Starting a Shopify business in 2024 means diving into a world where customer preferences for innovation, sustainability, and personalization shape the market. Ecommerce is constantly changing and adapting to become more convenient for both sellers — making it easier to track product performance — and buyers of an online store — allowing for a wide array of payment options.
But to have a successful online store on Shopify, you need to know what items to sell and also keep up with the changing trends. In this article, we’ll explore top products that not only meet consumer needs but also fuel the drive of entrepreneurs.
TL;DR
- Align Shopify offerings with trends like sustainability and innovation.
- Leverage Shopify’s platform for effective online store management.
- Choose what’s trending in 2024.
- Prioritize marketing to drive traffic and strategically select items.
⬇ Turn your vision into reality ⬇
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In this article we’ll take a closer look at:
2. Choose the best products: Why can’t I just sell what I want on Shopify?
3. How does choosing the best products to sell on Shopify differ from Amazon and eBay?
4. What to sell on Shopify: Top products and categories for your online store
5. When choosing the best products to sell on Shopify, what’s meant by ‘best’?
6. How to find top products to sell on Shopify?
7. Can I do bookkeeping in Shopify?
What’s Shopify?
Sometimes dissatisfaction with a situation brings conflict, other times it forges progress, innovation, and new connections. A good example would be two people trying to sell snowboarding equipment in Canada back in 2006. Tobias Lütke and Scott Lake were dissatisfied with existing platforms so they created a new one. That’s how Shopify came to life.
This platform allows businesses to create their online stores from scratch and focuses on building, hosting, and managing sites. Shopify provides its shop system as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, which means that business owners save on hosting, securing, and updating their online store system. The company provides many features that help meet the needs of ecommerce, creating an ecosystem for business; these include:
- Marketing;
- Sales;
- Client engagement;
- Shipping;
- Payment;
- Performance analysis.
Looking for a payment gateway for your Shopify store? Check our guide.
Choose the best products: Why can’t I just sell what I want on Shopify?
You can sell a wide variety of products on Shopify, as it’s one of the most flexible platforms for entrepreneurs to set up their own online stores. However, there are a few reasons why you might not be able to sell absolutely anything you want and why it’s good to look into the best products.
Firstly, there are prohibited items that you simply can’t sell on Shopify. This stems from legal restrictions, Shopify’s Acceptable Use Policy, payment processor restrictions, and shipping and fulfillment limitations. We’ll touch on these points in the last section of this article.
Apart from these restrictions, there’s a second key element that you must consider when choosing what items to sell, and that’s marketing.
The marketplace gives you plenty of freedom to set up your store but that comes with the price of marketing effort falling onto you. Let’s look at how it compares to Amazon and eBay to fully understand where we stand with Shopify products.
How does choosing the best products to sell on Shopify differ from Amazon and eBay?
Shopify, as an ecommerce platform, allows you to create your own online store. It gives you the tools to build and customize your website, manage inventory, process payments, and handle shipping.
What’s more, sellers are responsible for driving traffic to their stores. The platform provides SEO tools and integrates with various marketing platforms, but it’s up to the seller to implement these strategies.
The platform is great for sellers who want to build a brand and sell niche, trending, or custom products. So, you’ll need to consider items that you can market effectively to drive traffic to your store.
How does selling products look on Amazon?
Amazon provides access to a massive audience without the need for individual marketing efforts. The platform’s built-in customer base can lead to higher visibility and potentially more sales. This makes Amazon best for high-demand items that benefit from high visibility and traffic. It’s the competitive pricing and quality of merchandise that are crucial there, all due to the high competition.
How does selling products look on eBay?
eBay’s auction format can be particularly beneficial for unique or hard-to-find items. The platform has a diverse customer base looking for deals, collectibles, and second-hand items. eBay is suitable for unique, used, collectible, or niche items that can benefit from the auction format or the diverse and deal-seeking audience of eBay.
Key takeaways
While ecommerce platforms such as Amazon and eBay essentially bring customers to sellers, Shopify leaves the sales to the shop owners. That’s why matching your offers with trending products, high sellers, or low-competition goods is so important when selling on the platform. It boosts the marketing efforts. So instead of pouring your hard-earned dollars into advertising items that are hard to sell, you can bank on the easy-to-sell ones – making your life as a business owner that much better.
Once you’ve set up your Shopify store, you’ll have to think about an accounting solution to take care of your sales transactions, fees, and other related costs, which links your account with your payment processor and the books. Here is when Synder comes in handy! You can easily try it for free for 15 days or book a seat at our Weekly Public Demo to see how a single app can let you get rid of loads of mundane accounting tasks and provide you with helpful business analytics in just a few clicks.
What to sell on Shopify: Top products and categories for your online store
The internet abounds in lists of 2024 best-selling Shopify items. To make our list, we included product categories that seem to be popping up in different lists, particularly those from the marketplace itself.
We looked at Shopify trending items for 2024, Shopify dropshipping products, and the top dropshipping niches on Shopify to combine a list, in no particular order, of the best product categories to sell in 2024.
1. Home accessories and home decor products
The home decor market is large and growing, with many people looking to personalize their living spaces. It offers a wide range of products and styles, allowing sellers to target specific niches.
For 2024, consider selling home accessories or decor that reflect current trends such as sustainable and eco-friendly items, smart home gadgets, minimalist designs, and personalized items. Also, items that enhance home offices, indoor plants, gardening accessories, and culturally inspired decor could be popular, appealing to consumers looking to create comfortable and stylish living spaces.
2. Beauty products, personal care, and health products
While last year’s hot-selling personal care and health offerings listed jade rollers, yoga mats, fasting tea, and acne patches, this year’s specials are eyelash accessories and hair essentials like shampoos. Again, it’s hard to believe there’ll come a time when beauty and health/diet products will become unpopular.
What’s more, when you also have the right marketing like YouTube tutorials or collaborations with beauty bloggers, health and beauty offerings could be even more profitable to sell online.
3. Pet products and accessories
Selling pet products and accessories on Shopify is a promising idea due to the steady growth and high consumer engagement in the pet industry. With increasing pet ownership and pet owners’ willingness to spend on their beloved animals, offering unique, high-quality pet accessories can be a hit. Dedicated pet-owners customers are always looking for items that enhance their pets’ comfort, health, and style. This offers many options, making it easier to find a specific area to focus on and a chance to create a well-known online brand.
4. Hobby and leisure
Hobby and leisure goods are a timeless category much like personal care products. This market caters to a wide range of interests and can attract passionate customers willing to invest in their hobbies. With targeted marketing and a well-curated product selection, you can build a loyal customer base. This sector often sees repeat purchases and high customer engagement, making it a lucrative niche for Shopify sellers.
For 2024, good hobby and leisure goods to sell should include items related to emerging trends and consumer interests. Consider products in DIY crafts and kits, home fitness equipment, outdoor and adventure gear, educational toys and games for all ages, tech gadgets for hobbyists, and eco-friendly leisure products. These categories align with the increasing interest in personal development, health and wellness, environmental sustainability, and spending quality time at home or outdoors.
5. Home office equipment and consumer electronics
The market of consumer electronics is skyrocketing and is expected to rise to $989.37 billion by 2027. For the recent couple of years, Shopify stores selling home office equipment have witnessed steady demand. This is mostly due to the changes in the way we now work. Home office or hybrid work models are much more prevalent, so customers are more willing to spend more on home office equipment.
Online stores dealing with consumer electronics also focus on cables, cameras, LED projectors, and smartwatches. And besides finding the right product, it’s also crucial for Shopify store owners to define the target audience and market directly to those consumers, as for example, the needs of a gamer, a parent working from home, and a college student are drastically different.
6. Phone accessories
The craze for smartphones nowadays has become an extremely big business, so smartphone accessories deserve a separate listing category on the list of best-selling items in a Shopify store. And if you can’t make up your mind about what to sell online, smartphone accessories can be an excellent option as they’re widely used.
Being a daily necessity, they have a steady growth rate. The global cell phone accessories market is forecasted to reach 413.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2030. Of course, this market is now highly competitive, but if you want to stand out, you could think about customized smartphone accessories – a simple yet effective way to foster customer relationships and boost sales.
7. Digital products
In addition to physical items, in Shopify stores, you can also sell digital products. Examples of digital offerings include online services, software, and downloadable files like digital art, e-books, music, videos, audio clips, or even courses and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Such items are popular among customers because they can have immediate access to them right upon purchase.
This approach eliminates physical inventory needs and reduces overhead costs. Selling digital products can also lead to higher profit margins since there are no shipping or manufacturing costs involved.
8. Vegan products
Selling vegan goods can be lucrative, especially considering the growing consumer interest in sustainable and eco-friendly products. An environmentally sustainable ecommerce business nowadays can be a powerful branding and marketing strategy. Most millennials are willing to splurge on eco-friendly vegan products, so there’s a growing demand for such goods and services. This trend is supported by a significant portion of consumers, particularly Gen Z, who prioritize sustainability in their purchasing decisions.
But vegan goods aren’t only food items or apparel. Selling vegan pet accessories, for example, has become quite popular. In your online store, you can offer items made from animal-free materials like hemp or cork-based vegan leather – the options are vast.
9. Kids clothing
Kids wear is an ever-popular product to sell in both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. This market segment is consistently in demand as parents and family members are always looking for new, high-quality, and stylish clothing options for the younger ones. With the right approach to marketing, branding, and product selection, you can tap into this lucrative niche. Offering unique designs, organic materials, or personalized options could further set your Shopify store apart in this competitive space.
So if you want to sell items that have a high demand among customers, kids clothes could be a good option now.
10. Car and bike accessories
The niche of car and bike accessories can be a good idea for starting a Shopify dropshipping business. It’s possible to find trending merchandise for almost any type of customer, whether they ride a bike or drive a car. Some popular car accessories include license car floor mats, plate frames, and bumper stickers.
Similarly, the bike accessories market is also growing, and some popular items for cycling enthusiasts include tire repair kits, bike pumps, bike helmets, and bike locks. This niche is worth considering for anyone looking to sell products on Shopify because people like to customize their cars and bikes, making them unique and improving their performance, which makes these vehicle accessories some of the top selling items.
11. Books and records
Books have been at the top of popularity lists since 2022. The US book publishing industry’s net revenue is estimated at $25.71 billion. This market has seen exponential growth in 2022-2023 with over 20% increase in global order of print books and 335% increase for e-books.
Records’ global market size is $1.3 billion and growing. So selling vinyl LPs and CDs might be a great niche as you start your business.
Obviously, timeless books and records have claimed their place as some of the top items to sell online, we should continue to see this trend.
12. Wedding dresses
The wedding dress market is on a growth trajectory, influenced by evolving consumer preferences, the impact of celebrity culture, and innovations in bridal fashion. Wedding dresses are visually appealing, making them ideal for marketing through social media platforms like Instagram or Pinterest. Engaging content, beautiful photography, and targeted advertising can effectively attract brides-to-be to your Shopify store.
Wedding dresses can have high profit margins, especially if you’re able to source or produce them cost-effectively. The high perceived value of wedding gowns, coupled with the emotional purchase decision for many brides, usually creates a significant markup potential.
The wedding dress market is great for niche targeting, think vintage styles, sustainable materials, plus-size dresses, or custom-made gowns. Specializing in a niche can help you stand out in a crowded market and attract the right customers.
When choosing the best products to sell on Shopify, what’s meant by ‘best’?
That’s a great question. Is the best product the one that’s in high demand, the one that has low competition, or maybe both? The answer to this question is: yes, yes, and yes. The best items can be defined by many standards. So let’s have a look at different ways we can think of them.
High-demand
Offerings that fulfill a current market need or trend are often considered the best choices. These are items that customers are actively searching for, which may lead to higher traffic and sales volume. Utilizing tools like social media insights or market research reports can help identify these high-demand goods in a global or local marketplace.
Profitability
A “best” product should have a good profit margin. This means the cost of goods sold (including manufacturing, acquiring, shipping, and any other expenses) should be low enough compared to the selling price to ensure a healthy profit. Items with higher margins or those that might be sourced inexpensively while still offering quality will be more sustainable in the long run.
Unique value proposition
Goods that stand out either through uniqueness, quality, or brand story are likely to be more successful. If you’re offering something that isn’t readily available on major marketplaces like Amazon, Shopify, or eBay, or if your product has a unique feature or story, it might attract more interest and loyalty from customers.
Scalability
The best goods are those that can grow with your business. This means considering how easily you can source, store, and ship your products as your business expands. Some products might be easy to sell in small quantities but become logistically challenging as sales increase.
Alignment with your brand
Merchandise that aligns with your personal interests, expertise, and brand identity are often more successful. When you’re passionate about what you’re selling, it’s easier to market and sell. Plus, customers are drawn to a brand with authenticity and a clear mission.
Low competition
While it’s challenging to find a market with no competition, products in niches with fewer competitors may be considered “best” because you’ll have a better chance of standing out. Conducting competitive analysis will help identify areas where you can differentiate your offerings and brand.
Ease of marketing
Some products naturally lend themselves to more effective marketing strategies, whether through compelling visuals, social media appeal, or storytelling (like the wedding dresses example). Items that are easier to market can lead to higher engagement and sales.
Key takeaways
When evaluating a product that you think of selling, do check it against those criteria. Try to aim for a good mix of different ‘best’ fits so that you can optimize your efforts and have a better chance at online success.
If you decide to start a Shopify dropshipping business, read our guide.
How to find top products to sell on Shopify?
While the lists of top things to sell are helpful, it’s good to arm yourself with tools that can give you a real-time answer as to what is hot now.
Use product research and search tools
One possible solution is to use product research tools like Trend Hunter, and search tools like Google Trends and YouTube. When customers search for certain words online, it causes them to trend. These search results give a clear idea of what things are gaining popularity locally or even globally.
Use other platforms’ bestsellers tabs
Another way is to use other ecommerce platforms like eBay, Alibaba, or Amazon’s bestsellers tab to get an idea about the most popular items sold in their online catalogs and stores.
Review social media trends
It’s wise to review social media hashtags, influencers, and trending posts, as social networks are now not only a place to share personal photos and opinions, but also an effective selling tool. Some social media platforms, like Pinterest for example, share their trends which can give you some good product ideas.
Check trending news
One more strategy to consider is checking trending news which might give an idea of what items will be in demand as a result. A good example may be yoga mats. The market of yoga mats is expected to reach $13.49 billion in 2025 and people’s growing awareness about health problems connected to it.
Can I do bookkeeping in Shopify?
Shopify doesn’t have built-in bookkeeping or accounting software. However, it provides tools that help you see how much money you’re making from sales, what you’re spending on things like ads or shipping, and other basic cash flow details.
This is great for getting a quick snapshot of how your business is doing day-to-day. However, Shopify’s tools are pretty basic and don’t cover everything you need for accurate bookkeeping.
For the nitty-gritty of managing your finances, like dealing with taxes, tracking all your expenses accurately, and understanding your financial health in depth, you should pair bookkeeping software with a third-party app, like Synder, for seamless integration of all your financial transactions into one comprehensive system.
Synder can automatically sync your Shopify sales, expenses, taxes, and cost of goods sold (COGS) with your bookkeeping software. This helps ensure that every dollar coming in or going out is accurately recorded without manual entry. By doing this, you get a real-time view of your financial health, making it easier to spot trends, manage cash flow, and make informed business decisions.
Things banned on Shopify
There are millions of items to sell, but when starting an online store, you should be aware of the ones that can’t be sold using this platform. The Shopify Acceptable Use Policy includes some logical restrictions on items that promote or induce child exploitation, harassment, bullying, defamation and threats, hateful content, illegal activities, malicious and deceptive practices, self-harm, and terrorist organizations. This is to protect the entire community and ensure a safe shopping and selling environment.
Shopify also protects its clients against:
- Disclosure of personal, confidential, and protected health information;
- Receiving spam.
Best things to sell on Shopify: Closing thoughts
Getting into the Shopify business with a keen eye on market demands and future trends should be a strategic move for aspiring store owners. This year’s top products are filled with opportunities to innovate, personalize, and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Let these insights guide you as you curate your product line that not only meets the moment but also sets your brand apart in a crowded online marketplace. Embrace the challenge, for the path ahead is ripe with potential for those ready to seize it!
Share your experience
We’d love to hear from you! Are you now on the quest for choosing your best Shopify product? Or maybe you’ve already chosen the best thing to sell on Shopify? Share your experiences and insights to help fellow entrepreneurs navigate this exciting world of ecommerce business.
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Interesting trends for 2024! Curious about how seasonal changes might affect these products.