It’s never too late to catch the eCommerce wave. This article is for you be it if you’ve been in the eCommerce industry or are planning to startup your eCommerce business. Apart from setting up the UI/ UX of your eCommerce store, eCommerce marketplace, CRM and the list goes on, products are required to meet with the demand of the consumers.
To sell popular products or a niche with lesser competitors, we have compiled some ideas for you! Starting from the very top, this overview contains popular product categories in the eCommerce industry.
Top 15 Products to sell in 2021
Winning in the eCommerce arena is easier said than done especially when you compete against the noise in the digital space. Albeit high-demand products targeting the mass or low-demand products targeting a specific niche, we hope to provide you with some ideas to expand your product category or target a specific category.
Apparel and Accessories
An ever-green category that’s popular for both men and women regardless of age, race, height, size, continent, or.. ya, you get it. Did you know that under this gigantic category, there can be a zillion (not literally) subcategories? Just the bags and accessories category is projected to hit SGD409M (USD$304m) by 2025 in Singapore.
So, what are the kingpins within this monster category?
Dresses
This evergreen subcategory is swarmed by fashion-conscious shoppers, dresses are a year-round item that generates a lot of interest combined with high levels of buyer intent. Newcomers to the eCommerce industry can take advantage of the current high level of search queries to start up their own eCommerce store on platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce or even eMarketplaces such as Shopee.
Shoes
Like dresses, shoes can be seen as an evergreen subcategory with strong interests by Singapore shoppers that value fashionwear. With monthly searches hitting over 8,000 in Singapore, this subcategory definitely presents an opportunity for eCommerce players to leverage on. Shoe sales are generated by both impulse and required purchases, hence your eCommerce store can cater to consumers with varying levels of purpose with interests hitting 100 regularly.
Handbags 
We've already discussed how much Singaporeans enjoy shopping for fashion, and handbags are no different. In Singapore, there are over 2,400 monthly searches for 'handbags’. Since the introduction of tiny bags and top handle bags, these 2 types of handbags have reached the hottest two subcategories in bag trends for 2021. Find out more types of handbags that your store can offer to your target audience. The key to succeeding in this monster category and subcategories is through improved product photography, partnering with influencers, and establishing contests and giveaways are all proven ways to develop your lifestyle handbags company.
Loungewear
Work from home is still a by-default setting for companies in Singapore until further advised by the Government. This naturally evolves consumer behaviour to look for comfortable wear in their homes as everyday apparel. The change of behaviour can also be noted on Google Trends, the uptick on search queries for this product has increased tremendously. It can be seen that women and men can be the target audience of this product due to this study, who does not love the best of both worlds, comfort and versatility.
Athleisure 
Under the fitness fashion subcategory comes athleisure, fashionable activewear that has been dubbed as the new trend by fashion gurus. As reported by Forbes, the increased demand is driven by comfort-oriented products like sportswear. From sports bras to yoga trousers, these are ideas for goods that can be sold online. With the target audience mainly from millennials, social media marketing is the way to go combined with partnerships with influencers in the fitness and health category.
Furniture and Appliances
A study by Statista reveals that revenue in this category is projected to reach SGD857m(USD638m) in 2021. Consumer's behaviours are changing with the outdoor eating measures in place; hence it is natural for people to invest more in home remodelling since they are at home more often with friends and families coming over more frequently. For the best places to sell furniture, it has to be eCommerce platforms such as Shopify or eMarketplaces like Amazon.
Household Cleaning Products 
The first type of products we’d thought to mention will be household cleaning products. It’s only logical – during this global endemic or pandemic, it’s a necessity to maintain a clean and germ-free environment to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy. With many of our out-of-home activities brought indoors, cleaning apartments become a regular activity. With the work from home setting, online meetings, home offices and cooking, demand for cleaning solutions have never been higher.
Mugs 
Everyone needs a mug, right? Evidently so, with the interest of mugs hitting 100 often. Here’s a really good example of a successful store that made it with mugs! Last we checked – sold out storewide. Yes, business is THAT good. Offering a variety of product variants for mugs is important, size, design, colour, shape and functionality.
Candles 
There are now more home-based businesses in the candle industry than before. Check out this guide to make candles to sell. A shiny advantage to start a candle business would be its low cost of entry and the rest would be your creativity to develop a candle well-sought by your target audience. It’s probably a good and plausible idea to attain passive income by entering this industry for retirement!
Neck Massagers
Have you seen 4D massagers yet? Try it! In 2020, the global sales of neck and shoulder massagers were at SGD4.1Bn (USD3.1Bn) and expected to grow even more. Good news, the interest in Singapore shows demand by the consumers with the rating hitting 100 frequently. Prolonged seating and working in a confined space from 9 to 6 pushes consumers to conduct impulse buy on massagers as long as the price point is right.
Blue Light Blocking Glasses 
83% of adults in Singapore are myopic. This calls for a need for such glasses to protect our eyes from blue light created by a couple of sources, including household lighting. A pair of blue light blocking glasses can range from S$2++ from Shopee to S$299++ from Razer. This supports our statement that such glasses have strong demand from consumers in Singapore. A quick search on Shopee shows that a single SKU can be sold up to 2,100, imagine providing a variety of designs, colours and functionality that can bring in such sales, opportunities are definitely there.
Health and Beauty
A report released in July 2021 shows that the global eCommerce sales for the health and beauty category is estimated at USD202.3 bn and expected to hit 358.4bn in 2026. In Singapore alone, a study has shown that consumers have spent USD296m on beauty and fashion products in 2019. E-commerce to dominate future of health and beauty sector.
Facial Cleansers 
Consumers are starting to take care of their skin at a younger age in an attempt to delay skin-ageing indicators. This would mean that skincare companies may have to tweak their marketing techniques to target the younger audience but at the same time to ensure that the mature audience is not neglected. It has been reported that the global skincare market is expected to hit USD189.3bn in 2025. Would you believe that this particular facial cleanser was sold more than 1,800 units in a month?
Perfumes and Colognes 
The interest in perfumes have never been stronger. It is recorded by Fragrantica that there are over 60,000 perfumes in the world that it may sound too little for the global population of more than 7bn. There has been a notable trend of home-based perfume businesses around the world, with a quick guide like this one, you may consider starting your own.
Tea 
The global tea market is expected to be at USD232bn in 2021 and to grow further to USD318bn by 2025. Did you know that China produced an estimated 2.79m metric tons of tea in 2019? There’s a wide variety of teas offered today, from the common green tea to your Oolong Teas. The general consensus revolving around the benefits of drinking tea are the antioxidants, reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, weight loss and more. This is a tea listing on Shopee that has sold more than 763 units, with 9 varieties to choose from.
Teeth Whitening 
With a search volume of more than 3,400, it can be seen in Singapore that more solutions have been offered to consumers. From in-office appointments to the current take-home teeth whitening kits catered to the convenience of consumers delivered to their doorstep, it can’t get easier than this right? Here’s a great example sold on Shopee that is both functional and portable.
Posture Corrector 
This is one of the trending products that has been growing in time. It has become increasingly crucial to maintain a good posture as more of us are sitting for long hours at a work desk dealing with long meetings and 9 to 6 jobs. Consumers start to realize that postures have a big impact on our daily lives and can affect a multitude of things such as discomfort, depletion of energy or injuries. These problems create the demand for such products. From a back brace from Amazon that costs approx. $49.95 to an approx. $109 posture corrector seat from Shopee, the key is to offer a variety that suits the consumer’s demand to drive sales.
Keen on enhancing your eCommerce logistics? Reach out to us by filling up the following form.
