Best-selling products on Amazon: What bestsellers reveal to us – and what they do not (including examples)
Landing among the best-selling products on Amazon is likely the secret wish of many sellers. Of course, no one declares a bestseller as an annual goal, as achieving one depends on far too many uncertain and difficult-to-measure factors. Nevertheless, looking at the bestseller lists can be worthwhile, as over the course of the year, valuable insights regarding popular product types can be derived from them.
At the same time, marketplace sellers should not place too much weight on Amazon bestsellers. Not only do the respective leaders change constantly, but they are also not a reliable indicator of a profitable business; rather, they are merely a hint that a more in-depth market analysis might be worthwhile. Therefore, in this blog article, we will not only take a look at the category “Best-selling products on Amazon,” but also explore how sellers can find profitable products.
Best-selling products on Amazon: The bestsellers
Finding out the current bestsellers is quite easy. Amazon makes the best-selling products publicly accessible at amazon.de/gp/bestseller and updates the selection hourly. There, the respective bestseller products can be viewed for each category.
What the bestseller rank does not tell us
However, that is all there is: How well does a product sell compared to the other products in this category? How often a product has actually been sold is not revealed on this page. For example, it could be that the bestseller of a little-frequented product category is sold in absolute numbers much less than a non-bestselling item of a very popular category.
To determine the sales potential of a product, two additional essential pieces of information are also missing:
All these aspects do not allow for a statement on their own about whether a product idea can be profitably marketed. What good is high demand and low competition if the margins are far too small? What does it matter if there are high margins and little competition when there is hardly any demand? And even a combination of high demand and good profit margins is no guarantee of success if the competition is already so pronounced that there is hardly a chance to get a piece of the pie.
Instead of fixating on the best-selling products of an Amazon category, online retailers should view them merely as a hint to investigate further. In particular, niche categories can be rewarding, as the competition is often not as pronounced here.
How we can use bestsellers for ourselves
Despite the limited informative value regarding sales potential, retailers can derive a lot of information from the best-selling products on Amazon and use it for themselves.
Recognizing trends
Regularly monitor the bestseller pages in your category to recognize current trends and popular products. This helps you find new products that could be successful in your market segment.
Identifying niches
Use the bestseller page to identify underserved niches. If certain products have high demand but do not offer enough variants or alternatives, it may be worthwhile to fill this gap.
Monitoring competition
Analyze the competing products on the bestseller page in terms of price or number of reviews / average star rating to identify areas for improvement for your own listings.
Optimizing product listings
Take a close look at the product listings of the bestsellers. Product titles, images, and descriptions reveal which keywords and phrases are successful and how you can design your A+ Content.
Adjusting advertising strategy
Use keywords that frequently appear in the bestsellers to target your Amazon advertising more effectively and find out in which related categories potential customers are shopping, so you can then advertise in those categories.
Developing a pricing strategy
Compare the prices of the bestsellers and consider how you can position your product competitively. Discounts, bundles, or special promotions could be helpful.
Dynamic Pricing for eCommerce retailers: Why the Push strategy works so well
It can be a real challenge to plan a fixed budget in such a way that the maximum profit is achieved. Professional repricing solutions have been developed for exactly this purpose: to enable controlled growth through pricing strategies like the Push strategy and thereby significantly improve ROI. In this guide, you will learn what the Push strategy is, why it works so well with a fixed budget, and how to apply it – both manually and automatically.
Best-selling products on Amazon
The most popular categories
Not always is a high-revenue product category preferable to a niche, but it also doesn’t hurt to know those categories on Amazon that best meet customer needs and preferences. Finding official current figures is not that easy, as Amazon does not publish detailed sales figures or revenues for specific categories to the general public. However, the following product categories can be derived from the company’s quarterly and annual reports, press releases, the “Best of Prime” reports, or other sources:
The most popular products
Now let’s move on to the best-selling Amazon products. Since the bestseller rank is in constant flux and Amazon does not publish its own annual evaluations, the products listed below can only serve as examples for their respective categories. To gain a comprehensive impression of a category, retailers should regularly monitor the bestsellers over an extended period and – very importantly – combine the collected insights with other metrics. These include:
For this, retailers should acquire suitable analysis software, for example, to check the search volume of relevant keywords using the Amazon Keyword Tool. Additionally, free applications can provide initial insights. With Google Trends, the development of certain search queries in Google Search can be tracked, regionally assigned, and compared with other keywords.
Below, we present the Amazon bestsellers of the most popular categories that were able to capture the top position at the time of research.
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Kitchen, Household & Living
In this category, the Stanley Quencher is leading the race. At 50 euros, it is certainly one of the more expensive drinking bottles, which is likely due to its current popularity. In Google Trends, the search volume for “stanley quencher” has recently increased significantly.
Fashion
Apparently, socks are still very popular at Christmas, so this product listing in the fashion category was able to secure the top position. Noteworthy is the inclusion of the keyword “gift” in the product title.
Electronics & Photo
In the electronics sector, an Amazon Basic product has secured the bestseller rank – a sign that the competition is quite large and entering this market would have little chance of success.
Camera & Photo
Instant cameras have been experiencing a revival for some time now. And even though this is not a product of an Amazon-owned brand, the seller is the corporation itself, which indicates high sales figures, but does not necessarily suggest a low-competition environment.
Books
Always good for a bestseller: Sebastian Fitzek makes it to the top position with “The Calendar Girl.” Books can be a lucrative business – however, rather in the used segment. Here you can read more: Successfully selling books on Amazon.
Drugstore & Personal Care
From this bestseller, you can see why such a position can be deceptive: If we had prepared this item in June, there certainly would not have been a sole warmer at the top. Therefore, you can exclude extremely pronounced seasonality when evaluating the bestsellers over a long period of time.
Pet
Around 15.7 million cats lived in German households in 2023. Their owners apparently like to buy scented cat litter. Here, a deeper look might be worthwhile to see if there is a market gap for certain scents.
Sports & Leisure
Seasonality also plays a crucial role here. The best-selling product on Amazon in mid-December 2024 is a hat with an integrated lamp. We also find the keyword “gift” in the title, which additionally reveals important USPs (rechargeable, headlamp, extremely bright, running hat).
Conclusion: Best-selling Products on Amazon
The bestseller lists on Amazon provide a valuable source of inspiration to identify trends, popular product types, and potentially lucrative niches. They show us which products are currently well-received by customers and which strategies – whether in pricing, product listing, or advertising – can be successful. This way, sellers can gain targeted insights and use this knowledge to optimize their own offerings.
However, bestsellers should not be overvalued. The rank alone does not provide information about sales figures, profit margins, or competition. Without a comprehensive market analysis, there is a risk of entering highly saturated markets or investing in unattractive niches. Additionally, the seasonality of certain products can be misleading, which is why long-term observation is necessary.
For sellers, it is therefore true: Bestsellers are not a recipe for success, but a starting point for deeper research. With targeted analyses, such as keyword research, competitive observation, or the use of specialized tools, the chances of success can be significantly increased. Only those who look beyond the bestsellers understand what really lies behind the numbers – and can use this for a sustainable growth strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon sells an estimated over 1.6 million products worldwide per day. However, the numbers vary greatly.
Popular categories include electronics, books, household items, clothing, and drugstore products.
There is no permanently best-selling product, as the bestseller rank changes hourly. However, products like electronic devices, household goods, and bestselling books often top the list.
First, create a seller account on Amazon. Then, list your products with appealing descriptions and images. Optimize your listings with relevant keywords and also use advertising and promotions to increase your reach.
Image credits: © mimadeo – stock.adobe.com / © Screenshots – Amazon.de
