When you find a novel product idea on a website other than Amazon, that means you can be the first to bring a ground-breaking new product to the largest ecommerce website in the world.
When you sell a novel product, you:
- Set yourself apart from the competition 👥
- Can charge more for your product 💰
- Can become a new leader in a given niche 🥇
Today, I'm going to give you 12 websites to find your next product idea and show you how to validate your ideas when the product is not yet on Amazon.
Websites to find your novel product ideas
The best product ideas:
- Highly differentiate themselves from the competition
- Are for high priced products—which tend to have the best profit margins
1) Reddit
Reddit hosts a countless number of user-created forums known as "subreddits." Each subreddit specializes in its own type of content, (including Amazon FBA). Users post content, and then fellow "redditors" upvote posts they like and downvote posts they dislike.
A few of these subreddits specialize in showing off new product ideas. Scroll through posts in these subreddits for innovative products.
Let me show you products from two idea-providing subreddits:
r/shutupandtakemymoney
This subreddit, named for the Futurama meme, shows enthusiastic approval for new products. At least 2,300 redditors think a bench that folds out into a picnic table is a great product they would love to pay for.
Should you take this product design and sell it on Amazon? I'll show you how to decide after exploring one more subreddit and 11 more websites.
r/newproductporn
This subreddit specifically shows off new products. For example, this highly upvoted product allows you to compete against a programmed opponent on a physical board.
Since each Reddit post can receive upvotes or downvotes from users, if a product idea has a lot of upvotes, then redditors think it is great product idea. Use the Reddit hivemind and ranking system to your advantage in order to find the most loved new product ideas.
When you are on a subreddit, you can sort posts by highest upvote count, age, or Reddit's "Hot" algorithm.
Also, remember to check each post's comments. Redditors will be quick to point out any flaws in the product idea—which can either be an indicator for you to move on or tell you what can be improved.
For example, redditors pointed out that at least some version of self-moving chess boards has already been around for decades. However, there may be a sound problem you could improve. 🤔
2) Lifehack
Lifehack is a collection of innovative DIY ideas to fix everyday problems. Some of these ideas can be transformed into product concepts. For example, this "hack" shows how you can use a pants hanger as a cookbook holder, which might inspire a product designed to hang open cookbooks.
Many Lifehack posts aren't thinking, "You can turn this into a product." But when a post shows an object fulfilling a need that it's not meant to fulfill, it can spark the creation of a new product with that purpose in mind.
3) WANELO
WANELO is a niche "online mall" website that hosts both large brands and independent sellers. Click on any store to see a brand's products.
For example, the small Omoi Zakka Shop from Pennsylvania has novel bird call devices for sale.
4) FANCY
FANCY hosts "unique, high-quality products" curated by their community. Explore FANCY to find tons of unique products that may not yet be on Amazon.
5) Pinterest
Pinterest is designed to help users find inspiration.
Choose your interests from a list of suggestions. Pinterest will then generate a feed based on the topics you choose.
You can find inspiration for products that could help fulfill shoppers' needs. For example, this "self feeding campfire" setup will keep campfires burning all through the night.
6) Etsy
Etsy specializes in helping shoppers find unique handicraft products. Type any problem into Etsy's search bar or select a product category.
For example, if you select "storage", then you'll get results designed to solve your storage problems.
This "floating" shoe rack provides value to buyers with its novel aesthetic.
7) HSN
HSN, formerly Home Shopping Network, maintains its "as seen on TV" roots for featuring novel products. Browse HSN to find innovative ideas such as a side-sleeper travel pillow.
8) The Grommet
The Grommet is a niche marketplace for recent inventions. Browse the website to find even more novel products.
9) Touch of Modern
Touch of Modern sells innovative products and men's fashion items. Some of these products may not be listed on Amazon yet.
10) Kickstarter
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding website where entrepreneurs ask internet users for funds to get their products produced in exchange for tiered rewards. Look up your interests on Kickstarter and find new products within that category.
Projects on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding websites tend to be on the cutting edge and not yet for sale anywhere.
For example, this innovative camera lens uses a one-way mirror to allow subjects to see themselves in the lens and be more confident about how they look.
Because these products tend to be so novel, many of these ideas are patent pending. However, most of these projects will never see completion even if they reach their funding goals.
Be sure to avoid patent infringements using methods taught in the Just One Dime Membership.
Even if you did not pursue this exact product idea, it could lead you to think of another item to sell. Is there another type of camera lens that would solve a problem but doesn't exist yet?
11) IndieGogo
IndieGoGo is another crowdfunding website and a direct competitor to Kickstarter.
This novel chair found on Indiegogo caters to shoppers who want the ability to change up the way they sit at a desk. Since this chair has been so well funded by so many backers, there's a good chance that Amazon shoppers would want it too.
12) Crowdfunder
Crowdfunder is a UK-based crowdfunding website similar to Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
In summary, use these 12 websites to help you find novel product ideas:
How to validate your Amazon product ideas
Will your novel product sell well on Amazon?
If you want to sell a product that already exists in some form on Amazon, use product research software such as Niche Hunter to measure sales volume to determine demand.
For example, if you want to sell a differentiated cat bubble backpack, you can use Niche Hunter to instantly measure demand, ease of entry, and differentiation opportunity because the base product already exists on Amazon. Learn more here.
But what about if you want to sell a product that doesn't exist on Amazon like the folding bench/picnic table from Reddit or a hanging cookbook holder inspired by Lifehack?
You can use:
- Search data that verifies customers are searching for your product. Because Amazon is a place to shop, searches on Amazon indicate an intent to buy.
- Sales data of other products which may indicate demand for your product.
In order to derive search data...
Use Amazon auto-complete to validate your product idea.
Type the main keyword for your product in Amazon search.
If you type in a space after your term, Amazon will autocomplete your search with frequently searched terms. Type one letter at a time. The sooner a suggested term appears, the more often customers search using that keyword.
For example, if we search for a bench picnic table, we get multiple terms in Amazon auto-complete that show shoppers search for this exact product. Therefore, it might be a good idea to sell this product.
Use Brand Analytics if you are Brand Registered.
Brand Analytics is a free tool only available to Amazon Brand Registered sellers.
When you type a keyword into Brand Analytics search, Amazon will show you how often shoppers search using keyword (and variations of that keyword) compared to other keywords across Amazon.
The closer a keyword's rank is to #1, the more the term is searched. In Q4 2020, the most searched term across Amazon was "ps5."
How to use Brand Analytics to validate your product idea:
Step 1: Go to Brand Analytics. Do not specify your department. This means Brand Analytics will search and rank all search terms across Amazon.
Step 2: Think of the best keyword to describe your product idea. Start as basic as possible.
Step 3: Type your keyword in the "Search Term" box.
Step 4: Click "Apply."
Step 5: Find a term that describes your product in the results. Observe the keyword's search frequency rank across Amazon.
If you find a term with a high search frequency rank that directly describes your product, then you have validated your product idea.
There are many millions of products across Amazon and even more search terms. So, terms that rank under one million are decently searched keywords. Terms that rank under 100,000 have an amazing search frequency.
In this example, there is no term that describes the exact product—a hanging cookbook holder. If this happens to you, then you would have to use sales data to validate the product.
To derive sales data...
Evaluate the sales of similar products.
Perform an Amazon search for products that fulfill a similar need as your potential product.
In the hanging cookbook holder example, an under cabinet cookbook holder serves the same purpose as a hanging cookbook holder. This type of cookbook holder improves the kitchen experience because it doesn't take up counter space.
If the under cabinet cookbook holder market is strong, then there may be a market for the hanging cookbook holder.
Use Niche Hunter to evaluate the market.
Refer to other marketplace sales.
The product you want to sell might not be on Amazon.com, but if it sells well on eBay, a different Amazon marketplace, or another online marketplace, then your product has potential.
The USA Amazon marketplace is usually ahead of European and other Amazon marketplaces. Find out which product differentiations are doing well in one place and bring it to the market where it is new.
Where will you look for your new product ideas? Let me know in the comments!
To watch a step-by-step video version of this blog, click below.
