In short: Good product research for beginners starts in your own kitchen, not with a new invention. The products you already buy again and again are proven: real people pay for them every week. This workbook takes about 30 minutes and walks you through finding those products, scoring them and checking whether you can actually sell them.
A lot of people get into business the hard way. They try to invent something brand new, spend months on it and then find out nobody wants it. Look at it from an investor's side. Investors want to know whether a concept is proven and whether the money they put in will come back.
Most of the products that are already proven and already selling are right in front of you. You just have to look at them like a seller instead of a shopper.
What you'll need
- 30 minutes
- A notebook or spreadsheet
- Your kitchen, bathroom and laundry area
- A phone to check prices online
Step 1: Do the kitchen audit (10 minutes)
Walk through your kitchen, bathroom and laundry area. Write down every product you've bought more than twice in the last six months.
Look for:
- Things you run out of (coffee, paper towels, dish soap, vitamins)
- Things you buy by brand without thinking
- Things you've reordered online
- Things you'd be annoyed to run out of
You're building a list of products with repeat demand. Aim for at least 20.
Step 2: Check the demand is real (5 minutes)
Your household is one data point. Make sure the category is big beyond your house.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Surveys track how US households spend money across categories like food, household supplies and personal care (BLS). The SBA's market research guide suggests using this kind of government data to understand your market before you start (SBA). And the Census Bureau's quarterly e-commerce report shows how much retail spending now happens online (U.S. Census Bureau).
You don't need to be an analyst. You just need to confirm that people across the country spend money on the category, and that a meaningful share of it happens online.
Step 3: Ask the three selling questions (10 minutes)
There's not one category that's better than another. For each product on your list, ask:
- Has the market proven it? People are already buying it regularly.
- Is it available for others to sell? Can a new seller actually get it?
- Is access limited, or can anyone sell it? If anyone can, you're stepping into a saturated market.
Step 4: Score your list (5 minutes)
Give each product a score from 1 to 5 in each column.
| Product | Repeat purchase | Proven demand | Available to sell | Not saturated | Total (out of 20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: dish soap | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| Example: specialty coffee pods | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
| Your product 1 | |||||
| Your product 2 | |||||
| Your product 3 |
Products scoring 14 or more are worth researching further. Anything below 10, drop it.
Step 5: Validate before you spend
The workbook gives you a shortlist. Before you put serious money in, validate your top three:
- Check who sells it now. Look at the listings, the sellers and the prices.
- Confirm you can sell it legally. Brand-name products often need authorization from the brand or an authorized distributor. Ask for documentation.
- Do the math. Price minus product cost, fees and shipping. If there's no margin left, it's not a product for you.
- Start small. Test with a small order before you commit to big inventory.
Why does this work better than inventing?
Because inventing means proving demand from zero. Proven products have already passed the hardest test: strangers paying for them repeatedly. When you start with proven products, your risk shifts away from "will anyone want this?" and toward execution, which is something you can control.
That's not a knock on inventors. Some of the best businesses come from new ideas. But if you're starting with limited money, proven demand is the safer ground.
▸ Why I care about this beyond selling
In my advisory work on SDG 8 & 9, one of my priorities is making it cheaper and simpler for first-time founders to start, in line with SDG target 8.3 on supporting entrepreneurship and small business growth (UN). Lowering the cost of starting isn't only about policy. It's also about helping people avoid expensive mistakes, like building something nobody asked for. A free kitchen audit is about as low-cost as research gets.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Picking a product because you love it. Your passion isn't proof of demand.
- Ignoring saturation. If thousands of sellers carry the same thing, it's hard to stand out.
- Skipping authorization. Selling brand-name goods without the right documentation can get your listings pulled.
- Going big too fast. Test small first.
FAQ: product research for beginners
What is the easiest way to find products to sell online?
Start with products you and others already buy repeatedly, then check whether you can get them and whether the market is crowded.
What makes a product "proven"?
Strangers buy it regularly, and you can see steady demand in listings, reviews and sales rankings.
Are consumables good products to sell?
They often are, because people buy them again and again. That repeat demand is valuable to a seller.
The best product idea might already be in your pantry.
What is Robert Nikic's approach to product research?
Robert Nikic's approach is to start with products the market has already proven, like the everyday items in your kitchen, and then check whether you can sell them and whether the market is too crowded before spending real money.
Related reading: Robert Nikic on Product Reviews: Let Investors Pick Your Product · Robert Nikic Reviews Amazon Dash Buttons · Robert Nikic on Amazon Legal Rules
