How to find trending products to dropship [2025 guide]
Last updated: 13 Feburary 2025
When you’re ahead of the trend, you get ahead of the competition. Take a look at how to find trending products to dropship
Key takeaways
- Trending products are popular items found on platforms like social media, online marketplaces and Google Search
- Dropshipping trending products helps you stay ahead by quickly listing high-demand items without holding inventory
- Short-term trends offer quick rewards but can be unpredictable, while mid-to-long-term trends provide more stability
- Tools like Google Trends, Amazon’s best-sellers list and dropshipping marketplaces can help identify the next viral products
Introduction
Imagine a product that has gone viral overnight–perhaps an interesting kitchen gadget or a new fashion accessory. From Instagram to TikTok, feeds are flooded with videos showing off the products. The comment section of each video is full of potential customers asking the same questions: Where did you get this? How can I order this product?
That’s when customers find your e-commerce store, perfectly timed with the new product trend. You already have the product listed and it’s ready to be dropshipped. As more sales come in, you maximize profits without holding inventory or worrying about dead stock in case the trend suddenly fades.
When you’re ahead of the trend, you get ahead of the competition.
But how do you find high-demand products and predict their popularity ahead of time?
In this blog, we take a look at how to find trending products to dropship.
Table of Contents
What are trending products?
Trending products are currently popular products on different platforms like social media, online marketplaces and Google Search.
Now, trending products may not necessarily be new products. They may be products that have been around for quite some time and recently gained popularity. They can also be seasonal products that gain popularity for a few months every year. For instance, Christmas ornaments only start trending as the Christmas season gets near.
Selling trending products through dropshipping helps you stay at the forefront of the trend. You can start selling trending products quickly without needing to source those products and wait for them to get shipped to your warehouse–easily saving 2-3 weeks of time. You also don’t have a large inventory stuck in your warehouse when the popularity of the products fades out.
With the trend gone, you can remove the product listing from your store and look for other trending products.
Benefits of dropshipping trending products
High demand: Trending products usually have high demand, which can directly translate to increased sales–if you get the timing right. If there’s low competition or you’re ahead of the trend, it will make it easier for new customers to find you and place an order.
Quickly take products live: Dropshipping allows you to sell products faster since you don’t have to place an order with a supplier and wait 2-3 weeks for the goods to arrive.
No large upfront investment: With no upfront investment to maintain inventory, there’s low risk. Even if you don’t sell as many products as you’d initially expected, you don’t incur huge losses and have no dead stock to worry about.
Challenges of selling trending products
Competition: Trending products are popular, so you’ll find a lot of competition along the way. There’s also the risk of the market getting entirely saturated. To put it simply, if you don’t have the first mover’s advantage with trending products, grabbing the attention of customers will be very difficult.
Low margins: When every seller offers the same type of trending product, everything comes down to pricing. Sellers with the most economical pricing and the highest number of reviews usually win. That means you’ll be operating on low margins, further undercut by dropshipping commissions.
Vetting new dropshipping suppliers: Finding dropshipping suppliers at the last minute can be risky because you can never be too sure of their product quality. While you may be short on time, you should never start working with a new dropshipping supplier before verifying their business credentials and requesting product samples.
Understanding the different types of product trends
Not every trend is the same. There are different types of product trends that you’ll come across, which include:
Short-term trends
These products become popular very quickly for only a short period of time and their popularity dies down quickly. Short-term products can be highly rewarding due to their huge popularity but can also be risky and unpredictable. If you get too late in joining the trend, all that effort would be for nothing.
Some examples of short-term trending products:
- Hoverboards
- Phone grips/pop sockets
- Viral beauty products like jade rollers
Mid to long-term trends
These trends stay for a few months or even a year before they fade slowly. They don’t suddenly gain very high popularity like short-term trends. Instead, their overall growth is more gradual and steady. Selling mid to long-term trending products may lead to less competition and you’ll also have more time to identify the trend. But this extra time can also be utilized by bigger brands to sell genuine and branded products in the same category.
Some examples of mid/long-term trending products
- Reusable straws
- Biodegradable packaging
- Eco-friendly cleaning products
- Knitting and Sewing Kits
Seasonal trends
These products trend every year during a specific month or season and then their popularity fades with time.
In Australia, seasonal trending products can include:
Summer (December – February)
- Summer clothing
- Beachwear & swimwear
- Outdoor equipment like tents and surfboards
Winter (June – August)
- Winter clothing
- Hot water bottles.
- Coffee machines and tea sets
- Winter sports gear
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Different ways to find product trends
Google Trends
You can use Google Trends to analyze the overall popularity of products in your region. Analyze the keywords people usually use to search for products on Google.
For instance, when you search for the keyword ‘swimwear’ in Australia, you’ll find that the maximum number of searches occur from December to January of every year. So, if you are planning to sell swimwear, this is the period when you need to go all in with your marketing campaigns.
Social media
Social media is one of the best places to search for trending products. You can learn how many people are interested in the currently trending products. But searching for trending products will differ for each social media platform.
There’s no direct way to find trending products on Facebook. Instead, you will have to manually look at online stores that could be selling products in the same niche. For instance, if you plan to sell pop sockets for phones, check the Facebook pages of e-commerce stores that usually sell smartphone accessories.
Searching on Facebook can lead to accurate results, but you’ll need to spend time researching the product you’re interested in selling and the brands already offering it.
You can use Instagram’s hashtag autocomplete feature to discover trending products in your region.
For instance, if you’re searching for trending clothes, you can start by checking hashtags like #streetstyle or #ootd. You can also narrow down your search by using hashtags like #athleisurestyle #winterwear #summerwear #beachwear.
The advantage of using the autocomplete feature is you don’t have to research all the relevant hashtags on your own. As you start typing the keyword, Instagram will offer hashtag suggestions.
You can also check Instagram influencers in your niche to see which products they have been using and recommending lately.
Tiktok
If you have a Tiktok creator account, you can use the Top Products tool in TikTok’s creative centre. The tool is mainly designed for creators to find different products they can feature in their content. You can use it to explore the latest viral and top trending products on the platform. You also get access to audience insights and product trends.
You can also use TikTok’s Explore page to check the most relevant videos in your niche.
YouTube
With YouTube, the easiest way to find trending and popular products is by checking the latest videos of creators with a large number of subscribers in the niche that you’re currently interested in. You should especially check any unboxing videos or review videos. Don’t forget to look through the comments to find out what people think about the products featured in the videos.
Retail e-commerce marketplaces
Check e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to find out the best sellers for the current month.
Amazon has a dedicated page where you can find the best-selling products. Though, remember that the best-selling products may already have become too competitive. Look through the current product listings and the number of reviews to ensure the market isn’t saturated already.
Amazon also has a Movers and Shakers list, which features products that have had the biggest sales gain in the last 24 hours. You can use this to list to find products that are quickly gaining momentum.
To find more in-depth data about Amazon products, you can also use research tools like Jungle Scout and Helium 10.
Dropshipping supplier marketplaces
The best way to find trending products to dropship is by going to the source–the B2B marketplaces that connect you to dropshipping suppliers.
B2B marketplaces like Alibaba and AliExpress have dedicated dropshipping pages where you can find dropshipping suppliers and even check the most popular dropshipped products. (Check our Alibaba vs AliExpress comparison to better understand the differences between the two major e-commerce platforms)
For instance, if you are planning to opt for Alibaba dropshipping, check the top ranking page to find the most popular, hot selling and best reviewed products. You also get access to more insights like the number of orders and views received by each product listing. If a dropship product is getting a lot of orders, it’s bound to be a hit among customers.
AliExpress dropshipping works pretty similar to Alibaba. You can get more insights and data from the category and product pages.
Protect your profit margins with WorldFirst
While a dropshipping e-commerce business model requires low upfront investment, your profit margins are usually lower since you must pay commissions to your supplier or agent for shipping the products on your behalf.
To protect your profit margins, you need an international payment provider like WorldFirst that lets you send and receive international payments at competitive exchange rates.
Your World Account lets you open 15+ local currency accounts for sending, receiving and holding funds in international balances. Supported currencies include AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, JPY, NZD, SGD, HKD, CNH and CAD.
You can collect payments from 100+ marketplaces and pay suppliers with the same account. With a World Account, you can save more as you expand your business globally.
Disclaimer: The information contained is general only and largely our views. Before acting on the information you should consider whether it is appropriate for you, in light of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Although information has been obtained from and is based upon multiple sources the author believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy and it may be incomplete or condensed. All opinions, estimates, mentioned products/services and referenced material constitute the author’s own judgement as of the date of the briefing and are subject to change without notice. WorldFirst shall not be responsible for any losses or damages arising from your reliance of such information.
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