Steve Jobs once echoed a Wayne Gretzky quote during the launch of the first iPhone: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.”
The quote is a metaphor for anticipating and seizing emerging opportunities, a principle that rings true for Amazon sellers. By keeping an eye on trending searches, you can spot rising market trends before they peak.
While it's not advisable to base your entire Amazon strategy on rising trends, disregarding them is like leaving money on the table. This point was perfectly illustrated in a story shared by Alex Hormozi, the entrepreneur behind the best-selling book $100M Offers.
During the pandemic, Alex got a call from a friend struggling with his newspaper company. He couldn't figure out why his business wasn't taking off.
"You're selling newspapers, that's why," Alex said.
"No, it can't be that,” his friend protested.
"I think it is," Alex replied.
Then a lightbulb moment. His friend stopped selling newspapers and started selling masks.
Alex later recalled, “And so he went from a few million dollars a year to a few million dollars a week. Same entrepreneur. Simply targeted a growing market.”
This drastic turnaround shows the power of capitalizing on market trends. But how can you identify these trends yourself? In this blog post, we'll dive into the world of trending product searches and discuss effective strategies to uncover them.
Why Identify Trending Product Searches on Amazon
Knowing the most popular searches on Amazon comes with several advantages. Below is a deep dive for each one.
If you can identify trends at different times of the year, you can match your marketing strategies and product creation plans to the needs and interests of your customers.
Many companies have successfully leveraged seasonal trends. One well-known example is Starbucks and its now-famous Pumpkin Spice Latte.
In the early 2000s, Starbucks noticed a trend for pumpkin-flavored foods and beverages in the fall season. In response, it developed the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Since its launch in 2003, the drink has become a cultural phenomenon and an annual tradition, marking the start of fall for many people.
By 2015, Starbucks had sold over 200 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes, which speaks to the product's enormous success. And just last year, Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz told investors they hit their “highest sales week in our 51-year history” a week after re-launching the pumpkin-flavored beverages and treats.
Matt Johnson, a Boston-based psychologist who specializes in the application of psychology to marketing, dubbed the drink as “the most successful seasonal drink of all time.”
The lesson here is clear: Capitalizing on a seasonal trend can yield significant results.
For Amazon sellers, this translates into monitoring Amazon search trends to identify seasonal spikes in demand.
For example, if you notice increased searches for "outdoor grills" as summer approaches, you can stock up on related products or even develop a new line of barbecue accessories. Doing this can help you align your offerings with customer demand, which can lead to increased sales.
For private label sellers, trends can spark insights for a new product design that mirror or complement the most searched-for items on Amazon.
Remember Alex Hormozi's friend we introduced in the beginning? He seized an opportunity in a trending market — face masks — and he took it.
As a private label seller, you can do the same.
Let's say you spot a rising trend in searches for "Bluetooth audio devices". You could capitalize on this demand in several ways:
- Develop your own range of Bluetooth speakers or headphones
- Add a unique twist, such as like custom designs or superior battery life, to make your product stand out in the crowded marketplace
- Create bundled products, such as a Bluetooth speaker and headphones set.
In another scenario, if "vegan snack bars" are trending and your business is in the food industry, consider creating a line of vegan snack bars. Your marketing could then stress the benefits of veganism, the convenience of snack bars, and how your product aligns with the current customer demand.
The key is to move from a product-centric to a customer-centric model, where the goal is to meet the customer's needs and desires.
Here’s Alex Hormozi again articulating this principle brilliantly in one of his tweets:
Effective targeted advertising on Amazon is all about resonating with your customers. A powerful way to achieve this is by leveraging the very search terms they use to find products on Amazon.
David Ogilvy, the Father of Advertising, once said:
“If you're trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, use their language.”
Let's consider an example. Suppose you're selling fitness equipment, and you spot a trend in searches for "resistance bands." By weaving this phrase into your ad copy —using descriptions such as "high-quality resistance bands" or "durable resistance bands for workouts" — you're more likely to snare your target audience's attention, subsequently increasing your product's visibility.
The strategy applies across different product categories and seasons. For instance, during the winter season, if "vegan leather boots" emerges as a trending search, it's an opportunity to tweak your advertising strategy. Highlighting your vegan leather boot offerings with phrases such as "stylish vegan leather boots" or "cruelty-free winter footwear," can pull potential customers towards your products."
4 Simple Methods To Find Trending Product Searches on Amazon
There are several ways to determine what products are trending on Amazon. Let’s discuss the best four of them:
Method 1. Visit the Best Sellers List of Online Marketplaces
Online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, and Etsy all feature best sellers lists. These lists are an excellent resource for finding out what products are currently trending. Let's break down how you can use each platform to your advantage:
- Amazon Best Sellers: Amazon Best Sellers list showcases the most popular items based on sales data, updated hourly across various categories. It's a quick and straightforward way to find out what people are buying the most on Amazon.
There are different categories you can browse through — from electronics to home goods, books, clothing, and more. Each category is further broken down into subcategories, making it easier to drill down into specifics and find the best-selling items in your niche.
- eBay Trending: Similar to Amazon, eBay offers a trending list which you can access through eBay's homepage. eBay's trending list shows items that are popular in eBay's community. It's based on how many users have bought or bid on an item, making it another reliable source to spot trends.
- Alibaba Most Popular: Alibaba, focusing more on B2B transactions, has a 'Most Popular' section that showcases trending items. These are the products with high demand in global markets. Exploring Alibaba can give you insights not just into consumer trends but also upcoming industry trends.
- Etsy Best Sellers: Etsy is an online marketplace for handmade, vintage items, and craft supplies. If your business is in these niches, the Etsy Best Sellers list is a goldmine for spotting trends. It shows the most popular items in various categories, helping you understand what Etsy's community of crafters and vintage lovers are currently interested in.
Method 2. Leverage Amazon’s Other Features
Amazon itself offers several features that can help you identify popular and trending products:
- New Releases: As the name suggests, this feature highlights the hottest new products on Amazon. These are items that have recently been launched and are gaining traction, often indicative of emerging trends.
- Movers & Shakers: This list displays the products that have seen significant movement in sales rank over the past 24 hours. Movers & Shakers can be particularly useful to detect sudden spikes in product popularity, often tied to external events or seasonal trends.
Method 3. Follow Influencers
Influencers most often know what's new and hot before most people do. Their influence stretches across platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok — steering buying trends.
Take Sal Farzin, for example. He left his tech job after two decades to focus on sharing hot Amazon trends.
On his TikTok account, he shows off the latest and coolest Amazon finds.
One of his videos got 6.4 million views in less than ten days.
By keeping an eye on influencers such as Sal, you can learn about new trends fast. But what if you want to quickly know the top searched products on Amazon? The next method is for you.
Method 4. Use Popping Topics by SmartScout
Popping Topics can serve as your trend compass in two ways:
1. Spot top trending searches: Popping Topics lifts the curtain on the most popular searches on Amazon. You can scan these trends across all category levels or zero in on a specific one.
For all categories, it lets you peek at the top 100 searches (excluding media).
If you're more interested in a single category, you can also view the top 100 searches within that category.
2. Trace a keyword search trend: More than just a trend spotter, Popping Topics also charts the popularity course of any keyword over time.
Let's say you're curious about the search trend for "door stoppers." Simply key in the keyword into the search bar, hit enter, and voila:
If you prefer a grid view over a chart, just tap the grid icon at the top.
If you want to take a closer look at the top ranking products for 'door stoppers,' just click the magnifying glass icon, then hit Details.
Here's a look at the top products for door stoppers:
In a nutshell, Popping Topics offers a comprehensive, straightforward way to identify top trending searches and monitor keyword trends over time.
Top 50 Amazon Trending Search Terms in the US (2023)
Below are the top 50 searched terms on Amazon for the last twelve months, collected using Popping Topics. It provides a snapshot of present-day consumer behavior, offering essential insights for businesses, especially Amazon sellers keen on aligning their products with consumer demand.
Note: This list will change over time as consumer interests shift.
A list of the most popular Amazon searches in the US (as of June 22, 2023)
Tech products clearly dominate consumer interest, with Apple's latest releases like the iPhone 14 and AirPods Pro 2nd generation consistently topping search lists. This trend is further reinforced by the presence of other electronics-related terms such as "mini pc" and "laptop computer".
Moving beyond electronics, the data also highlights the importance of seasonal and event-based consumer patterns. For example, Father's Day sees a significant surge in gift-related searches, demonstrating the cyclical nature of consumer demand.
We see a lot of health and wellness terms too, from "berberine supplement" to "anti-snoring devices" and "pelvic floor muscle trainer". This tells us that the health and wellness category remains a focal point for consumers, reflecting an ongoing commitment to personal well-being. This trend might be a result of increased health consciousness in society and the escalating popularity of home fitness routines.
Seasonal fashion trends are also evident, with "summer dresses 2023" and "women's summer tops 2023" reflecting a demand shift with the changing seasons.
These patterns offer actionable insights for Amazon sellers: staying updated of the newest tech launches, leveraging seasonality and events, and catering to health-conscious consumers are strategies that could enhance sales and customer engagement.
How Search Trends Affect Product Sales
On the surface, it seems pretty straightforward: a surge in search volume leads to a boost in sales. After all, more people seeking out a product usually translates into more individuals poised to make a purchase.
But what does this link look like up close? How do search trends shape sales?
To answer these questions, let's zoom in to a specific search term from our list of the top 50 most trending Amazon keywords: portable air conditioners. We're going to track its search volume and compare it with its revenue growth.
Seeing the Link Between Search Trends and Sales for Portable Air Conditioners
Using SmartScout’s Popping Topics and Scope tools, we can find the past year's search and sales data for portable air conditioners.
Search trend for the last 12 months:
Revenue graph for the last 12 months:
Interestingly, the sales graph looks a lot like the search trend graph.
Look at the search trend from July to October 2022. As it takes a downward dive, so does revenue.
From October 2022 to April 2023, the search volume steadies, and the revenue graph echoes this plateau.
But things heat up by April 2023. Both the search and revenue graphs thrust upwards, a trend that continues right up until the present month (June 2023).
The link between search trends and sales for portable air conditioners is clear: the number of searches influence the number of sales.
This shows sellers the importance of monitoring changes in search patterns. Using search trends data, we can better predict what products people want and adjust what we offer and how we advertise to increase sales.
Final Thoughts
Success in Amazon selling often hinges on the ability to forecast trends and act on them swiftly—like a surfer catching the perfect wave.
But don't forget: trends are only a piece of the larger puzzle. They serve as signposts to potential opportunities, yet the responsibility to capitalize on these rests on our shoulders.
Throughout our exploration of trending searches, one truth stands out: being proactive can lead to rewarding shifts. Just like Alex Hormozi's friend, making the right move at the right time can yield unexpected results.
