Deciding on what to sell online in the Philippines? If you are a budding entrepreneur, this is one of the most important things to think about before starting your e-commerce business. There has been a boom in online consumers during the pandemic. Hence, you don't want to miss out on tapping into some of Southeast Asia's biggest online consumers. There has never been a better time to kickstart your online store!
Now, let's decide on what you can sell in your online store.
There are a vast array of products to choose from. For most folks, you’ll want to sell what is trending now. While you might want to go for a popular option, bear in mind that staying ahead of trending products will keep you ahead of the competition. Hence, it is about striking a balance of finding the appropriate products that are innovative and popular.
Thankfully, we can use search data to understand exactly what shoppers are searching for.
Still not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve already done some research to get you started. In this guide, we’ll dive into 10 trending products ideas for 2022. These are products generating high search volume. In other words, customers are actively looking for these products right now! This will help answer the question of what to sell online in the Philippines in 2022 and beyond!
Should you create an e-commerce business?
According to the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), e-commerce generated US$12B to the local economy in 2020. The Philippines government is also hoping that number grows to US$24B by the end of 2022.
This large uptick in demand means plenty of opportunity for e-commerce businesses. But how can you take part in this? The first step is to create your own online store if you haven’t already.
Editor’s note: Tools like GoDaddy’s E-Store Builder can help you quickly and easily set up your own e-commerce store. That way you can get started selling the right products customers are looking for now!
However, beyond launching your store, there are other important factors you’ll need to take into account. Finding the right suppliers and marketing your business are essential. And except for owner-operators, you should plan to eventually hire customer service representatives.
But the biggest challenge will be first knowing what to sell online in the Philippines.
Which items sell the most online?
It may seem like the number one trending product idea might be face masks. And, yes, this is a hot selling item due to the pandemic. But will face masks still be as popular or necessary in a year or two? Since that’s hard to predict, we’ll focus on items with more stable long-term prospects, regardless of the pandemic.
What products are in demand right now Philippines?
1. Exercise & fitness equipment
Thanks to the pandemic and stay-at-home initiatives, interest in home workouts is greater than ever. People are looking to stay fit and are searching for exercise and fitness equipment. This includes items like yoga mats, water bottles, and other accessories. Just head over to Lazada to take a look at best-selling exercise and fitness products.
One fitness product is especially seeing a high volume of searches: dumbbells. Just take a look at this search data from Google Trends.
Exercise and fitness equipment could be your answer to the question of what to sell online in the Philippines.
2. Skincare
Filipino shoppers are on track to spend more than US$2 billion annually on skincare products by 2027. This category includes facial creams, cleansers, lotion, and beauty products. Looking at the Google Trends data, this category has been on a dramatic upward trend for the past several years.
If you’re selling products in the skincare category, there’s an array of products and brands to choose from. Since this is a very competitive market, you may want to focus on one specific niche. Once you’ve narrowed your focus, find ways to market your brand and establish trust with consumers.
Customers who can see skincare products being used will be more likely to buy. Therefore, marketing through social media and influencers is ideal for this product category. By partnering with an influencer marketing agency, you can help your brand find a large audience and build that essential trust.
3. Fitness apparel
With the rising interest in staying healthy and fit, the fitness apparel category is growing as well. Items such as shirts and tops, shorts, and leggings are all in demand.
You may decide to sell a wide range of activewear items. But depending on your strategy, it may be smart to narrow down your selection. For instance, you could specialize in strictly selling leggings and yoga pants.
4. Home office
With the pandemic and rise in remote work culture, there’s never been greater interest in working from home. Because of this, home office equipment and accessories are hot items to sell. Desks and chairs naturally come to mind. But there are many smaller items as well. Desk organizers, pen holders, and clocks are just a few examples of product ideas. More and more, customers demand products that allow them to earn a living from home. By filling this need, you’ll have found a good answer to what to sell online in the Philippines.
5. Toys
Children’s toys have always been around. But thanks to school closures and more parents working from home, there’s an increasing demand for toys and games. Parents are looking for ways to keep their kids engaged throughout the day. This is especially true for parents who need to concentrate on their work.
Kids toys has a monthly search volume of nearly 10,000 searches in the Philippines. While variations like toys for kids and toys for kids girls bring that number to 36,000 monthly searches.
6. Jewelry
Jewelry remains a popular category when considering what to sell online in the Philippines. Even considering that socializing has been limited lately.
Since the jewelry market is so large and established, it will be highly competitive. But there are many ways your online shop can cater to a specific niche. For instance, you may consider selling handcrafted, artisanal jewelry. These can set your brand apart as being unique. But will also have a lower start-up cost compared to selling expensive precious metals and stones.
7. Undergarments
Women’s bras and undergarments are not going away anytime soon. And since women are shopping online more than ever, this is a steadily growing product category. Just take a look at this Google Trends data.
The search term, ‘bra’ has over 22,000 monthly searches in the Philippines. And while it is a very competitive market. The key is to sell products that women want. With the right differentiation and marketing, it may still be possible for a brand to breakthrough.
8. Shoes
Shoes may not be your first idea for what to sell online in the Philippines. But Filipinos will always need shoes, and that makes this a potentially good option for an E-commerce business. The search term ‘shoes’ receives 74,000 monthly searches. But to sell the right products, you’ll need to first narrow in on a target market. Then, create a marketing strategy that lands with that audience.
As with other products in this list, you will be up against plenty of competition. However, differentiating your brand by focusing on price or service may give you the best odds to succeed.
9. Coffee
Filipinos love their coffee and that’s no secret. Recently, the rest of the world has started taking more interest in the local coffee beans as well. As the Philippines’ coffee industry grows and diversifies, you can take part in that growth. Consider selling local and sustainable coffees produced by hardworking farmers from across the country. You can also sell products like coffee makers and accessories. That’s exactly what online coffee seller, The Vault looks to be doing.
10. Mobile accessories
Finally, mobile phone accessories are a product that is both in constant demand and relatively easy to get started selling online. But how can you set your brand apart from a local retail company selling these same items? Consider specializing in one specific niche, such as mobile gaming. There’s a large demand for products like gaming phone skins, gaming controllers, and finger sleeves.
Conclusion
Knowing what to sell online in the Philippines is one of the first things to figure out for your E-commerce business. Because you should be selling the right products that a large number of potential consumers want. Thankfully, we can easily find search data using tools like Google Trends, SEMRush, and others. We’ve gone ahead and shared our top 10 ideas for trending products to sell in 2022 and beyond. Hopefully, these inspire you to find winning products for your own online store!
If you have decided on what to sell, click out the following articles for more online selling tips and e-commerce sites best practices:
How to start a website from A to Z: A 5-step guide
