trends
Price: Free
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Data is limited to Google search only
2. Exploding Topics
Product Hunt rating: 5/5 stars (71 reviews)
What makes it special: The tool helps you discover topics and trends that are gaining traction in an easy-to-understand dashboard to help you stay ahead of your competition. They also have a newsletter (with limited information for free subscribers) detailing top trends.
Features:
- Scans the web to identify topics seeing a sudden surge in interest
- Lets you browse a list of trending topics and filter them by category or time frame
- Lets you stay ahead of your competition
Use cases: Ecommerce sellers looking to identify categories they can cater to
Price: $39–$249/month
Free plan? The site is free to use and search to a limited extent
Drawback: Lacks detailed data on search volume and competition
3. SpyFu
G2 rating: 4.6/5 stars (493 reviews)
What makes it special: This tool reveals in-depth competitor insights to help you identify strategies and growth opportunities for your products.
Features:
- Collects data on competitors’ top organic and paid search keywords, as well as top-performing ad copy and landing pages
- Lets you compare your website’s SEO and PPC performance
Use cases: Identifying strategies, keywords, and advertising that work for competitors
Price: $39–$299/month
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Can be slow to update
4. Ahrefs
G2 rating: 4.6/5 stars (455 reviews)
What makes it special: Ahrefs helps with keyword research, competitor analysis, content optimization, and more, allowing you to identify what could work for what you want to offer.
Features:
- Site Explorer
- Content Explorer
- Keyword Explorer
- Rank Tracker
- Site Audit
Use cases: Identifying SEO and strategies for specific products
Price: $99–$999/month.
Free plan? No
Drawback: User interface can be overwhelming for beginners
5. Product Hunt
G2 rating: 4.3/5 stars (3 reviews)
What makes it special: ProductHunt is a community-driven platform that lets you and users discover new products and services, as well as gather first-hand feedback on your offering.
Features:
- Discover and share new products
- Upvote and comment on products
- Feature collections, podcasts, and newsletters
Use cases: Collecting feedback on products to make strategic adjustments
Price: Free
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Product Hunt’s large audience means you may not be able to narrow down feedback to your target customers. Also, many of the products in this database are SaaS tools instead of physical products.
6. Keywordtool.io
G2 rating: 4.4/5 stars (17 reviews)
What makes it special: Keyword Tool offers suggestions for many platforms and includes long-tail keywords, which other keyword research tools often overlook.
Features:
- Keyword suggestions for Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, and more
- Search volume, CPC, and competition data
Use cases: For ecommerce businesses looking to:
- Improve their SEO strategy
- Find high-search-volume products
- Align long-tail keywords with their offering
Price: $89–$199/month
Free plan? Yes
Drawbacks:
- Needs UI improvements
- Data can be inaccurate
7. SEMrush
G2 rating: 4.5/5 stars (1,702 reviews)
What makes it special: SEMrush provides comprehensive analytics for organic and paid search, competition, market landscapes, and even social media presence.
Features:
- Keyword research
- Site audit
- Rank tracking
- Backlink, market, and competitor analysis
Use cases:
- Discovering strategies that competitors use
- Pinpointing product niches worth targeting
Price: $119.95–$449.95/month
Free plan? 7-day free trial
Drawback: Some users have reported poor customer experiences
8. MerchantWords
G2 rating: 3.3/5 stars (6 reviews)
What makes it special: It offers various tools specially designed for Amazon sellers.
Features:
- Search analytics (volume, seasonality, and emerging trends)
- Shows top-ranking products for keywords
- AI-powered listing optimization
- Amazon business growth services
Use cases: Best for Amazon merchants who want to:
- Conduct keyword research
- Identify trends
- Optimize product listings
- Increase visibility and sales
Price: $35–$749/month
Free plan? No
Drawback: Users report some data inaccuracies
9. Helium 10
G2 rating: 4.3/5 stars (152 reviews)
What makes it special: Helium 10 is an all-in-one suite of tools that helps pinpoint product opportunities, and provides comprehensive data on product sales, revenue, and profitability. They also have plenty of educational materials for merchants at all growth stages.
Features:
- Product research
- Keyword research
- Listing optimization
- Inventory management
- Analytics
Use cases: Great for Walmart and Amazon sellers looking to:
- Conduct in-depth product and market research
- Improve listing visibility
- Manage their inventory
Price: $39/month up to custom pricing
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Users report a lack of customer support
10. Jungle Scout
G2 rating: 4.7/5 stars (103 reviews)
What makes it special: Jungle Scout is an all-in-one platform that locates profitable products according to category, sales rank, and price. It gives you access to quality global suppliers so you can source inventory from reliable manufacturers.
Features:
- Product database
- Product tracker
- Supplier database
- Keyword research
- Listing optimizer
Use cases: Amazon merchants searching for profitable products from legitimate manufacturers
Price: $49–$129/month
Free plan? 7-day free trial
Drawback: Some users said Jungle Scout’s reports weren’t 100% precise
11. Perpetua
G2 rating: 4.7/5 stars (73 reviews)
What makes it special: This tool is specialized for multiple ecommerce marketplaces and helps pinpoint keywords that align with your products. It provides access to competitor pricing, keywords, ranking data, product details, and more.
Features:
- Automatic bid adjustment to meet your target ACoS
- Ecommerce data integrations
- Reporting and analytics
- Audience and competition monitoring
Use cases: Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Instacart sellers looking to analyze competitors and align strategies with their offerings
Price: $250/month up to custom pricing
Free plan? No
Drawback: Users have encountered occasional bugs
12. Unicorn Smasher
Web Retailer rating: 100%
What makes it special: See prices, bestseller rankings, reviews, and more for specific products on Amazon. Manage everything in one dashboard and easily gauge product profitability.
Features:
- Comprehensive data
- Full dashboard
- Sales estimates
- Opportunity score
- Chrome extension
Use cases: Amazon sellers who want to capitalize on profitable items
Price: $49.99–$159/month
Free plan? No
Drawback: Chrome extension sometimes delivers inaccurate results
13. DSers
Shopify rating: 5/5 stars (14,233 reviews)
What makes it special: DSers is an official solution for AliExpress and helps identify well-rated AliExpress suppliers who are reliable and affordable. It helps to streamline dropshipping with automated reorders, bulk order tools, and more.
Features:
- Supplier research
- Supplier optimizer
- Order and stock management
- Order processing automations
- Ecommerce platform integrations
- Bundle products from different suppliers
- Pre-set pricing rules
Use cases: Best for dropshipping businesses on AliExpress, Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix looking for the perfect product suppliers
Price: Free up to $499/month
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Limited to supplier and product research on AliExpress
14. FindNiche
G2 rating: 4.7/5 stars (27 reviews)
What makes it special: This tool finds dropshipping niches, as well as the products that fit those niches. It analyzes products and competitor advertising strategies to help merchants see what works.
Features:
- AliExpress product analysis
- Shopify search and analysis
- Dropshipping ads spy
Use cases: Best for dropshippers looking for niches on Shopify and AliExpress, and those who source goods from AliExpress in general
Price: $9–$200+/month
Free plan? No
Drawback: Product and supplier research only work with Shopify and AliExpress
15. Intelligynce
Chrome rating: 4/5 stars (36 reviews)
What makes it special: It provides instant product insights and pinpoints strong SEO and advertising strategies.
Features:
- AliExpress keyword generator and bestsellers tool
- Shopify product search tool
- Hot products tool
- Price check tool
- Competitor analysis
Use cases: Shopify and AliExpress merchants looking to hone in on high-demand products and appropriate tactics
Price: Starts at $39/month
Free plan? No
Drawback: Limited to AliExpress and Shopify product research
16. Niche Scraper
G2 rating: Not available
What makes it special: This tool can spot products with the highest trending potential. Niche Scraper lets you study top stores and advertisements to understand the market and formulate strategies.
Features:
- Product scraper
- Store analysis
- Hand-picked products
- Ad spy
- Video maker
Use cases: Best for dropshippers on Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, and eBay searching for trending items
Price: $49.95/month
Free plan? Free trial
Drawback: Product database is less extensive than other tools
17. Algopix
Capterra rating: 5/5 stars (5 reviews)
What makes it special: Algopix helps you discover best-selling products, and analyze demand and pricing across multiple marketplaces. It reveals market insights that help identify gaps and niches.
Features:
- Single- and multi-product analysis
- Store analysis
- Discover by category, brand, and keywords
Use cases: eBay, Amazon, and Walmart merchants looking to analyze the competition and select high-demand items
Price: Free up to $35/month
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Limited to the marketplaces it’s designed for
18. SaleSource
G2 rating: 4.2/5 stars (6 reviews)
What makes it special: SaleSource provides product research tools for multiple platforms and allows merchants to customize dashboards based on user roles.
Features:
- Store analytics
- Product analytics
- Shopify-specific tools
- AliExpress supplier information
Use cases:
- General product research for WooCommerce and eBay merchants
- Deep investigation into the Shopify landscape
- Choosing the best suppliers on AliExpress
Price: $89–$999
Free plan? No
Drawback: Limited to the marketplaces it’s made for
19. AliShark
G2 rating: Not available
What makes it special: It provides real-time updates on product trends and niches.
Features:
- Product performance analysis
- See products that have been wish-listed
- See location data around where products are sold
- Competitor and niche analysis
Use cases: Best for dropshippers searching for trending items and who source their products from AliExpress
Price: $20/month
Free plan? No
Drawback: Limited to AliExpress only
20. Ecomhunt
Chrome rating: 3.1/5 stars (18 reviews)
What makes it special: The tool presents real-time product data to help you find winning products that may receive less attention but sell consistently.
Features:
- Curated product lists
- Live trends
- Discover under-the-radar products
- Product performance tracker
- Virtual assistant for AliExpress
- Competitor analysis for Facebook Ads and Shopify stores
Use cases: Shopify, AliExpress, and Facebook advertisers looking for trending and niche products
Price: Free up to $69/month
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Provides data about a limited number of products per day
21. Sell The Trend
G2 rating: 5/5 stars (2 reviews)
What makes it special: Their AI-powered research helps find profitable products and the right suppliers.
Features:
- AI-powered
- Product explorer
- Store intelligence
- Supplier database
Use cases: Dropshippers on Shopify, WooCommerce, and AliExpress looking to ease product research, fulfillment, and other functions.
Price: $59.97–$249.97
Free plan? 7-day free trial
Drawback: Optional training courses are paid
22. SellerApp
G2 rating: 4.7/5 stars (23 reviews)
What makes it special: This is an all-in-one tool covering everything from product research to SEO.
Features:
- Product intelligence and alerts
- Listing optimization
- PPC tool
- Keyword research and monitoring
Use cases: Amazon merchants in search of high-performing products, as well as strategies for their marketing.
Price: Free up to $99
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Dashboard may be difficult for beginners
23. RepricerExpress
G2 rating: 4.6/5 stars (4 reviews)
What makes it special: It automates repricing, helping you beat what your competitors offer.
Features:
- Flexible repricing strategies
- Automations
- Competitor data
Use cases: Excellent for Amazon merchants looking to automate product repricing
Price: $85–$1,249/month
Free plan? 14-day free trial
Drawback: Limited to Amazon only
24. Teikametrics
G2 rating: 4.3/5 stars (50 reviews)
What makes it special: Teikametrics leverages AI to streamline product research and marketing.
Features:
- AI-powered data gathering and campaign optimization
- Targeting and bidding automations
- SKU-level sales, advertising, and profitability insights
- Campaign and listing optimization
Use cases: Amazon and Walmart sellers wanting to simplify product research and marketing efforts
Price: Free up to $0.30 per tracked search term and 3% of monthly ad spend
Free plan? Yes
Drawback: Some users have reported poor experiences with the tool.
25. Wiser Solutions
G2 rating: 4.3/5 stars (50 reviews)
What makes it special: It helps analyze the market, formulate pricing strategies, and improve product performance across ecommerce channels.
Features:
- Market analytics
- Price intelligence and management
- Multichannel product insights
Use cases: Sellers present on any marketplace looking to optimize their offerings
Price: Custom pricing, must get in touch with a Wiser Solutions consultant
Free plan? No
Drawback: Some report the tool to be clunky
26. Feedvisor
G2 rating: 4.5/5 stars (27 reviews)
What makes it special: Feedvisor uses AI to adjust product pricing and outpace Amazon competitors. It can help monitor performance at the SKU level.
Features:
- Automated repricing
- Inventory management
- AI-powered product and audience targeting
- SKU-level insights
Use cases: Amazon sellers who want product pricing strategy capabilities and to streamline their marketing
Price: Custom pricing, must get in touch with Feedvisor
Free plan? 14-day free trial
Drawback: Some report slow response times
Pairing product research with the right website: Six tips for success
As a final word of advice, whatever products you decide to sell, your success will depend on well-designed product pages, landing pages, and more.
Excellent marketing and design will allow your trending or evergreen products to thrive and drive shoppers through your funnel.
To help you out, here are six tips for properly aligning your product research with your website.
Choose the right platform
Your chosen ecommerce platform should fit your needs, budget, and branding.
Will you be better off on Amazon? Or, is Shopify’s customization option a better fit? You might decide it’s best to build a dedicated website for your brand.
Optimize your product pages
Include high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and customer reviews to optimize your customers’ browsing experience.
Use a clean and professional design
A simple and sleek website can highlight products and other elements potential customers use to navigate it.
With 94% of first impressions tied to your website design, pulling this off is of utmost importance.
Incorporate social proof
Display social proof, such as customer reviews and testimonials, to build trust with your customers.
It’s a powerful asset, as 88% of consumers trust the word of others as much as personal recommendations.
Make it easy for customers to check out
A surveyed 17% of consumers say they abandoned their carts because the checkout process was too long or complicated.
Making yours intuitive and seamless can counteract that.
Implement SEO best practices
Incorporate SEO best practices to improve your website and offering’s visibility in search engines.
According to 70% of digital marketers, SEO is better at driving sales than pay-per-click (PPC) ads, which is exactly what you want for your researched products.
Product research helps set you up for success and stay competitive
The products you sell can dictate the trajectory of your ecommerce business.
By taking advantage of product research tools and pairing them with the right store optimizations, you increase your chances of finding your next bestseller and giving your store a massive boost.
You can choose a single tool or use a combination of several, depending on your needs and goals.
Be sure their functionalities don’t overlap, though, and that they complement each other. Wielding the right tools, you’ll easily hone in on your latest and greatest revenue stream.
#cta-visual-pb#<cta-title>Do your catalog justice<cta-title>Use Shogun Page Builder to optimize your product pages, refine your design, incorporate social proof, and more.Start building for free
Rachel Go
Rachel is a remote marketing manager with a background in building scalable content engines. She creates content that wins customers for B2B ecommerce companies like MyFBAPrep, Shogun, and more. In the past, she has scaled organic acquisition efforts for companies like Deliverr and Skubana.