20/08/2025
When I first stepped into e-commerce, I wasted months chasing โtrendingโ products I saw on Instagram reels or random YouTube videos. Most of them flopped. The issue was not Shopify or Facebook adsโthe real problem was product selection.
In India, where competition is high and margins are tight, the wrong product can burn your money faster than anything else. Iโve learned that if you donโt get product selection right, nothing else matters. You can run amazing ads, design a beautiful store, give heavy discountsโbut still end up struggling for sales.
Here are the 5 rules I use before even testing a product:
1. It must solve a real problem.
If a product doesnโt fix something, save time, or deliver a result people want, it wonโt work. โCoolโ gimmicky products donโt last in India. Problem-solving ones do.
2. It should be consumable or expandable.
Products that need repeat orders (like skincare, supplements, or groceries) or that can expand into a line (like kitchen tools or home improvement items) perform much better. One-time โgadgetsโ usually die out.
3. The market has to be big.
India has a diverse customer base, so I look for products that appeal broadly. If the total addressable market is too small, youโll cap out quickly. I focus on products that can scale beyond just a few thousand buyers.
4. It has to be affordable to ship.
With logistics costs in India, bulky/heavy items can kill your margins. I prefer lightweight, easy-to-ship products that donโt eat up profits when scaling through ads.
5. Margins must be 70% or more.
This may sound strict, but anything lower becomes a headache once you add ad costs, shipping charges, COD returns, and payment gateway fees. In India, high margins arenโt a luxuryโtheyโre survival.
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Following these rules completely changed my approach. Instead of burning money on random trending products, I started finding ones that had a real shot at scaling in Indiaโs e-commerce market.
If youโre struggling with sales on Shopify or WooCommerce, itโs probably not your adsโitโs your product selection.