The Garlic Press, Issue 07- keratosis pilaris, robot waiter, lick mat
and more...
1. Keratosis pilaris treatment
Keratosis pilaris, also known as “chicken skin”, is a skin condition that causes excess keratin in your body to block growth of new hair, resulting in you getting red pimples instead.
Here is a handy demonstration of the process:
These pimples come in patches and usually appear on upper arms, cheeks and buttocks. You are more likely to get it if you are a kid, a woman, or have Celtic ancestry.
It is not contagious and tends to disappear before you are 30 years old.
Understandably, not everyone is prepared to wait, and there is a big demand for keratosis pilaris treatment.
The condition is not curable, but people try. There are two major types of treatment: exfoliating creams that remove dead skin and hydrating lotions that can prevent the condition.
It gets worse in the winter months when the skin tends to dry out, however, interestingly, Google Trends interest for keratosis pilaris treatment spikes during summer months, when it is time to reveal your pimpled buttocks to the world:
On Amazon, the same pattern can be seen. Demand spikes during summer months, with an exception of 2020, when everyone stayed at home:
There is not a lot of growth in demand over the last few years, but there are two things that I really like about this opportunity. First, there is very little competition, literally just a handful of brands taking all the sales. Second, the product is relatively simple. It can basically be an exfoliating cream, all you have to do is position it as primarily a keratosis pilaris treatment.
More data:
Top search term: keratosis pilaris treatment
Last month Brand Analytics search frequency rank: 27,095
Search volume growth past 360 days: 7%
Average sale price: $20.27
Number of competing brands: 5
Top 3 Brand Analytics products click share: 49%
2. Robot waiter
I saw one of those last summer at a London restaurant, and I have to admit - it was fun to watch. The robot did not do much, I wouldn’t even call it a robot, it was more of a smart bookshelf on wheels, taking orders from the kitchen to the front of the restaurant. The plates were then picked up by waiters to deliver to actual customers.
And just a couple of weeks ago I have been to a bar in Prague where you get your cocktails mixed by a robot hand:
I prefer human barmen, but again, it was a fun experience, and there is a clear trend of robots increasingly helping humans in the hospitality industry. Google Trends confirms that:
In terms of Amazon, this is an unusual case. No one sells robot waiters, there is literally zero competition. But when I type “robot wai…” in the search box here are the Amazon suggestions that I get:
Clearly there are people looking for robot waiters. And not finding any.
At the same time, on Alibaba there are plenty of options. Robot waiters are expensive, but I like the MOQ of 1:
To sum up - if you are feeling adventurous and want to be the first one selling a product on Amazon that will sooner or later be a part of our everyday lives - here is your chance.
More data:
Top search term: robot waiter
Last month Brand Analytics search frequency rank: n/a
Search volume growth past 360 days: n/a
Average sale price: n/a
Number of competing brands: 0
Top 3 Brand Analytics products click share: n/a
3. Lick mat
A lick mat is a piece of textured silicone that you use to feed dogs.
For dogs, there are several benefits: it keeps them busy, reduces anxiety and helps develop their mental abilities.
Another thing you can do with a lick mat is separate different foods into sections and treat your dog to an a-la-carte dinner:
This is a relatively new thing in the dog world, people started googling lick mats just about two-three years ago:
The same pattern can be seen on Amazon.
One major concern is the average market price of $12. Profit margins in this market are going to be low.
Normally I would recommend against such niches, but great things happen when overall customer demand is going up. Just look at the current top listing sales:
Launched just over a year ago and already selling 200 units per day at above average market price. A success.
More data:
Top search term: lick mat for dogs
Last month Brand Analytics search frequency rank: 13,970
Search volume growth past 360 days: 30%
Average sale price: $12
Number of competing brands: 17
Top 3 Brand Analytics products click share: 43%
4. Wagon stroller
A wagon stroller is a fairly new concept in the parenting world.
As the name suggests, it is a mix of a wagon and a stroller, with the best bits of both: you can use it to transport babies around, but you can put more of them inside. Here is a solution for you in case you have four kids:
Apart from babies, you can put stuff inside, like shopping bags for example.
Another benefit of wagon strollers is that they can be both pushed AND pulled, which is very useful on some rough terrains like sand or gravel.
Also, there are lots of additional features that a wagon stroller can have: car seat adapters, roofs, side bags, big wheels, premium materials etc.
This gives you, as a seller, lots of options to play with and differentiate your product from competitors.
On Google, demand for wagon strollers is at an all-time high at the moment. Also, it looks a bit seasonal, with sales slowing down in winter:
On Amazon, “wagon stroller” search term popularity follows a similar pattern:
The niche is new, and there are not as many brands competing as one would expect. Also, there is no leading brand that parents would know and prefer, and top-3 listings for “wagon stroller“ in Brand Analytics only take 36% of sales. Such a low percentage often means that there is room for new players.
More data:
Top search term: wagon stroller
Last month Brand Analytics search frequency rank: 5,495
Search volume growth past 360 days: 133%
Average sale price: $284.85
Number of competing brands: 7
Top 3 Brand Analytics products click share: 36%
5. Fingerprint door lock
We live in the greatest time in human history, with technological progress improving our lives at an unprecedented speed. Yet there are things in life that refuse to change for the better. Countries having different electrical plugs is one example. Americans insisting that weeks start on Sunday is another. Door locks with physical keys is yet another.
This year my family stayed in around 10 different Airbnbs, and I had to use physical keys EVERY SINGLE TIME. This makes no sense. Physical keys can be stolen, copied or lost, and we have all the technology to make door locks completely keyless. Yet we still carry pieces of metal in our pockets like medieval peasants.
This has to change, and looks like it soon will. On Google USA, interest in fingerprint door locks is going up:
Things are looking good on Amazon as well. This year is the best ever:
The niche is not new, there are lots of competitors. But it is also a big niche, and it is developing fast. Apart from fingerprint locks, there are similar ones: code locks, face recognition locks, locks that open via smartphone etc. And they are all part of the same trend that will only get bigger in the next 5-10 years.
More data:
Top search term: fingerprint door lock
Last month Brand Analytics search frequency rank: 8,484
Search volume growth past 360 days: 134%
Average sale price: $99.85
Number of competing brands: 25
Top 3 Brand Analytics products click share: 40%
This is it for this week. As usual, let me know which oportunity you liked more:
P.S. Last week’s golden medal goes to EBT plants.