If you’re in the business of selling products and services online, you are certainly interested in finding out what ecommerce product categories are currently considered the most profitable ones both to webshop owners and mid to large scale online businesses.

Those of you who will realise that they are actually selling what people mostly buy online better capitalise on such trend by investing in their online marketing and their customers’ shopping experience with the brand. On the other hand, if you are a niche entrepreneur offering products and services that may not be that popular on a larger scale but still have a profitable marketplace, you may get inspiration from finding out how successful entrepreneurs have made a name for themselves beating the competition within the most popular marketplaces on a global level.

Ecommerce product categories that bring in big bucks

Baby products

Surprised much? If you think about it, baby products that are safe for the baby and designed or formulated to stimulate growth while not containing any harmful substances are quite expensive. So no wonder parents are on the look out for brands selling quality baby staff for great prices and offering loyalty programs and rewards. According to analysts, in 2015 baby products generated something over 44 billion dollars just in the States and ecommerce had a big part in this pie.

If you’re in the business of selling any type of products aimed at the baby market, keep in mind that research suggests moms and dads are on the hunt for safe, nurturing and eco-friendly products for their new borns and older kids. Think Honest Company and the likes. Even if Honest had a few bumps in the road and controversies in regard to declaring what's to be found in their products, their brand vision and goals have conquered a big chunk of the market in the USA. You may want to get some inspiration from their brand story-telling!

Sportswear

According to the director of Demandware (enterprise cloud ecommerce platform), each year websites selling sportswear and similar gear see their visits and conversion rates rise and the trend is not stopping. In comparison to 2014, in 2015 traffic to these sites increased by 38% ad sales by 11% on a global l level.

Now this trend is not about to slow down any time soon as sportswear including the so called “athleisure” gear is attracting more and more online customers that are not your typical sportswear customer but still want comfy and sporty clothes that also look good (think of brands like Lululemon offering yoga and fitness sport lines that have caught the attention and opened the wallets of women not doing yoga but still liking the brand and what it represents!).

Home design and decor

In the past few years this category hasn’t been among the most popular ones in ecommerce. However, beginning with 2014 the wheels have started turning. And there is a reason for that. More and more online stores now offer quality multimedia and 3D graphics showcasing products and letting the customers see what it would look like if you had a particular item in your home. Moreover, free delivery and pretty good return policies have made shoppers more eager to get their hands on a particular piece of furniture or decor by going online and ordering a product from the comfort of their home.

Obviously, it goes without saying who is the biggest online furniture brand in ecommerce. Well ok we’re going to say it for those of you in doubt: Ikea of course. And ever since the Swedish monster brand  conquered the biggest market share in the industry on a global level, more and more brands try to follow Ikea’s example by making online furniture shopping a fun, almost playful shopping experience for the entire family.

Products for pets

Again, looking at the data, in the US pet industry sales have gone up in 2015 in comparison to the 2014 numbers (60 billion dollars in 2014 to be precise). And let's face it, just like baby products, pets will always be around and pet owners will always be in need of pet food, toys and grooming products. Moreover, this category is actually quite awesome as it allows for shop owners to specialise in various niches within the industry. From products targeting less popular animals to luxury boutiques for pets, there is a chunk of the multi-billion dollar pie for everyone to dig in.

Handmade products and similar

Yep, Etsy has mad its way to the top when it comes to selling handmade goods and crafts online and since the company went public and Amazon started Amazon Handmade, all indicators are pointing towards this sector being an unbelievable fertile ground for ecommerce websites.

Moreover, the creativity, playfulness and growth potential make this particular industry attractive to many of you either good at making jewellery or any other type of handmade products. However, unless you find a truly original way to appeal to potential customers, you may easily drown in the sea of websites offering cheap jewellery for housewives or teenage girls with little money to spend.

Travel services

What’s the number 1 way to book or make travelling arrangements? Ecommerce websites! And this was an easy one…

The World Tourism Organisation stated that there were around 1.1 billion international tourists in 2014 and according to a SDL research, almost 80% of today’s travellers book their trips online. You do the math!

Niche market foods

With more and more people wanting to know where the food they buy come from, if it’s truly safe, grown or processed using safe methods and so on, ecommerce websites selling foods with a certification of provenience and quality are getting enormous attention. With so many scandals in terms of the food industry and affecting people’s health in the long run, more and more shoppers are resorting to specialty foods sold online via ecommerce sites.

Moreover, the necessity for specialty foods is on the rise in consequence of certain medical conditions that require purchasing food products a bit more difficult to find and costly. Think of gluten free, organic, vegan and similar products.

As people continue looking for safer, healthier and organic foods for their family, this is still an unchartered territory with so much potential for ecommerce.

Whatever the product category or industry, ecommerce is the future of any type of shopping and there is simply no going back. Good online shopping to all of us!