eCommerce101: Finding Products to Sell

The South African e-commerce sector has also seen massive growth as a result of the lockdown restrictions - more and more people were and continue to shop online! It is reported that online retail giants have seen massive increases in sales and revenue. Takealot had revenue growth of 28%, while OneDayOnly recorded a 128% increase in sales.

This surge in online shopping has presented a huge opportunity for those who want to start ecommerce brands and stores.

The first step in building an ecommerce business, apart from the brand direction, is product development (finding products to sell). And in my own business and mentoring journey, I have found that the #1 mistake entrepreneurs make in this regard is to purely look at trends.

Choosing to sell a product just because it is popular make work but it is not sustainable in the long run; long-term success is based on the simplest of principle - "what problem are you solving?"

In finding products to sell, I recommend you forget about the actual product and focus your attention on who you are trying to sell - who is your ideal customer? First figure this out.

Once you have figured out who your ideal customer is, list their pain-points and/or desires. This forms part the inspiration for the product solution.

An example: Let's say you want to talk to the female market. One of the pain points and desires of this market, for example, is within health - they want to lose fat in their thighs but do not want the "struggle" of gym.

Armed with this information, you will then research how a person can burn fat in their thighs without exercise. In your research, you find that there is a combination of natural ingredients that when applied to that area can fast-track fat burning. This is now your product - make a lotion using these ingredients that you sell to women.

By approaching product development through the lens of your customer's pain points and/or desires, you are effectively building your brand narrative and purpose - you are no longer selling just a lotion but "a way to burn thigh fat without going to gym".