Rev Up Your Revenues: 10 Trending Products to Sell in 2018

To succeed in ecommerce you need three things: the best products to sell, the skills to market them, and the drive to succeed.

I know you already have the winner’s mindset. You’re constantly learning, researching and preparing for success.

But 2018 is the year of action. This is the year you need to go all out: the year to test new products, create new ads, and market, market, market. It’s time to start implementing everything you’ve learned over the past twelve months.

To give you a great head start, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 trending products in 2018 that you can consider selling and what you can do to market those products.

Trending products to sell in 2018

1. Shapewear

By 2022, the shapewear market is expected to skyrocket to about $5.6 billionin sales. What started as an undergarment has transitioned to a piece for everyday wear. Fashion retailers are also stocking their stores with bodysuitswhich help create a slimming silhouette. The shapewear niche offers women a variety of different styles than can either be worn under clothing with different cuts or as a top, though shapewear is still popular within the lingerie industry where it first emerged.

What makes this product a worth considering is that it offers retailers a lot of versatility: whether you sell lingerie, women’s fashion, or want to add this category on a store for general apparel, you’ll be able to find shapewear in different colors, styles, and sizes to meet the needs of your diverse customer base.

2. Phone Accessories

The phone accessories industry has been growing for years. By 2022, it should reach $107.3 billion in market cap. Phone cases, grips, screen protectors, repair kits, chargers, and earphones have proven to be consistently popular.

Dropshipping, using the Oberlo app, is one of the most efficient way to start a business in this niche. Since there are so many products you could sell, it allows you to offer a wide variety of product types without having to buy inventory upfront. You only pay for goods when customers purchase from your store. Phone accessories have proven to be a product line with reliable and growing demand, with strong signals towards being an evergreen niche like fashion, home decor, and fitness.

Phone accessories like cases and grips work well on visual platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Running ads and being active on these platforms is a great way to make your first sale. If you’re selling screen protectors, repair kits, or chargers, these products are more search based which will require a deliberate keyword strategy or use of Google Adwords to monetize. However, if SEO isn’t your strong suit, the easiest way to monetize search-based products is by offering them as upsells for your phone cases. For example, if someone purchased an iPhone case, you could upsell an iPhone charger. When creating ads, you can target people based on their device. For example, if a person has a Samsung phone, you might create an ad that says ‘Samsung phone cases for only $19.99’ to entice the person into clicking your ad.

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3. Athleisure

In fashion, trends are constantly changing. However, athleisure is one fashion trend that’s here to stay. Athleisure is active wear worn as an everyday look rather than for athletic purposes like going to the gym. Within this category you can sell everything from sweatshirts, sweatpants, leggings, sports bras, tank tops, headbands, capris, and shoes, all in countless colors and styles.

Plus, you can take this niche in several directions: as a standalone store, as a product collection within the fashion niche, or you can market your products within one of the many fitness sub-niches. Depending on how you position your brand, there could be an opportunity to expand into other product verticals such as fashion accessories and jewelry or fitness accessories like yoga mats.

Female millennials are usually the target market for athleisure. Visual platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are ideal channels to grow your brand, whether you pursue organic growth or use their advertising platforms. We’d also recommend you look into driving growth with influencer marketing. You can find fitness influencers within your niche using Instagram search tools. Influencers can model your apparel and give your brand a shout out for a fee or a commission of sales.

4. Maternity Dresses

The maternity apparel industry is a multi-billion dollar one. According to PR News Wire, the maternity growth rate is expected to grow by 2.01%. Maternity fashion stores work well as standalone stores. However, you can also expand into other verticals such as baby products or even information products. You could sell also digital ebooks on pregnancy, create and sell pre-natal workout videos or courses preparing pregnant women for motherhood. These digital products could even be part of your sales funnel for your physical products store.

When marketing a maternity brand, Facebook and Pinterest are likely your best sources of traffic. The maternity fashion niche is unlike any other fashion niches in the sense that the target audience does a lot of research as they prepare to become a mother, especially for the first time. It’d likely be a great idea to start a maternity blog on your store where you share advice for expecting moms, create content around maternity issues, and even have content around life after childbirth. The reality is many women have more than one child. Creating content for new moms keeps them focused on your brand so that they’ll return to your store when expecting their second child. Create content for the Pinterest platform driving traffic back to your blog. You can monetize this traffic by having a retargeting ad from Facebook running at all times and convert your blog readers at a lower ad cost while having a laser focus on the exact audience you want.

5. Flame lamps

At Oberlo, we’ve noticed a strong sales growth for flame lamps. While few stores are selling this product, they’re selling much higher than average quantities. If you’re looking for a product trend to jump on before everyone else catches on, this may be it. Note: this particular trending product doesn’t work well as a standalone store. However, it’s a great fit for a general store, home decor store, or lighting store. You can complement flame lamps sales with LED candle lights.

While lamps are typically search based products, flame lamps work well as an impulse buy. They’re different than other lamps on the market which can entice a person to buy one when they see it. This product would likely work well with Facebook ads. But you shouldn’t dismiss search, as there’s been a growing search volume for these products according to Google Trends. Optimizing your website for search can help you increase visibility. If you’re driving sales with Facebook ads, you can grow your ranking organically in search as it shows Google that your page is popular.

6. Minimalist watches

Around 1.2 billion watches are sold globally each year. And the number keeps rising. While minimalist watches are trending upward, the reality is there’s a diverse range of watches that are also selling well. Men’s watches, women’s watches, and smartwatches are also showing increasing search volume over time. December tends to be the peak month for watch sales. While you can sustain year round sales with a watch store, it would be wise to include a relevant summer accessory to ensure higher profits.

Facebook and Instagram tend to be the most popular channels for growing a watch store. Many retailers have influencers take lifestyle shots from where they are in the world, with the typically outdoorsy and luxurious images being perfect for use on social media. Many top watch brands emulate this style which performs well in terms of engagement. Using these photos from influencers, you can create captivating ads.

7. Backpacks

The handbag and purse niche is worth $151 billion. Backpacks, women’s bags, men’s bags, wallets, and tote bags are just a small sample of the products you could sell right now. Although this niche works well as a standalone store, keep in mind that peak season is around August when the back-to-school season starts. You can generate year-round sales by adding other accessories to your store such as sunglasses, a product segment which have proven to be stable.

This niche is great because you can take it in several directions. Your backpack/bag store can be focused on travel, school, or fashion, allowing you to offer great variety to your customers.

Overall, women tend to be the main consumers of backpacks and handbags. If you’re selling children’s backpacks, you’d target women with children in your ads. If you’re selling men’s backpacks you’d target men between ages 18-34 as they’re most likely be in school. If you’re selling backpacks for travellers, you’d look for people who love adventure, travelling, and outdoorsy activities like hiking.

8. Portable LED Projectors

The portable projector industry is expected to be worth $3.44 billion USD by 2022. Some mini projectors can be attached to your phone making them convenient to carry around for salespeople and other business professionals. If you plan on creating a projector store you have the option to sell mini projectors, handheld projectors, lighting effect/laser projectors, and more.

However, this trending product also works well in a general store within the electronics, home, or outdoor niches. The best thing about the portable projector is that margins tend to be high. You can dropship a projector from Oberlo for between $30-$50 and retail it at around $90-$150.

Portable projectors are search-based products which means they’ll likely perform best with search engine optimization and Google Adwords. You’ll want to optimize your collection pages and product pages based on the popular keywords for this niche in Keyword Planner. To entice an impulse buy, you’d likely want to have a video created to show how the projector works so people can visualize their need for it. In your video, you’ll want to address who this product is perfect for like business professionals, salespeople, teachers, or families, depending on the type of projector you’re promoting.

9. Night masks

Night masks have been seeing increased sales on online stores. They offer a valuable solution to a persistent problem: they block out excess light so that you can sleep more soundly. Depending on which niche you’re targeting you’ll be able to complement your store with other products. For example, if you have a travel store, you might sell night masks, ear plugs, and other travel related accessories. However, if you own a beauty store, you might sell night masks with skin care products. This product works well within a product collection but not typically as a standalone niche.

There are three main types of night mask consumers: sensitive sleepers, travellers, and beauty enthusiasts. Sensitive sleepers use night masks to rest in complete darkness, as a hint of light might result in a difficult sleep. Travellers use sleep masks to sleep on planes, during the day if they’re jetlagged, or at night in an unfamiliar hotel. Beauty enthusiasts use sleep masks for, you guessed it, beauty sleep. They often look for masks with anti-wrinkle material like silk so they wake up looking well rested. The products you promote to each audience will be different based on the needs of the audience segment.

10. Makeup brush cleaners

About 61% of women clean their makeup brushes less than once a month. The biggest challenges are that they take too long to clean, they don’t know how to clean them, or they don’t know that they need to. Fortunately, there are now makeup brush cleaners that simplify the cleaning process allowing women to clean their makeup brushes more regularly.

Makeup brush cleaners work well on a general beauty store. You can add this product to your makeup brush collection or as its own category. This product would also work well as an upsell for makeup brushes. By making it an upsell, you’ll help drive awareness that makeup brushes should be cleaned regularly which can help increase purchases.

Video plays a significant role in your marketing strategy for this product. Whether you use YouTube influencers to create videos showing your product being used or you have a video for your Facebook ad, this product requires a video explanation to understand how it works. With YouTube influencers, you can offer them a commission for the number of customers they bring in. Having them create a makeup tutorial with a brush cleaning in the middle or end of the video can help entice viewers to try your product. With Facebook ads, you can target women between 18-34 who love beauty, makeup and cosmetics.

Time to get selling

These are some of the best products to sell in 2018 but there are so many more to choose from. Finding the right products to sell is only one part of the equation. The real secret is figuring out how to market them.

Check out 50 Ways to Get Sales with Dropshipping to learn how I grew my online store’s sales using the marketing tactics that the best performing stores use. If you’re struggling to get your first sale or want to take your ecommerce store to the next level, this free ebook will give you the exact tactics you should be using.

Let us know what products you plan on selling on your store in the comments!

30 Cool New Products from Amazon Launchpad

If you happen to be browsing on Amazon’s site and you’ve wondered how many items are available from the online mega retailer, click right here. As of this posting, there were 366,874,689 items being offered for sale, which is quite daunting if you’re looking to introduce a new product and compete with the hundreds of millions out there. Granted there are many departments, but even a simple search for watches turns up more than two million items.

In order to give startups a leg up when breaking into this vast online marketplace, Amazon introduced Launchpad last year.

Crowdfunding sites like such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo and accelerators like Y Combinator have partnered with Amazon to identify products with the greatest potential and placed them into the Launchpad product listing.

Unlike other listings, Launchpad products get in-house advertising, a widget on Amazon’s storefront landing page, and a more user friendly format for potential buyers. The creators of the products also get videos and a larger space to describe their items in detail allowing them the potential for a greater personal connection with customers.

To give a better idea of the kinds of products the platform accepts, here are 30 items available on Launchpad with a bit about each.

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Amazon Startups Products You Can Buy on Launchpad

Withings Aura Smart Sleep System

The Aura sleep-tracking system monitors and improves your sleep quality by waking you up at the best time in your sleep cycle with dedicated light and music programs. The device works with Spotify and over 10,000 web radio stations. After you set it up under the mattress, you can track your sleep on your smartphone (though only on iOS devices so far).

The product follows a trend in sleep and other personal fitness and health tracking products. The system is available for $299.95.

ICE Portable Wireless Floating Bluetooth Speaker

Like something out of science fiction, this floating Bluetooth speaker orb spins above a magnetic base in the air with 10mm of ground clearance. And its creators say it is capable of reproducing music at very high volumes without distortion.

The novelty factor alone is a great selling point, but this product also highlights the connectivity theme in so many tech products with its use of near field communication (NFC) and a cost of just $149.99.

Bluesmart One – Smart Luggage

Unlike the Modobag, which you can ride, the Bluesmart One must still be pulled. But the carry-on connects wirelessly to your smartphone so you can keep track of your luggage, and check to be sure it’s locked and underweight all from your mobile devie. And it has a charging dock, with two USB ports that has up to six charging cycles for your phone.

The compact design, the connectivity, charging option and 3G + GPS tracking makes this suitcase an attractive item for the business and weekend travelers at $439.99.

Nucleus Anywhere Intercom

Nucleus uses the functionality of Alexa and a wide-angle HD camera to allow video chats throughout your home. It lets users see the entire room and everyone in it so the whole family can participate.

By adding Alexa, Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, this product no doubt improved its chances for being accepted. Additionally, it is portable, very functional and goes beyond chatting because of the Alexa integration. And again the product is available for just $242.

GOLF TAGS Real-Time Golf Tracking and Game Analysis System

This product brings the trending technology of metrics to the game of golf. Golf Tags tracks club distances, shot dispersion, greens in regulation, course strategy putting and performs scoring analysis. You can check the stats on Android Wear, Pebble, Samsung Gear and Magellan Echo as well as other phones and other smartwatches.

Golf is not for everyone, but the people that play it are extremely passionate and they are known for spending on tools to improve their game. This product requires no batteries to replace or recharging and provides the engagement needed to improve a player’s game all for a cost of just $99.99.

Remocam RMCU-1508 Smart Home Security Camera

Using what the company calls patent-pending infrared Smart Home technology, the product monitors with HD live streaming, records with a motion sensor and uses a Smart Home feature to control your electronic devices.

Security is in huge demand, whether in the physical or digital world. And the Remocam uses its Smart Home technology to monitor your home day or night at a cost of just $199.

Modular Robotics MOSS Zombonitron 1600 Kit

The product represents modular robotics at its best. Each MOSS block is a different part of a robot, and what you get depends on the combination of blocks you put together. The kit is powered by a rechargeable LiPo battery and an extended battery block, along with motors, light and proximity sensors.

The product could potentially appeal to parents, kids, tinkerers, technology buffs and others. So adding it to Launchpad was probably a no brainer because of its broad potential customer base. The price of $199.95 also likely made it a logical inclusion.

Boosted Dual+ 2000W Electric Skateboard

Until very recently, the skateboard has pretty much been powered by the rider. But Boosted has 2,000 watts of power to help skateboarders coast effortlessly along. And that’s not all. According to the company, the new skateboard has the world’s only dual-drive system, meaning riders can accelerate up any hill and brake to a complete stop on the way back down. It has a maximum speed of 22 mph with a range of 7 Miles.

Skateboarders have always been passionate about their sport, and many are eager to try new innovations. This product was obviously a good choice for Launchpad. Even at $1,499, it has already sold out on Amazon and the company site. (Don’t you wish this had been your product?)

 gLink Garage Door Remote

Garage door openers are meant to add convenience, but too often they are just one more piece of tech to fret over. gLink turns your iOS and Android phone into a remote without having to worry about battery, power cord  or other maintenance. Each unit supports up to 10 permanent users with AES128, bidirectional authentication and dynamic password.

The price, convenience — at $44.99– and functionality gLink provides makes it an ideal product for Launchpad. Again, the potential customer base is huge.

CreoPop Cordless 3D Printing Pen

Finally 3D printing is in the mainstream. CreoPop is extending the popularity of this technology to a cordless, handheld device that lets your draw with filaments to create 3D objects.

The selling point of CreoPop is proprietary photopolymers that cure under LED lights instead of PLA melted plastic. This means it is cool to the touch when finished. And, at $84, it represents an affordable way to get into 3D printing.

TORCH APPAREL T2 Bike Helmet

The Torch helmet has two very large surfaces of light that wrap around to the sides for greater visibility. It can run for up to 6 hours on steady beam setting or 36 hours on flash. The lens has an explosion proof 9h hardness tempered glass and oleo phobic coating to prevent oil stains and fingerprints from smudging it.

With more people riding bikes, the helmet appeals to both fitness and safety. And at $149.99 it will be hard to resist.

Brushee PocketSized Toothbrush 1 Pack

What about a throwaway toothbrush, pre-pasted, with floss and pick, and already FDA-Approved to boot. A cheap and convenient product, customers will likely be unable to resist these for their car, gym bag, travel bag and elsewhere at a cost of just $3.49 per pack.

Oral hygiene is never a hard sell, so Brushee has that going for it. The reviews for this product are not bad, with most people liking it, and a lot of suggestions that should make the next generation even better. 

Kinsa Smart Thermometer

This smart thermometer is FDA-cleared, doesn’t need batteries and works with iOS and Android devices. All you have to do is plug Kinsa into your smartphone and you get accurate readings in seconds. It creates profiles for everyone in the family, time stamps the temperature, tracks health history and offers real-time guidance on what steps to take.

An invaluable tool for parents, or anyone else for that matter, the device is reasonably priced at $19.99, and the fact that it doesn’t need batteries makes it highly practical.

QardioArm Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor

This is a clinically validated monitor that meets both US and European Standards. It measures systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and heart rate with irregular heartbeat detection. The device works wirelessly with the free Qardio App allowing you to upload, store and share data on iOS, Android and Kindle devices.

There’s a trend toward being more proactive with healthcare, and the QardiArm provides the hardware and software to make that possible. The technology is easy, accurate and useful at a cost of just $84.35.

EcoWasher Pro Detergent Free Laundry System

The EcoWasher Pro cleans your dirty laundry without detergents. An oxidation process turns cold water into a powerful cleaning agent that even gets rid of bacteria and germs detergents and hot water miss. Not to mention, you will no longer have to use chemicals that have caused a wide range of reactions on toddlers and others to wash your clothes.

An environmentally friendly product for something we all do, the laundry, the $230.76 price tag might give customers pause. But when you take into account how much detergents cost, the onetime price definitely seems worth many of the benefits it provides.

Ride Scoozy Electric Bike

The Scoozy is a 350 watt direct drive electric bike that gives you 20-40 miles per charge with a cruising speed of 20 mph.

For people who work and shop close to home and want to contribute to improving the environment, this is a great product — even at $1,399. Not having to deal with traffic, parking and gas are also great selling points.

Soylent Ready to Drink Food, 12 Pack of 14 oz. Bottles

Sometimes you are so busy you forget to eat. That is where Soylent comes in with a 100 percent vegan replacement meal you can drink. You can use it as a base for a smoothie. The carbs come from beets, protein from soy, and healthy fats from renewable algae sources.

The market is full of protein bars and shakes with questionable ingredients. Soylent is a better alternative when you want a quick and healthy replacement meal, for vegans and carnivores alike — and the $32.30 cost for a 12 pack makes it seem cost effective too.

Rocketbook Notebook

Here’s the world’s first smart, microwave-to-erase-and-reuse notebook. That alone should be enough to get most people’s attention. The Pilot FriXion pens are essential for the best outcome when it comes to erasing what you write with your microwave. If you want to share your notes, you can use the app with your iOS or Android device to send your notes to Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, iCloud, OneNote and more.

Rocketbook has a novelty factor along with being practical. However, with tablets and phablets essentially doing the same thing without the need for a “nuking” and a $27 price tag, it remains to be seen how the product will do with customers.

Automatic: Connected Car Adapter

Automatic, a connected car adapter, decodes the check engine light, gets a live insurance agent in case of an accident, promotes good driving habits, monitors speed, coaches teen drivers and is compatible with Amazon Echo.

Going to the mechanic to find out what that check engine light means can be costly. And the adapter, at $79.99, is likely to also get the attention of a lot of DIY’ers and weekend mechanics.

Osmo Coding Set

Osmo Coding introduces your child to code early so he or she can learn a very practical language in our technological world at an early age. But the product also improves problem solving and logic skills, which have applications beyond computers.

Being multi-lingual is more important than ever, and coding is becoming a very useful language to learn. At $49.95, this is a timely educational tool likely to appeal to many.

Canary All-in-One Home Security Device

Canary provides real-time video stream of your home with 1080p HD camera, automatic night vision, 90+ dB siren, motion-activated recording, auto-arm/disarm, and instant access to local authorities, all for $174.43. It also monitors the air quality, temperature and humidity all connected to the internet and available on your iOS or Android device.

With connectivity a prevailing theme with many Launchpad products, the Canary adds even more functionality for monitoring your environment.

RIF6 Cube 2-inch Mobile Projector

The Cube is a 2-inch portable mobile projector with 20,000 Hour LED light and 120-inch display. It works with phones, laptops, tablets and gaming consoles and costs $245.49.

With remote work and collaboration now part of almost all organizations, the Cube has potential beyond entertainment.

Dacuda PocketScan

Tagged as the world’s smallest wireless scanner for your smart phone, tablet, PC or MAC, PocketScan was conceived of after one too many trips to the library by the creator.

Just like the Cube, this device has great potential in today’s workforce and is reasonably priced at just $149.

Petnet SmartFeeder iPhone

If you leave a big bowl of food out for your pet, your furry friend will more than likely eat all of it. The Petnet SmartFeeder and app provide remote and scheduled feedings, manage portions, notifications and food delivery for the feeder.

Obesity is as much of a crisis for pets as it is for people, and the SmartFeeder can help combat this problem though at $314.98 certainly not without cost The fact that you can control it remotely ensures your pet gets the right amount of food all the time.

Revolights Eclipse Bicycle Lighting System ($199)

The popularity of biking has inspired many innovations. The Revolights system puts lights on the biggest thing on the bike (beside the rider), the wheel. The light is visible from 360 Degrees, and a smart rear brake light blinks when you are slowing down.

Men’s Journal Magazine voted it, “The Best Bike Lighting System in the World,” and if you see the video, it makes a great case for the product. According to the National Bicycle Dealers Association there were 17.4 million bikes sold in 2015, so there is a big market for Revolights which seems priced right at just $199.

GlocalMe G2 Global Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot

GlocalMe is the world’s first 4G global mobile WiFi hotspot with support in more than 108 countries. It has 4G/3G speeds with cloud SIM technology that doesn’t require a local SIM card.

The tool might not be for everyone, but at just $159 for power users it is a great backup when you can’t find the right connection. The built-in 6000 mAh power bank also charges your smartphone.

ActiveDesk Electric Adjustable Height Standing Desk

ActiveDesk is a DIY frame for an adjustable standing desk with automatic smart memory keypad. The DIY kit, priced at $499, only includes the frame without a top, memory pad and height motors.

The full version of this desk is used by people at Google, Uber, Quora, HubSpot and AppSumo. The company has a strong customer base, but the DIY version might be a great way to add to it.

Aquaovo Alter Ego Personal Water Filter

Alter Ego has a proven technology that has been used for more than 10 years. The bottle filters up to 750 liters or 198 gallons of water by getting rid of urban contaminants such as chlorine and arsenic, as well as 99.9 percent of Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

Since it is aimed at a somewhat niche market, the $194.97 price may be too much for some. 

CUFF Lisa Smart Necklace

The CUFF Lisa necklace is a beacon that lets you create a community of people you want to alert in case of an emergency.

This is a great safety product anyone can use, but especially seniors and individuals that may have dementia or related disorders such as Alzheimer’s. The $46.98 price tag should be reasonable given its important use.

Autel Robotics X-Star Premium Drone

Unlike cheap drones you find listed elsewhere, the Autel X-Star is a premium drone priced at $899 with a 4K Ultra HD video camera capable of live view up to 1.2 miles away and a flight time of up to 25 minutes.

The drone market is saturated, and it will take exceptional features to get the attention of consumers. The X-Star has noteworthy specs, but it will face great competition from the likes of DJI Phantom.

URB-E Black Label Electric Folding Scooter

With a 20 mile range and a top speed of 15mph, the URB-E scooter also charges your smartphone. At $1,699, it is 100 percent built in America with quality materials, including carbon fiber and American aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum.

The company says it is the world’s most compact, foldable electric vehicle. The sooter created by an award winning industrial designer and a former lead engineer at Porsche. For people that want quality and are willing to pay for it, this might be the scooter for them.

If you have the next great item and you want to sell it on Launchpad, you have to register as an Amazon vendor and provide details about the product. The company then determines if there is demand for it based on an initial order shipped to Amazon’s fulfilment centers. If you are approved, you will pay a five percent incremental referral fee in addition to the regular referral fee Amazon charges for sold items.

Images: Amazon.com