What products will buyers be snapping up this year?
In today’s workshop, we’ll be talking about the 7 HOT Holiday Product Trends for 2008.
Find out what products will be on people’s wish lists this year!
We’ll also discuss how to find the trends in YOUR industry! Every product category has them.
Then we’ll be here to answer your questions about holiday product sourcing, make suggestions for your product line, and take a look at your eBay store.
Whatever help you need to make this your most successful holiday selling season on eBay!
This is Lisa Suttora and I’m the Founder/CEO of WhatDoISell.com.
I’d like to welcome you to today’s workshop! I’m looking forward to being here today to talk about holiday trends and whatever else you want to discuss that will help you skyrocket your holiday sales this season!
After you’ve finished reading the workshop content below, join the discussion and ask your questions!
I’m also happy to take a look at your eBay store and make store improvement recommendations.
I look forward to spending the next hour with you talking about hot holiday trends!
The holiday season can be the most profitable selling season of the year for eBay sellers if you’ve sourced the products that holiday shoppers are looking for.
Last week Colette Marshall from Worldwide Brands and I debuted our brand new 2008 Holiday Trends video.
In we brought you some of the top product trends for the holiday selling season.
If you haven’t had a chance to view the video yet, I highly recommend that you do so – it is CHOCK full of great Holiday Trend information –
But it’s a 30 minute video, so don’t watch it right now!
Save it for later and stay here with us for the next hour because we’re going to bring you MORE holiday trends and get a lively discussion going about what to sell on eBay this holiday season!
In July, when we first started our WhatDoISell.com Holiday Selling Series of workshops here on eBay, most of the workshop attendees had not yet decided what they were going to sell for the holidays.
Over the past few months, we’ve been working with you in these workshops to help you determine what products to sell on eBay for the holidays.
But there are still many of you who are just now putting together your holiday product line.
And even though time is running short, there’s still time to answer the question “What will you sell online this holiday season?”
And it all starts with the trends in YOUR industry.
• Apply to every industry • Apply to every product category • Are about people not products • Are a reflection of what’s happening in the hearts, minds and lives of consumers • Drive buyer purchasing decisions each year
While many eBay sellers do sell consumer goods which will appear on the holiday gift lists of millions of people across the globe, what about those of you who sell products that are not traditionally holiday gift items – auto parts, sprinkler systems, garment steamers for example?
Well there are two important shopping patterns that we see during the holidays – both of which will benefit those of you who don’t sell traditional holiday products.
At WhatDoISell.com, we’ve dubbed these buyer behaviors:
1. One for Them, One for Me 2. Green Light Shopping
What we’ve seen over the past several years with consumer buying patterns is that holiday shoppers no longer shop only for the people on their gift list.
While they are doing their holiday shopping they are also out shopping for themselves.
Hence – the name “One for Them, One for Me”.
What this means for your business is that the increased traffic to eBay will bring buyers who are not only looking to do their holiday shopping, but they are also looking to pick up something for themselves.
A similar pattern exists with another buyer behavior that we’ve dubbed as “Green Light Shopping” at WhatDoISell.
What we see with Green Light Shopping is that buyers – once giving the “green light” to spend, will not only buy gifts for their holiday gift recipients, but they’ll also start shopping for themselves.
Once they’ve given themselves the OK to shop, holiday shoppers tend to play catch up and make all those purchases they’ve been putting off.
Many years ago – the mentality of holiday shoppers was “I need to stick to my budget.”
These days, buyers figure “I’m already spending money, so I may as well get these things I’ve been wanting for myself.”
The next logical step to take if you do not sell traditional consumer goods is to look at what related products you can sell for the holiday season only to capitalize on this increased holiday traffic.
The seller who sells auto parts might just pick up some N.A.S.C.A.R. collectibles to sell on eBay for the holiday season.
You now know that there are product trends in every industry – and that you should be researching the product trends for the category you sell in.
But where to get this information?
Well, there are many places to find out about trending information for your category. (And this what we teach in the Trend Module at WhatDoISell.com) however lets start with some suggestions of key places where you can look for trending information for YOUR product line.
• First, start by calling your current suppliers. Ask them what they project the hot sellers to be this holiday season. They are your fastest and easiest resource for trending information for your product category.
• Read DAILY - Consumer magazines - The newspaper - Trade publications - Communications from your suppliers
• Google It! Use the keywords related to your products and Google those keywords along with the words “trends 2008”
For example: “toy trends 2008”.
This will bring up a whole slew of media articles and trade information on the top trends for a particular product category.
Now here’s an important Tip!
You MUST look at the dates of the articles once you’ve selected a page of information to look at in the search results page.
You want to make sure you are reading current trend information not previous trend information.
I had a client call me the other day and tell me about this hot new holiday trend – unfortunately it was a hot holiday trend… in 2003!
So be sure and look at the “date published” date for any trending information that you read.
Dolls are IN again in a big way this holiday season! But not the “cheap, disposable” dolls of Christmas’ past.
This year, consumers want quality dolls and doll accessories. We’re also seeing a return to more classic dolls with an age appropriate look and age appropriate clothes.
And there is a definitely backlash against “trashy dolls” among parents.
Although Bratz dolls are near the top of every little girl's list.
We’ll see who wins out this year on that one!
The hot dolls this year will be
• American Girl Dolls (Enjoying huge success with the first American Girl major motion picture release.) • Natural Dolls • Dolls Made from Organic Materials • Lifelike Dolls • Dolls that Incorporate Technology
2008 Hot Holiday Trend #2: Toys That Get Kids Moving!
With the increase in childhood obesity, promoting active lifestyles for their children is on the mind of every parent.
This year’s hot holiday toys reflect this trend. Parents get to spend their money on products they feel good about giving their kids. And kids get to receive a toy that is fun (and promotes good health!)
▫ Gaming and Exercise ▫ Swinxs ▫ Dance Revolution ▫ Dance With Me Teletubbie
We’ll also see more sales of bicycles and accessories for the whole family.
With gas prices rising and belt buckles expanding, bikes to transport each person in the family will be a hot seller this year.
Also, look for bikes with large carrying baskets. As people use bikes to do their shopping, they become a more functional mode of transport.
This trend has been going strong for a few years now and it shows no signs of slowing down. As busy as our lives have gotten and despite our love for premade things, Do It Yourself Kit sales are still on the rise.
People enjoy slowing down and working with their hands. In a world of “done for me” it’s a refreshing change to “do it myself”.
Do It Yourself kits come in every theme and hobby imaginable!
Here are some examples of popular Do It Yourself Kits this year:
• Indoor Gardening Kits • Wine Making Kits • Arts and Crafts Kits (for adults) • “Build It” Kits for the home
Everyone loves to get a cool gadget at Christmas – one that they wouldn’t have purchased for themselves and something that has that “Wow, that’s cool!” factor.
Here are some gadgets that are sure to top the hot lists this year!
• Wind Up Remote controls (no batteries required!) • Vinyl Record Turntables (vinyl records are back!) • Watches That Look Good – Not for Telling Time • Stainless Steel Water Bottles (great stocking stuffers) • Hyper-connectivity – Watches, cameras, eBook readers that all connect to the Internet
2008 Hot Holiday Trend #6: Travel Products for People and Pets
Even with increased gas prices the travel industry is still going strong.
Flights to exotic locations, train travel, boat cruises and road trips are all popular activities throughout the year.
Today’s travel products are more high-tech and lightweight than ever before!
There are new compact suitcases, entire lines of travel products for pets that travel, and colors and styles for every product imaginable.
Even those who don’t travel a lot enjoy a new, unique travel accessory and that’s why travel products for people and pets make the hot products list this year!
Green is not just the color of the season; it’s the type of product you sell!
If you’re not selling an eco-friendly version of your product this holiday season, you’ll be missing some green in your earnings report!
Eco-friendly versions of products will be bigger this holiday season than ever before.
Whether it’s eco-friendly clothing, shoes, toys, small appliances (hair tools, kitchen appliances) even pet products – eco-friendly IS the #1 trend for year.
If you haven’t yet, call your supplier and ask them what eco-friendly holiday products they have in stock.
If the answer is “none” it’s time to add a new supplier to your portfolio.
Next time you go to the mall or browse the Internet, take a look at all the different kinds of eco-friendly products that are being manufactured today.
From cosmetics to car seat covers, there’s a green version of the product to sell this holiday season!
No matter what hot holiday product you sell, you must sell trust along with it. Even if you sell the most in-demand product, people will not buy from you unless you sell trust right along with it.
Selling trust means that you TELL your customers why they can trust you. You instill confidence and trust in them BEFORE they ever even make a purchase.
The #1 concern shoppers have during the holiday season is that their merchandise won’t be delivered on time.
Your job is to assuage their concerns right up from. Tell them very clearly and in no uncertain terms that YOU will deliver their merchandise on time and that you are there to assist them and make their shopping experience as easy as possible!
• Promote and SELL trust • 42% will buy more products if they trust you • 54% will recommend your product to others if they trust you. • 76% will stop buying from you if you lose their trust
The bottom line?
Your customer will not assume you are trustworthy… you must tell them!
This one factor alone will set you apart from your competitors – who don’t know these revealing statistics about what their customers want!
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I have a few NFL Halloween items which i have just listed.Do you feel my timing was a little early or about right? I listed them in two categories. Thank you, mrsdwyersgifts
im new to ebay. i am a powerseller only because i use to be in retail and had tons of stuff left over from the stores. how do i find stuff to sell? i can not go to my old resources...they were oakley, maui jim, fossil, smith,etc. you have to have a retail location to sell their stuff. so i am starting from scratch. help.
i have all my licensing to make wholesale purchases but need guidance on how to find wholesalers , shows etc. for fan mercahndise. Thank you again for your time.
Hi mrsdwyersgifts, Yes you want to list those right away!
Halloween buyers are already doing their shopping and so the earlier you list your Halloween products the better!
And NFL Halloween items should be a good seller! Make sure you use relevant keywords when you list them - and use a subtitle to attract buyers to your items.
hi lisa, (great name) My husband and I had retail locations in malls in las vegas and denver...i now live in dallas. my goal is a full time business. i have always been a say at home mom and my kids are growing fast. I find ebay fun and rewarding. i still have tons of stuff to sell, but i know my stuff is not going to last forever. thanks, LISA
Hi Lisa, I am very new to eBay. I would like to start selling but I have no idea as to what I should sell. Any suggestions on how a newbie should get started? Is it to late to try selling items for the holidays?
Hi card00973, The problem with listing hot holiday items such as the iPhone, iPod touch, Wii, Wii Fit, Livescribe Pen, Nikon D 90, Coach handbags, Kindle, Elmo Live, etc. is that you can't buy them wholesale.
If you call Apple and ask them to sell you iPods at wholesale they will not sell them to anyone without a physical store - and they have a minimum order of $100,000.
Therefore, naming those products are an exercise in frustration for small homebased retailers because yes, these are hot produts, but if you can't source them, it doesn't do you any good.
Now you can buy them retail and resell them on eBay.
Elmo Live is a good example. It's not available retail yet, but once it is, it will sell well on eBay.
The Livescribe pen is another - it's sold out everywhere, but once it comes back in stock.
It's a good retail for resale product.
This is why you want to focus on the product trends in your industry rather than chasing the Top Hot lists.
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