12 High-Demand Products for 2023 and Beyond (+ How to Sell Them)

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2020 was a record year for ecommerce and the industry hasn’t slowed down since. And it’s no wonder becausealmost three-quarters of UK consumers prefer to shop online.

Many entrepreneurs, startups, and ecommerce businesses have seen their sales grow to record levels, while other brands are launching new products to capitalise on the demand for online shopping.

Over the past few years, there were several standout product types that took the market by storm and were high sellers — many of them within the health, beauty, and wellness market.

While what’s trending and popular among consumers changes from year to year, we’ve rounded up some of the products that are in high demand right now.

In this post, we’ll dive into the highest-selling product listing types of 2022, take a closer look at how they’ll sell online this year and into the future, and also give ecommerce online store owners product ideas of the latest trending items.

12 high-demand trending products and niches of 2022

Unless you’re running a marketplace, your ecommerce business will likely focus on niche products. Whether it’s supplements, apparel, food, or something else people who visit your ecommerce store want to know what types of products you sell as soon as they land on your site.

Not sure what type of business to start, or which products can help increase your market share? Here’s a list of the top-selling products in 2022 and how we think they’ll perform in years to come. 

1. Clothing

The clothing industry is a big business, valued at almost £39 billion in the UK alone. 

The average UK household spends an estimated £109 a month on clothes in 2022. More and more of those consumers are buying their clothing online, so much so that online clothes shopping has become almost as popular as in-person shopping. 

With the vast sales channels available to both sellers and consumers, diversifying where you’re selling your products sets you up for even greater success.  As this eMarketer survey shows, Amazon is particularly popular with consumers, followed by online apparel shops. 

A great way to get more from selling clothing online is to keep up with the trends and offer what’s popular – whether that’s clothing or selling on specific marketplaces.

2. Skin care and beauty

Skin care and beauty products are having a moment. 

This year’s UK skin care and beauty sales have broken the £12 billion mark, with online sales accounting for 25% of all sales in 2022.

That being said, there is plenty of opportunity for small and medium sized beauty brands to make a splash. For example, Hero Cosmetics started with one SKU and has grown a skincare empire with nearly 20 SKUs. 

“This year alone we introduced 17 new SKUs. We’re launching them on Ulta, Amazon, and selling them DTC. Each channel has its own complexities so having reliable partners to manage the launches is absolutely key… The fact that ShipBob is always scaling and expanding their footprint is very important to me. They’ve been a great partner in our growth.”

Dwight Lee, Co-Founder and COO of Hero Cosmetics

3. Shoes

Much like the UK clothing sector, the footwear market is also booming, being worth over £11 billion in 2021.

There is clearly a demand for shoe retailers online. If you’re interested in stepping into this sector, there are various factors shoppers focus on when shoe shopping online. Consider these insights: 

• 84% of shoppers are concerned about price
• 78% of consumers read ratings and reviews 
• 56% of shoppers look at images submitted from customers who have received the item
• 51% of customers review the exchange policy 

Taking these into consideration can help you generate more revenue from an already popular industry.

4. Cleaning products

Cleaning supplies saw a spike in popularity beginning in 2020. This growth has continued, with 7.03% CAGR market growth expected between now and 2026.

The competition is fierce, but there is a market for everyone, especially if you sell more eco-friendly, natural, and organic products. This sector of the greater cleaning industry is growing quickly at a CAGR of over 8%.

5. Items for pets

On average, UK dog owners spend £274 per year on dog food and cat owners £125 on theirs.

So what do those metrics show? People love their pets… And they’re willing to spend money on them. Whether it’s food, toys, or carriers, there is definitely a market you can sell to if you do your research.

Nutripaw experienced tremendous growth with their treat supplements: 

“Our order volume has grown immensely since we started the business, to where fulfilment doesn’t leave time for us doing anything else. At the scale we’re starting to operate at, keeping everything in-house would mean that we would be picking and packing orders all day!

We have even bigger ambitions for our business going forward, including launching new products and increasing stock. So we wanted to free up our time to focus on growing our business, and knew it was time to outsource fulfilment to experts.”

– Adelina Zotta, Co-Founder of Nutripaw

6. Coffee products

Despite being known as a nation of tea drinkers, Brits consume on average 2 cups of coffee per day. With so many drinking coffee every day, there is a need for coffee related items. Be it coffee mugs, creamers, syrups, or coffee itself, this caffeinated beverage is in demand. 

Non-dairy coffee creamer has stood out as a particularly popular item this year. ShipBob’s customer, Prymal, is an example of this sector’s success:

“Last July, Prymal reached $40,000 USD in revenue. After switching to ShipBob just four months later in November, we are reaching $160,000 USD a month in revenue — that’s 300% growth. We’re also saving $8,000 per month in fulfillment costs.”

– Courtney Lee, Founder of Prymal

8. Subscription orders

Whether you sell products that are considered essential or a part of a consumer’s routine, having a subscription service is a great option to offer your shoppers. Through a subscription box or recurring orders model, you can ship essential products to your customers on a regular, predetermined basis.

For instance, MDacne, a digital health brand, is able to offer a personalized subscription product using ShipBob’s open API.

As a whole, the global subscription ecommerce market is growing and is expected to reach over £900 billion in 2026. In addition to hopping on a trend that’s in demand, there’s revenue on the table for you to claim. Offering subscriptions can help brands grow their customer base by over 30%.

9. Device protectors

Over 90% of Brits own smartphones, with similarly high numbers for laptops and tablets. Those staggering statistics mean one thing: people love their smart devices. 

Because of this, people want to protect them with cases, covers, and screen protectors. In 2022, screen protectors have surged in popularity and are continuing to drive demand. 

As seen in this Google Trends report, screen protectors have maintained a steady popularity throughout the year and upticks, indicating screen protectors are in demand.

In addition to protecting their gadgets, people are also looking for other accessories such as headphones, travel cables and chargers, power banks, and more. 

10. Homemade soaps

Consumers value handmade products, homemade and artisan soaps are no different. 

The UK soap industry is expected to grow at a 13% in 2022. That means now is a great time to get your handmade soap business off the ground. 

Outlaw Soaps has experienced exponential growth with their unique ragged edge soaps: 

“As a small business, we have to be really agile. We do a lot of limited releases and will only offer a couple hundred units of those exclusive items. By handling fulfillment in-house, we could create those items really quickly, getting them produced and out the door in just a couple of days to get feedback and make product decisions fast…

We got Merchant Plus implemented so we could use ShipBob’s warehouse management system (WMS) to fulfill our orders in-house at our Reno, Nevada facility. It works really well. The blended approach — while using a ShipBob fulfillment center in the Chicago area — allows us to scale.”

– Jacob Skidmore, VP of Operations for Outlaw Soaps  

11. Fashion accessories

Similar to clothing, shopping for accessories online is straightforward and convenient for the customers. Whether it’s jewelry, wallets, hats, sunglasses, or something completely different, these products are in demand and sold year-round.

For example, ShipBob customer, MANSSION, a men’s accessory brand, has had incredible success with their unique jewelry: 

“Compared to this time last year, our revenue is up 1,000%. And we’re looking forward to our first quarter million dollar month very soon… ShipBob has helped us tremendously. I’ve been really happy from the get go, and I look forward to growing more with ShipBob over the next few years.”

 – Torii Rowe, COO and Co-Founder of MANSSION

12. Snack foods

When you think of where you get your snacks, you may think of your local grocery store or  convenience store near your home. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rise in consumers shopping for their snacks online. 

In 2022, revenue of snack sales in the UK was over £2.4 billion. With the share of these sales occurring online expected to grow from 13% of all revenue in 2022 to over 20% by 2025.

For example, ShipBob customer and snack brand, Muddy Bites, has experienced staggering growth quarter to quarter, and continues to scale.

Tips for finding and selling high-demand products

When researching high-demand products to sell, certain trends can dictate why the product became popular in the first place and if its popularity is going to last. Fidget spinners had a huge search volume on Google Trends a few years ago, but only for a short period of time because they were seen as a commodity with no lasting value. Probiotics became popular for their health benefits and low costs, so they likely won’t see a major dip anytime soon.

One thing to note during the COVID-19 pandemic is that essential products like hand sanitizers, face masks, toilet paper, and other essentials saw tremendous growth in sales. While it may be tempting to purchase these products and start selling them, keep in mind that customers aren’t going to be happy with brands that “hoard” these products and charge high prices for them. 

1. Keep an eye on overseas products

Many products that become famous in the UK first become popular internationally. With sites like Alibaba and AliExpress, make sure you’re checking often to see if there are any new business opportunities available. By knowing which products are popular overseas, you can begin to purchase these products and start advertising them to customers in the UK to test if the product can drive more sales.

2. Look on local marketplaces for competition

Check marketplaces local to your country to see if customers are buying these high-demand products. For example, vitamins and supplements are popular products, but consider the following questions:

• What kinds of products are being purchased?
• Who is the audience?
• Are there other supplements you could sell that don’t have a clear market leader? 

EnduroSport targets those who participate in outdoor sports all day. There were no healthy options going after this market, so they saw an opportunity. They were originally supposed to launch during the COVID-19 pandemic but pivoted to help those in need while waiting for the crisis to pass.

3. Differentiate yourself

Many products are commodities that can be purchased elsewhere under a different brand name. Why are your jeans better than jeans from your competitors? When promoting products, make sure to highlight the unique benefits of your products and how you stand out from the competition — such as being sustainable or using eco-friendly packaging. This can help you add value to your product, and give you a competitive advantage.

Note: If you’re dropshipping, you won’t have too many opportunities to differentiate since the products are all the same. If you move to working with at 3PL though, you can speed up delivery times and win more business with faster shipping speeds. 

4. Get Global shipping with a fulfilment partner

Did you stumble upon a hot-selling high-demand product that is flying off the shelves globally? If so, you’ll need a fulfilment partner like ShipBob that can get you closer to your international shoppers. Helping you delivery quicker and cheaper, wherever your shoppers are located.

“By partnering with ShipBob, we’ve been able to not only ship from the UK but start shipping from a fulfilment centre in the US to fulfil in-country orders for a much cheaper shipping cost. In the early stages of a brand like ours, we are focused on improving the customer experience. The customer comes first. We want them to get their product on time, intact, and with minimal shipping fees.”

Will Kerr, Apparel Lead at Quadrant

5. Use Google Trends and Search Tools to spot opportunities

It’s important to keep a close look at how different verticals are performing. A great way to do this is by utilising Google’s search engine dedicated to showing trends in search queries. This will help you keep a finger on the pulse of various products consumers are interested in.

Using these search tools allow you to check trends at certain times, in different locations, and even lets you compare different search terms.

For example, if you own a stationary business and are interested in offering writing utensils on your store, you could use Google Trends to see if you’d be better off selling pencils or pens. In this case, ink pens are more popular than mechanical pencils.

6 products and niches of 2022

1. Eco-friendly products

Sustainability and eco-friendly products are gaining popularity, especially with millennials and Gen Z consumers. 85% of consumers have reported that they have shifted their purchases to be more sustainable over the last five years. Consumers want to order from businesses that show they care about the environment and are doing what they can to keep the planet healthy.

Doris Sleep is a great example of an eco-friendly brand that offers machine-washable hypoallergenic pillows made from recycled plastic water bottles from landfills. They partner with ShipBob to maintain a positive buying experience. 

“With ShipBob, I can maintain my brand experience. It doesn’t end on my store — it lasts through that unboxing experience.”

Tracey Wallace, Founder of Doris Sleep

Boie USA is another eco-friendly brand. The personal care brand saw fast growth after a successful Kickstarter campaign. They chose to partner with ShipBob not only for faster order processing, but also for the support ShipBob provides to meet high demand.

“ShipBob’s customer service continues to improve with direct contacts that know our account, real-time follow through, and a better customer delivery experience. They are a fulfillment partner that is truly an extension of our brand.”

Manuel de la Cruz, CEO at Boie

2. Natural skincare and cosmetics

Natural skincare and cosmetics have become increasingly popular as more consumers become aware of the effects artificial ingredients can have on their bodies and the environment. Consumers are turning toward personal care products that are made with natural ingredients such as aloe vera, active charcoal, tree oil, and more.  

A great example is Touchland, a fast-growing brand that has successfully upgraded the hand sanitizing experience to a whole new level. Recognized by Allure as a Best of Beauty award winner, named as a finalist for Fast Company’s 2020 Innovation by Design Awards, Touchland sells a hand sanitizer that brings style.

Touchland launched in 2018 and grew quickly after a successful Kickstarter campaign, and then grew even faster after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“We were already growing quickly when COVID began, then we completely sold out the first week of the pandemic. In three weeks, more than 34,000 customers were waitlisted on Touchland.com. We even did pre-orders to try and meet demand. Between March and May 2020, we had up to 700 orders per day and sold 10,000 dispensers to industry-leading brands in those three months.

COVID changed the mentality of hand sanitation for most businesses, and this won’t go away after the pandemic.”

Andrea Lisbona, Founder & CEO of Touchland

3. Speciality teas

Non-alcoholic beverages are surging in popularity. The non-alcoholic beverage sector is growing steadily and is expected to reach $1.8 billion USD in revenue in the coming years. A part of this industry is teas and items like speciality teas were best-sellers in 2021

Many tea-based brands, such as Herbaly, have grown by selling specialty tea blends that aren’t available elsewhere.

Matcha is also a popular and trendy tea option that comes with many health benefits. For instance, fast-growing tea brand Cha Cha Matcha offers different matcha iced tea flavors along with high-energy branding that makes them stand out from other tea brands on the market. 

When researching potential high-demand teas to sell, look at the types of teas available and the benefits they provide, and if they are high-quality products with good profit margins and low competition in your market.

4. Diet and nutrition products

Health and fitness has been on the rise in ecommerce. The wellness industry is valued at a staggering $4.5 trillion USD.

For many consumers, sticking to a healthy diet may seem challenging, which is why they turn to solutions from online brands. The marketing strategy of many of these types of brands heavily relies on social media influencers that are popular on different social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

Synchro is a nutrition and wellness brand that offers gluten-free, keto-friendly foods, powerfoods, and more. Synchro customers depend on their products to relieve pain, provide energy, offer mental clarity, and even recover quickly from workouts. That’s why Synchro partners with ShipBob to make sure their products are sent to customers quickly.

“We now save a lot of money and ship faster based on distributed inventory. So far, we are shipping out of two of ShipBob’s fulfillment centers. We use the locations that optimise and reduce the distance traveled to get our products into our customers’ hands faster.”

Lindsay Louise, Fulfillment & Retail Manager at Synchro

5. Subscription food services

For consumers that are constantly on the run, nutritious meals they can quickly grab-and-go are important. The European market for meal replacement shakes has been increasing over the last few years at a CAGR of 5.5%. As part of this growth, people are turning to online shopping more and more.

Meal replacement products that don’t require refrigeration are seeing a surge in sales due to their convenience and longer shelf life. 

For instance, Ample Foods is a meal replacement brand that uses real-food ingredients that don’t require refrigeration. Since they partner with ShipBob, they are able to get orders shipped quickly, including subscription orders, by storing inventory close to their customers.

“ShipBob has been a great partner as Ample has grown. ShipBob helps us offer new products to our customers with hardly any extra effort on our part. Our focus is to grow our business, and that will not be achieved by packing up orders, sending out boxes, and dealing with enormous carriers. That’s what ShipBob has mastered. We want to focus on engaging with our customers, building our community, and continually developing new products that keep pace with science and customer needs. ShipBob lets us do just that.”

Pablo Gabatto, Business Operations Manager at Ample Foods

6. Probiotics

More customers are taking their health seriously and relying on natural products to help. Probiotics have become an increasingly popular choice because they promote a healthy digestive system and aren’t expensive. Food-based probiotics like Kimchi and Sauerkraut and drinks like Kombucha are showing up in stores and online. Probiotic pills are also a popular option.

As seen in the Google Trend report above, probiotics and kombucha were both popular searches throughout the year in 2022.

These products can be purchased online from various businesses. For example, ecommerce brand Jetson offers a wide range of seasonal probiotics for kids and adults. Their products are always fresh and made in small batches, then shipped directly to your door.

How ShipBob helps scale your ecommerce

If you want to create the logistics network capable of delivering high-demand products quickly and affordably, it’s going to cost a lot of time, money, and hiring the right people who can set everything up properly. That’s why many ecommerce businesses outsource fulfillment to ShipBob, who has a large network of ecommerce warehouses, proprietary technology, and the logistics expertise to help brands manage high-demand products. 

How does ShipBob grow your ecommerce business? Our mission is to help ecommerce businesses be more successful online. Providing you with not only the best fulfilment services, but also enabling you to easily build the best technology stack. 

Today we support more than 7,000 businesses, from over 35 fulfilment centres across the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, and Australia. All integrated into a single real-time dashboard; whether you are selling on Shopify, via Amazon, to physical retailers, or beyond. 

Get started with ShipBob

As we’ve seen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in the years since, ecommerce sales trends can change quickly. In 2022, we expect 2021’s high-demand products to remain popular while bringing new trends to the forefront. The best thing you can do now, no matter what type of product you sell, is optimize your supply chain and prepare for potential future growth. 

Partnering with the right 3PL can give your business the support and flexibility you need without having to manage ecommerce logistics for high-demand products in-house.

Interested in ShipBob’s fulfillment services? To learn more about choosing how 2-day shipping can help your ecommerce business, contact ShipBob by clicking the button below.

High demand products FAQs

Here are answers to common questions about high demand products.