Ecommerce presents a major opportunity for entrepreneurs, but it also means competing for customers’ attention in a crowded marketplace. U.S. retail ecommerce sales reached an estimated $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 3.8% from the previous quarter, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Of course, you’ll need a sales and marketing plan to launch an ecommerce store, but you’ll also need to decide which products you’re going to sell. If you don’t manufacture your own products, choosing items with clear demand, a workable profit margin, and room to differentiate can really help you stand out.
But how exactly do you do that? Let’s explore how to find products to sell online so you can start your business off on the right foot. If you’re a complete beginner in the ecommerce industry, read our guide on how to sell online.
How to find products to sell online step-by-step
For your ecommerce store to be successful, you can’t just sell any products on the market. You need to identify products that align with your overall brand and goals. Here’s how:
1. Identify products that you’re passionate about
Anyone can have a profitable small business idea, but it's hard to stay committed to it long-term without a passion for what you sell. As you embark on your online business journey, lean into what you care about most. Do you love books, fashion, food, jewelry, or technology? Do you have a hobby with monetizing potential, like buying art or collecting dolls, that you’ve always wanted to turn into a business by helping others do the same?
More than 65 percent of participants in a Customer Thermometer study said that “being emotionally connected to a brand made them feel like the company or business cared about people like them.” So the more you’re able to align with customers and communicate your passion for your products through your online business, the more you’ll attract like-minded, loyal shoppers.
It’s also critical to think about what the products that you want to sell will say about your business and brand.
For example, if you decide to sell organic, fair-trade coffee beans, you're promising to deliver a product that is healthier for your customers while showing that you care about the people who grow and package that product. If your potential customers also care about those values, you know they'll be looking for a site like yours to purchase those products.
2. Align those passions with a niche product-market fit
A product niche is a focused segment of a broader market that your business serves. Identifying the right niche can help you stand out in a crowded online marketplace and connect with customers looking for something specific.
The right niche often starts with your interests, then narrows to the audience you want to serve. For instance, you might love jewelry inspired by 1920s and 1930s fashion but struggle to find a single online shop that curates those styles. An ecommerce store centered on vintage-inspired jewelry could fill that gap.
As you choose products to sell online, consider:
- Size and weight: Lightweight, easy-to-pack products can help keep shipping costs manageable.
- Selling price: Price products to support a profit while accounting for expenses such as returns.
- Durability and quality: Choose products that can withstand shipping and arrive in good condition.
- Longevity: Look for signs of lasting customer interest, not fleeting trends.
Profiling your niche customers
Try to get as specific as possible when defining your niche target customers. Include everything from demographics like age range, occupation, and household income to psychographics like their personality traits, lifestyle, special interests, and values.
For a vintage-inspired jewelry store, your target customer might be a woman in her 20s or 30s with an interest in fashion history, distinctive accessories, and sustainable shopping. A detailed profile makes it easier to find products and marketing channels that fit her interests.
Once you have a profile nailed down, research how your target customers shop online. Industry resources from eMarketer, Econsultancy, MarketingCharts, Retail Dive, Digital Commerce 360, and the National Retail Federation can help you identify relevant trends and shopping behaviors. Focus on where customers discover products, such as search engines, fashion publications, social media, or influencers.
You can also survey people who fit your target profile using SurveyMonkey or Google Forms. Survey topics can include:
- Products and trends that interest them
- Gaps they see in the market
- Products they are likely to research or buy online
- Their expected price range and shipping preferences
- Competitors they shop with and what they like or dislike about those sites
- Where they learn about new products
Offer a small incentive, such as a discount or gift card, to encourage participation. Use a mix of multiple-choice and open-response prompts to gather useful feedback, then apply those insights as you choose products that meet your customers’ needs.
3. Find the right products to sell online
Before sourcing products, choose the ecommerce model that fits your business goals, budget, and desired level of control. Many small businesses begin with dropshipping, while others purchase, make, and manage their own inventory. You can also choose to start a multi-vendor marketplace.
Sourcing dropshipping products
With dropshipping, you curate products for your online store without storing or shipping them yourself. When a customer places an order, your supplier packages and ships it directly to them.
This model can lower upfront costs and help you launch without investing in inventory or warehouse space. However, suppliers typically retain a larger share of each sale, and you have less control over product quality, fulfillment times, and packaging.
Start your research with product categories that fit your niche, then look for items with consistent demand, reasonable shipping costs, and enough room for profit. You can use tools like:
- Amazon Best Sellers to explore popular products by category
- Google Trends to review search interest over time
- The AliExpress Dropshipping Center to research products and suppliers
- The SaleHoo Market Research Lab for product and market research
You can find suppliers through marketplaces, wholesale directories, or direct relationships with manufacturers. Before adding products to your store, compare supplier pricing, fulfillment speed, return policies, product reviews, and inventory availability. If you need some ecommerce product ideas before searching, check out this article on trending products.
Sourcing products for your general online store
An inventory-based ecommerce business buys or makes products before customers place their orders. You may keep that inventory in your retail location, at home, in a warehouse, or with a third-party fulfillment partner.
This model can make sense for businesses that already sell in person, create their own products, or want more control over the customer experience. Having inventory on hand allows you to choose how products are packaged and shipped, maintain closer oversight of quality, and potentially earn a larger profit on each sale.
The tradeoff is the upfront investment. You will need to purchase inventory, account for storage and shipping costs, and avoid tying up too much cash in products that do not sell. Start with an order quantity you can comfortably manage, then use sales data to guide future purchases.
Manufacturers, wholesalers, trade shows, and marketplaces such as Alibaba and Amazon Business can all help you find products to stock. As you compare suppliers, consider product quality, minimum order quantities, lead times, and pricing so you can protect your margins while keeping popular items available.
Sourcing products for a multi-vendor marketplace
A third option is to build a multi-vendor marketplace, which allows independent creators or sellers to offer their products through your ecommerce site. Instead of sourcing every item yourself, you curate the sellers and products that fit your niche while earning a commission or fee on each sale.
For example, Society6 allows approved artists to upload designs and offer them on products such as art prints, phone cases, and home decor. The platform handles production and fulfillment after a customer places an order.
This model can help you offer a wider product selection without purchasing inventory. Keep in mind, though, that it also requires clear seller standards, agreements, payment processes, and customer service policies to create a consistent shopping experience.
4. Identify and integrate online product sales channels
Once you’ve sourced your digital or physical products, it’s time to decide where and how you’ll sell to customers online.
First, you’ll need to develop and launch your online business website. If you don’t have one already, there are a variety of options out there, and many ecommerce platforms, like GoDaddy Online Store, that can help you:
- Buy a domain name
- Build your site
- Process payments quickly and securely
- Host it all on one integrated platform
Use GoDaddy Online Store to build your site and sell everywhere
GoDaddy Online Store gives your business a central place to sell online. Build a store on your own website, then reach customers on connected platforms and marketplaces such as eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Facebook, and Instagram. As sales come in, you can manage orders, inventory, reviews, and customer emails across your channels from one online dashboard.
GoDaddy Payments helps keep checkout simple for customers shopping online or in person. With the POS system and Card Reader, you can accept major credit and debit cards, along with contactless payments through Apple Pay and Google Pay. Funds can arrive in your business account as soon as the next business day.
Add WooCommerce to our managed WordPress ecommerce platform
WooCommerce can turn an existing WordPress website into an online store while giving you flexibility to customize its design and features. Learn how to create an ecommerce store with WordPress and WooCommerce in this guide.
With Hosting for WordPress Ultimate, you can use WooCommerce to sell products, digital downloads, services, or subscriptions. GoDaddy Payments integrates with your store to offer customers more ways to pay and help you manage payments alongside your online sales.
Launch, test, and iterate on what’s working
Once your site is live, it’s important to track how each product is performing on your website, so you can offer more of what your customers want, and consider removing products that aren’t driving sales.
First, you’ll need to install an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your site to track your customers’ online shopping behaviors. For tips on what to track and which reports to use, read this article on how to use Google Analytics enhanced ecommerce features to gain more customers.
Next, consider using A/B testing on your homepage, product pages, and checkout to see which design features and copy can be improved to increase sales (or conversions) on your site. Essentially, A/B testing is a split test between two variations of the same page. At the most basic level, you can test whether a checkout page with a green button will outperform one with a red button. However, you can get a lot more sophisticated with analytics if you want.
Your online customers are out there
Once you’ve found products to sell and launched your ecommerce site, focus on building your brand and reaching the right customers.
Start with one or two marketing strategies that align with your customer research and budget. Track the results, refine your approach, and invest more in the channels that bring qualified traffic and sales as your business grows. And, if you need funding to boost your business growth plans, GoDaddy Capital can help.
For more information, read our complete guide to starting an online store.
