How to Use ChatGPT for Product Research!

How can AI really help you choose a profitable product or niche to sell? The answer might surprise you, it certainly surprised me!

Using ChatGPT might appear like a weird choice for product research. Most e-commerce merchants use ChatGPT for writing product descriptions only, however, by prompting ChatGPT in just the right way it can be a very valuable and under-utilized method of finding profitable products to sell.

If you’re confused as to how AI will assist you with product research, I recommend reading through this article first before experimenting yourself. The responses ChatGPT provides may surprise you and give you a different perspective when it comes to product research.

How to Generate Product Ideas with ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a goldmine when it comes to product and niche ideas. There are endless prompts you can give ChatGPT which can provide you with unique ideas you probably would not have come with on your own.

Let’s start off with a very broad prompt. “What are 10 profitable niches for e-commerce?”

Not all that helpful if you’re looking for a unique and unsaturated niche.

Let’s get a little more specific with our prompt. “What are 15 product ideas in the surfing niche?”

As you can see, this will give you specific product ideas within the surfing niche. Each of these ideas can be a niche within itself. For example, Google surfing apparel for dogs and you’ll come across a ton of profitable products within a very specific niche.

Let’s try another specific prompt in a different niche. “What are 10 unsaturated and unique product ideas to sell in the beauty niche?”

I haven’t even heard of most of these beauty products, so I’m assuming they’re unique. You can Google any of these products and I’m sure you’ll go down a rabbit hole of even more products within the beauty niche which are yet to be exploited by other e-commerce sellers.

Let’s try a slightly different prompt. A common and very effective strategy for finding profitable products to sell online is to find what is already selling and sell a similar product.

A popular product over the past few years has been the portable blender. Many e-commerce stores are now selling this product, so what if we ask ChatGPT for similar products? Here’s the prompt “What are 10 related product ideas to sell which are similar to the portable blender?”

You’re then given 10 related product ideas. This is such an effective strategy because you are not trying random products from random niches and hoping they sell. You’re finding ideas and concepts that have already been proven to be successful.

You can be as creative as you like with your prompts and you will be surprised how many ideas ChatGPT can come up with that you likely would not have come up with on your own.

For a full list of prompts, I recommend you read my article on 100 e-commerce and dropshipping prompts.

How to Find Trending Products to Sell Using ChatGPT?

If you’re looking for the latest trending products you will need ChatGPT’s latest version as the older version will likely have outdated information.

The first prompt we can try to find trending products to sell using ChatGPT is “What are some unique and trending golf products sold on Amazon?”

By looking for trending and unique products on the biggest online marketplaces in the world, it gives you some product ideas for trending products. Often you can branch off current trends to find even more unique products.

This ChatGPT prompt can also be done using eBay, AliExpress or any other large online marketplace.

Another effective strategy for finding trends is to ask ChatGPT for the best-selling products for upcoming holidays. An example prompt could be “What are some of the best-selling products online for Halloween in the USA?”

This can be done for any holiday or seasonal products. For example, a prompt could be “What are the most popular gardening products during summer in Canada?” You can often branch off these lists of niches to find unique and trending products.

I suggest cross-referencing any suggestions ChatGPT has with Google Trends first before pursuing any business ventures. Whilst ChatGPT is an amazing resource for providing ideas, Google Trends is the gold standard for confirming and validating any trend online.

If you’re looking for product ideas for your dropshipping or e-commerce business, I have a few articles below that may interest you.

• What is the best niche for dropshipping – Tested & ranked!
• The most popular dropshipping products
• 40 Unique products to sell online

How to Use ChatGPT to Do Competitor Research

ChatGPT can be extremely helpful for competitor research which ultimately can assist you with your product research. Learning all you can from your competitors is vital as it can help you understand the most effective strategies within your niche.

It’s unlikely your business will succeed if your copying the exact business model of another store, you need to differentiate yourself enough that you can find your own audience.

I won’t do examples of specific websites for this example as I don’t think it’s fair to expose the strengths and weaknesses of other businesses. But I will give you some prompts you can use to find some valuable information on your competitors.

I suggest making a list of your main competitors and asking ChatGPT if they are aware of each website first.

Firstly, as an example, you can then ask ChatGPT “I am looking to start an online store selling pool supplies, can you help me analyze my competitors so I can find the best strategies for my business?”

There are several prompts you give ChatGPT that will assist you with competitor research. The prompts you give will vary depending on your business type and overall goals.

• “What are the strengths of poolsupplies.com?”
• “What are poolsupplies.com marketing strategies?”
• “How can I differentiate my business from poolsupplies.com?”
• “Which marketing strategy should I use so I am not competing with poolsupplies.com?”

Use the information you receive from ChatGPT as well as your own competitor research to give you the competitive edge you need. Ask yourself:

• Which advertising platforms have competitors neglected?
• Is there a specific audience of buyers who have not yet been exposed to your products?
• Can you provide a more compelling offer than your competitors?
• Can you create a unique video showcasing your product differently?
• Is there another angle you can market your products from?

How to Do Market Research with ChatGPT?

You can have the best product since sliced bread, without the right market to sell to, it’s worthless. Often the best way to do product research is to find a passionate market of buyers first, then work out what you should sell them.

Ideally, you want a market of buyers who are passionate, who have a problem or a need you can fulfill and who have disposable income.

An example of this would be people who own motorhomes. They are passionate about traveling in their motorhome, there are many products that can fulfill a specific need and they are usually higher income earners.

Here are some example prompts that will help you better understand your market.

• What kinds of products are people who own motorhomes likely to buy?
• Which advertising platform would be most effective to advertise motorhome products?
• What are the primary demographics for owners of motorhomes?
• Which countries are motorhomes the most popular?

Utilizing ChatGPT as well as your own market research will give you some unique target audience insights that most online retailers would not have.

When researching your market, you are not limited to sports and hobby-type audiences. You can target anyone who is interested in anything passionate. This can be religion, history, teachers, pet owners or parents.

Let’s try some prompts for an entirely different passionate market, people who love coffee.

Which kinds of products are coffee lovers likely to buy?

For each of the 15 suggestions ChatGPT provided, you can then ask for more related products for each one. The options are endless when it comes to researching your market and you can ask any and every question you can think of.

Summary

Most merchants do the basics when it comes to product research. They might use a paid product research tool and Google a few competitors and that might be it.

By going the extra mile and doing the product research aren’t willing to do is how you gain advantages over your competitors. It’s worth promoting ChatGPT to come up with ideas and strategies you may not have considered.

Remember that ChatGPT provides creative ideas and insights, however, be sure to validate these ideas with your own research and judgment. Conduct extensive market and product research, consider factors such as competition, pricing, and demand, and make informed decisions for your business.

I suggest being very specific and creative with your prompts as it will generate tactics you wouldn’t have come up with alone. Even if you’re a beginner and using AI for dropshipping feels a little confusing, it’s worth persisting as neglecting it will only leave you behind others who are taking advantage of the opportunities ChatGPT brings.