Not every product sells equally well, and when it’s not selling, you probably shouldn’t continue hosting it on your site. Frequent changes in consumer habits also come and go like whispers on the wind. Learning to listen to these whispers is a skill in itself, but luckily one you can learn.
Identifying the latest market opportunities starts with learning how to find trending ecommerce products in niche industries like footwear.
Everyone has a favorite pair of shoes or a brand that they love. For some, it’s a trusty and comfortable pair of Hush Puppies. For others, it’s the latest set of kicks that just hit the market.
In both situations, for an ecommerce site to be successful in selling footwear, you have to receive regular orders for those products you continue to host on your site.
Fashion and clothing items were some of the more difficult products to sell at the beginning of the ecommerce boom, as many consumers preferred to try products on before making a purchase.
This changed over the last five years, as fashion and footwear are now among the bestselling products, along with consumer electronics, gadgets, and books. Today, fashion and footwear are one of the biggest market sectors available from ecommerce retailers. Online shoppers are expected to spend more than $20 billion on shoes and footwear in the U.S. alone during 2021.
Breaking into this industry may seem like a challenge, but if you apply the following five tips, you can increase your reach and grow your sales by finding profitable trending products for your ecommerce business.
Online footwear sales continue to increase faster than the online retail average. To be competitive in this sector, you’ll need to adapt your strategy around the mindset and motivations of your customers.
Just like with other products, customers want convenience, local availability, and a fair price when they shop online. When it comes to selling footwear, these three principles will still apply. However, you may need to adapt your strategy by identifying any existing pain points in your competitor’s process or look to becoming a champion in a niche corner of the market.
For footwear specifically, you can look to serve hobbyists or collectors, or partner with an up-and-coming designer or brand on your site. It’s even better if footwear is your personal passion, as you can position yourself as an authority within the space.
Customer reviews are like free product focus groups. You should be scouring every site that you want to compete with to see how customers are being served and which products didn’t meet their expectations.
Just because a product is selling well doesn’t mean customers are happy with the experience or will continue to buy that item indefinitely. By going through all product reviews and customer feedback, you’ll quickly see which items are leaving waves of unsatisfied customers in their wake.
Use this information to vet any new footwear products before committing to selling them on your site. You should also check to see which related products or add-ons customers regularly buy together and make sure you include these with your ecommerce offerings.
A quick Google search for a topic like “trending products in 2021” will bring up a wealth of information that can help you position your product effectively. This is just one avenue of research that you can use to find trending footwear products.
Finding the most profitable products to sell online depends on regularly updating your strategy according to the latest search trends. You should also avoid falling for items that will undoubtedly lose demand and appeal just as quickly as they gained it.
Fads like UGG boots probably aren’t the best product to build your footwear business on.
Identifying trends requires you to find a new way to fulfill an existing need – and to find where demand will continue to grow without fizzling out.
You can use online tools to assist you with this, including sites like:
Using Google’s Keyword Planner (and other keyword research tools) can help you identify trends by pairing popular search terms with specific products. While these tools are primarily intended for use with Google’s Ad Words and other marketing processes, you can flesh out your product selections by seeing what people are looking for when searching for a product.
Although this won’t automate your product selection for you, it’s a great way to understand what is popular and trending in the market currently. Researching trending keywords is a great way to identify specific market opportunities related to a type of shoe or an emerging brand.
Today’s customers want unique products that broadcast their personalities, especially when it comes to fashion and footwear. A product customization platform like ConfigureID can help you find additional data about your products like popular colors, materials, or patterns. Once you know what options people want, you can use the product customization platform to let shoppers personalize items on your site.
Providing these additional services will allow you to capitalize on the latest trends and increase your average order value, driving your revenues.
A more engaging experience also builds brand loyalty, making it a worthwhile investment to use a product customization platform for your ecommerce business.
We love Louis Vuitton’s personalized Run Away sneakers that provide endless color combinations in 13 configurable zones as well as the ability to add your initials.
Via Louis Vuitton
ConfigureID provides you with a complete solution for your product research, personalization, and customization processes.
If you want to stand out from the competition, you can use our 3D rendering capabilities to provide detailed views of your footwear and let visitors customize their selections in real-time.
ConfigureID can help you find all the information you need about trending products for unique markets like footwear and apparel.
If you need a product customization platform that helps you implement your latest product strategies effectively, get in touch with ConfigureID to discuss your requirements.
