Trending DTC product ideas for e-commerce entrepreneurs
Exploding Topics scours the internet to find emerging trends before they take off.
Here are four of the latest developments, along with some insights and analysis to help you take advantage.
1. ShipBob
ShipBob is an e-commerce fulfillment service that handles product warehousing, packing, and shipping.
(With a focus on DTC brands.)
The company reports that its revenue more than doubled in 2020. And that they now have 3,600+ e-commerce clients.
Which explains why ShipBob raised a $68M Series D in September (bringing their total funding to $130.5M).
What’s next:
ShipBob is part of the Supply Chain as a Service (SCaaS) meta trend.
Amazon FBA kicked off the trend. US e-commerce sales are estimated to have risen by 44.5% in Q2 last year. And during that time, the number of Shopify stores increased by 62%. Which has led to exploding demand for fulfillment and SCaaS services.
Besides ShipBob, other growing players in this space include Shippo, Shipstation, and ShipHero.
Get new trending topics in your inbox:
2. Posture Corrector
Posture correctors are wearable devices that help prevent slouching, rounded shoulders, and “nerd neck”.
Over 70% of people in developed countries experience lower back pain at some point in their lives. Often, this pain is attributable to bad posture.
Products in this category range from belts and harnesses to connected wearables, buzzing cushions, and dedicated posture-correcting exercise equipment. Like many niche products, most of the most popular posture corrector brands are 100% DTC.
What’s next:
Posture correctors are part of the “self-care technology products” meta trend.
Examples of products driving this trend include red light therapy devices, blue light glasses, smart scales, and near infrared saunas.
3. Ghost Protein
Ghost Lifestyle is a sports supplements brand that specializes in protein powder.
Ghost sets itself apart from other supplement brands largely due to its unique branding and positioning. Most supplement brands focus on tangible benefits, like increased muscle mass. Instead, Ghost positions itself as a lifestyle brand for skateboarders and gamers.
A line of gear and apparel further the idea of being a proud user of the supplements, while a prominent “fam” tab on the site showcases a gallery of influencers who have endorsed Ghost.
What’s next:
Ghost is part of the DTC supplement meta trend. The dietary supplements market was estimated to be worth $123.3 billion in 2019. One study forecasts that this will rise as high as $230.7 billion by 2027.
A good chunk of this growth is due to the hundreds of new DTC supplement products and brands hitting the market.
Other examples of growing DTC supplement brands include Truvani, Goli, and Ancestral Supplements.
4. Lab Milk
Lab milk is cows’ milk produced in laboratories using special strains of yeast.
Because it doesn’t require any animals to produce, lab milk is technically vegan.
Unlike plant-based milks (like pea milk) lab milk is real dairy — with a taste and nutritional profile that are designed to be exactly the same as regular cows’ milk.
We’re already seeing a number of lab dairy startups crop up.
Lab cheese startup Remilk raised $11.3M in a Series A in December. San Francisco-based New Culture has raised $5.1M to date.
And BioMilq, which is aiming to mass produce human breast milk, raised a $3.5M seed round last year.
What’s next:
Lab milk is part of the “Synthesized Food” meta trend.
The cost of producing laboratory meat has dropped by a factor of 30,000 over the last few years. And management consulting firm AT Kearney predicts that 60% of meat will be lab-produced by 2040.
Plus, KFC has announced plans to offer lab-grown meat in the form of 3D bioprinted meat products. And last month US-based Eat Just recently received regulatory approval by the Singapore Food Agency to sell their brand of lab-grown chicken commercially.
Examples of growing startups in this space include Aleph Farms, BlueNalu, and Future Fields.
Get next week's exploding topics in your inbox:
@joshahowarth Hi Josh, do you know if any of these businesses looking to work with website freelancers or agencies. Thank you.
Really interesting and useful. I have subscribed.
Thanks!