Finding new niche ideas
This is the fun part!
Some do niche research based on numbers like keyword traffic potential and competition strength, but that's just a small part of the puzzle.
We start by being creative and looking for inspiration in different places. Write down any niches you think are interesting while you go through this guide, and we will dig into the niches in more detail later.
There are no stupid ideas here... let your imagination go and dare to dream big!
If you find a good niche, still keep going until you have at least five ideas written down.
Your hobbies, knowledge and experience
The best place to start is with you.
What interests and hobbies do you have? What do you know a lot about? What experience do you have from work, study, or life in general? What do you want to learn more about?
Some of my hobbies are kitesurfing, snowboarding, and football. I know a lot about computers, the Internet, and software development. I have travelled a lot, so I have experience there, and my interests include sharks, space, science fiction, and computer gaming. I am learning to speak Spanish.
So, I already have many niche ideas I can dig into from this list. You will now see why my personal projects include a Shark website, a Playstation store, and a Travel + Kitesurfing blog!
Choosing a niche that you also want to learn about is a win/win. Don't think you have to be an expert in the niche before creating a store - you can learn as you go along and share your experiences with your audience.
Think about yourself and your life using these areas to trigger some niche ideas:
- Passion - Your sports, interests, hobbies and skills.
- Way of Life - What you do a lot of e.g. travelling, parenting, volunteering
- Information - What you know a lot about e.g. a city, cooking, ancient Rome
- Education - What you have studied or want to study e.g. a language, geography, business studies
- Cause - Something you feel strongly about e.g. climate change, women's rights, poverty
Write out your own list using the questions and areas above.
Upcoming trends
We have already mentioned that jumping on the bandwagon is a bad idea... but if you can get ahead of the curve and spot an upcoming trend, then you can really do well.
At the time of writing (September 2023), here are some ideas:
Soccer niches in USA - The football club Inter Miami have recently signed one of the world's best players, Lionel Messi. In 2026, the USA will jointly host the world's greatest sports tournament - the World Cup. This should be the start of even more growth in the popularity of soccer in the USA.
Wearable Technology - Apple is working on the "Apple Vision Pro" headset/goggles, and Meta is pushing ahead with Meta Quest. The trend has already started, but more types of wearable tech from different companies will be coming up.
- iPhones and USB-C - The latest iPhone has just been announced, and it now uses USB-C instead of lightning. That means, over the next two or three years, people will buy more USB-C cables, adaptors, plugs, portable batteries, etc.
In the previous guide, we warned about picking time-limited niches that will be redundant in a couple of years. For example, choose a niche like "Football Shirts" instead of "World Cup 2024".
Browsing for niches
You can get inspiration and find great niches just by looking around a few websites.
Amazon is the obvious place to start. You can check out the Best Sellers lists on Amazon to see what is currently popular. Don't be afraid to dig a bit deeper to try and uncover some gems.
You can also check out our list of product markets for inspiration on where to start.
If you want to enter a specific market like Fitness, identify where new products and innovations can be found. This could be news websites, forums like Reddit, or specialist websites like Mens Health.
Be creative... do you know any websites, forums, networks, or other places to discover niches?
Deals and discount websites are great places to see what is currently popular. For example, https://camelcamelcamel.com/ will show you what is discounted and popular on Amazon. The UK has a popular deals website, https://www.hotukdeals.com/, with a community discussing different products.
Note down any interesting markets, topics and niches after browsing these places.
What are people talking about?
Look at social media networks like Twitter (x.com), Instagram and Facebook to see the hot topics. What are people talking about, and what gets them excited? Can you spot any upcoming trends?
You can also take a look at the ads on these platforms. Are you noticing any new kinds of products? Which type of ads do you see a lot?
Gaps in the market
Look for common problems and questions people have on social media and forums. Are they getting answers? Is there a need for more content, articles, videos, etc., to help them?
For example, many people might ask how to care for a pet tortoise on Reddit. Are they getting the answers they need? If not, it would be a great opportunity for a tortoise-related store with good articles on Tortoise care.
Hidden gems
There are many great new products out there that are not getting the attention they deserve. Is there a product you have seen that people would want but is not that popular?
A good place to find these is on AliExpress - they have many new and innovative products. Browse around popular markets like Pet Toys and Fitness Equipment, and you will find some inspiration.
Etsy is another good marketplace that generally stocks handmade/unique products and will show you new trends and interests.
Reddit is a very popular platform with many forums known as "subreddits". You will be constantly surprised at the different subreddits you can find and what people are passionate about!
You should now have a list of at least five niches that are worth researching further. We will start organising and analysing our niche research in the next guide.