How to validate a product idea before sourcing from Alibaba
Anaita walks through a step-by-step research process for vetting Alibaba products, using a kids bath mat as an example. She checks Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush and Pinterest before contacting a supplier to gauge demand and competition.
The lessons
Search Alibaba products in the search bar instead of browsing categories to find specific winners
Check Google Trends to confirm the product has upward search demand before sourcing it
Use SEMrush to see competitor ads and organic rankings, a lack of ads signals opportunity
Check Pinterest for lifestyle shots to see how the product photographs and get creative inspo
Only contact a supplier once the listing has trust badges and you've validated demand
Questions people ask
How do I know if a product will sell before I import it?
Search the product on Alibaba's search bar, then check Google Trends to see if interest is trending up. Cross-check demand with Google Keyword Planner and see competition and ads on SEMrush, then look at Pinterest for lifestyle inspiration before contacting the supplier.
Transcript
How to import products from Alibaba? Part 6. If you want to know what to source from Alibaba, keep watching. First, explore the categories on the homepage to get ideas.
I'm going to use bath mats as an example, but don't click on the category here. Instead, type it into the search bar. Trust me on this. Go down until you find one you like.
I like this one. It's a kid's bath mat. Go to Google Trends and type it in and see if the product is trending upwards. Next, go to Google Keyword Planner and type in the product again.
You can see how many times this keyword and relevant keywords are searched for on Google. Now go straight to SEMrush and type it in again. Choose your country and here you can see all your competitors, Google results and any ads that are running. There are no ads here, which is a great opportunity.
Now go to Pinterest and search for it again. Have a look to see how it looks in lifestyle shots. You can also get inspo from here. Lastly, make sure that you've answered yes to most of these questions.
If you're happy, go back to the listing. Make sure it has the trust badges and then contact them. I hope that helps.
