The 12 Best E-Commerce Niches For 2019

The key to building a popular Shopify website is finding a niche, vertical or industry that is experiencing very rapid growth. So which verticals are on track to post the highest growth in 2019? The 12 e-commerce niches below are backed by strong momentum, stellar future growth forecasts, and strong consumer demand.

1: Drones

Companies like DJI and Parrot are helping to transform the consumer drones market into one of the fastest-growing e-commerce niches. According to industry analysts, the consumer drones market is on track to be an $11.2 billion market opportunity by 2026. Between now and then, the market will grow at approximately a 20.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). The real demand for consumer drones is not coming from hobbyists and tech enthusiasts, but rather from aerial photography fans. So if you’re putting up a Shopify storefront for drones like the DJI Phantom or DJI Mavic, make sure that you’re supporting these products with great content of interest to aerial photographers.

2: Ergonomic desks

There are a number of reasons why ergonomic desks have broken out as an important e-commerce category – the blurring of the line between work life and home life, the rise of the gig economy, a greater focus on health and wellness, and the desire of young millennial workers for new and innovative workplace perks. According to a June 2017 report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), standing desks are now the fastest growing employee benefit. Did you know that 44% of companies now offer standing desks as a perk for their workers? That makes ergonomic desks a perfect Shopify category for anyone thinking of reaching entrepreneurs and small business owners.

3: GPS trackers

The GPS tracking devices market is growing at a very healthy 11.9% CAGR. At one time, the primary use for GPS trackers was for outdoor enthusiasts, such as hikers using these devices to find their way on a trail. However, people are now lining up to buy tracking devices for their cars, children, pets and elderly family members. Tech blogs, for example, are now filled with product reviews that help consumers narrow down on exactly the right product for each possible type of use. In many ways, the popularity of this niche can be traced back to three major tech trends – the Internet of Things, the cloud, and wearables. So, if you’re building a Shopify storefront, make sure that you’re targeting the right demographic niche with your GPS trackers.

4: Smart watches

Similar to GPS trackers, smart watches are part of the growing popular enthusiasm for wearable devices. The major use of smart watches right now is health and wellness. While Fitbit is perhaps the best known of these new wearable device companies, don’t forget about big tech giants like Samsung and Garmin. Right now, the smart watch category is a $41.8 billion market opportunity. By 2023, it could be worth $109.28 billion.

5: Electric scooters

Remember when scooters were only for kids? Young adult millennials are now embracing electric scooters from companies like GoTrax for everything from commuting to work to zipping around college campuses. A number of trends are making this happen – including growing awareness of carbon emissions and eco-sustainability, as well as the rise of smart cities and the sharing economy. Some cities now have their electric scooter sharing programs, where you can pick up and drop off scooters at various locations.

6: Hemp and CBD products

There’s a good reason why Inc. magazine called hemp and CBD “the next Gold Rush.” With the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada and U.S. states like California, as well as growing awareness of the health properties of hemp, there has been an explosion of popularity around products that include CBD (the non-psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis), including oils, tinctures, balms, edibles and topicals.

7: Men’s plaid shirts

If there is one men’s fashion item that has timeless appeal for nearly every age group, it’s the plaid shirt. These can range from lumberjack-style plaid flannels (which have been embraced by urban hipsters) to plaid shirts meant to be worn with jeans as part of a classic, no-stress look that works just as well for a business causal office as it does while hanging out at a brewpub over the weekend.

8: Bamboo utensils

Natural, organic products are having a moment right now, and that’s led to off-the-charts popularity for products made from natural bamboo. Bamboo utensils, for example, are popping up everywhere, from websites of outdoor outfitters to websites of interior designers. The “wood look” is also being applied to sunglasses, watches, phone cases and notebooks.

9: Alkaline water

There’s bottled water, and then there’s “premium” bottled water, in the form of alkaline water (which has a higher pH than regular water). Brands like Essentia are perhaps the best known right now, but Coca-Cola is readying a new Smartwater alkaline product for national rollout in the United States in 2019. According to Zenith Global, alkaline water has a chance to be a $1 billion market opportunity, with growth rates hitting 18 percent per year. Alkaline water is a great e-commerce niche for anyone looking to sell a low-cost, premium product to consumers living an active, healthy lifestyle.

10: Tote bags

Sometimes, the best e-commerce niches involve classic products that are constantly being reinvented, re-imagined, and re-designed. Like tote bags, for example. Fashion bloggers have already identified a number of top fashion trends for tote bags in 2019, including crochet totes (perfect for achieving a boho vibe in the city) and duffle bag totes. If you’re looking for a perfect example of what a tote bag Shopify site should look like, just head over to Notabag.com – this German brand started off as a Kickstarter project and has now become an international brand sensation. Shopify even uses Notabag as a case study.

11: Vaping and e-cigarettes

According to Grand Review Research, e-cigarettes and vaping could be a $47 billion market opportunity by 2025, with the industry posting a spectacular 23.8 percent CAGR. Do we have your attention yet? There are many ways of getting into the vaping and e-cigarettes market – you can either sell the actual e-cigarettes, or you can sell all the supporting items for the product ecosystem, such as e-liquids.

12: Shapewear

In just the past few years, shapewear has transformed from being considered merely an “undergarment” into being part of the active fitness wear category. The best example here are high-waisted control tops, which are now part of the whole high-waisted leggings look. In many ways, shapewear is now any compression sportswear that lifts, supports or firms. Best of all, shapewear now comes in every possible color, as consumers look to match their shapewear with their overall outfit. While shapewear might not have the same spectacular growth rates as other categories (about 5-10% per year, according to Technavio), it does have the advantage of being a product that people buy on a regular basis.

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What all 12 of these e-commerce niches have in common is a strong future growth forecast. By tapping into one or more of these niches, you will be able to lay the foundation for a profitable Shopify storefront that delivers exactly the types of products that consumers want to buy.

Let us know what you think will be the hottest niches in 2019 in the comments.

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