How to do niche research for POD
"Cats" isn't a niche, it's a category. A niche that sells sits at the intersection of a specific audience, a specific subject and a specific moment. We walk through niche research step by step using Etsy's own tools and public sources.
Retro scuba t-shirt
Mountain and moon tank
Sign language heart t-shirtThe biggest time sink in POD is preparing dozens of designs on a subject nobody searches for. No matter how good the design is, if it doesn't match a need the buyer is searching for, it stays invisible. That is why niche research comes before design: first who is looking for what, then what to design.
In this post we walk through, step by step, how to find and evaluate a niche using Etsy's own tools and publicly available sources.
What is a niche, and what is a category?
A category is a broad subject: cats, fishing, nursing. A niche is a narrow area within those subjects that speaks to a specific audience. A good niche usually sits at the intersection of three parts:
- Audience: who will wear it or give it as a gift? A profession, family role, hobby group or lifestyle.
- Subject: the thing this audience is proud of, laughs about or identifies with.
- Moment: the occasion the product is bought for. A birthday, retirement, family reunion, start of a season, special day.
"Cat t-shirt" is a category. "A gift for retired nurses who spend their time with their cat" is a niche. In the second case, fewer buyers search, but they search much more precisely, and the product matches their search exactly.
1. Start with Etsy search
When you type a word into the Etsy search bar, the autocomplete suggestions show what buyers actually type. Start with a main keyword and note the phrases behind the suggestions. Then search with those phrases and look at the results page: how similar are the products, what is the price range, which styles stand out?
2. Use Etsy Marketplace Insights
Etsy offers sellers a tool based on its own search data: Marketplace Insights. According to Etsy's help page, you can reach it via Shop Manager > Stats > Marketplace Insights, and it currently works on desktop and the mobile web.
- Shows the number of searches and listings for a keyword over the last 30 days.
- Lists similar search phrases, helping you find areas with high buyer interest but relatively few listings.
- Shows rising searches in your categories over the last 30 days.
- 15 keyword searches per week are free; they are unlimited for Etsy Plus subscribers.
3. Follow trend reports and the seasonal calendar
Etsy publishes periodic trend reports in its Seller Handbook, based on Etsy search data and industry insights. In addition, Google Trends is useful for seeing how interest in a topic changes over time and how seasonal it is. For periods like Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation, Halloween and the holidays, preparing designs a few weeks early gives your listings time to gain ground in search results.
4. Listen to how communities talk
The jokes, jargon and inside humor an audience uses among itself are the best source of original design ideas. Reddit communities, professional groups and hobby forums show what that audience laughs at and what it's proud of. The ideas that come from there are observation, not copying: rather than taking the same sentence, capture the feeling and design it in your own words.
5. Score the niche
Evaluating every niche idea against the same criteria keeps you from deciding on gut feeling. Fill in the table below for each idea:
| Criterion | Question | Good signal |
|---|---|---|
| Demand | Is anyone searching for this phrase? | Steady searches in Marketplace Insights |
| Competition | How many listings target the same phrase? | Relatively few listings compared to searches |
| Audience clarity | Can I describe the buyer in one sentence? | Clear profession, role or hobby |
| Gift potential | Would someone give this as a gift? | There is a specific moment or celebration |
| Expandability | Can I get 10 different designs from this niche? | Several jokes, subtopics and moments |
| Copyright risk | Does it involve a brand, character or celebrity? | No, entirely original |
6. Start small and look at the data
Even in a high-scoring niche, the first step should be small: open a few listings with 3-4 different takes on the same idea, and look at views, favorites and sales. Expand the take that gets attention, and rewrite the titles and tags of the ones that get no views. Niche research isn't a one-time job; it's a loop fed by sales data.
Finding ideas with Custombull
Custombull's idea engine scans what customers are searching for and what's rising on social media, gives you a daily summary, filters out ideas with high copyright risk and turns the ideas you like into product drafts. You can also go a step further: Automated Production scans 11 sources, including Etsy trend reports, Google Trends, news, Reddit and a seasonal calendar, to find ideas, creates the design with AI, prepares the mockup and listing copy, runs a copyright scan and uploads to Etsy with your approval or on an auto-publish setting. The same topic and concept isn't produced over and over for the same store.
Frequently asked questions
Should I avoid highly competitive niches altogether?
You can sell in competitive niches too, but targeting narrower subtopics within that niche instead of broad phrases is more realistic for a new shop.
How many designs should I prepare for a niche?
There is no fixed number. Start with a few different takes and styles; when the data shows which direction works, expand in that direction.
Does it make sense to target a trending character or show?
Character, show and brand names carry intellectual property risk and can get listings taken down. Instead of the trend itself, target the feeling or the audience that trend creates with an original design.
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