What makes a good niche

You do not have to find a niche yourself. The Create Store page researches them for you and puts six on screen, each with a reason it was picked and ratings for SEO potential, social potential, commissions and longevity. Choose one, and about five minutes later you have a store built around it.

This guide is the background that lets you glance at those cards and know which one suits you. It works the same way if you bring your own idea.

Markets and niches

A market is a broad category of buyers with a common need or interest. Coffee, fitness equipment, pet dogs. A niche is a smaller segment of a market: coffee machines, folding treadmills, dog toys.

Product niches and topic niches

A product niche is built around things people buy. Organic makeup, beer brewing equipment, model rocket kits. A topic niche is built around information. Sustainable travel, getting fit at home, ancient Rome.

A product niche works well when the products themselves are interesting, because you can build engaging content and social posts around them. Inflatable paddleboards is a good example. A topic niche works better when the products are dull. A "power tools" store will struggle on social media, but a "home improvement" store has plenty to talk about.

Why small beats big

Our instinct is to think big and promote thousands of products. In a market like fitness you compete with established websites for every single search. In a niche you get keywords, content ideas and gaps nobody else is bothering with. That is why the suggested niches are specific rather than broad.

You can always grow later. Expand the store, pivot into something bigger, or add related sister stores that link to each other.

The right size

A niche can be too small as well as too big. "Basketball" is too large, "basketball finger tape" is too small. A good product niche here would be basketball nets, and a good topic niche home basketball training.

It has to last

You want this store earning for years, so be wary of anything with a built in end date. A store named after a single tournament dies the week it ends. Take the date or the model number out and the same idea works long term: "football shirts" rather than one World Cup, "smartphone cases" rather than one handset. Fads are the same trap: face masks and fidget spinners both looked like markets. That is what the longevity rating is telling you.

It has to suit you

This is the one thing the AI cannot rate, and it is why you get six cards rather than one. Don't choose basketball if you don't like basketball. You will be looking at these products and talking to these people for a long time, and motivation runs out fast when the subject bores you.

It does not have to be a hobby and you do not need to be an expert. Wanting to learn about something is reason enough.

Two things to watch for

• The latest bandwagon. If you are hearing about a big new trend, you are already late to the party. Aim to uncover your own little gem before somebody else does.
• Brands and trademarks. In most cases, stay away from a niche tied to a brand or a trademarked product name.

🔗 Finding niches